An American Girl in Canada

Guess the City?

2009-11-10T21:15:00.000-08:00

I didn't live in a "city" until I was 26... and now I'm living in another! I love it! =)

Making Everything "American" Again

2009-09-26T09:05:00.000-07:00

It was kind of difficult for me when I moved up to BC as far as getting all those little things that a person needs to live in order (i.e. phone, apartment, bank account, etc.). Their system is slightly different than ours, plus I'd never had experienced the extra "fun" that's involved in moving from one country to another. Anyway... I didn't think that moving BACK to the states was going to be as difficult... but it is proving to be.

I received a Graduate Fellowship for the fall term, and I still had about half of my student loan money in a bank account up in BC. This money I was going to need to survive on for my first six months to a year back in the US until I was done with school and able to find a job. But, I did NOT want to withdraw thousands of dollars and carry it with me to my US bank. So, my thought process was that I'd just write myself a check from my Canadian account to my US one. It really shouldn't be THAT big of a deal. So, so, wrong... I didn't know why I didn't learn this after after trying to do the same thing in reverse in Canada.

The bank I went to in Oregon to deposit my check told me that they do about one foreign check transaction per year... thus, no one knew what they were doing. They kept giving me all of these alternative ways that I could transfer my money instead of giving them a check... but I'm one of those people that just get frustrated and confused when there are two many choices. I want either a or b (side note: I enjoy restaurants with SHORT menus... if the menu has more than 3 pages of possible entrees, I get slightly anxious).

Apparently with a foreign check, the US bank needs to send it to a collection agency, which then sends a money request to the foreign bank, who may or may not give up your money. I was told that the process for a Canadian check usually took 2 weeks to a month... but that they couldn't guarantee that it wouldn't take 3, 4, 5 or even 6 months... and, if the check bounced when it finally did get to the bank, there was another fee involved for that.

Now, the 2 weeks to a month thing didn't bother me. I was expecting this. However, the thought that my money could be somewhat "frozen" in my bank account for an undetermined amount of time DID make me nervous. But I didn't really feel like I had any other options. Taking my money out little by little via ATM was going to rack up the transaction fees, not to mention be a BIG pain. Driving up to BC to sign money wire paperwork just seemed ridiculous, and a paypal transfer has a lower conversation fee and other fees attached to it... so, I just went for it. I figured I if I didn't get my money in a month or so, I'd do the paypal transfer and just eat the bounced check fee (I figured it would be less than going to the ATM 20 times in order to get my money that way!).

In the end, let me tell you how EXCITED I was when I signed onto my bank account summary this money and saw that, EXACTLY two weeks later, the money was there, in my account! At a decent exchange rate! Woo hoo!! I can pay my rent now! =)

Summer Term Finally DONE

2009-09-01T10:20:00.000-07:00

I have FINALLY finished my summer term paper, an examination of the path that leads foster youth to involvement in crime and how generally effective independent living programs are or may be in reducing the disproportionate number of former foster youth who end up in the CJS. My prof for my independent study extended the deadline since our original plan for a project didn't pan out. So... it is now DONE! (even though the term's classes were done almost a month ago).

I would REALLY love some other than myself and my prof to read it as I spent a lot of time on it and am quite proud of this. Hoping that someone out there will read it and give me some feedback, I have made it available online here, however, google has messed up all my graphics and formatting, so I apologize for that!

P.S. I have not done my final typo edit on this, but it has gone through about three different edits between myself and my prof, so I'm hoping it's good enough for viewers at this point!

Moving "Home"

2009-08-25T08:15:00.000-07:00

Well, I'm back in the states and have moved into my new place in Oregon, but I thought I'd give you all a recap of my adventures in moving OUT of Canada... It was definitely not what I was expecting as the things I was anticipating to be troublesome (i.e. crossing the border) were not, and the things I thought would be easy (canceling my cable/Internet) were sooo NOT.

First things first, Jacob picked up the Penske rental truck just south of the border in Bellingham on Saturday afternoon. You cannot pick up a rental truck in Canada and return it somewhere in the U.S. Thankfully I had Jacob to help me with this, otherwise I would have had to take a bus across the border, pick up a truck and then drive it back across the border... ugh.

On Saturday Jacob and I did a little bit of packing and "staging" the apartment for the movers, who were coming bright and early on Sunday morning. We didn't have anyone to help us move out, so we decided to spring for movers rather than try to maneuver all the furniture out of the apartment, down the stairs, and puzzle pack it into the truck ourselves. Then we went out and had a nice dinner to celebrate our last night in Canada.

Sunday morning at 9 AM the movers showed up and got to work. They spoke very minimal English, which made the process somewhat difficult. Jacob and I felt kinda weird just sitting around while they moved everything, so, in order to help, and move the process along a bit (they were taking a little longer than I had financially anticipated) we started moving some of the easier to lift things down stairs for them.

During this time I took a break to return my cable and Internet stuff (modem, cable box, etc.). When I called about 2 weeks ago to schedule the cancellation of my services I was told that the local office in Surrey was open 7 days a week from 9-5. I SPECIFICALLY verified that they were open on Sundays. I was told that they were. Then, just to be clear, on Saturday I signed onto the cable's website and checked the hours again for the Surrey location. And, again, I say Sunday 9-5. So... on Sunday at about 10:30 I drove over there only to find a sign on the window that said "Sundays- CLOSED".

Not sure what to do at this point (as we were driving the truck over the border that night and I would not be available to return the stuff on Monday). I called the company, explained my situation and told them they had better change the listing of open hours on their website. They said they would pass that info along (lol.. yeah, we'll see), and then gave me the address of a UPS store in Burnaby where I could drop off the equipment (Burnaby is about a 30 minute drive from my then-apartment). I was told that this store was open from 12-5.

At about noon I set off for this UPS store. I called before I left to try to get better directions but I got the answering machine message, which said their open hours (and I verified 12-5 on Sundays), and the name of the shopping plaza they were in, but said that they were currently with a customer and to leave a message. As I had received the information I needed from the message, I did not leave one and set out on my way.

Half an hour later I show up at the UPS store and, lo and behold... the store is under renovation and closed!

SOOO not my day at this point. I tried calling the cable/internet company again, but the automated message said that they had an excessively high number of callers (probably other pissed off, misinformed customers) and to leave a message with my name and number and they would call back in the order that messages were left. So, I did. And I waited. And I got lunch. And I waited some more. And then I got really annoyed. And then I got a plan.

