Dog Sledding + New Schedule

Hello guys. So a new blog post it is!
Last week has been very busy, and everything started out Tuesday where Nina, a German exchange student, the two Aussies Madeleine and Amy, my Canadian friend Lindsay and I drove up to Monkton, Ontario to drive with a bus far up North in Ontario with a whole bunch of exchange students from all over the world: Norway, Germany, Austria, Holland, France, Belgium, Ecuador, Australia, Japan, Brasil, Finland, and of course Denmark which I represent. It was quite interesting to listen to so many accents. It was a long ride and we finally ended up on a hotel where we stayed for two days to have a mid year orientation and an extra dog sledding orientation where we learned how to harness a dog, pack the sled, etc. Here are some pics from the hotel where we just had fun, and we enjoyed the seldom happening of more people from countries all over the world gathering: A moment of epic awesomeness.

All the exchangees in one crowded hotel room

A stop to Mac'cies is good for a long ride to Algonquin

Thursday morning we went to the dog kennel with oh so many dogs. We got split in to two permanent teams that wouldn't see each other for the three days we were gone. My team got two guides called Adam and Adam who were really awesome and very enthusiastic. They instructed us in more dog sledding things, and then Lindsay and I got our sled which we packed easily. Then we got our dogs, and since I am not used to dogs I definitely extended my limits. And now there is no problems with me and dogs anymore. Our dogs were called Bean, Kanook, Jinny, Merv, Austin, and Suzuki. And then we went off. It was a wonderful feeling, and it wasn't as difficult as you might think. The only important words were: "Gi (Right,) Ha (Left,) Easy, Ready? Let's go, Wow (stop.) Our lead dog were Bean and Kanook, they were small but incredibly fast.


When we finally arrived at the camp we had to cut a lot of lumber and other chores. It was quite funny to cut whole trees and actually use it directly in the stove. When it got dark we had to make a camp fire, and this is where my skills as a scout comes in. First try and a huge fire was already burning without any use of paper :-) We slept 15 people in one tent; it was a big tent but it was still crowded. This lead to a warm night not worrying about freezing, but it was also very uncomfortable so I did not sleep very well.

Lindsay with our small lead dogs Bean and Kanook

Adam our guide cutting down wood

Nina (Germany) breaking through the ice so we could get water from the lake

Pierre (France) pulling the sled like a dog, Reynaldo (Brazil) enjoying

My awesome scouting skills... or not

I do realize this isn't the best picture of me, but at least you can see how crowded everything is in the tent

Next day we got up and got awesome breakfast. Well, at least a lot better than expected with pancakes and sausages and of course maple syrup. Yummy. We then started getting the dogs ready to Day two. It was a hard day for the dogs, but the land scape was amazing and I got to take some good pictures. Here are a few examples.

Here is Reynaldo eating lunch on a frozen lake

It is very nice with a few creeks that are actually not frozen.  

Some of the small trails. This is taken as you would see things from the sled.

Anyway, we got bak to the camp and I made dinner with a girl from Norway and Lindsay. After dinner we played a game the guides calles 'Man Hunt.' I really do not have the time to explain the rules, but it was funny and I made our team win the last round. It was a bit cold though, to crawl around in the snow at 10 pm. We got quite late in bed because we talked so much in the tent. When we finally decided to sleep, it did not take a long time to fall asleep. I slept much better than the night before.


The last day was almost as good as the others, the only thing annoying was the thought of getting home. We were sledding all the way back to the dog kennel, said goodbye to the dogs, and drove with the bus to the Guide's offices. We got nice chili con Carne and changed into regular clothes. It was nice and we got the chance to say 'thank you' to Adam and Adam. We also took some group pictures with them.

This is most of the students just after the last sledding

This is my seperate group with Adam and Adam. You can see now that we are not afraid of wearing t-shirts in the cold.

