the dynamics of our house - my parent's house - have changed dramatically. on friday, we made the awful decision to euthanize Benji.
he was old - 17 - and his health was deteriorating quickly. i'll admit, i was strongly in favour of the euthanization. we'd been anticipating it for a long time, and had all acknowledged that he wouldn't make it much longer. and when he wandered into the middle of the pool cover - which was filled with freezing cold water - and couldn't find a way out, we knew it was getting to be time.
what i really did not anticipate was how awful it would be. i made the phone call and scheduled the appointment - all the while feeling horrible because he was following me around, tail wagging, wanting an alpo biscuit. dad and chelsey went to the actual appointment and, though i wasn't there, what i've been told about it haunts me. three days later, i still feel wretched. i go back and forth between regret and intense grief. he was suffering, his quality of life was deteriorating rapidly, and he wasn't going to make it much longer. yet at the same time, he was still mentally "there" - he knew what was going on, and though he was blind and nearly deaf, he knew when one of us was around and was never far away.
there's an emptiness in the house ... my cat's bowl is now in the dog's spot. he's not lying near the door or wandering around the hall. there's really no need to check if the back door is locked because it hasn't been opened tonight. though it has been three days, i've been away at a conference and am only now really experiencing the loss.
i have a feeling it's going to be a while before it all sinks in. but this, like all grief, will lessen with time. in the meantime, i'd better try to sleep.
-c
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Monday, October 13, 2008
niagara falls!
the blog post about this trip is coming ... for now, here's the link to the photos!
niagara getaway!
xox
niagara getaway!
xox
Monday, October 6, 2008
back to life
It's time to bring the blog back to life.
So, what's new?
A few things have happened since I returned from beautiful Roma ...
1) Plans for my glorious return to Europe have been set aside ... of course. Anyone surprised? The reasons for this are several, and although europe is not looming in my (anywhere near) future, I'm so happy.
2) I'm moving out of my parents house - again! The search for the "perfect apartment" is now underway, and I will be relocating to the small city of Orillia, Ontario.
3) The reason for the move - school! Of course - again, anyone surprised? The Where: Georgian College and the What: Child and Youth Worker. See HERE for more info :)
4) This year's Relay for Life is over, but the work hasn't quite ended! The relay itself was incredible ... We raised over $142,000 and had 61 teams registered. The community pulled together to make this a success, and I thank each and every one of my amazing volunteers. My job as volunteer coordinator was at times overwhelming and very challenging - but the rewards are many and I'm so glad I did it. Over the next six weeks I will be attending two Leadership Conferences for the Relay - one in Barrie and one in Mississauga. I'm really excited about these - they offer an opportunity to meet other Relay delegates and to get more involved with the CCS.
5) I'm just plain happy.
Glad to be back :)
xoxo
Candice
So, what's new?
A few things have happened since I returned from beautiful Roma ...
1) Plans for my glorious return to Europe have been set aside ... of course. Anyone surprised? The reasons for this are several, and although europe is not looming in my (anywhere near) future, I'm so happy.
2) I'm moving out of my parents house - again! The search for the "perfect apartment" is now underway, and I will be relocating to the small city of Orillia, Ontario.
3) The reason for the move - school! Of course - again, anyone surprised? The Where: Georgian College and the What: Child and Youth Worker. See HERE for more info :)
4) This year's Relay for Life is over, but the work hasn't quite ended! The relay itself was incredible ... We raised over $142,000 and had 61 teams registered. The community pulled together to make this a success, and I thank each and every one of my amazing volunteers. My job as volunteer coordinator was at times overwhelming and very challenging - but the rewards are many and I'm so glad I did it. Over the next six weeks I will be attending two Leadership Conferences for the Relay - one in Barrie and one in Mississauga. I'm really excited about these - they offer an opportunity to meet other Relay delegates and to get more involved with the CCS.
5) I'm just plain happy.
Glad to be back :)
xoxo
Candice
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
let's take a drive ...
Last night I was practicing driving. Yes, I’ve had my “G” for about 5 years – but I was out driving my dad’s big, smelly, dirty truck. As I was driving home after a half hour of finding my “sweet spot” with the clutch, I started thinking about the similarities between learning to drive this big, smelly truck and working to find a balance – I think I’ll call it my “sweet spot” – with life.
The more I think about this, the deeper I can take it. When I was a little kid, I was pretty lucky. I had parents who took care of everything – or at least tried to. Nothing too traumatic happened and I, like many other fortunate children, coasted along, hitting a few speedbumps but avoiding the ditch.
Along came the teen years. Sadly, I don’t look upon that time of my life with very much fondness. I mostly remember the bad stuff … the typical “teenager” insecurities and emotions and seemingly–but-not-actually ‘traumatic’ experiences. When I really pay attention to what was so crummy, I see the telltale ‘warning’ signs of what was to come – the nervousness, the fears of random and silly things, the lack of self-esteem and the tendency to cling to the negative – early symptoms of what would become a major roadblock later on …
The mid and late teens were, in a word, hell. I hit the ditch, and I hit it hard. No, I didn’t get into drugs (hell, I didn’t even try pot until I was nearly 20!). But shit happened, life blew up around me, and I had no idea how to deal with it. So I kept everything a secret. A big ball of nasty, miserable secrets that, over the course of a couple of years, sent me spiraling into a black pit of undiagnosed major depression and a serious anxiety disorder.
At the time – wallowing in depression and despair – I learned to drive. Yep, got my G1 and then my G2 … but I’m speaking more in metaphorical terms. Not in spite of, but because of all of this shit going on, I was also starting to learn how to “drive” my life. I was even starting to figure out what direction I wanted to go in! I just didn’t know it yet.
Anyway … for a blog about driving, this has gotten pretty deep! I really don’t even know where to take it anymore … so I’m going to get back to where it started in my mind … As I was driving along, thinking about balancing the clutch and the gas, I realized that there are many similarities between learning to balance life and learning to balance the clutch and the gas.
The first point is that it’s always a matter of learning … it takes time, effort, energy, dedication. For years I’ve avoided learning this skill … I’m not even completely sure why! It just seemed “too hard”. And yeah … it was rough at first. I stalled more than once and there were times when I just wanted to give up. But with some practice, I started to figure it out. And now I would say I’ve just about mastered the stick. :)
The quest for balancing my life has also been a learning process, and it has literally taken years. First I needed to find the courage to try, and ‘important someones’ --- particularly Serge and Juwa (love you babe!) to help guide me. Just as my dad has been there to answer my questions about driving that big old truck … to listen to me vent when things were “too hard” and to encourage and show me the way back onto the my path, my “special people” have been there for me as I’ve been working towards sorting things out.
The second point is – practice and dedication! The only way I’ve managed to “master the stick” has been to practice, and (lately) to just get in the truck and drive – by myself – and make mistakes. As my dad said to me last night “don’t panic, and take your time”. It’s taken a while … I’ve been trying to learn for months!
Unlike life, however, learning to drive standard is something that happens and then is done. Yes, it’s good to practice once in a while. But now I’m pretty much set in that department. I can get up and take that big clunky truck just about anywhere! Ha ha ha. Life, on the other hand – I (like everyone else!), will never be “set”. Yep, I’ve got more balance and happiness and good things than ever before. Depression free, anxiety disorder completely under control (thank you celexa, for saving me!), lots of great skills learned in therapy (CBT is amazing). I go to the gym, I eat pretty well (yes, I still love fruit by the foot and cake … but I’ve got much more self control!). I’m confident and honest and … well … happy. :) I’m working hard towards a great life!
Okay … that blog went a lot deeper than I intended and, honestly, doesn’t feel “together” to me … but I don’t know what else to do with it. So up it’s going and feedback is welcome!
Lots of love,
Candz
The more I think about this, the deeper I can take it. When I was a little kid, I was pretty lucky. I had parents who took care of everything – or at least tried to. Nothing too traumatic happened and I, like many other fortunate children, coasted along, hitting a few speedbumps but avoiding the ditch.
Along came the teen years. Sadly, I don’t look upon that time of my life with very much fondness. I mostly remember the bad stuff … the typical “teenager” insecurities and emotions and seemingly–but-not-actually ‘traumatic’ experiences. When I really pay attention to what was so crummy, I see the telltale ‘warning’ signs of what was to come – the nervousness, the fears of random and silly things, the lack of self-esteem and the tendency to cling to the negative – early symptoms of what would become a major roadblock later on …
The mid and late teens were, in a word, hell. I hit the ditch, and I hit it hard. No, I didn’t get into drugs (hell, I didn’t even try pot until I was nearly 20!). But shit happened, life blew up around me, and I had no idea how to deal with it. So I kept everything a secret. A big ball of nasty, miserable secrets that, over the course of a couple of years, sent me spiraling into a black pit of undiagnosed major depression and a serious anxiety disorder.
At the time – wallowing in depression and despair – I learned to drive. Yep, got my G1 and then my G2 … but I’m speaking more in metaphorical terms. Not in spite of, but because of all of this shit going on, I was also starting to learn how to “drive” my life. I was even starting to figure out what direction I wanted to go in! I just didn’t know it yet.
Anyway … for a blog about driving, this has gotten pretty deep! I really don’t even know where to take it anymore … so I’m going to get back to where it started in my mind … As I was driving along, thinking about balancing the clutch and the gas, I realized that there are many similarities between learning to balance life and learning to balance the clutch and the gas.
The first point is that it’s always a matter of learning … it takes time, effort, energy, dedication. For years I’ve avoided learning this skill … I’m not even completely sure why! It just seemed “too hard”. And yeah … it was rough at first. I stalled more than once and there were times when I just wanted to give up. But with some practice, I started to figure it out. And now I would say I’ve just about mastered the stick. :)
The quest for balancing my life has also been a learning process, and it has literally taken years. First I needed to find the courage to try, and ‘important someones’ --- particularly Serge and Juwa (love you babe!) to help guide me. Just as my dad has been there to answer my questions about driving that big old truck … to listen to me vent when things were “too hard” and to encourage and show me the way back onto the my path, my “special people” have been there for me as I’ve been working towards sorting things out.
The second point is – practice and dedication! The only way I’ve managed to “master the stick” has been to practice, and (lately) to just get in the truck and drive – by myself – and make mistakes. As my dad said to me last night “don’t panic, and take your time”. It’s taken a while … I’ve been trying to learn for months!
Unlike life, however, learning to drive standard is something that happens and then is done. Yes, it’s good to practice once in a while. But now I’m pretty much set in that department. I can get up and take that big clunky truck just about anywhere! Ha ha ha. Life, on the other hand – I (like everyone else!), will never be “set”. Yep, I’ve got more balance and happiness and good things than ever before. Depression free, anxiety disorder completely under control (thank you celexa, for saving me!), lots of great skills learned in therapy (CBT is amazing). I go to the gym, I eat pretty well (yes, I still love fruit by the foot and cake … but I’ve got much more self control!). I’m confident and honest and … well … happy. :) I’m working hard towards a great life!