I hopped back into my car and drove back to the post office that is across the street from my then-apartment. Post offices are open on Sundays... go figure. I boxed up all the equipment and MAILED it back to the cable/Internet company with a rather long note expressing my disappointment in their services and my ordeal. Cost me about $12 in postage, over two hours of wasted time on moving day, and about 30 miles on the road. They had better damn well accept this! Bah!

So, that was out of my way. The mover's finished at a little after noon and Jacob finished loading the truck with the little things, then we started the cleaning process.

When I moved up to BC we were told that an apartment would be available for us on the 1st of Sept. And then we were told that it wouldn't be ready until the 8th. I made a stink about this as I needed to start classes and needed to have a place to live. So, they allowed to let me stay in a "loner" apartment for that week. I slept on the floor and had my computer and a collection of TV dinners to my name. The place was a sty. I don't even think that the carpets had been vacuumed after the last people moved out. It smelled funny and I was altogether grossed out and scared for our apartment (which, fortunately, was in a bit better condition than that one).

I take this side not to explain why we didn't clean to the best of our abilities. lol Don't get me wrong, we thoroughly cleaned things. The fridge looked fantastic after Jacob was done with it. But, we did NOT pay to have the carpets or mini blinds professionally cleaned as was "required" of us upon move out. Nor did I scrub walls, etc., etc. The place was clean. We left it looking very nice, but I"m going to be quite annoyed if we don't get the security deposit back. Especially since I KNOW that the apartment I stayed in temporarily was rented out that way as I had about an hour to move out of it into my new place before a Russian family was scheduled to move in.

By about 5 o'clock we were officially out of the apartment. I dropped off the keys in the office drop slot and we were on our way. We stopped for a quick DQ dinner and then headed for the border. This is what I was really concerned about. We've had such issues with the border in the past I didn't know what to expect. But they let us right through! They didn't even LOOK inside our truck! I was pretty shocked! By 6:30 we were at the gas station in Blaine, WA ready to REALLY start our drive home after saying our final goodbye to life in Canada.

A Year in Canada

2009-08-22T10:03:00.000-07:00

The last time I drove up back into BC I spotted a U-haul truck just across the Canadian border hauling a car from Oregon. I was reminded of my own move just about one year ago.

Living in Canada and going to school up here has definitely been an interesting experience, and, while I'm looking forward to being back in the states, I have appreciated the new experiences that I've had and people that I've met up here in BC.

As of tomorrow I'll be packing up that moving truck yet again and heading south back into the U.S. (I'm a bit anxious to see what happens at the border... I'll be sure to let you all know how it goes!). I'm still a student at SFU, but I'll be completely my degree program from "abroad". So, this blog may "end" in the next few weeks, or I may continue it as a "Canadian Student in America"... lol

Unemployed!

2009-08-21T23:20:00.000-07:00

Well today was the last day of my summer contract as a teaching assistant. Which means that I am currently unemployed... and sooo happy to be so! lol No more dealing with students who are upset that they got an A rather than an A+ or asking for extensions on their assignments because two classes have assignments due on the same day. And, especially, no more reading 12 page papers on prostitution, drug legalization, and pornography!!! YAY! lol I commemorated this by deleting the icon on my computer desktop for the classes website... YAY! =)

In about 3 weeks time I'll be starting the next stage of my Masters program by commencing my practicum placement at an independent living program for young adults. I'm VERY excited about this!

Pipe Band World Title!

2009-08-20T17:22:00.001-07:00

SFU apparently has one kick ass pipe band. =) On August 15 the band won its 6th world title (second in a row) in Glasgow, Scotland. Read the press release here and see the video below!

Change of Address

2009-08-19T14:22:00.000-07:00

As I packed up my life yet again, and get ready to say goodbye to Canada, I am trying to get all of my "affairs" in order. One of those things that you do when you move is fill out a change of address form at the post office. Back home it's not a big deal. You can even take it home and just mail it back to your post office. Easy easy. So, as such, I was expecting the same thing up here. I picked up a form at the post office, filled it out and was going to mail it in, however, I did not see any mailing address indicated on it. So, today, I walked over to the post office to hand deliver it.

To my surprise, changing your address is not the quick and easy experience in Canada as it is in the states. In fact, Canadians have to PAY to get their mail forwarded! If I were to stay in the province it would have cost me about $40 to get my mail forwarded for six months. Since I'm moving out of the province, it was going to cost me $110!!!

Forget that!

Holly Comes to Canada!

2009-08-18T08:00:00.000-07:00

It is 8 AM and I have been awake for 3 hours.

The 5 AM wake up was well worth it however, and it meant that I got to spend 3 full days being a tourist in Vancouver with my good friend (and bridesmaid) Holly. I just wish I didn't have to take her to catch the bus back to Oregon today =( But, we had a FANTASTIC time while she was here (and now are very, very sore, and very, very tired! lol)

Day 1: Vancouver Aquarium and a walk/hike through Stanley Park looking for my "lost" car (only to discover I had a parking ticket =P).

Night 1: Partied it up at the Blarney Stone in Gastown. Danced to some FANTASTIC Irish, classic rock and Motown music... SOOO much fun!

Day 2: Woke up early after a late night out to go kayaking on Bowen Island. Parkade at the bay was FULL as were the other two parking lots... I parked in a 3 hour parking spot (for six hours) and prayed I wouldn't get my second parking ticket of the weekend... the Gods were smiling down at me! No ticket! =) And I FANTASTIC day out on the water!

** This is Boyer Island! lol I was so exited! I have my own island! =)

Night 2: Dinner at the Sushi Garden and then home to REST! lol

Day 3: Playland Amusement Park in Vancouver! I went on a number of rides and didn't get sick at ALL! lol Though, I was very sure to do the upset-the-tummy rides PRIOR to eating all the carnival food =)

Night 3: Freezing indoor pool soaking back at my apartment (don't know why the heater never seems to work when I want to swim), and then more relaxing... Holly's last night... had a blast! Gonna miss her and my stay-cation!

You Know You Want To Be Canadian! =)

2009-08-08T18:53:00.001-07:00

A Summer Day in British Columbia...

2009-08-05T12:44:00.000-07:00

Here I am on a cool summer day sitting in my apartment, grading final exam papers, listening to my neighbor practice the bag pipe...