The trip on the bus back to Monkton went quickly, but because of snow storm (of course, we are in Canada) my host family, Nina, Yuki (Japan), Madeleine (Australia), and I had to stay in a Bed and Breakfast which was actually really cool. It turned out that it was a PERFECT B&B. It was covered with flowers, dolls, pink curtains, dresses, books, statues, etc. I can't really describe it, but it was like going in to a combination of a museum and a girl's dream. The next day (Sunday) we finally got home to Oil Springs.


And yesterday I started my new semester. My new schedule looks like this:


- Period 1: Instrumental Music. I play clarinet.
- Period 2: Grade 12 Gym mix (Girls and boys together)
Lunch
- Period 3: English grade 11 (This is the subject I fear)
- Period 4: People's Gym. (Gym with the special needs classes)


I finally joined JazzAttack, a singing group at the school, and it seems like we have a lot of concerts to perform. So I am going to be quite busy catching up with the others.
Oh and all the pictures above are taken from other exchange students, since I only brought a disposable camera for the trip.

Oh, I get by with a little help from my friends,
Mmm, gonna try with a little help from my friends
Ooh, I get high with a little help from my friends
Yes I get by with a little help from my friends,
with a little help from my friends

I have found the most awesome people in Canada. Thank you guys! And cheers for now.

152 days left!

Half of my exchange year has now passed. It is quite strange to think about it, but it is also a feeling that comes with a warmth in my little heart. I realize how secure I now am here in Canada. I do no longer fear for new, strange things because this - this is my reality now. Denmark is a foreign country that I can talk more about than my friends. Canada is my home for 6 months more - and I am going to have the funniest six months I could imagine :-)
When two Australians arrived at my place yesterday here in Oil Springs as an arrival place for them, I realized that their faces were the exact same faces I had 6 months ago. The same confusion, the same excitement, the same feeling. It is quite funny to think back now - to see how much has happened. My first school day, god, how confused I was! I couldn't figure out how to get around on the big school, which is no longer a problem for me. Or the first week where I did not know where to sit at lunch. I remember that very clearly, but that is luckily not a problem anymore, either. But now I start to think "Wait! This means that I have little time left here!" And so I do. But as I mentioned above, I will use this time in the best way possible.
I just wanted to make this blog entry before I am going dog sledding. As I said in my post last time, I am very excited. The people there - the other exchange students - are so incredibly nice, and it is going to be a blast. A cold blast, but a BLAST.


Today I have to follow the World Cup in Handball 2011, where Denmark is in the final against France. I do realize that I just wrote that 'Denmark is a foreign country' for me now, but it IS the finals, and it IS the World Cup, and so I have to. :)


Hugs from me to you, spread the message about love and understanding, and support the Egyptians for their right to freedom!
Bella

Joining band and a snowfest

Hey girls and boys! 
I am sorry that I really haven't written that much in January, but it is so difficult to find the time now that we are approaching exams. And I really shouldn't be writing this post since I have to make an assignment for Monday and also study for a final test! But I will do it anyway! (Especially because I am sick and can not focus on anything else...)


Since my last post I have joined the School's Senior Band. It is all very exciting; even though I am just playing percussion right now while we are playing The Lion King. The rest of the people around me are the best; they are so nice and awesome! And luckily I am friends with some people in my little village that have their drivers license and can drive me to school early in the morning for practice. Good thing that they are in the band too! 

Uuh. What else has been going around... Oh yes! I think it was Tuesday I performed my last assignment for Drama with my wonderful group. It got a little bit messed up in the end, but I think my scene went OK and all around I was pretty satisfied. The play was called "A Thing of Beauty" and I played this rich woman who believes she knows absolutely everything about art. (Which she of course do not, since she thinks a piece of driftwood is made by Picasso...) It was quite a hilarious character, and I enjoyed it. 