Okay … that blog went a lot deeper than I intended and, honestly, doesn’t feel “together” to me … but I don’t know what else to do with it. So up it’s going and feedback is welcome!
Lots of love,
Candz
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
unfold
new song addiction!
"unfold" - Marié Digby
what i can remember
is a lot like water
trickling down a page
of the most beautiful colors
i can’t quite put my finger
down on the moment
that i became like this...
you see i am the bravest girl
you will ever come to meet
yet i shrink down to nothing
at the thought of someone
really seeing me
i think my heart is wrapped around
and tangled up in winding weeds
but i dont wanna go on living
being so afraid of showing
someone else my imperfections
and even though my feet
are trembling
and every word i say
comes stumbling
i will bare it all... watch me unfold
unfold
these hands that i hold
behind my back are
bound and broken
by my own doing
and i can’t feel
anything anymore
i need a touch to remind me
i’m still real
but i dont wanna go on living
being so afraid of showing
someone else my imperfections
and even though my feet
are trembling
and every word i say
comes stumbling
i will bare it all... watch me unfold
unfold
my soul
it’s dying to be free
you see.. i can’t live the rest of my life
so guarded
it’s dying to be free
it’s up to me to choose...
what kind of life i lead
but i dont wanna go on living
being so afraid of showing
someone else my imperfections
and even though my feet
are trembling
and every word i say
comes stumbling
i will bare it all... watch me unfold
unfold
i will allow someone to love me
i will allow someone to love me.
"unfold" - Marié Digby
what i can remember
is a lot like water
trickling down a page
of the most beautiful colors
i can’t quite put my finger
down on the moment
that i became like this...
you see i am the bravest girl
you will ever come to meet
yet i shrink down to nothing
at the thought of someone
really seeing me
i think my heart is wrapped around
and tangled up in winding weeds
but i dont wanna go on living
being so afraid of showing
someone else my imperfections
and even though my feet
are trembling
and every word i say
comes stumbling
i will bare it all... watch me unfold
unfold
these hands that i hold
behind my back are
bound and broken
by my own doing
and i can’t feel
anything anymore
i need a touch to remind me
i’m still real
but i dont wanna go on living
being so afraid of showing
someone else my imperfections
and even though my feet
are trembling
and every word i say
comes stumbling
i will bare it all... watch me unfold
unfold
my soul
it’s dying to be free
you see.. i can’t live the rest of my life
so guarded
it’s dying to be free
it’s up to me to choose...
what kind of life i lead
but i dont wanna go on living
being so afraid of showing
someone else my imperfections
and even though my feet
are trembling
and every word i say
comes stumbling
i will bare it all... watch me unfold
unfold
i will allow someone to love me
i will allow someone to love me.
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
blogging again!
Well folks, it’s time to get back to the blog.
I’ve been home from Roma since May 21 and it’s been an interesting few weeks. It was a difficult transition and one that I really did not want to make – but I have survived and things are coming together now.
I’m officially employed as a personal support worker at Community Living Walkerton and District. Woot woot. It’s a job I’ve done before – in the summer of 2004 (the last time I was actually living at home) and it’s a field in which I have quite a lot of experience. I started traning last week with a brief book-orientation for a few hours. Yesterday was filled with NVCI training – that’s “non violent crisis intervention” training. And today I started my actual on the job training. I’m thankful for my prior (extensive) experience with support work – I know what I’m going into and have the skills to deal with it. So … I’m looking forward to this!
As you are probably aware, working in Walkerton means that I’m living at home. For the most part this is quite good – free room and board, lots of good food, company, sleep, kitties … all good things. There are moments, however, when I feel like pulling my own hair out (or that of someone else) and just wish that I was in the city, living on my own! Now is more or less one of those moments. It can be hard to get space and breathing room with so many people (the house is especially crowded at the moment). So I just have to try to be patient and occupy myself. I would like to go out for a bike ride – though the weather is really crummy today so I’m not sure if I’ll manage that.
That’s another thing that I’ve been doing lately – biking a LOT. I’m trying to use my bike as my primary method of transportation (though I’m getting my car back from Cassie … it’s going to be an unavoidable evil if I’m working 40+ hours/week). However, I’ve been lucky and biked most everywhere so far – particularly to the gym! I’ve been going to the gym almost every day, which has been great. I’m feeling good and strong and the most motivated I’ve ever been. My abs are getting pretty solid! Don’t believe me? Just try me! Hahaha …
More summer goodness --- with some help from my dad I’ve managed to start a min-garden this year, with a few tomatoe plants, basil (mmmmm … I use it almost daily!), thyme, rosemary, lavender, red peppers and green peppers. I think we’re going to try to get a few more veggies and get them planted this week (the weather isn’t fantastic, so we’re not too far behind the planting). So far everything is in big planters (my preference). But we might have to get some of these tomatoes in the ground.
I’ve been scrapbooking and crafting a LOT lately … making lots of cards and some pretty cool layouts as well. I’ve finally ordered prints from blacks – now I just need to GET to Guelph. Soon, I hope. If you’re in Guelph and you want to chill, please, let me know. I would love to see some familiar faces!
I’m working on learning Italian now. This is for a few reasons … not only because it’s an awesome language and I think that learning a new language is a great thing to do – but also because I would love to head back to Roma for a few months (or more) as soon as that becomes possible. I’m trying to be realistic and just go with things each day. Right now I have to deal with the cooped up feelings that I am experiencing and fight the urge to rent an apartment in walkerton just to get some space!!! Will keep you posted on that one.
The other thing that I’m getting into is photography. I am saving for a digital SLR and want to start learning some photography skills. I’m feeling good about all these things that I am doing for myself … eating well, exercising a lot, scrapping/crafting, learning a language, learning new skills and trying new things (I think I’m going to try kayaking at the next opportunity, which I believe is in a couple of weeks). Now I’m just starting to wish that I had someone to share some of this with. Julia, baby, you’re so far away! I think I’m re-entering that place where one is capable of having a relationship …
Hmm … scary thoughts. I’m sure this is due, at least in part, by the influence of Bruce County. I’ll call it BC Syndrome – everyone I went to high school with (including those younger than me) have gotten or are getting married – or at least have children. The pressure is on!!! read: i want a daaaaaateeeee!
Good thing I’m strong :)
Hope all is well. Stay tuned, you’ll be my outlet now that I’m back into routine.
Xox
candz
Monday, May 26, 2008
let's get going!
well folks ... i'm back in canada and settling in. no, it's not the ideal situation (i would have loved to stay in rome), but things are smoothing out and i'm job hunting so that i can get back to roma within the next 6 months!
in the meantime, i'm getting involved in the local community in a way that means so much to me ...
*******
I'm gearing up to kick cancer's ass!! That's right folks, it's that time again and I'm putting another team together for this year's Relay For Life (Hanover). I'm also volunteering as the Volunteer Coordinator and throwing myself into this 110%!
If you haven't already heard, Relay for Life is an annual event run by the Canadian Cancer Society in an effort to raise funds and awareness about cancer (see http://convio.cancer.ca/site/PageServer?pagename=RFL_ON_faq_event). It takes place all over the country, and the one I'm participating in is in Hanover.
I'm asking you to help me with this. Join me, pledge me, or volunteer for this amazing event. You can pledge me by clicking https://secureccs.ca/eventmodule.aspx?lng=en&did=2&eid=33&pg=donation_step0
and clicking "pledge a participant". Then just search me - Candice Reich -- it's super easy and only takes a few minutes!
If you want to know more about how you can get involved, contact me! I'd love to talk to you about how you can help!
Thanks everyone, I couldn't do it without your support!
***
So please, pledge me (even just $5!), join me, volunteer. Do SOMETHING for this amazing event. We all have loved ones who have been affected by this horrible disease.
xoxoxox Candice
in the meantime, i'm getting involved in the local community in a way that means so much to me ...
*******
I'm gearing up to kick cancer's ass!! That's right folks, it's that time again and I'm putting another team together for this year's Relay For Life (Hanover). I'm also volunteering as the Volunteer Coordinator and throwing myself into this 110%!
If you haven't already heard, Relay for Life is an annual event run by the Canadian Cancer Society in an effort to raise funds and awareness about cancer (see http://convio.cancer.ca/site/PageServer?pagename=RFL_ON_faq_event). It takes place all over the country, and the one I'm participating in is in Hanover.
I'm asking you to help me with this. Join me, pledge me, or volunteer for this amazing event. You can pledge me by clicking https://secureccs.ca/eventmodule.aspx?lng=en&did=2&eid=33&pg=donation_step0
and clicking "pledge a participant". Then just search me - Candice Reich -- it's super easy and only takes a few minutes!
If you want to know more about how you can get involved, contact me! I'd love to talk to you about how you can help!
Thanks everyone, I couldn't do it without your support!
***
So please, pledge me (even just $5!), join me, volunteer. Do SOMETHING for this amazing event. We all have loved ones who have been affected by this horrible disease.
xoxoxox Candice
Monday, May 12, 2008
travelling!!!
hey folks! just a quick update ... i am currently in sorrento enjoying the sun and sea! i will be staying here until thursday or friday, at which point i will be heading north to firenze and cinque terre.
my flight home is the 21st.
i went to pompeii today! stay tuned, there are many many pictures to come!!!
xox
my flight home is the 21st.
i went to pompeii today! stay tuned, there are many many pictures to come!!!
xox
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
Updates
Wednesday, April 30
Life in Roma is, well, life. Ups and downs, good days and not so good days. However, my days in Roma have been made even more enjoyable by a FRIEND! Yes folks, it’s true, I have a friend. Holly! She is, like me, an au pair. She is here from England and we met through good ol’ facebook. I still have a bit of bitterness toward that whole program (please, STOP sending those stupid application invitations). However, it is immensely useful and its incredible popularity has enabled me to find some companionship in this massive city.
I have also, finally, started to put together some pictures to post on – you guessed it – facebook. The link will be here – VATICAN and COLOSSEO – when they are up (this post may be up before the pictures). As you are aware (at least if you have read a few posts back), my internet access is quite limited and so it is not a very easy task to post blogs or photos on a regular basis. However, I am getting more organized. Soon my camera battery is dead, and since I have not yet found a voltage converter that actually WORKS, I will be a very sad explorer until I manage to charge up. So, task of the moment is to find a converter!
Tomorrow (probably yesterday or the day before yesterday when I get this online – Thursday May 1) Holly and I both have a random day off (thank goodness, I had the children all day for two days this week and I need a break!). So we are heading to Firenze – once again, that is Florence to us non-Italian speaking critters. Let’s hear a big cheer for random days off and traveling to Firenze! Hahahaha.