Nice to Feel Appreciated

2009-08-03T00:17:00.000-07:00

This note from my student today could NOT have come at a better time for me. I've been alone up in BC for almost a week now and I'm starting to feel it. I have a ton of undergrad papers to grade, a paper of my own to write, and an apartment to pack up in the next three weeks... and no motivation to do any of it. So, it was nice to find this message in my inbox today:

Hi Brittney,

I just wanted to say thanks for a great semester and you were a great TM. The class was extremely interesting and you helped a ton with your responses. I think I would have just gotten way too confused with my own thoughts if you didn't clear things up.

Anyhow, I just wanted to wish you the best of luck in the future.

Cheers.

I am NOT Going to Miss the Border

2009-07-30T19:54:00.000-07:00

I HATE crossing the border. Even though I know that I'm doing nothing wrong, I still get this mini-anxiety attack when I pull up to their little window. They ask so many questions. I know they are trying to trip you up. Where are you going? What's in that bag? Where do you live? How long will you be gone? But the question that got me this last time that I crossed back into the U.S. was, "Do you have any cat food?"

I ALWAYS tell them when I have my cat in the car (the last thing I need is to get pulled over for trying to smuggle a life animal over the border), but no one has EVER asked me if I had cat food (in all actuality, I thought they'd have more problems with the kitty litter box on the back seat).

I told them that yes, I had cat food. How much? A couple cups. Is it in the original packaging? No... I pour it into a Tupperware container. By this point I am getting really confused. Then the guy sticks this orange post-it note thing on my wind shield and tells me to park my car and go see someone at the agriculture desk inside (and he TAKES MY PASSPORT.... this worried me a bit).

My mother was with me on this trip, so we park the car and the two of us head into the building... still not quite sure what's going on. We stand in line behind a large family that appears to be of some eastern European decent (and also appears very confused). There is no one at the counter helping them, though they appear that they have been helped and are waiting for someone to return. So, Mom and I wait. Finally one of the immigration officers tells us to step to the other counter where another office is working on something. So, we go over there. And, without a word, the officer that was there picked up and left... never to be seen (by us) again. And, we wait some more.

FINALLY this woman comes up and asked if we'd been helped. I was not happy to see this particular woman... she was the same one who tried to fine me $300 for an apple. She took my little post it. And told me that I wasn't suppose to bring cat food into the country because it may have lamb in it (...so?). And then she just stared at me! lol I asked her what my options were and she told me that I could either turn around and take it home, or she would dispose of it. After sitting in line at the border for over an hour, I was most definitely NOT going to turn around and take 4 cups of cat food back home. So I told her to go ahead and get rid of it. Then she asked me which car was mine and where the cat food was. I told her and she told us to remain inside.

I could see her from the window... and she inspected my entire car. Even popped the trunk even though I'd told her that the cat food was in the back seat. My mother, somewhat naively, seeing the women poke around in my trunk asked if she should go out and tell the woman where it was. I told her NO. lol... the last thing I needed was for my mother to walk outside against a border officer's orders and get detained for further questioning! Finally the woman brought my cat food inside, dumped it out, handed me the container back and told me that she'd left the small amount of food that was actually in his food dish.

Wow... wasn't that nice? lol

And we were on our way again...

Fast forward to weeks later, crossing back into Canada...

The signs along the freeway said that the wait at the border would be about 10 minutes. I was very pleased about this as I had been driving for a LONG time. I stopped in Blaine, got some gas, and then drove a few more blocks to the Hwy 543 border crossing. Right before the lanes split cars were backed up. One by one border agents were letting cars drive through a check point; every 5th car or so they stopped and had their drug dogs sniff around. I was so worried that they were going to stop me and the dogs were going to freak out 'cause I had a cat in the back seat! lol (I know this is highly unlikely since they are trained drug dogs, but they thought still crossed my mind). Thankfully, I wasn't stopped and continued on to.

There were about 4 lanes open at the border, two on the right, and two on the left. Right in the middle (in a now-closed lane), about one car length from the window, was an RV... with a tow truck in front of it trying to hook it up! lol I would NOT want to be those people!

It's Been Awhile

2009-07-22T11:51:00.000-07:00

I've been neglecting my blogs recently... I blame this primarily on the fact that a lot has been going on in my life these last few weeks, and that I was rather upset by a comment that was posted on one of my posts a few weeks back. This comment was rather rude and insinuated that I was making too many generalizations about the Canadian population (however, at the same time turning their nose up at me and my Americanism).

I thought about this for a little while and I do not believe that I am making "generalizations" but rather "observations". I am not capable of meeting EVERYONE in Canada (or any other geographic area for that matter!). As a visitor to a country I make observations about the culture dependent on what I see on a day to day, random basis. My blog is not full of generalizations. I am not saying that "all Canadians like hockey", but rather, like any researcher, I have to come to some sort of conclusion based on a small, random sample. "Hockey is a larger part of life in Canada than in the U.S."... this is not a generalization, this is an observation (this is not the specific post that my commenter commented on, just an example).

So... yeah... that my little spurt of upsetedness. =) Now back to your regularly scheduled programming! =)

Dinosaurs?

2009-07-13T22:23:00.000-07:00

My mom is up visiting me this week... getting the chance to experience the Canadian way of life (more on her visit later).

She called back home tonight and talked to my 4-year old nephew on the phone. He, apparently, asked where she was, and this is how the conversation went (at least, the one side that I could hear):

Mom: We're up in Canada. Can you say Cana...

(4-year old babble)

Mom: Are there dinosaurs up here? I don't know... I haven't see any... but I'll keep my eyes open for them!

lol.... gotta love little kids, and their wonderful cultural perceptions =)

ANOTHER New Blog!

2009-07-11T17:35:00.001-07:00

As some of you may already know, last weekend my boyfriend, Jacob, asked me to marry him! We are so excited, and I'm very much looking forward to the wedding planning. As such, I have created ANOTHER new blog (I will try to keep up all THREE as best as I can!)

Sand Dollars and Sunflowers: Musings of a soon-to-be, barefoot on the beach bride!

Hiding in Plain Sight?

2009-06-29T15:23:00.001-07:00

Most of the time I don't really question the U.S. government... sure, I think some of their policies are odd and inefficient, but I rarely see something in action and think, "What the Hell are they doing??"

I had one of those times driving through Washington a couple weekends back.

Driving up I-5 I saw, behind me and in the next lane, a white SUV with the word "Police" on it. Since, obviously, I was speeding, I quickly tried to slow down undetected. By doing this, I slowed down to the same speed as the SUV (which ultimately passed me) and I was able to read the rest of the writing on the side and rear of it.

"Department of Homeland Security-- Federal Protection Services"...