This is Eddie (quite a funny musical fella') who played the main character in our play. He has an obsession with beards if you wondered

So wednesday I just wrote my final test for my Vocal Class and I think I did well. I was kinda freaking out about the test before, but then I did some studying with my wonderful teacher (who I just HAD to choose for next semester) and now I think I did allright in the test. Thursday was the day of my Final vocal performance where I sang a Danish song (in english) called Open Wide by Tina Dickow. It is quite a good song, here is a link if you are interested... Tina Dickow - Open Wide I'll see if I can upload my performance for you guys when I get the video. form my friend Rachel who recorded the video and also played guitar for me. She has been amazing


Today I went to this thing called a 'Snow Fest.' Even though I am sick, I still went out in the cold to see cool statues in snow and ice in -16 degrees celsius. Yep, it's pretty cold right now. Anyway, here are some pictures from it.

This was the coolest statue, unfortunately it wasn't done when this picture was taken, and when it was done I took a pic with another camera (of course this statue was made by a Canadian...)

People from the states coming over to make some snow art 

An ice-slide for the children (and me.)

Pretty sight! :) 

I think this is all for now. The semester is soon ending. It will be strange to make new friends in new classes, but also exciting of course! I think mostly I will miss my Foods Class and my Vocal Class. But many of the people I will meet some where else in the activities at the school. Cheers!!  

And so the school starts...

I know this is quite a random post. But I thought it was about time, now that it has been 14 days since I last wrote a post. It is not that I have done anything particular this week, nope. I have only been working on my ISU (it is like a final project for a class) and been busy with homework and stuff. I have to admit; it has actually been a week with a little bit of home sickness. It hasn't been bad at all, but I maybe think it has been the worst so far. I guess it is because of boredom of the homework! But now when I look at it; it will be better soon after the exams I think. 
Soon half of my exchange year has passed and now when I think about all the stuff that has happened, I realize how much I have 'grown' inside and how much has happened. When I got here first I didn't expect to get friends that quickly, but I am very happy I did. I have got a lot friends now. And what I like about that is that I can turn to different 'groups' of the school whenever I want to. I find myself in a very lucky position where I can talk with everybody without problems. This is achieved because I really want to talk with everyone and I do not only stick with the same people all the time. 
My friends are generally all older than me, about 1-2 years older than me. This means that they have their G2- driver license and can drive me around (if they are willing to of course.) In the beginning it was a little bit strange I think, but then I have realized that this is where I fit in.
To be on exchange isn't easy all the tme. I sometimes feel left alone, but luckily I have a nice host family, and some really good friends here to cheer me up. For that I am deeply grateful. 
I should really finish my ISU today, so I think this is all for now. I promise I will write a blog entry about my final performance on thursday in Vocal Music where I am playing the song "Open Wide" by Danish singer/songwriter Tina Dickow. In about 18 days I am going Dogsledding with the rest of the YFU exchange students and my friend Lindsay who could go dog sledding because there was three spots left on the trip. So yeaa, I am very excited for a lot of stuff! Cheers for now!

Christmas Holiday

Hello everybody! I hope you had a nice christmas/hanukkah/or just random holiday with everything that belongs to it (and of course a good start in the new year.) Myself? Well I would say it has been great to try something new this year by celebrating christmas the 25th instead of the 24th. The magic all started the 24th actually, when I went to the evening church service with my host parents. I was not really in the 'christmas mood/spirit', but after singing Silent Night with a candle in my hand I suddenly felt all warm and comfortable in my little body. I was prepared for waking up the 25th opening presents from Santa! But - I have never tried to celebrate Christmas Eve eating snacks and partying without a pork roast, dancing around the christmas tree, or opening presents. So it wasn't a christmas as I am used too. 

To me christmas is a time to think about others. Canadians are extremely good at charity and fundraising. This picture is from a day I visited a house playing music and having a light show for a good course. 