To those of you who have let me know that you are enjoying the blog – namely Aunt Lori and Gillian – thank you! When I am writing, I am talking to you inside my head, which gives me motivation to try to be a little more creative. :)
It is only 9:17pm right now (so only 12:17 for you, aunt lori) … but I am exhausted! Holly and I rented a funky little bicycle buggy today in Villa de Borghese. I will post pictures of that soon!!! It was great fun, although a LOT of work – especially on those hills! I wonder what kind of adventures we will get up to in Florence tomorrow!!!
Much love!
Xoxo
Candy
***
Monday, May 5
Well folks, sooner or later the truth always comes out. That is partly why I just don’t lie. It’s not worth it. I can’t even lie in my blog!
So here it is … I’m going home. Now before you start thinking that something horrible has happened or that things are shitty (like the Spain experience), let me explain. The family – and especially the children – are very nice and friendly. There have been, of course, some moments (perhaps more than a few) where I have thought that perhaps the parents go a little overboard with certain things. I’ll put it simply – they are meticulous about everything and the mom is prone to sudden fits of yelling things in Italian that I often don’t understand. And when I say “yelling” I really mean something more along the lines of screaming and ranting. But overall they are very nice people and mean well.
But … I am just not happy with this life. This family, though nice, is quite restrictive. To be reassuring (Jay this is particularly for you, if you are reading this) – they are not what ‘au pair families’ usually are (I get this impression from talking with other au pairs). I don’t want to make them sound like horrible people or anything … but we have finally discussed what I have been observing over the past couple of weeks – that what they want and need is, in fact, not an au pair but rather a full time, live-in housekeeper. And I did not come all the way to Rome to be a full time housekeeper! And so we have agreed that I am not going to stay.
Now I could easily find another au pair family, one who knows what an au pair is all about and who wants an au pair. There are many of them out there and if I reactivated my profile on au pair world, I could easily find a family within a few days. But to be honest, I just want to travel around on my own for a bit and then go home, get a “real job”, and save up for the next adventure. So my flight has been changed to May 21, and this weekend I am leaving the majority of my stuff here and taking off for 10 days or so to see more of Italy on my own.
I’m so excited about that! My first month of independent traveling gave me a newfound love of the adventure, independence, and exploration that this kind of traveling offers. So another 10 days before I head home for a while is really ideal. And things with the family are as amicable as ever … we have both acknowledged that what they need and what I am here for are very different things and that this is a good opportunity for me to travel a bit more.
Although I have decided not to stay, I am so glad for having had this entire experience. I have learned so much and seen more than I had ever thought I would see! I have made an amazing friend and – hopefully!! – we will have the chance to be travel buddies as well! And I’m not saying that au pairing is a bad idea at all. When it works, it is a fantastic opportunity to get to know another country, another culture, often another language, while earning some money and (hopefully!) doing some traveling too.
As for what’s next … I am actually really excited to go home, live with the parents, and work for a while. SAVE some money and start to climb ever so slowly from this pit of debt that university (and this trip, to an extent) has left me in.
This experience has been everything that I had hoped it would be. I’ve had a chance to clear my head and reflect on what I want to do next, what I am capable of, what I won’t accept, and how I can get to where I want to be. Everything that I have seen, done, and experienced in the last three months has taught me to be patient and to accept that no matter how much I plan things, life is always going to happen! Thank goodness for that, too. If things always went “according to plan”, life would be so dull and we would never grow and learn!
So I’m ready to get back to reality. I’m excited to start on the path towards where I want to go … or at least where I think I want to go! Of course, I’m going to keep blogging.
:) big smiles from Italia!
xox
Candy
Life in Roma is, well, life. Ups and downs, good days and not so good days. However, my days in Roma have been made even more enjoyable by a FRIEND! Yes folks, it’s true, I have a friend. Holly! She is, like me, an au pair. She is here from England and we met through good ol’ facebook. I still have a bit of bitterness toward that whole program (please, STOP sending those stupid application invitations). However, it is immensely useful and its incredible popularity has enabled me to find some companionship in this massive city.
I have also, finally, started to put together some pictures to post on – you guessed it – facebook. The link will be here – VATICAN and COLOSSEO – when they are up (this post may be up before the pictures). As you are aware (at least if you have read a few posts back), my internet access is quite limited and so it is not a very easy task to post blogs or photos on a regular basis. However, I am getting more organized. Soon my camera battery is dead, and since I have not yet found a voltage converter that actually WORKS, I will be a very sad explorer until I manage to charge up. So, task of the moment is to find a converter!
Tomorrow (probably yesterday or the day before yesterday when I get this online – Thursday May 1) Holly and I both have a random day off (thank goodness, I had the children all day for two days this week and I need a break!). So we are heading to Firenze – once again, that is Florence to us non-Italian speaking critters. Let’s hear a big cheer for random days off and traveling to Firenze! Hahahaha.
To those of you who have let me know that you are enjoying the blog – namely Aunt Lori and Gillian – thank you! When I am writing, I am talking to you inside my head, which gives me motivation to try to be a little more creative. :)
It is only 9:17pm right now (so only 12:17 for you, aunt lori) … but I am exhausted! Holly and I rented a funky little bicycle buggy today in Villa de Borghese. I will post pictures of that soon!!! It was great fun, although a LOT of work – especially on those hills! I wonder what kind of adventures we will get up to in Florence tomorrow!!!
Much love!
Xoxo
Candy
***
Monday, May 5
Well folks, sooner or later the truth always comes out. That is partly why I just don’t lie. It’s not worth it. I can’t even lie in my blog!
So here it is … I’m going home. Now before you start thinking that something horrible has happened or that things are shitty (like the Spain experience), let me explain. The family – and especially the children – are very nice and friendly. There have been, of course, some moments (perhaps more than a few) where I have thought that perhaps the parents go a little overboard with certain things. I’ll put it simply – they are meticulous about everything and the mom is prone to sudden fits of yelling things in Italian that I often don’t understand. And when I say “yelling” I really mean something more along the lines of screaming and ranting. But overall they are very nice people and mean well.
But … I am just not happy with this life. This family, though nice, is quite restrictive. To be reassuring (Jay this is particularly for you, if you are reading this) – they are not what ‘au pair families’ usually are (I get this impression from talking with other au pairs). I don’t want to make them sound like horrible people or anything … but we have finally discussed what I have been observing over the past couple of weeks – that what they want and need is, in fact, not an au pair but rather a full time, live-in housekeeper. And I did not come all the way to Rome to be a full time housekeeper! And so we have agreed that I am not going to stay.
Now I could easily find another au pair family, one who knows what an au pair is all about and who wants an au pair. There are many of them out there and if I reactivated my profile on au pair world, I could easily find a family within a few days. But to be honest, I just want to travel around on my own for a bit and then go home, get a “real job”, and save up for the next adventure. So my flight has been changed to May 21, and this weekend I am leaving the majority of my stuff here and taking off for 10 days or so to see more of Italy on my own.
I’m so excited about that! My first month of independent traveling gave me a newfound love of the adventure, independence, and exploration that this kind of traveling offers. So another 10 days before I head home for a while is really ideal. And things with the family are as amicable as ever … we have both acknowledged that what they need and what I am here for are very different things and that this is a good opportunity for me to travel a bit more.
Although I have decided not to stay, I am so glad for having had this entire experience. I have learned so much and seen more than I had ever thought I would see! I have made an amazing friend and – hopefully!! – we will have the chance to be travel buddies as well! And I’m not saying that au pairing is a bad idea at all. When it works, it is a fantastic opportunity to get to know another country, another culture, often another language, while earning some money and (hopefully!) doing some traveling too.
As for what’s next … I am actually really excited to go home, live with the parents, and work for a while. SAVE some money and start to climb ever so slowly from this pit of debt that university (and this trip, to an extent) has left me in.
This experience has been everything that I had hoped it would be. I’ve had a chance to clear my head and reflect on what I want to do next, what I am capable of, what I won’t accept, and how I can get to where I want to be. Everything that I have seen, done, and experienced in the last three months has taught me to be patient and to accept that no matter how much I plan things, life is always going to happen! Thank goodness for that, too. If things always went “according to plan”, life would be so dull and we would never grow and learn!
So I’m ready to get back to reality. I’m excited to start on the path towards where I want to go … or at least where I think I want to go! Of course, I’m going to keep blogging.
:) big smiles from Italia!
xox
Candy
Saturday, April 26, 2008
exploring Rome!
yesterday I spent about 5 hours wandering around a teeny little piece of Rome. Beginning with the colosseum, past one of many archaeological dig sites, past the river, onto an island, etc etc. I don't have time to tell you all about it right now, but I will be posting a whole bunch of pics and a long post very soon! So stay tuned :) :)
xox
Candice
xox
Candice
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
buongiorno!!
finally, here it is! this is several days of blog all in one big post, beginning with when I returned to Europe a week ago. More pictures and blogs will be coming soon, as I have now found an excellent internet place AND Luca has given me a memory key!
Enjoy! xox
*****
I’m in Rome!!!
Things here are amazing. Incredible. Awesome. Fantastico!
Where to begin? Well, Pooh Bear would say that you should begin at the beginning … so here goes.
Thursday April 17, 2008
I arrived at Charles de Gualle (CDG) airport in Paris at 12:30pm Europe time – so 6:30am at home. My flight over the Atlantic was relatively uneventful aside from a screaming “bambino” and the snobby 22 year old Queen’s nursing grad who sat beside me and clearly thought that she was number 1. Everything went quite smoothly when I arrived … got my passport stamp and looked at the clock – 1:30 – which meant that I had about 2 hours to kill until my shuttle would arrive to take me to Beauvais airport for my Ryanair flight to Pisa. Things were going so well!
And then life happened. My shuttle to take me to Beauvais (1hr 15 min away) didn’t show up. To cut it short, there were many phone calls and repeated instructions to go stand outside again, followed by a lack of shuttle and an increasing feeling of panic. When I phoned for the fourth time at 5pm, I knew it was too late. My shuttle was supposed to come at 3:45, and my flight was at 6:30. There was NO WAY I was going to make it.
I allowed myself about 3 minutes of meltdown and panic in the waiting room, and then set to work. I lucked out and found a last minute deal for a single ensuite in a hotel located about 20 min (by taxi) from Gare de Lyon station. I also found a train leaving the next morning at 7:45am and arriving in Roma at 19:30 (7:30pm). 12 hours on the train? No problem! At least I would still make it to Roma the same day!
The night went smoothly – dinner in a café and then a few hours of sleep before I had to get up and head to the train station.
Friday, April 18
Paris streets in the early morning are filled with trucks – delivering freshly baked croissants, picking up bundles of laundry, picking up garbage bags … busy busy! I found my cab, stuck on a street about 3 blocks from my hotel, and I was on my way to the station!
As a side note – Paris driving is INSANE. I think that to be able to attempt it – and be successful – takes nerves of steel. Well .. this was my impression BEFORE arriving in Roma.