Isn't this, like, a bulls eye?? Shouldn't they be transporting important witnesses in unmarked vehicles with tinted windows?

I was definitely wondering, "what the hell??"

I'M MARRIED!!!!

2009-06-24T16:08:00.000-07:00

Or, rather, I'm in a "Common-law Union"... which the government acknowledges after one year of living with your partner, and, thus, if Jacob wanted to, could get the same benefits/etc. that I get from the Canadian government (health insurance, etc.) A lot better system (I think) than in the U.S... though I think it might be getting better down there.

So... do I still gifts for this milestone? lol... I'll have to check on that! =)

Hey!

2009-06-21T15:54:00.000-07:00

Does Middle Eastern polka exist? 'Cause I think that's what my neighbors are playing...

Buzzing Bank

2009-06-18T10:49:00.000-07:00

I saw this story on the news last night... it's just SOO frustrating to me... instead of spending money to help people, let's treat them like rodents and buy devices to keep them away...

What a Way to Go...

2009-06-17T17:09:00.000-07:00

I know that the death of a 14-year-old girl is not a laughing matter... and I am not intending any disrespect, however any of you who have seen the show Dead Like Me and appreciate the morbid humor of "freak accidents" need to see this article that I ran across today.

Woof!

2009-06-17T15:03:00.000-07:00

Walking through the secured hallway of the criminology department you can peek into a number of different offices and see door-way baby gates. No, it is not "bring your child to work day". On the contrary, this is not a random occurrence... this is a regular phenomenon. Behind these baby gates are not babies, at least not by regular standards, but, rather, pooches. Bringing your dogs to work is, apparently, not something to even bat an eye lash at up here. Plus, it's an excuse to take a walk and get some fresh air every hour or so.

Just a moment ago I went to use the rest room. Upon returning to the computer lab, in the hall in front of me stood a standard poodle, head tilted, as if to say, "Hey.... How's it going?"

No Line?

2009-06-17T14:47:00.000-07:00

On June 1st the new passport requirement went into effect on the Canadian/US border. This has been YEARS in the making... now, in order to cross the border into/out of the U.S., you MUST have a passport. Before you just needed ID and proof of citizenship (birth certificate).

As I've said, this has been years in the making... the effective date has been pushed back time after time, so, I figured that it wouldn't really be that big of a deal when it actually happened, but, that was just the American in me a guess. Here's the deal... according to one news article more than half of Canadians currently have a passport... while less than 1/3 of Americans do. So? You may ask. Well, here's the problem. Canada, particularly the border cities, rely heavily on American tourism, specifically during the summer travel time. With only 30% of Americans having passports that means fewer people crossing the border and less money coming into the Canadian tourism economy.

None of this really occurred to me yesterday as I was crossing the border back into Canada after a trip home. I approached the border and there were NO CARS waiting... in ANY of the open lines. There was one car other than myself going through the Nexus line... but I drove right up to the window. Being an American, not considering anything, I made some comment to the border agent that I don't think I've ever seen it that empty before! She just sadly smiled at me.

New Blog

2009-06-16T21:41:00.001-07:00

So, I've started a second blog. After a conversation with an old friend of mine about how I'd like to someday write a book about my experiences in my field but worried that I could fill up a whole book, I decided to start small with a collection of vignettes. Perhaps someday they will make their way into publication, but, for now, they are just memories, written down, before I am no longer able to recall all of the ridiculous situations I have found myself in! =)

Read my collections of ramblings at: The Rabbit Hole

And The Fun Begins...

2009-06-05T11:10:00.000-07:00

The kitchen is clean, the bathroom is clean, the living room is cleaning... clothes are packed, "school work" is packed, cat stuff is packed... I have my camera, tooth brush, cell phone.... I am ready to go... on what is going to be a VERY chaotic week and a half. It would be FANTASTIC if the border wait went quickly... as I don't really need any more stress right now!

Here's my schedule.... down to Portland today, stay the night with Jacob's bro, head to Eugene tomorrow spend the day with my fam, down to Coquille on Sunday for a graduation celebration for Jacob's cousin,Monday and Tuesday in Eugene, Wednesday back to Portland, Thursday I have an interview for my practicum (FINALLY), Friday to Pendleton for my brother's graduation, Saturday back to Portland, and then three days (yay!!) staying in the same place until I come back up to BC on Tuesday.... *sigh* I'm tired just thinking about it.

"Crossover" Episodes

2009-05-22T18:04:00.000-07:00

I don't know if this is just a coincidence, but in the last week I have seen two US based TV shows that have decided to do a story line revolving around Canada... King of the Hill's "Uh-Oh Canada" and the season finale of Criminal Minds.

In King of Hill, Boomhauer signs up for a Home-swap program with a Canadian family. He goes north, and has a romantic vacation with a Francophone, and the swapping family comes down to Texas where they complain about American beer, synthetic fabrics and noise when they are trying to read... turning off everyone in the neighborhood (expect Bobby, who learns to appreciate the metric system). Ultimately, Hank and the Canada Dad get into a game of chicken on lawn mowers, drunk, landing them both in jail with DUIs. I don't usually watch KOTH... a friend of mine told me about the episode... and it wasn't fantastic, but it had it's good parts (a couple things that I could definitely relate to!)

Criminal Minds had a case that, I believe, was loosely based on the Robert Pickton murders that happened up here in BC (and is currently still going through the trial/appeal process). Premise: Pig farmer kidnaps "untouchables" in society (homeless, drug addicts, prostitutes), brings them back to his farm, murders them, and feeds the remains to his pigs. The TV show took it a bit farther and made it into a manipulative paraplegic doctor convincing his huge, mentally retarded (think "Of Mice and Men") brother to do the actual dirty work and then utilize their spinal fluid to try to somehow "fix" the brother's condition. I didn't get nearly has many laughs at Canadian stereotypes from this show (but, then again, it's not a comedy), but there were a couple of relate able Canadianisms to be had! =)

All in all, if you haven't seen them yet... I recommend taking a look! =)

Surrey... the good, the bad, and the... beautiful! =)

2009-05-22T14:33:00.002-07:00

Whenever I tell someone, for the first time, that I live in Surrey BC the response is generally something along the lines of a worried face or an, "oh I'm so sorry". Surrey is, unofficially, known as the headquarters for gang activity and drug dealing. While I do admit that on an almost nightly basis I see, what I suspect to be, drug dealing going on beneath my bedroom window, I think Surrey has a bad wrap.