Christmas Day I woke up (actually quite late) and ran down the stairs to find my christmas sock full. Actually it was so full that there was a box of presents beside the sock... Apparently Santa thought I had been nice in 2010. I don't really know about THAT, but I just know I was very grateful. The best present in my sock was the many oil pastel colours I got, and I have been experimenting a lot with them. This was my second try:

I know it is not good yet, but at least it was a try. Haha. Anyways, YES, it is a picture of a Canadian landscape. (Though not from Ontario.)

During the day I had fun with the new stuff and family and friends came over to say merry christmas. Some stayed over to eat the christmas dinner. We got turkey and all sorts of good stuff together with the danish dessert, Ris Ala Mande, which is a rice pudding with almonds. After this I could finally open my presents under the tree, I got lots of stuff! (I do not really have the time to list it all.) 


The rest of the holiday (though it is not over yet) I've spent with friends and family. I made a gingerbread house, went to the cinema twice, been ice skating, sledding, had another exchange student over, read german books, etc. 

A gingerbread house close-up

The Gingerbread-team

New Years Eve was spent at my friends house. Of course I forgot my camera for this event, so you wont see any pictures. The only thing I can tell is that it was a nice evening with lots of laughs, and for counting down to the new year we were watching the countdown at Times Square in New York. I think this is all for now. Hope you guys are all set for a new year with lots of adventure, love, peace, harmony, and without thinking it is the last year to live in because of 2012. 

Happy New Year!

Snow days and stuff

Hello everyone, time for a blog entry before christmas, wouldn't you say? Last week was quite strange! 

The night mare started out Sunday with a lot of heavy snow falling down to the ground. When I came home from skating we lost electricity for about 5 hours and then it went on again. I went to bed with a little hope for a snow day monday. 

Monday we actually got a snow day. And it was needed. A huge snow storm came over us, you couldn't really see anything because of the snow. But I still went out in the cold to deliver the last christmas post to the people in Denmark! (It took me quite some time to go to the post office that actually was open even though the post office is just across the road...) There was a very quick wind at the same time as the snow was falling, so nobody went outside and everyone was inside. (Except for the poor people travelling who all got stuck in the snow.) Then the hydro went off again, this time not only for 5 hours, but until next day, Tuesday. Tuesday the wind continued, but it was sunny without snow, so around 10 am Oil Springs got their electricity back. Our heat in the house was electric, so it got VERY cold in the night in the house. Good thing that we had many blankets! Now it was up to the army, helicopters, and police to help the people stuck on the highway just beside Oil Springs. Though Tuesday was quite amusing for me, I went sledding with my friends. The roads outside were still white and it was difficult to get around, which led to the fact that we had a snow day Wednesday, too. It made me a bit sad, because I was supposed to sing at the Music Night for our school. 

Here is the link for an article...

Wednesday and Tuesday were a pretty sight though, here I can show you some pictures. 

Like the danes would say: "I regn og slud, i sne og frost, skal postten ud, når man er post!"

Ah, it can be a pretty sight. This photo is taken by another exchange student who lives very close to me.

This is how our window looked like Tuesday morning.

It also led to a little bit of boredom since we couldn't go anywhere and were stuck inside. So we played a lot of Sequence, and I drew a lot of drawings. I can show you what 5 hours of drawings and boredom lead to.

Haha.. Psycho-Bella 

What is the only thing I've always wanted to draw? Only the hard-core fans know who this is! Try to guess. ( I'll just point out that I am not a fan, her acting is not my cup of tea... but she is pretty.)

Anyways, Thursday I went happily to school to socialize and stuff. It made me happy and we hardly did anything in the classes because of confusion about the snow. Friday was the day of the christmas assebly, where all the schools bands played. It was pretty and a lot of my friends performed. After this, we confirmed that we are in Canada. We did this by watching a game between the teachers and the students of ice hockey. Because, what is more canadian than ice hockey? - I have to say, there must be a reason why Canada are Olympic champions.   They care to much about hockey. It is like Europeans with their soccer, Danes about handball, or Americans about basketball. But it is an interesting sport, and it is definitely more interesting than American football, so I am glad I chose Canada :) Saturday I went to a friends place for a movie night and playing Harry Potter! It has been a strange, but good week. 