I found my train and even had time to grab a pain de chocolat for breakfast (sooo good!). Everything went smoothly and I slept for a couple of hours. Around 11:30, the train stopped at the last station in France – Modane I think. I didn’t really think much of the train being turned off – they do that sometimes. I didn’t really pay any attention until about ½ hour later when an announcement was made (in French and Italian) that there were technical difficulties and that it would be another 40 minutes until we would be back on our way. Well, I definitely wasn’t going to make 10 minute connection time to catch my 3:00 train from Milano to Rome! I wasn’t particularly distressed, as I had been half expecting a brief delay and anticipated needing to take the next train. So I befriended some English speaking passengers and even a fellow Canadian, Meredith, who saw my flag and yelled “Hey, Canada! Where are you from?” Turns out she is from Hamilton!
After about an hour it became clear that the train wasn’t going anywhere anytime soon! All of a sudden some people from SCNF showed up with cases of boxed meals … a pasta salad with chicken, “cardboard” (crackers), some sort of meat spread, apple sauce, and an ever-lasting cake that made me nervous and tasted like preservatives. The best parts of the food were the bottle of water and the napkin (handy for train restrooms lacking tp!). Oh, and the fact that they kept trying to give us two or three boxes each – attempting to appease us, I think.
Anyway, I am babbling on here – but it was quite an adventure! See the picture of me + mountain + broken down train.
It was around 3pm when buses showed up to take us to Turin. By this time it had started to rain and many people were angry. There was a massive rush to get onto the buses, as you can see!
Eventually we all made it on to a bus, though in a rather uncivilized fashion. By this time I had met Melia and Maurizio, both of whom turned out to be great companions! So the three of us chatted away and Maurizio told us about the tunnel (about 20km) through the alps that we were going through. It seems that there was a massive fire just a couple of years ago, and about 25 people died in a matter of seconds when the heat suddenly blasted up to 4000 degrees! When we got to Turin, someone escorted those of us bound for Milano (most of us!) on to a commuter train. It was pouring and everyone was damp and tired – by this time it was about 5:30pm – but Melia, Maurizio and I were just happy to be on a train and going somewhere!
When we got to Milano, it was clear that there was no way Melia and I would make it to Roma that night. As I said, Maurizio was amazing, and he took us to the conductor of the train leaving for Firenze (Florence) in 10 minutes. After a quick explanation and a look at our tickets (Milano to Roma), they told us to hop on to car 7. We were SO relieved! It was nearly 8pm and the last thing we wanted was to be trapped in Milano for the night. It’s a very expensive city, and there happened to be a festival going on … which meant that we would have had great difficulty finding somewhere to sleep, and even more difficulty finding something affordable! So we said goodbye to Maurizio and hopped aboard.
We pulled into Firenze station at 11pm and were quickly approached by a man with a brochure for his hotel – hotel serena. He offered us a room with two beds and a full bathroom (meaning complete with shower) for 60 euros. Seeing as we didn’t have anything booked and had no idea if there would even be any rooms left in any hostels in the area – AND 30 euros each was acceptable – we took him up on his offer. This turned out to be an excellent decision, as the hotel was just 5 minutes walking from the train, AND it was really nice, very clean, loaded with clean towels (yay!) and complete with balcony to enjoy the WARM weather (though we were too exhausted to do more than say “wow it’s so warm here” and then pass out).
Saturday April 19
Melia and I got up around 8:30, showered, and packed up our stuff. We headed to the train station, put our luggage in the storage area, and bought tickets for a noon train to Roma. Then we set out to wander the streets of Firenze for a couple of hours. It is a beautiful city and though we got a little lost (not too bad, we did have a map!), we managed to stumble upon the statue of David! In fact, the courtyard was full of amazing statues. And near to David was a banner that said “Human Rights in Tibet” …
. The whole experience was touching and exciting.
We boarded our train to Rome (we didn’t buy our tickets together, so we were in separate cars) and I dozed and looked at the beautiful countryside for the 1½ hour trip (high speed EuroStar train). By the time we pulled into Termini station in Roma, I was nervous!
I quickly found Luca (au pair dad) waiting with Giovanna and Paolo (6 year old twins). We were all so excited to finally meet! Giovanna especially was very excited – she kept looking up and smiling shyly at me. They took me to Alexia (mom) and the car and we were on our way home! My hands were quickly covered in sponge bob stickers and the children – especially Giovanna – were soon chattering away in both Italian and (some) English.
We had pasta for lunch – SO GOOD – and salad and meat and fruit for dessert. This was my first taste of a real, home-cooked, Italian meal, and it was delicious! Here we eat things one at a time, rather than all at once. So we had bowls of delicious pasta with butter and parmesan cheese (which is quite different from the parmesan at home). Next we had meat – delicious beef – followed by a salad (lettuce, carrots, fennel, and raddichio with balsamic vinegar and olive oil). And fruit for dessert. Oh, and what I learned is a typical Roman bread – I think it’s called rosa (it looks a lot like a flower). It’s delicious too!
After lunch Luca, Giovanna, Paolo and I went for a walk so that I could start to learn my way around the neighbourhood. This is an excellent area – three metro stops from Termini station (the very centre of the city) and full of banks, stores, a post office, gelateria’s (I haven’t been yet but I may just do that tomorrow!) and pretty much anything that I could need. The children’s school is just a 5 minutes walk, and Luca’s work is 10. The city is very green – tress, grass, flowers, and parks everywhere. The air smells of flowers and the sun shines almost constantly.
For dinner we went out to a real Italian Pizzeria. Saturday night is pizza night in Rome and we were lucky to find a table as soon as we walked into the favourite restaurant. The pizza was fantastic, as was the other food that they ordered (I can’t remember the name). It is essentially rice, meat, and mozzarella (real mozzarella, which is different than what we eat at home!) all breaded and then fried in the shape of a ball/egg (you get the picture). It was delicious!
After dinner we took a short drive into the medieval center of town and I saw the Colosseo!!! OMG! Everywhere I turned there were ancient ruins and Luca told me about all kinds of things I was seeing. I haven’t been back yet but I will be going there in the next couple of days!
Sunday April 20
After breakfast (mmm cereal with chocolate!), Luca, Paolo, Giovanna and I went to the park. The weather was incredible – at least +25 and cloudless. Giovanna held my hand the whole time we were walking and Paolo had overcome all shyness and talked excitedly – telling his dad that he (Paolo), was going to give me a lesson in Italian.
These kids are so freaking cute! The whole family is wonderful. Loving, friendly, kind, and so happy that I am here. The children are affectionate and playful and eager to learn and also to teach me Italian. They will say: “In Italian, this is ______.” Sometimes Paolo will start talking away in Italian and Giovanna will stop him and say, “Paolo, in Inglese!”. Or he will catch himself and I can see his brain working, trying to figure out exactly how to translate what he wants to tell me. My hands are always getting new Sponge Bob stickers and I so many hugs and kisses and giggles, I actually look forward to being with them.
By the time we left the park we were all hungry and tired, but also happy. And I had a light sunburn! Woot! After lunch I had a nice long nap and we spent the evening together.
Monday, April 21
Each day I am learning more about the family’s routines and how I fit in as an au pair. This really is an amazing experience. It is the complete opposite of the experience I had in Spain (thank goodness!) and I am so happy to be here. Alexia had to leave early, so Luca and I took the children to school. I had one on either side of me, holding my hands, and it was so sweet. After we took them to school, Luca was off to work and I headed off to see the Vatican Museum (Vatican City).
Now I didn’t know this before arriving, but Roma only has two metro lines – A and B. They meet in an “X” shape at Termini station. This is because of the constant archaeological work happening (Yes, dad, you were right about that!). It’s impossible to build any more metro lines because every few feet something new is discovered. SO this means that the metro is very crowded – ESPECIALLY at 9am. I was a little dumb and didn’t quite think of the fact that 9am is not the ideal time to try to go somewhere by metro in Roma …
However, I made it to the Vatican. The lineup to get in was massive – thousands of people – literally. Having learned a thing or two about living in Rome, I walked along the line for about 10 minutes before I found an ideal opening and “merged” into line. That is one distinct advantage to traveling alone! It’s much easier to “blend” into a lineup or worm my way through a crowd without too much fuss. Hahahaha … I had to chuckle at my own strategic blending …
Anyway, I pulled out the good ol’ ISIC (international student identity card, for those of you non-students) and paid my 8,00 euro instead of 14,00 to get into the museum. Woo hoo for student discounts!
The Vatican museum is quite amazing – beautiful and full of art, statues, architecture … even Egyptian mummies!
Really, it is too much to get into right now. However, before I actually wandered through the museum I managed to merge with a tour group (I think german) and make my way outside onto the grounds. I broke off from the group as soon as I was outside and started to wander. The Vatican gardens are amazing!
At least they seem to be, judging from what I saw before I was stopped by a grounds security person and realized that I didn’t actually have the right ticket to see the gardens … Damn! Anyway, I snapped a few photos before that happened and it was pretty uneventful – I just had to go back to the museum.
By 12:30 I was exhausted and made my way back home, where I met Julianna (the housekeeper) and made myself some lunch. Talked to mom (hi mom!) and had a nap before meeting Luca at the school at 4:30 to pick up the children.
I am amazed at how easily I am thinking of different ways to entertain and teach the children. Right now I’m working on letters … they “know” the alphabet (they know the song, etc etc) but still have some difficulty associating some letters with their English names (for example, the way we pronounce “E” is the way they pronounce “I” – when saying the name of the letter). So I devised some games and activities to help with this. It’s more enjoyable than I could have ever anticipated – Julia, sweetie, I understand what happened with you when you taught English in Ecuador!
The children are so thrilled that I am here. We were playing in their room after practicing letters and when Luca suggested that they watch some TV to calm down for a few minutes, Giovanna responded by saying that no, being with Candice is much better than TV! Awwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww!!!!
So … that is a rather extensive recap of the last few days, since I left home on Wednesday. It’s now Monday night, a bit after 10pm, and I need to sleep soon so that I have lots of energy for children and exploring tomorrow! And I almost forgot about my homework assignment from Luca – to start watching Italian TV to help with word recognition.
I hope to get this posted very soon – ideally tomorrow (Tuesday). Fingers crossed!
Much love
Xox
Candy
Tuesday April 22
Well, obviously, no memory key yet. I have eight pages (in word) of blog and no way of posting it. But I will continue to write and tonight I will ask Luca where I might be able to buy a memory key!
The weather wasn’t that great today – mild but not especially warm, and occasionally drizzling. I spent much of the morning sleeping. Though I don’t feel particularly jet lagged, I haven’t quite convinced my brain that it needs to go to sleep by 11pm so that I am not completely exhausted when I wake up at 6:30. So I napped, even though I am fully aware that napping only makes insomnia worse. So hopefully tomorrow is a nap-less day!