By pure land area, Surrey is the largest city in the lower mainland, and the second largest in terms of population... so, doesn't it then make sense that it's risk for more "bad" stuff would be greater than other areas? That's my retort! lol It's funny how, after only living in a city for 9 months, I can already feel so attached to it. Attached enough to stick up for my neighborhood! =)

I feel blessed to have accidentally moved into this area, even it is the drug/gang/crime capital of the lower mainland... because this area also happens to be beautiful and full of wonderful outdoor opportunities for these few sunshine-y days that we've been having so far this spring. Officially, Surrey is known as the City of Parks. There are over 400 parks in this city which encompass more than 3,000 acres of land. Take a look at this map... this is my neighborhood. The section that you're looking at is only about 7.5 miles across... check out all the parks.

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The two big ones you see, Green Timbers Urban Forest and Tynehead Regional Park, are both what this area calls "urban forests"... forests in the middle of the city... bordered on all sides by traffic and sirens and the bustle of the city, the moment you walk into the park you are suddenly in a forest with trees, lakes, creeks, wildlife and hiking trails. It's fantastic! I love it!

A few months back Jacob and I set out to explore Green Timbers, and last weekend we hit up Tynehead. It really is just a little bit of heaven to be out in the "woods" listening to the running creek, breathing in the fresh air, and watching squirrels running around "playing" with each other (Jacob insists they were doing something a little less PG, but I prefer not to think like that!) and then, after a nice hike, being home in less than 15 minutes.

May 2-4

2009-05-22T14:33:00.001-07:00

This is Memorial Day weekend back home and I am in a country that doesn't recognize it... in all actuality, had it not been for all the "Going camping this weekend!" status updates on facebook, I would probably have no idea that it had come and gone! However, being in Canada, I was able to (somewhat) experience this country's version of a holiday in May... Victoria Day. This weekend, apparently originally intended as a day to honor Queen Victoria's birthday and that of whichever other Monarch is currently on the throne (no matter when his/her ACTUAL birthday is), has since become a day to become incredibly wasted. When I asked a classmate if anything exciting happens in Victoria, BC over the holiday weekend, her response was:

"I don't know if anything specific happens in Victoria, but this long weekend is typically a weekend to drink your face off, hence it's nickname 'May 2-4'. :)"

Yes, this weekend (also commonly referred to as "May Long Weekend"... they are VERY original over here) is nicknamed "May 2-4" due to the fact that it occurs SOMEWHERE around the 24th of May... but, more importantly, because beer comes in packs of 24. =)

While Jacob and I didn't join the masses camping and "drinking our faces off", we did do a little something out of the ordinary and went to the Cloverdale Rodeo and Country Fair (you can take the girl out of the country, but can't take the country out of the girl!) We had a pretty good time watching the rodeo events, fair performances and people of all ages trying to stay on a mechanical bull... not to mention partaking in the fair food. They had your traditional funnel cakes (Yay!!!), hot dogs, lemonade, etc. But, I don't know that I've ever been to a fair where Greek food was a vendor option.

The rodeo was kind of a trip, too! At rodeos back home, we don't really rely on other countries for competitors... but Canada does. I would make a rough estimate that only about 1/3 of those riding were actually from Canada, the rest were from the good ol' USA. Even the rodeo announcer was a Texan. Because of this we sang both the American National Anthem and the Canadian Anthem, O Canada!. But the US was not the only "foreign" country present. They also had a "cowboy" from Mexico performing mid-rodeo entertainment with his horses. It was quite the interesting experience... including the security officials... some of which were police officers wearing turbans (nothing wrong with this, just not something I'd see back home), and Mounties in their "official" dress (you know what I'm talking about!).

New Layout

2009-05-15T13:01:00.001-07:00

I was ready for a new look to my blog.... but it totally messed up all my layouts... so, if you're reading an old post and the pictures are cut off/weird, sorry... they looked good when I did it the first time! =)

Vancouver Barbie

2009-05-15T09:33:00.000-07:00

One of my classmates posted this on facebook... it made me laugh. =)
I live in Surrey...

Greater Vancouver Barbies

-er or -re?

2009-05-12T13:02:00.000-07:00

I just typed the word "centre" without even having to THINK about the order of the last two letters... does that make me Canadian now?

Croc-en-cannelle, s'il vous plait?

2009-05-11T17:42:00.000-07:00

I don't really feel like I'm living in a "foreign" country on a day to day basis. All the pomp and circumstance I had to go through to live up here (not to mention every time I cross the border) seems a little silly to me as I'm JUST in Canada. I feel like the only culture shock that I've really had to deal with up here is from small, homogeneous city to BIG, diverse city.

And then I go to the grocery store and I get a little bit of a reminder that I'm no longer in good ol' Oregon...

Seems a bit classier in French, don't it? lol

Everything in the grocery store is in both English and FRENCH over here... not going to find dual language Spanish stuff very easily up here... and my parents didn't think I'd ever use my French... well, by the time I'm done up here, I'll at least be able to order my favorite cereal! =)

Canadians Take Honolulu!

2009-05-08T15:55:00.000-07:00

Jacob and I decided to take a, somewhat, spontaneous vacation to Hawaii during my break between terms. We were sooo tired of the cold, wet weather and wanted to get away from it for awhile. So, on April 28th we flew to Honolulu for 4 days in a tropical climate!

Guess what we found there? Canadians. EVERYWHERE!

Our shuttle to Hanauma Bay was full of Canadians (Edmonton, Toronto and Chilliwack). At a burger joint for lunch one day the group at the table next to us was from somewhere in Canada. We turned on the TV in our hotel and there was the Canucks. Everywhere we turned, every tour we went on, there were Canadians! I guess we weren't the only ones who needed a break from the extended winter! We got back up to BC earlier this week and I started preparing for the new term and getting the online class that I"m a teaching assistant for organized. My students are all suppose to post an introduction on the website so I know they are up and running. One of my students introduced himself by saying, "I just got back to BC after a vacation in Hawaii"... lol

On another note, we had a fantastic time on our shot visit to Oahu. We went snorkeling at Hanuma Bay, drove mopeds around the island and through the mountains up to Pali Lookout, climbed Diamond Head, took a horseback trail ride on a ranch on the North Shore, walked the beaches of Waikiki and the eastern shore of the island, and rented a convertible to drive around and explore on our final day. We came home with lots of memories... and some pretty massive sunburns!