If you guys are lucky, I will post a little christmas treat for you later this week before christmas. It is going to be surprise, but you will like it. 

Bella

Here is a little reminder for all of you; remember to think about other people who are not able to celebrate the peace at this time of the year. It has actually always been my favourite English christmas songs. 

A Christmas Carol, Hamlet (Toronto), Semi Formal

Christmas night 
Another fight 

Tears we cried, a flood 

Got all kinds of poison in 

Of poison in my blood 

I took my feet to Oxford Street 

Tried to right a wrong 

Just walk away, those windows say 

But I can't believe she's gone 

When you're still waiting for the snow to fall 

It doesn't really feel like Christmas at all 

Those Christmas lights
Light up the street
Down where the sea and city meet
May all your troubles soon be gone
Oh, Christmas lights, keep shining on

-Coldplay, Christmas Lights

Hi my dear followers and bloggers!
As mentioned in my last blog entry I've been very, very busy last week and I had barely time to do anything creative as making a blog entry. But now I definitely have the time, so here we go. Last week I had my final performances of  A Christmas Carol. Some of my friends came to watch, which really made me happy. I had never imagined getting to know so many nice and good friends here. Even though I did not have a big part, I did a lot of paint work for the set props, and I am just going to show you what I did. 

Some of the set. Nice paint work, eh?

From the left: Me, Megan, girl (?), Amanda, Deker after a good show  at 'Meet the Cast'

Just added this as a picture because I worked a lot on it. It took me some time I would say.

This thursday I went to see Hamlet, which is a Shakespeare-play, in Toronto. Before the show we went shopping a bit in the Eaton Mall, though I did not buy much. The play was brilliant, the actors were amazing and it really caught me by surprise. The play takes place in Denmark, and whenever they pronounced a danish name in English, it made my giggle. But it was very good; it had a sad ending though. On the way home it was -12 degrees celsius, and probably under 0 degrees celsius in the school bus, which was VERY cold. So I was shaking all the way home, and then when we made a stop, I was hungry because we were delayed. Then I bought some ice cream and strangely; BAM! I got warm again!

Even though it is freezing in- and outside the school bus you have to keep being happy as an exchange student, in of course, a Canada-hat. 

CN-Tower in the christmas mood

Friday was the day of my school's second dance of the school year, it is called Semi Formal. And with that they mean that you are not allowed to enter in casual clothes, but that you don't have to be as crazily dressed up as at Prom. I went with some of my cool friends and it was a really cool dance. Afterwards I went home to a friend's place and watched one of my favourite movies: The french movie called Le Faboulex destin d'Amélie Poulain. 

From the left: Madison, Lindsay, Kira, and me before the dance.

It is us again with full dresses on.

When you ask yourself why I put the lyrics from Coldplay's new christmas song on, it is simply because it is a nice way to express how I miss Denmark during this time period. Christmas in Canada is simply not the same as in Denmark. That is one of the reasons why I in my ISU (Independent Study Unit) -presentation in Foods made Ris ala Mande (danish rice pudding/christmas dessert.) It tasted pretty good and the presentation about danes and how they eat food went well, too. Nobody found the almond though. Here is a little picture of my 'Ris ala Mande.'

...But what I really wanted to tell is that December is a busy time. I am constantly on-the-go and barely have time to be creative with my drawings, talk to people in Denmark and so on. And I miss watching Danish christmas TV-shows. I feel so bad when thinking I won't be celebrating anything at Christmas Eve as we do in Denmark. And I miss the people in Denmark.
It is not that i do not like it here. I absolutely love it. But at this time of the year it is hard for me. To think I wont be with my own family, not dancing around the christmas tree and singing songs, making christmas decorations and danish christmas hearts with my class, writing german christmas cards to the people in Germany, baking with my mother, and so much more.