I went to the post office today, finally, and sent off a bunch of postcards. I won’t say to whom, although I sent eight today and bought ten more stamps. I have about 30 postcards from the places I’ve been since the end of Feb, and I plan to get more (more! more!) this week to send off lovely touristic images of Roma. :) Want a postcard? Leave a comment with your address and I’ll send one to you!
I think I’m going to take a couple weeks of intensive Italian classes. Unfortunately, it’s pretty freaking expensive … 400 euro for 2 weeks (20 hours/week). But I know that it will give me a base from which to really start to learn the language. And I NEED to learn Italian. So I will let you know how that goes. And if you feel particularly generous and kind, feel free to donate funds towards the “Candice desperately needs to learn Italian” fund. I promise to send postcards and keep you up to date on my increasing Italian knowledge as a reward. Hahaha. :)
I’ve been thinking lately about writing a blog along the lines of a survival guide to being a long-term tourist in Roma. It’s brewing and I am taking notes, so stay tuned!
For now, I say “ciao”!
Xox
Candz
... And now it is Wed April 23 and I have just returned to my neighbourhood after starting my exploration of the ancient parts of the city. Stay tuned!!!
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
sorry for the delay ...
its coming soon! the blog for the last several days is written and ready to go ... the only problem is that i dont have a memory key and so dont have a way to get it from my laptop to a computer with internet such as this icky one in a skeezy internet place. SO bear with me, i will have it posted soon!
things are awesome here in ROMA!
xox
things are awesome here in ROMA!
xox
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
dedicated photos ...
i took these pictures (when i was in europe before) for particular people ... you will probably know who you are when you see it.
and ...
*aunt lori, this one is for you. remember that email you sent me? white handle, engraved .... i couldn't stop laughing and when i saw these, i had to get a picture. i took this in Geneva, Switzerland. :)*
there are more, but my plane is boarding soon.
lots of love
xox
and ...
*aunt lori, this one is for you. remember that email you sent me? white handle, engraved .... i couldn't stop laughing and when i saw these, i had to get a picture. i took this in Geneva, Switzerland. :)*
there are more, but my plane is boarding soon.
lots of love
xox
*sigh*
wellll .... part two/three (???) of my journey is about to begin. i had an amazing three weeks at home. the first few days were definitely an adjustment phase - walkerton just can't compare to the amazing places i was visiting before going home!
but then we joined the gym and i got used to freeloading again! and it was amazing. i managed to drag both chelsey AND my mom to the gym and that was a lot of fun. i shed over four kilos of junk out of my bag (i'm still going to be way over for my ryanair flight - crap!). we watched some awesome movies and i had some good bonding time too.
so, i'm glad i went home, even though it wasn't part of the original plan. sticking it out in italy for the next four months is definitely going to be a challenge ... five or six weeks was no problem, but by the fifth i knew i was going home and the few shitty things that came up were buffered by that knowledge.
HOWEVER - it is time to perk up! i have an awesome family waiting for me in Rome, and they are so excited to have me. there are many more adventures to be had before i go home and settle into a job (for a little while!). SO - here goes!!! wish me luck ... again.
xox
candz
but then we joined the gym and i got used to freeloading again! and it was amazing. i managed to drag both chelsey AND my mom to the gym and that was a lot of fun. i shed over four kilos of junk out of my bag (i'm still going to be way over for my ryanair flight - crap!). we watched some awesome movies and i had some good bonding time too.
so, i'm glad i went home, even though it wasn't part of the original plan. sticking it out in italy for the next four months is definitely going to be a challenge ... five or six weeks was no problem, but by the fifth i knew i was going home and the few shitty things that came up were buffered by that knowledge.
HOWEVER - it is time to perk up! i have an awesome family waiting for me in Rome, and they are so excited to have me. there are many more adventures to be had before i go home and settle into a job (for a little while!). SO - here goes!!! wish me luck ... again.
xox
candz
Saturday, April 5, 2008
it's nearly hot :)
well ... i have been procrastinating with regards to blogging over the last week or so. at first i had a good excuse, but now ... not so much. so here goes ...
the first month+ of my trip can be summed up into a few words = amazing and completely unpredictable! it has offered me everything i could have imagined. in just a few short weeks i learned so much ... about europe, the places i visited, cultures, people, and of course, me. independence is a must when travelling alone and 3500 miles from home ... fortunately it came to me quite easily (woot!).
after a little over a month of adventure and, yes, unexpected events (read: not staying in madrid), i reached a fork in the road. having used up my whole railpass (travelling more than i thought i would be in less time!) and having spent a lot more $ than anticipated, i had two options: travel more without a railpass (you can only buy eurail passes while in NA, and i had no way of having one sent to me) and spend a lot more money (unpredictable amounts) and continue to haul around the extra useless crap i had brought with me (well we learn from experience eh folks?) ... OR ... hop on a plane and come home for those few weeks of limbo. so ... here i am back in canada. actually, i have been here for a week+ but have been laying low (and freeloading off of my parents -- thanks mom and dad!). the first few days were foggy ... jetlag caught me this time (far more than when i went over to europe in february) .. and once it was gone i was quickly consumed with a fidgety need to DO something. a month+ of castles and cathedrals and trains can not easily be replaced by a few weeks of hanging out at home. i've joined the gym and settled in now and am enjoying the free food and warm bed and company of my kitties ... although i am still incredibly excited to resume my journey!! i fly back to europe on april 16th and will be in rome by the 19th!
and then it will be SUMMER!!
so in the meantime i will continue to do family stuff and hang out with the coolest of the cool (minus my almost lover, who has taken off to see her lover) *sigh* (hugs and kisses to you babe).
now that i have taken the time to write this up, i am slowly falling asleep. i love warm beds :)
xox
Candz
the first month+ of my trip can be summed up into a few words = amazing and completely unpredictable! it has offered me everything i could have imagined. in just a few short weeks i learned so much ... about europe, the places i visited, cultures, people, and of course, me. independence is a must when travelling alone and 3500 miles from home ... fortunately it came to me quite easily (woot!).
after a little over a month of adventure and, yes, unexpected events (read: not staying in madrid), i reached a fork in the road. having used up my whole railpass (travelling more than i thought i would be in less time!) and having spent a lot more $ than anticipated, i had two options: travel more without a railpass (you can only buy eurail passes while in NA, and i had no way of having one sent to me) and spend a lot more money (unpredictable amounts) and continue to haul around the extra useless crap i had brought with me (well we learn from experience eh folks?) ... OR ... hop on a plane and come home for those few weeks of limbo. so ... here i am back in canada. actually, i have been here for a week+ but have been laying low (and freeloading off of my parents -- thanks mom and dad!). the first few days were foggy ... jetlag caught me this time (far more than when i went over to europe in february) .. and once it was gone i was quickly consumed with a fidgety need to DO something. a month+ of castles and cathedrals and trains can not easily be replaced by a few weeks of hanging out at home. i've joined the gym and settled in now and am enjoying the free food and warm bed and company of my kitties ... although i am still incredibly excited to resume my journey!! i fly back to europe on april 16th and will be in rome by the 19th!
and then it will be SUMMER!!
so in the meantime i will continue to do family stuff and hang out with the coolest of the cool (minus my almost lover, who has taken off to see her lover) *sigh* (hugs and kisses to you babe).
now that i have taken the time to write this up, i am slowly falling asleep. i love warm beds :)
xox
Candz
Friday, April 4, 2008
Monday, March 24, 2008
on the road again ...
I'm on the move again! After a weekend in Venice (cold, but very beautiful) I left Geneva at 7am and hopped on the first train to Paris. Having had my fill of Paris the first time around (it's big, dirty, busy, and ... well ... not my favourite city!) I hopped onto a second train bound for Brussels. And then a THIRD train from Brussels to ... yep, you guessed it (well probably not but we will pretend) ... BRUGGE!
This is my third visit to this awesome little city (second since arriving in Europe a month ago). This time I am staying three nights and have the next two full days to explore at my leisure. Which is FANTASTIC. I have gone over the map of Brugge and circled all kinds of places I want to go and things I want to see ... including (of course!) the chocolate museum!
Unfortunately the weather is NOT good right now ... very cold (it was snowing earlier - yuck!) and windy and grey skies. Boooooooo. But I am not about to let this less-than-ideal weather stop me from my exploring! I might even rent a bike tomorrow (after finding mittens, that is!).
I know that I am behind on the pictures ... I'm sorry! I have been looking at them and thinking about blog posts and labels and comments and ... well ... I just haven't been at a computer that I can use to upload photos! So that will be coming soon, by this weekend at the latest. PROMISE!
The last week or so has reminded me again just how much I have come to value my independence and personal strength. I have worked hard to develop my confidence and strong sense of self - and to show it to the world - and this is not something that is going to change. Fortunately, I trust my instincts enough to listen when they tell me that the situation I am in is not good for me and that I will be unhappy. Woot for independence!
On that note, if any of you are considering ever coming to europe to travel around and explore, I can not recommend highly enough that you buy a RailEurope pass! It's amazing and it offers the peace of mind of knowing that you can get on a train from wherever you are and go somewhere else. :) And I highly recommend Bruges :)
Alright folks, that is today's update. I have made secret plans for the next little while and will be blogging whenever I can.
Take care!
xox
Candz
This is my third visit to this awesome little city (second since arriving in Europe a month ago). This time I am staying three nights and have the next two full days to explore at my leisure. Which is FANTASTIC. I have gone over the map of Brugge and circled all kinds of places I want to go and things I want to see ... including (of course!) the chocolate museum!
Unfortunately the weather is NOT good right now ... very cold (it was snowing earlier - yuck!) and windy and grey skies. Boooooooo. But I am not about to let this less-than-ideal weather stop me from my exploring! I might even rent a bike tomorrow (after finding mittens, that is!).
I know that I am behind on the pictures ... I'm sorry! I have been looking at them and thinking about blog posts and labels and comments and ... well ... I just haven't been at a computer that I can use to upload photos! So that will be coming soon, by this weekend at the latest. PROMISE!
The last week or so has reminded me again just how much I have come to value my independence and personal strength. I have worked hard to develop my confidence and strong sense of self - and to show it to the world - and this is not something that is going to change. Fortunately, I trust my instincts enough to listen when they tell me that the situation I am in is not good for me and that I will be unhappy. Woot for independence!
On that note, if any of you are considering ever coming to europe to travel around and explore, I can not recommend highly enough that you buy a RailEurope pass! It's amazing and it offers the peace of mind of knowing that you can get on a train from wherever you are and go somewhere else. :) And I highly recommend Bruges :)
Alright folks, that is today's update. I have made secret plans for the next little while and will be blogging whenever I can.
Take care!
xox
Candz
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
bienvenue a suisse!
At long last I return to you! The past week has brought some unexpected changes, and there is still a lot up in the air. But things are good and I am happy and safe :) so I really can not ask for more!