Hong-couver

2009-05-06T18:18:00.000-07:00

Some see the this Vancouver nickname as derogatory as it refers to the large number of Chinese and other Asian immigrants in the area due to many waves of immigration throughout history, however, about 1/5 of the population of the Vancouver-metro area are from Chinese decent (other Asian ancestries are in addition to this). Approximately 1/2 of Vancouverites have a language other than English as their first language (with Asian languages being at the top of the list).

I hear a variety of Asian languages spoken every day. I've seen a man on the skytrain reading a newspaper with characters rather than letters. And today, why checking out the bulletin board at school, I saw at least half a dozen notices that looked a lot like this:

Canadian Tax Returns... Boggles the Mind

2009-05-05T19:04:00.000-07:00

My Canadian tax returns were waiting for me when I returned from my brief hiatus to Hawaii (more on that later). As always, it's nice to get a little bit of "free" money. But here's the interesting part; Apparently I made a mistake on my return and they sent me a statement explaining the correction they made and the new amount they calculated... which turned out to be MORE than I had originally figured I should be getting. I kinda like this Canadian system... lol

Country DOES Exist in the Vancouver Metro Area! =)

2009-04-15T22:54:00.000-07:00

After my biking expedition through Stanley Park a couple weeks ago, I sought out other bike friendly areas to ride in interesting locations. I found a number of routes that I want to take, but one that looked the most intriguing with Barnston Island.

Barnston Island is located in the middle of the Fraser River with no direct road access to the mainland. If you want to get over there you have to take a small "ferry" across the water (really just a tug boat pulling a 3-car barge). According to Wikipedia, the Island's population is about 155, 40-some of which live on the small Native reservation on one corner of the island.

View Larger Map

The island is primarily residences and farmland, though we did see a small dairy and there is also a picnic ground/park, however, because there is no "reason" for people to come to the island, there is no public parking available, so if you don't live there and want to explore, the only real way to do so is by bike or on foot. The single road that goes around the island is about 9.8 kilometers (a little over 6 miles). As you ride/walk, you have the river on one side and farm land on the other. I saw farm animals (in their "natural" habitat) for the first time in MONTHS! lol.

There is also a small reservation on the island of the Katzie Fi rst Nations. It was kind of interesting riding through this area. It didn't appear to be any different than the rest of the area, with the exception of the skin color of the residents we saw walking around, the loose dogs on the street (I got chased briefly by a chihuahua... if any of you know me, you know that's likely to give me a panic attack! lol), and what looked like a very small, very dilapidated school house and playground.

The island also has a small park on the west side. You can tell the water is low right now, which lent itself to a sandy beach and lots of exposed logs. I was surprised at how many people were at the park... after not really seeing anyone the whole time (except for a few kids on the reserve and other cyclists), we saw a couple and their dog on the beach and then another half dozen or so gathered in the wooded area. Jacob guessed that they were gathering mushrooms... maybe it's just the criminologist in me, but when I see half a dozen people gathered in a wooded area out of direct sight from oncoming foot traffic... I get a little nervous! lol

If I was staying in Canada longer and wanted to own property, this is the place I would do it. It is SUCH a cute, quiet community... incredibly peaceful... yet only 10 minutes from the freeway into the big city. Or, you can take the ferry over the "mainland" and it's just a little over a mile to a bus stop! I could SOO do that! lol

I Did It!

2009-04-12T23:55:00.000-07:00

I did it!!

Cooked my first turkey EVER!!! AND it was edible! =)

Holidays

2009-04-09T21:58:00.000-07:00

It's been a bit of an adjustment getting use to holidays up here in BC... very few of them are scheduled the same time as those back home, and some that we have at home just don't exist in BC. I have been forced to take a four day weekend this week for Easter. The good people of BC observe Good Friday and "Easter Monday"... I say I'm forced because I actually did have stuff I needed to do tomorrow, and, as Canadians are less consumeristic than Americans, practically EVERYTHING is closed on government holidays... including grocery stores apparently. I knew about Easter Monday, but I was unaware that Good Friday is a government holiday up here, so I'm just hoping our grocery store is open sometime before Easter 'cause I'm cooking my first turkey and I need to buy stuff for it!

Here are some other government holidays I've had to figure out ...

Victoria Day... celebrated May 18th this year
Canada Day... July 1st
BC Day... August 3rd this year
Thanksgiving... MONDAY, OCTOBER 12th (BEFORE HALLOWEEN... NOT RIGHT!)

The Canadians have the same Christmas, New Years, Halloween, Easter... and they have equivalents to our Labor Day, Veterans Day... though no Memorial Day, and because Thanksgiving is more than a month earlier in BC, my mom had to reschedule our Thanksgiving for me since I HAD CLASS on that day! lol They also don't celebrate their independence on July 4th as we do, but they have plenty of fireworks on their other "days" (Victoria, Canada and BC)

Beautiful Vancouver Day as a Tourist!

2009-04-05T17:29:00.001-07:00

I had a FANTASTIC tourist weekend in my own neighborhood! =) The weather was wonderful, and there was finally a few days without snow/rain in the forecast so Jacob and I decided to take advantage of the opportunity to explore a bit. We're going to be crossing the border again in a couple weeks and we're not sure if he'll be able to come back over when we return in May (we've had some border crossing issues recently), so we wanted to do some of those things that we (read "I" lol) have wanted to do before we leave Canada for good.

Saturday we got together with friends to bike along the seawall at Stanley Park. It was a still a bit chilly (it is April after all), but the sun was shining and the view was fantastic. It only took us an hour and half from start to stop (with lots of stops for snacks and photo ops along the way). This was NOT long enough! I wanted to keep going! lol But no worries, when I got home I browsed around online and found a bunch of other bike routes I want to take this summer! =)

Sunday Jacob and I decided to take a trip out to the Capilano Suspension Bridge in North Van. The bridge is only a few minutes outside of downtown Vancouver in the West Coast Rainforest. The bridge spans about 450 feet across and 230 feet above the Capilano River. I've never been on a bridge like that before! I did NOT particularly like the bridge swaying beneath me! I kept blaming Jacob for making it move... but he was quick to point out the dozens of other people walking across the bridge as well! lol

Added to the fact that Jacob surprised me with a spontaneous date to the movies last night AND I have finished all of my schoolwork for the term and took the weekend to relax before I start marking undergrad papers... I had a WONDERFUL weekend!

Superheros Take Vancouver!

2009-04-01T20:06:00.001-07:00

OK, so this news is a couple years old, but it came up in one of my classes this term and I thought it a humorous story. =) This is, apparently, how dads in Vancouver, BC prove that they are *responsible* citizens and capable of having custody of their children....

P.S. Apparently there's been MULTIPLE instances of this country wide...

Fathers 4 Justice Canada in Action

Seven Months... Sweet Deal!

2009-03-31T21:08:00.000-07:00

Today I had my LAST CLASS EVER! This is very weird for me seeing as I only started my master's program in September, and I still have a full year left until I have completed my degree requirements... but for that next year I am, pretty much, working completely independently and never have to attend another class again.

So weird!

Refried Beans!

2009-03-31T20:50:00.000-07:00

I had Mexican food this weekend! lol.... this may not seem noteworthy to most of my friends and family back home, but Mexican food isn't a staple of Canadian life like it is in the U.S. There is not a Taco Bell/Time on every street corner, and you can NOT find refried beans in the supermarket! So, when a group of friends/classmates decided that we were all going to go to UBC to hear Robert Hare give a lecture on psycholpathy Saturday night (yeah, we're hip like that!) and I saw there was a Mexican place in the trendy, Kitsilano vicinity of Vancouver (on the way to the lecture), I suggested a little "south of the (two) border" cuisine. We went to Las Magaritas... and it was GOOD. I didn't get my refried beans (I'm not obsessed with these, I swear, you just don't realize how much you actually enjoy something until you can't find it anywhere!), but I did get a good quesadilla, sangria, chips and salsa and guacamole! Woo hoo! I feel so much better now! =)

Molson's Canadian "Code"

2009-03-20T14:58:00.000-07:00

One thing I have noticed about Canadian television and commercials is how patriotic they are. Everything is "Canadian this" or "Canadian that"... I don't know if they are just VERY proud of their heritage or trying to prove to that they are NOT American. Either way, the following commercials for Molson's Beer are good examples.

I am not a fan of beer, but these commercials and their "Code" for being a Canadian are pretty funny!

Code #1

Code #2

Code #3

Is It Really Not Getting Any Better?

2009-03-16T17:25:00.000-07:00

I just had the most depressing experience at the grocery store this afternoon. I had just turned into an aisle when I heard a man talking to this woman about his elementary aged son and some upcoming sports season. He said that his son was going to be "nasty" this year, and the woman made some comment about how you always have to look out for the quiet ones. And then the father said that they would definitely be looking out for his son has long as he didn't run like a "fairy" and the woman turned to the kid and said, "You're not going to run like a fairy are you?" They were having this conversation like it was completely normal and not the least bit offensive and disgusting... I really thought civilized society was getting better then than this... but what I just experienced today is discrimination being passed on to the next generation...

A Trip to Hope

2009-03-15T17:52:00.001-07:00

I want to see Hope...

British Columbia that is.

When we first moved up here I'd see the signs on the freeway all the time "Hope 130 km"... maybe that's part of the reason that Vancouver appealed to me so much... it's proximity to Hope.

** Which, in all actuality, has a lot of truth to it.

Since my time in Canada is coming so close to an end (I should be back in Oregon this September) I've decided that I really want to take the 2 hour drive to see what Hope is all about. I've checked their website and looked at pictures of the area... beautiful, absolutely beautiful. I think i want to wait until the summer though (or, at least until I can be sure it won't snow on me) and go camping... I'm having a craving for camping recently...

Beautiful BC Day

2009-03-10T17:55:00.000-07:00

Today was GORGEOUS! Still cold as F***, but just beautiful to enjoy in a nice warm jacket, gloves, hat and scarf! I had to take a trip up the "mountain" to my school this afternoon... here's some photos I took along the way (I took them with my phone, most AS I was driving, so please forgive some of the crappy angles!)

This is the view from my campus

Coming off the mountain... I just like the rearview shot of the forest behind me

The mountains looking over "my river".... (Fraser River)

My School is Famous!

2009-03-09T23:10:00.000-07:00

Apparently SFU is a favorite for filming locations... Cool. =)

Curling... For Canadians Who Find Hockey Too Violent

2009-03-09T20:37:00.000-07:00

So I was at a pub tonight having a wonderful burger with all kinds of great stuff on it, watching the Canucks vs. LA Kings hockey game on the big screen, and I happened to notice a curling competition being broadcast on one of the other TVs. I knew this activity existed, I've heard of people participating in curling before... but I don't know that I've ever actually seen it... nor do I think, even after watch a bit of it, that I have any idea what they are doing! lol Looks like shuffleboard on ice...

Apparently Canada won the world championship in 2008 for curling though (both men AND women's teams), so it must be a pretty big deal! Here's a video of part of the men's 2008 championship match...

Elk Crossing!

2009-03-05T17:27:00.001-08:00

Care of my friend Holly... gotta love this! =)

WHO WOULD HAVE THOUGHT?
If You Build It, THEY Will Come....

This is the actual turn-off From Banff, Alberta, Canada to the #1 highway to Calgary .

Great picture isn't it? They had to build the animals their own crossing (especially the elk) because that was where the natural crossing was and after the highway was built there were far too many accidents.

It didn't take the animals long to learn that this was their very own bridge!
And then you have some people saying'Animals are stupid.

Tax Time!

2009-03-04T22:24:00.000-08:00

So after figuring out my U.S. tax returns (hallelujah for tuition credits!) and I had to figure out Canada's tax returns, too... I really didn't sign up for all this added hassle when I decided to go to school "internationally"!

Thankfully, Canada has their own free version of Turbo Tax for students, too, so once I found that it wasn't incredibly difficult.

Here's what I found odd though... I didn't have ANY taxes taken out of my paychecks since I've been up here... yet, I still got a $200 refund... and, on top of that, because I'm "low income" I get non-taxed quarterly payments directly deposited into my bank account to help offset the costs of local sales taxes... this is something we need to look into for back home!

I Wonder... What Was I??

2009-03-01T15:35:00.000-08:00

I am currently 18 papers into my pile of 50, 12-page undergrad papers on the concepts of harm reduction, why it may be a sound drug policy, and how supervised injection sites encompass these ideals (or do not... depending on their stance).

This is my second term marking this course, which is entirely based on written essays (no tests of any sort) and I have come to recognize a few different kinds of students...

The Overachiever: This student includes a table of contents with their term paper. They send me e-mails asking if its ok if they go OVER the word count, and include pages of references when their required reading list for the unit was less than 10. These students argue with me when they get an A and feel like they should have received an A+.