To make it brief, I am in Switzerland right now. Genève (that's Geneva for us uncultured North American folk :P) is really beautiful. I was quite spoiled last week with +20 and sunshine in Madrid ... alas, I have been reminded that in much of the world it is only springtime (a brisk +5) *sigh*.
So my next few weeks are quite up in the air. I have several options (I won't bore you with the details, yet!). I feel like I am playing my own game: What country will Candice end up in next ?!? Though at times exhausting, it is so much fun :) Yesterday I spent 9 hours on the train from Barcelona to Genève. A long day, but I love the train :) It's pretty relaxing, you can stretch out and move around (more than on a plane or in a car), it's environmentally friendly, and it offers a great opportunity to see the countryside and enjoy the sunny weather. AND it gets me where I want to go pretty quickly.
I had planned on a much longer post, but a) i have forgotten a lot of what i wanted to say, and b) this swiss keyboard is a little tough to type on! And I just climbed 113 stairs ...
lots of love
xox
candy
To make it brief, I am in Switzerland right now. Genève (that's Geneva for us uncultured North American folk :P) is really beautiful. I was quite spoiled last week with +20 and sunshine in Madrid ... alas, I have been reminded that in much of the world it is only springtime (a brisk +5) *sigh*.
So my next few weeks are quite up in the air. I have several options (I won't bore you with the details, yet!). I feel like I am playing my own game: What country will Candice end up in next ?!? Though at times exhausting, it is so much fun :) Yesterday I spent 9 hours on the train from Barcelona to Genève. A long day, but I love the train :) It's pretty relaxing, you can stretch out and move around (more than on a plane or in a car), it's environmentally friendly, and it offers a great opportunity to see the countryside and enjoy the sunny weather. AND it gets me where I want to go pretty quickly.
I had planned on a much longer post, but a) i have forgotten a lot of what i wanted to say, and b) this swiss keyboard is a little tough to type on! And I just climbed 113 stairs ...
lots of love
xox
candy
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
Valdamorillo!
Hello there my dears :)
So the amazing journey with Michelle has ended *tear*. We finished it in style with an awesome (fantastic!) weekend in Barcelona ... as you will see from the pictures.
Now I have arrived in Valdamorillo - the village just outside of Madrid where I will be living until June. I´ve posted pics here of the house, my room, the dog, etc etc. The kids are at school but I will post pics of the family soon. :)
The weather is BEAUTIFUL right now ... +16 and sunny. I took Tatu (the dog) out for a walk this morning and we enjoyed the view together. It is just going to keep getting warmer and I can´t wait!!
On the 26th the family is going to Paris, and I am going to go to Sevilla (Sev-ee-ya) and Granada for a few days! It will be my first solo excursion and I´m pretty excited.
I think I´m going to take a nap in the sunshine ... I hope all is well at home and I will be in touch :) Thanks for reading!
xoxox
Candz
So the amazing journey with Michelle has ended *tear*. We finished it in style with an awesome (fantastic!) weekend in Barcelona ... as you will see from the pictures.
Now I have arrived in Valdamorillo - the village just outside of Madrid where I will be living until June. I´ve posted pics here of the house, my room, the dog, etc etc. The kids are at school but I will post pics of the family soon. :)
The weather is BEAUTIFUL right now ... +16 and sunny. I took Tatu (the dog) out for a walk this morning and we enjoyed the view together. It is just going to keep getting warmer and I can´t wait!!
On the 26th the family is going to Paris, and I am going to go to Sevilla (Sev-ee-ya) and Granada for a few days! It will be my first solo excursion and I´m pretty excited.
I think I´m going to take a nap in the sunshine ... I hope all is well at home and I will be in touch :) Thanks for reading!
xoxox
Candz
Friday, March 7, 2008
España
Hola!
We're in Spain now ... Barcelona to be a little more precise. The train ride from Montpellier to Barcelona was ... interesting ... the train was pretty sketchy and the trek was about an hour longer than it was supposed to be. I'm guessing that's because we just sat in Perpignan for about 30 minutes. :P
It's late and I'm exhausted .. I'm sure I will have a lot more to post tomorrow or Sunday (or maybe Monday). We head to Madrid on Sunday where I will meet my first au pair family. I'll be in touch soon!!!
:)
xox
Candz
We're in Spain now ... Barcelona to be a little more precise. The train ride from Montpellier to Barcelona was ... interesting ... the train was pretty sketchy and the trek was about an hour longer than it was supposed to be. I'm guessing that's because we just sat in Perpignan for about 30 minutes. :P
It's late and I'm exhausted .. I'm sure I will have a lot more to post tomorrow or Sunday (or maybe Monday). We head to Madrid on Sunday where I will meet my first au pair family. I'll be in touch soon!!!
:)
xox
Candz
Thursday, March 6, 2008
Montpellier!
I LOVE MONTPELLIER!!!
Okay so my destiny has been revealed to me:
Learn French, marry a European man, and live in Montpellier to raise my little Canadian/European/French babies.
That’s the plan :)
Hahahaha.
So anyway, Montpellier is absolutely incredible. I will be posting pictures. I love this city. Paris was nice and exciting but also so exhausting and way too big for my preference. Montpellier is exciting and gorgeous and also very ‘manageable’ in the sense that it’s big enough for lots of things, but small enough that you can get from one end to the other without wanting to shoot yourself … there are little markets in the squares with stalls selling fruits and veggies, bags, scarves, etc. I LOVED it. Yes mom, I did buy a bag … I love it :).
(new necklace = brugge, new ring = brussels, new scarf = paris, new bag = montpellier) (and of course awesome bracelet = ecuador, thank you to julia) :) :) :)
Tomorrow we go to Barcelona. Another massive city … but we’ll have company on Saturday and I’m excited about that :)
Talk to you soon! And thanks for the comments and emails letting me know that you’re enjoying the blog!!! It makes it worth writing for sure!
Xox
Candz
Okay so my destiny has been revealed to me:
Learn French, marry a European man, and live in Montpellier to raise my little Canadian/European/French babies.
That’s the plan :)
Hahahaha.
So anyway, Montpellier is absolutely incredible. I will be posting pictures. I love this city. Paris was nice and exciting but also so exhausting and way too big for my preference. Montpellier is exciting and gorgeous and also very ‘manageable’ in the sense that it’s big enough for lots of things, but small enough that you can get from one end to the other without wanting to shoot yourself … there are little markets in the squares with stalls selling fruits and veggies, bags, scarves, etc. I LOVED it. Yes mom, I did buy a bag … I love it :).
(new necklace = brugge, new ring = brussels, new scarf = paris, new bag = montpellier) (and of course awesome bracelet = ecuador, thank you to julia) :) :) :)
Tomorrow we go to Barcelona. Another massive city … but we’ll have company on Saturday and I’m excited about that :)
Talk to you soon! And thanks for the comments and emails letting me know that you’re enjoying the blog!!! It makes it worth writing for sure!
Xox
Candz
Ahh southern France! :)
Wednesday March 5, 2008
Here we are in Montpellier! It’s been a rather interesting day … last night michelle and I both woke up to the sound of someone pounding on our hostel door. This wasn’t a huge surprise, as the hostel was really loud most of the time and there were a lot of people around. Upon listening to the voices, we determined that it was two of the guys we had spoken to very briefly early in the evening. Clearly drunk. Upon discovering our door to be locked, they decided to wait for us in the hallway. I wonder if they were disappointed that we didn’t show up??? Lol.
That was the second of our two rather sleepless nights en Paris.
Today we headed off to Montpellier on the TGV, which is a really sweet high-speed train. The train was awesome – everyone was quiet and most of the people slept for the majority of the 3.5 h ride (ourselves included). The French countryside is gorgeous. I think my fate has been revealed to me: I must learn French and find a way to live in southern france – preferably in the Montpellier area!
We found our way to the tram easily (awesome and very efficient!) but couldn’t find our hostel. After some wrong directions, we finally managed to get there. It was closed. So we went and had pizza (delicious!) and waited until the hostel would be open …
It was horrible.
We checked in, and left within an hour. It was filthy, the room stank of cigarettes, the staff were unpleasant, and we couldn’t even shower because the pipe was leaking water all over the main room. The internet didn’t work and the whole place felt like a prison. The entire thing SUCKED. So never ever even consider booking at the HI hostel in Montpellier.
Fortunately, Michelle spent 2 months living in Montpellier in summer ’05. They are a wonderful French family and have been SO great with hosting us and feeding us and it was absolutely incredible to sleep in a real bed with a real duvet and heat and an incredible shower. It’s just amazing.
SO here we are!!!!
I didn’t get this posted until the 6th … but read it as if it was from the 5th. :)
Xox
Candz
Here we are in Montpellier! It’s been a rather interesting day … last night michelle and I both woke up to the sound of someone pounding on our hostel door. This wasn’t a huge surprise, as the hostel was really loud most of the time and there were a lot of people around. Upon listening to the voices, we determined that it was two of the guys we had spoken to very briefly early in the evening. Clearly drunk. Upon discovering our door to be locked, they decided to wait for us in the hallway. I wonder if they were disappointed that we didn’t show up??? Lol.
That was the second of our two rather sleepless nights en Paris.
Today we headed off to Montpellier on the TGV, which is a really sweet high-speed train. The train was awesome – everyone was quiet and most of the people slept for the majority of the 3.5 h ride (ourselves included). The French countryside is gorgeous. I think my fate has been revealed to me: I must learn French and find a way to live in southern france – preferably in the Montpellier area!
We found our way to the tram easily (awesome and very efficient!) but couldn’t find our hostel. After some wrong directions, we finally managed to get there. It was closed. So we went and had pizza (delicious!) and waited until the hostel would be open …
It was horrible.
We checked in, and left within an hour. It was filthy, the room stank of cigarettes, the staff were unpleasant, and we couldn’t even shower because the pipe was leaking water all over the main room. The internet didn’t work and the whole place felt like a prison. The entire thing SUCKED. So never ever even consider booking at the HI hostel in Montpellier.
Fortunately, Michelle spent 2 months living in Montpellier in summer ’05. They are a wonderful French family and have been SO great with hosting us and feeding us and it was absolutely incredible to sleep in a real bed with a real duvet and heat and an incredible shower. It’s just amazing.
SO here we are!!!!
I didn’t get this posted until the 6th … but read it as if it was from the 5th. :)
Xox
Candz
for chelsey
Hey sweetie,
I’m glad that you wrote this, but more glad that you are forgiving yourself. Things happen to us all the time that change who we are, and sometimes it takes us a while to realize we don’t like who we have become. You can’t be angry at yourself for that – you just need to take a deep breath, acknowledge it, and say “okay, this is what I want to be, starting now”
I’m not angry with you – I hope you know that. I know how intense things can be and it can be difficult to think clearly when your emotions are swirling around you. It takes a long time and a hell of a lot of practice to be able to keep oneself from being entirely consumed by the feelings (sometimes meds as well, lol). And sometimes it’s just not possible.
And I don’t really think we ‘fell apart’ either … I told Jérôme that I am very close to both of my sisters :) So howabout don’t worry about it and don’t feel bad anymore, because things are good now. Okay?
Xox
Grosses Bises from Montpellier
Candice
I’m glad that you wrote this, but more glad that you are forgiving yourself. Things happen to us all the time that change who we are, and sometimes it takes us a while to realize we don’t like who we have become. You can’t be angry at yourself for that – you just need to take a deep breath, acknowledge it, and say “okay, this is what I want to be, starting now”
I’m not angry with you – I hope you know that. I know how intense things can be and it can be difficult to think clearly when your emotions are swirling around you. It takes a long time and a hell of a lot of practice to be able to keep oneself from being entirely consumed by the feelings (sometimes meds as well, lol). And sometimes it’s just not possible.
And I don’t really think we ‘fell apart’ either … I told Jérôme that I am very close to both of my sisters :) So howabout don’t worry about it and don’t feel bad anymore, because things are good now. Okay?
Xox
Grosses Bises from Montpellier
Candice
Tuesday, March 4, 2008
Paris!
Bonsoir!
Another exhausting and awesome day! Today we got up early (had to take advantage of the free breakfast offered at the hostel) and decided to fill our day with Paris sight-seeing. Our first stop was, of course, the Eiffel Tower! It was pretty freaking awesome.
I’m going to be posting a video … and before I do I want to explain that my actions in this video were coerced by my sister – CASSIE – who decided that this would be the ultimate way for me to show just how much I love her. The video will explain the rest …
oh yeah, and this might be kinda icky ...
Our next stop was the Musee d’Orsay, which was really nice. Michelle and I were both quite exhausted, so we weren’t able to enjoy the whole thing, but we did get to see some fantastic art.
Third – and definitely most intense – was the Cathedral de Notre Dame. It was GORGEOUS and AMAZING and so fantastic I can’t even think of enough adjectives to describe the experience. I have pics and videos, which I will post as soon as I can.
After all this, we found a little bakery (not that we had to search, since they are EVERYWHERE and so delicious :)). Michelle picked up some treats and had what seems to be the world’s most delicious coffee meringue. Don’t believe me? I’m sure she’ll tell you! :)
We head to Montpellier tomorrow. It’s only 7pm here but I am completely exhausted, so I think this post will be kept short in favour of some rest.
Talk to you tomorrow, from Montpellier!!!!!
Xoxo
Candz
Another exhausting and awesome day! Today we got up early (had to take advantage of the free breakfast offered at the hostel) and decided to fill our day with Paris sight-seeing. Our first stop was, of course, the Eiffel Tower! It was pretty freaking awesome.
I’m going to be posting a video … and before I do I want to explain that my actions in this video were coerced by my sister – CASSIE – who decided that this would be the ultimate way for me to show just how much I love her. The video will explain the rest …
oh yeah, and this might be kinda icky ...
Our next stop was the Musee d’Orsay, which was really nice. Michelle and I were both quite exhausted, so we weren’t able to enjoy the whole thing, but we did get to see some fantastic art.
Third – and definitely most intense – was the Cathedral de Notre Dame. It was GORGEOUS and AMAZING and so fantastic I can’t even think of enough adjectives to describe the experience. I have pics and videos, which I will post as soon as I can.
After all this, we found a little bakery (not that we had to search, since they are EVERYWHERE and so delicious :)). Michelle picked up some treats and had what seems to be the world’s most delicious coffee meringue. Don’t believe me? I’m sure she’ll tell you! :)
We head to Montpellier tomorrow. It’s only 7pm here but I am completely exhausted, so I think this post will be kept short in favour of some rest.
Talk to you tomorrow, from Montpellier!!!!!
Xoxo
Candz
Monday, March 3, 2008
Bonjour!!!
Greetings from Paris! Michelle and I have spent the last several days trekking around various countries in Europe and have now landed for two days in Paris. It’s so beautiful … think of all of the photos of quaint little streets, cafes and shops everywhere, and everyone speaking French. :) Tres exquisite!
On Friday morning we left Konstanz and headed to Lausanne, Switzerland. We met Michelle’s friend Jamie at the train station and after depositing our luggage at his flat, he took us out for a few hours to tour the city. And what a city it is! Lausanne is literally hills. Everywhere. And steep hills at that. Not for the faint of heart, and especially not for the faint of legs! It is an incredibly beautiful city – pictures are on their way! Lake Lausanne is bordered by mountains. The view from the train is absolutely breathtaking – words cannot possibly describe how incredible it was to see the lake surrounded by hills and little houses all over the hills. The sun was shining for our arrival in Lausanne which made it even more incredible.
After a (free!! Thanks to Jamie :)) evening in Lausanne, we packed up and headed off to the train station to spend alllll day Saturday making our way up to Belgium. For those of you who have access to (or are interested in looking up) a map, our route was as follows. Hop on the train in Lausanne and head to Basel. There we switched trains and prepared for the LONG haul – 7 hours – which took us through France (Salsburg) and into Luxembourg. From Luxembourg we headed over to Brussels, where we caught another train to Brugge. If you ever have the opportunity, GO TO BRUGGE! It was my second time there (I went when I was in Europe in high school) and it was worth every minute of the 10 hours we spent on the train to get to it.
Brugge is an incredibly beautiful, old, quaint little city. It is surrounded – and built on – water and is very well known for its lace. It has many gorgeous churches – all Roman Catholic – and we were lucky enough to be there on Sunday to enjoy the church bells ringing. I will be posting videos so check back for the link!
We took a boat tour around the canals of the city (very funny guide :)) and then found a little market square where some artisans were displaying (and of course selling) their handmade crafts. I bought a glass necklace which can be seen in a couple of today’s pictures
After enjoying most of the day in Brugge, we hopped back on a train and headed off to Brussels. It was my second time in Brussels as well, and it is quite an amazing place. After chilling out in our hostel room for a while, we headed out in search of “frites” (Brussels is famous for its frites – aka fries) and were fortunate enough to find ourselves a ‘guide’ of sorts :). Jerome (said in a French accent) led us to “La Grande Place” – the famous Brussels square – where we enjoyed the breathtaking architecture and explored the many streets and shops that the area has to offer. It was a fantastic evening :).
That brings us back to today. This morning we got up early and headed to the train station to lock up our bags and wander around a different part of Brussels. Our first destination was a flea market which runs every day from 4am to 2pm. It was quite the sight! Little mats everywhere with merchants displaying their various items. You could find just about anything there if you looked hard enough! After wandering around and taking a few pictures, we continued on down the street. Our next stop was in a little shop that sold various jewelry and other little things. I bought a glass ring, which I LOVE!
Now we are ‘digesting’ after a really nice (and not tooooo expensive) dinner at a Greek restaurant just down the street from our hostel. We are staying in a double room so we have the whole room to ourselves, which is great. Of course it’s a mess :P with our stuff strewn about, but it sure is nice to not be sharing a room with any random people – though we met a really nice girl from Texas in our room last night!
I think we may head across the street to a pub for a drink later on tonight. OH, one huge difference we have observed between Switzerland and Belgium vs France is that in Switzerland and Belguim, EVERYONE smokes EVERYWHERE. It’s such a relief to be able to walk into a restaurant, café, bar, etc and not immediately start choking (no offense to you smokers – my point is simply that I am obviously not a smoker and prefer to stay that way). Vive la france! Hahahah.
Thanks for reading, and especially thanks for your emails! I’m going to start the replies now. Hope all is well (fantastic, really) with everyone at home in Canada.
Lots of love!
Xoxo
Candz
On Friday morning we left Konstanz and headed to Lausanne, Switzerland. We met Michelle’s friend Jamie at the train station and after depositing our luggage at his flat, he took us out for a few hours to tour the city. And what a city it is! Lausanne is literally hills. Everywhere. And steep hills at that. Not for the faint of heart, and especially not for the faint of legs! It is an incredibly beautiful city – pictures are on their way! Lake Lausanne is bordered by mountains. The view from the train is absolutely breathtaking – words cannot possibly describe how incredible it was to see the lake surrounded by hills and little houses all over the hills. The sun was shining for our arrival in Lausanne which made it even more incredible.
After a (free!! Thanks to Jamie :)) evening in Lausanne, we packed up and headed off to the train station to spend alllll day Saturday making our way up to Belgium. For those of you who have access to (or are interested in looking up) a map, our route was as follows. Hop on the train in Lausanne and head to Basel. There we switched trains and prepared for the LONG haul – 7 hours – which took us through France (Salsburg) and into Luxembourg. From Luxembourg we headed over to Brussels, where we caught another train to Brugge. If you ever have the opportunity, GO TO BRUGGE! It was my second time there (I went when I was in Europe in high school) and it was worth every minute of the 10 hours we spent on the train to get to it.
Brugge is an incredibly beautiful, old, quaint little city. It is surrounded – and built on – water and is very well known for its lace. It has many gorgeous churches – all Roman Catholic – and we were lucky enough to be there on Sunday to enjoy the church bells ringing. I will be posting videos so check back for the link!
We took a boat tour around the canals of the city (very funny guide :)) and then found a little market square where some artisans were displaying (and of course selling) their handmade crafts. I bought a glass necklace which can be seen in a couple of today’s pictures
After enjoying most of the day in Brugge, we hopped back on a train and headed off to Brussels. It was my second time in Brussels as well, and it is quite an amazing place. After chilling out in our hostel room for a while, we headed out in search of “frites” (Brussels is famous for its frites – aka fries) and were fortunate enough to find ourselves a ‘guide’ of sorts :). Jerome (said in a French accent) led us to “La Grande Place” – the famous Brussels square – where we enjoyed the breathtaking architecture and explored the many streets and shops that the area has to offer. It was a fantastic evening :).
That brings us back to today. This morning we got up early and headed to the train station to lock up our bags and wander around a different part of Brussels. Our first destination was a flea market which runs every day from 4am to 2pm. It was quite the sight! Little mats everywhere with merchants displaying their various items. You could find just about anything there if you looked hard enough! After wandering around and taking a few pictures, we continued on down the street. Our next stop was in a little shop that sold various jewelry and other little things. I bought a glass ring, which I LOVE!
Now we are ‘digesting’ after a really nice (and not tooooo expensive) dinner at a Greek restaurant just down the street from our hostel. We are staying in a double room so we have the whole room to ourselves, which is great. Of course it’s a mess :P with our stuff strewn about, but it sure is nice to not be sharing a room with any random people – though we met a really nice girl from Texas in our room last night!
I think we may head across the street to a pub for a drink later on tonight. OH, one huge difference we have observed between Switzerland and Belgium vs France is that in Switzerland and Belguim, EVERYONE smokes EVERYWHERE. It’s such a relief to be able to walk into a restaurant, café, bar, etc and not immediately start choking (no offense to you smokers – my point is simply that I am obviously not a smoker and prefer to stay that way). Vive la france! Hahahah.
Thanks for reading, and especially thanks for your emails! I’m going to start the replies now. Hope all is well (fantastic, really) with everyone at home in Canada.
Lots of love!
Xoxo
Candz
Thursday, February 28, 2008
it's almost time for our adventures!
Today - day three - is the last full day in Konstanz before Michelle and I start our adventure. Tomorrow morning we head out to Lausanne (Switzerland) and then Saturday we make our way up to Belgium. Next week we'll be in France and then next weekend we'll head to Spain! Woo!!!
Pictures are on their way to my flickr page. They are uploading as I write this!! Michelle is currently packing for our trek ... I haven't taken on that daunting task with my own stuff yet ...
Konstanz is fantastic and so beautiful! It's a typical quaint little European town with beautiful architecture, tons of little shops, and delicious bakeries and coffee shops.
The transit system here is far superior to anything we have in Canada. The buses are always on time and extremely efficient, the trains are cheap, quick, and reliable.
And the CHEESE!!! We bought Brie at the grocery store for just .65 euro cents yesterday!!! You can buy booze in the grocery store -- lots and lots of booze -- see my facebook album 1 and facebook album 2 for pics :)
Yesterday we went to Meersburg, as I talked about in my last post. The pics of the castle that are going up on flickr over the next little while are from there!!! Check them out :D
Well I should go be productive and get ready for our adventure tomorrow!!! I'll be in touch, perhaps from the Louvre ;)
xox
Candz
Pictures are on their way to my flickr page. They are uploading as I write this!! Michelle is currently packing for our trek ... I haven't taken on that daunting task with my own stuff yet ...
Konstanz is fantastic and so beautiful! It's a typical quaint little European town with beautiful architecture, tons of little shops, and delicious bakeries and coffee shops.
The transit system here is far superior to anything we have in Canada. The buses are always on time and extremely efficient, the trains are cheap, quick, and reliable.
And the CHEESE!!! We bought Brie at the grocery store for just .65 euro cents yesterday!!! You can buy booze in the grocery store -- lots and lots of booze -- see my facebook album 1 and facebook album 2 for pics :)
Yesterday we went to Meersburg, as I talked about in my last post. The pics of the castle that are going up on flickr over the next little while are from there!!! Check them out :D
Well I should go be productive and get ready for our adventure tomorrow!!! I'll be in touch, perhaps from the Louvre ;)
xox
Candz
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
Ahh Europe!!
Here I am in Konstanz (germany)! :) The flight over was really good – very smooth and barely any turbulence at all. I had an hour stopover in Frankfurt and the five minutes outside was BEAUTIFUL --- 15 degrees! I met another girl on the short (1/2 hr) flight to Zurich – she is going to be an au pair in Switzerland. That was cool. My first “new friend” :).
Michelle met me in Zurich and we took the train here to Konstanz. It’s BEAUTIFUL. So quaint, lots of little houses and shops. It’s so nice and mild here – about 10 degrees – and the flowers are coming up!
Today we hopped on a ferry and crossed Lake Konstanz to go to Meersburg (Maresburg), which is a picturesque little town on the other side of the lake. There’s a REAL medieval castle and we paid eu 5.5 to wander around it for about an hour. It was incredible! I took lots and lots of pictures (coming ASAP) and the view from the castle was surreal!
After the castle we walked around the town a bit longer and hopped on the ferry back. The muffins are delicious :) … more like little mini cakes than the muffins we have at home. We wandered around Konstanz a bit after that – in the Altstadt “old city”. We picked up a few groceries and just finished dinner. Mmmm food :).
Tonight we’re meeting Michelle’s irish friend Sorcha (pronounced Circa, which is Irish for Sarah) and having cocktails. I will be in touch soon!
Xoxo
Candz
Michelle met me in Zurich and we took the train here to Konstanz. It’s BEAUTIFUL. So quaint, lots of little houses and shops. It’s so nice and mild here – about 10 degrees – and the flowers are coming up!
Today we hopped on a ferry and crossed Lake Konstanz to go to Meersburg (Maresburg), which is a picturesque little town on the other side of the lake. There’s a REAL medieval castle and we paid eu 5.5 to wander around it for about an hour. It was incredible! I took lots and lots of pictures (coming ASAP) and the view from the castle was surreal!
After the castle we walked around the town a bit longer and hopped on the ferry back. The muffins are delicious :) … more like little mini cakes than the muffins we have at home. We wandered around Konstanz a bit after that – in the Altstadt “old city”. We picked up a few groceries and just finished dinner. Mmmm food :).
Tonight we’re meeting Michelle’s irish friend Sorcha (pronounced Circa, which is Irish for Sarah) and having cocktails. I will be in touch soon!
Xoxo
Candz
Monday, February 25, 2008
it's fly day!!
it's officially fly day!!!
i'm super nervous and scared and also very excited. though i don't think the REALITY has sunk in. and a few well-versed travellers have informed me that it won't really sink in until i'm on the plane and up up and away ... at which point i will have a mild freakout consisting mostly of the following thoughts: "holy shit!" and "what the hell am i doing?!?!?!" and "am i crazy!?!?!"
i'll be sure to report on the accuracy of these predictions as they pertain to me ... though knowing myself i'd say they will probably be quite close to what actually happens ...
so a quick recap (for my own benefit) of exactly WHY i am doing this ...
- i've dreamed of travelling in europe for years
- a once-in-a-lifetime experience
- i'll learn so much: about the world and ESPECIALLY about myself
- i'll become more independent and self-sufficient
- spanish and italian!!!
- see and experience things i will never otherwise get to see and experience
- i'll regret it for the rest of my life if i don't do it
and mostly because it's just going to be amazing.
*deep breath* okay ... let's do it!
i'm super nervous and scared and also very excited. though i don't think the REALITY has sunk in. and a few well-versed travellers have informed me that it won't really sink in until i'm on the plane and up up and away ... at which point i will have a mild freakout consisting mostly of the following thoughts: "holy shit!" and "what the hell am i doing?!?!?!" and "am i crazy!?!?!"
i'll be sure to report on the accuracy of these predictions as they pertain to me ... though knowing myself i'd say they will probably be quite close to what actually happens ...
so a quick recap (for my own benefit) of exactly WHY i am doing this ...
- i've dreamed of travelling in europe for years
- a once-in-a-lifetime experience
- i'll learn so much: about the world and ESPECIALLY about myself
- i'll become more independent and self-sufficient
- spanish and italian!!!
- see and experience things i will never otherwise get to see and experience
- i'll regret it for the rest of my life if i don't do it
and mostly because it's just going to be amazing.
*deep breath* okay ... let's do it!
Thursday, February 21, 2008
i leave the country in four days. february twenty fifth.
i come home in one hundred and ninety one days. august twenty ninth.
i hope that when i come back, the good parts of me have become even better, the not so good parts of me have become more acceptable to myself, and i've learned, felt, seen, and experienced more than i can imagine right in this moment.
thank you for your encouragement. i wouldn't be able to take this risk if i didn't have the most important people in my life behind me, supporting me every inch of the way.
you mean the world to me. i love you. maybe more than you can ever know ... but i hope i am able to tell you enough that this isn't the case.
xoxoxoxoxox
i come home in one hundred and ninety one days. august twenty ninth.
i hope that when i come back, the good parts of me have become even better, the not so good parts of me have become more acceptable to myself, and i've learned, felt, seen, and experienced more than i can imagine right in this moment.
thank you for your encouragement. i wouldn't be able to take this risk if i didn't have the most important people in my life behind me, supporting me every inch of the way.
you mean the world to me. i love you. maybe more than you can ever know ... but i hope i am able to tell you enough that this isn't the case.
xoxoxoxoxox
simple man
i am a simple man
so i sing a simple song
never been so much in love
and never hurt so bad
at the same time
i am a simple man
and i play a simple tune
wish that i could see you once again across the room
like the first time
i just want to hold you
don't want to hold you down
i hear what you're saying
and you're spinning my head around
and i can't make it alone
the ending of the tale is the singing of the song
make me proud to be your man
only you can make me strong
like the last time
i just want to hold you
don't want to hold you down
i hear what you're saying
and you're spinning my head around
and i can't make it alone
the artist who sings this beautiful song is graham nash.
so i sing a simple song
never been so much in love
and never hurt so bad
at the same time
i am a simple man
and i play a simple tune
wish that i could see you once again across the room
like the first time
i just want to hold you
don't want to hold you down
i hear what you're saying
and you're spinning my head around
and i can't make it alone
the ending of the tale is the singing of the song
make me proud to be your man
only you can make me strong
like the last time
i just want to hold you
don't want to hold you down
i hear what you're saying
and you're spinning my head around
and i can't make it alone
the artist who sings this beautiful song is graham nash.
Sunday, January 20, 2008
9 Crimes
leave me out with the waste this is not what i do
it's the wrong kind of place to be thinking of you
it's the wrong time for somebody new
it's a small crime and i got no excuse
and is that alright yeah?
i give my gun away when it's loaded
is that alright yeah?
if you don't shoot it how am i supposed to hold it?
is that alright yeah?
i give my gun away when it's loaded
is that alright yeah, with you?
leave me out with the waste this is not what i do
it's the wrong kind of place to be cheating on you
it's the wrong time she's pulling me through
it's a small crime and i got no excuse
and is that alright yeah?
if i give my gun away when it's loaded
is that alright yeah?
if you don't shoot it how am i supposed to hold it?
is that alright yeah?
i give my gun away when it's loaded
is that alright?
is that alright with you?
is that alright yeah?
if i give my gun away when it's loaded
is that alright yeah?
if you don't shoot it how am i supposed to hold it?
is that alright yeah?
i give my gun away when it's loaded
is that alright
is that alright with you
and is that alright yeah?
is that alright
is that alright
is that alright with you?
no?
it's the wrong kind of place to be thinking of you
it's the wrong time for somebody new
it's a small crime and i got no excuse
and is that alright yeah?
i give my gun away when it's loaded
is that alright yeah?
if you don't shoot it how am i supposed to hold it?
is that alright yeah?
i give my gun away when it's loaded
is that alright yeah, with you?
leave me out with the waste this is not what i do
it's the wrong kind of place to be cheating on you
it's the wrong time she's pulling me through
it's a small crime and i got no excuse
and is that alright yeah?
if i give my gun away when it's loaded
is that alright yeah?
if you don't shoot it how am i supposed to hold it?
is that alright yeah?
i give my gun away when it's loaded
is that alright?
is that alright with you?
is that alright yeah?
if i give my gun away when it's loaded
is that alright yeah?
if you don't shoot it how am i supposed to hold it?
is that alright yeah?
i give my gun away when it's loaded
is that alright
is that alright with you
and is that alright yeah?
is that alright
is that alright
is that alright with you?
no?
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