The Underachiever: This is obviously, the opposite to the student stated above. This student only signs onto the web site once or twice a term... and only when an assignment is due. They only read (if anything) the abstract/conclusion of an article, not caring about the information that led the author to such. This student continually hands in work that is only 50-75% the required length for the assignment, with less than half of the readings included in their references, and lines like, "criminal prohibitions on drug use don't work", in their papers... without any sort of reason why or additional information. They don't bother to read over their paper before turning it in, so I see things like, "Marijuana prohibitionis notworking", or "Boyd said that ". It's ridiculous.

The Underachiever trying to LOOK like an Overachiever: These students are fun to spot. They are the ones who write a horribly philosophical paper that, in the first reading makes you feel stupid for not understanding all the big words and complex lines of reasoning they are using... but, after a second reading, you realize they are not saying anything, probably are best friends with a thesaurus, and only used support from the course materials (or any material for that matter!) only once or twice per page!

The ESL student who cares: There are a LOT of Asian students at SFU. Some of their families have been here for generations and they are just as "Americanized" as their peers, and some are first generation and still struggling to conquer the language. I have a number of these students, and sometimes their papers can be quite difficult to get through. However, there are some who care about their writing and appear to try really hard to get the translations right. Occasionally you can tell that they missed something important in the readings, or mistook the definition of a word, but, for the most part, their papers are clear and (somewhat) easy to get through. I assume that these students ask for help from their native English-speaking peers.

The ESL students who do NOT care: They students are (excuse my French), a pain in my ass. Their papers are jumbles of words put together in sentences that have no foreseeable meaning. I have to read lines over, and over again correcting grammar, spelling, and punctuation as I go just so that I can understand what they are trying to say. I make comments on their papers that they should find someone to read over their papers so that they don't lose marks for clarity and grammar, but, time and time again I get the same, jumbled papers... and they never come to me asking for help.

The Middle of the Roaders: I think these are my favorite students. They are the ones who generally get Bs and are o.k. with it. They read the required material, write the required papers at the required length, and, if they have a question, they ask. Occasionally they through in a little humor or personal anecdote... they are not worried about the academic consequences of such (some professors don't like this sort of thing), but rather they want to make the paper more enjoyable and entertaining. Believe me... after hours and hours of reading the same arguments over and over again (because MANY people never steer TOO far away from regurgitating the information in the reading material), I look forward to these anecdotes and a little bit of entertainment!

I AM CANADIAN!

2009-02-27T22:06:00.000-08:00

Here are a couple more videos for you! =)

They played this one at my "International Student Orientation" this past fall...

This ones shows just HOW DIFFERENT Canada is compared to the U.S. =)

Live Long and.... be Prime Minister?

2009-02-27T18:24:00.000-08:00

I heard about this on the radio this afternoon.

How about William Shatner for Prime Minister of Canada??

Russell Peters

2009-02-27T17:55:00.000-08:00

Thanks to a classmate up here, this is my new favorite Canadian comedian! =)

ABCs of My Canadian Life!

2009-02-27T16:57:00.000-08:00

Sometimes my fellow friendly bloggers come up with a good concept... which I, in turn, steal! =) But at least I admit it! This idea came from a friend of mine currently living in the UK with her husband... I thought it was a fun idea and a way to illustrated some basic cultural differences I've encountered in Canada.

ABCs of My Canadian Life!

A....

Arabic... what some of the street signs were in when Jacob and I came up here to hunt for apartments.
Apartments... are called "suites" up here... they aren't any classier, trust me!
Air Miles... an incentive program in Canada where certain businesses participate in a "club card" sort of deal... you make a purchase at their business, you swipe your free air miles card and you collect airline mileage (and/or points toward other prizes)... I don't really understand how the airline benefits from this, but I have a card (that I think I've used once)!
"Aboot"... ok, so, for the most part Vancouver-Canadians don't really say this... they DO correctly pronounce it "about". However, they do have a bit of an accent when it comes to certain vowels. Process for instance is pronouced "PRO-cess" and resources is pronouced "re-ZOR-ces".

B....

Buggy... shopping cart. I know they call them this in the southern regions of the US, too, but I was somewhat taken by surprise when I heard this phrase up here!
Burgled... this is what happens when someone break into your house and robs you... you've been burgled! =)
Burnaby Mou ntain... the mountain that my school is on in the municipality of Burnaby, BC.
BC Liquor... government run liquor stores up here in BC... can't just buy your wine at the grocery story anymore!

C....

Canucks... Vancouver's NHL team. I love hockey! =)
Clan... my schools "mascot"... I was not too keen on this when I first heard about all the "clan activities"...

D....

Day trips.... we've taken a number of these since we've been up here and have a few more to do before we leave! There is just so much to see in a very short distance from our home. So far we've made it to Bowen Island for hiking and dinner, and Whistler to explore the village there and check out the site of next winter's Olympic games.

E....

"Eh?".... no matter what Canadians may say, this is NOT a stereotype! lol... the really do use this phrase, maybe not as frequently as the movies may show, but you DO hear it!

F....

Fraser Valley... another name for the area that I live in (you can get pretty detailed when trying to describe my geographic area!). We are on the banks of the Fraser River and it can be absolutely GORGEOUS! Especially when it's sunny and the snow-capped mountain peaks are reflecting off the water (like it was today!)
Facebook... I've become somewhat addicted since moving up here... EVERYONE seems to be using it up here!
French... it's everywhere and pretty cool! I think my French is getting a little better just from trying to decipher things in the supermarket without turning the package around to the English side! =)

G....

Garbarator... this is what "normal" people in the U.S. refer to a "garbage disposal"! =) Canadians have some funny words! Apparently these are illegal in in certain parts of Eastern Canada... though they get sold on the black market and only the rich have them in their homes! lol!
Google Maps... my best friend when trying to figure out where I'm going in this big city! I love the "search nearby" function and the "directions via public transit".
Granville Island Marketplace... kind of like Pike's Market in Seattle, this public market has all kinds of fruits, vegetables, flowers, crafts, musicians, etc. You can also take water cab rides from different shore lines in order to get there.
Granville Street... the center of the night life in Vancouver. It's amazing how many people are still walking around down there at all hours of the night, all days of the week!

H....

Hong-couver... the somewhat derogatory nick-name given to Vancouver after the large immigration wave of Asian folks during the 80s and 90s.
Hydro... what electricity is called up here, as in, "rent includes wi-fi, garbage, and hydro"

I....

The "Interior" all that space that's not on the coast of BC... pretty much no-man's-land from what I can figure. Small town sort of situation... think eastern Oregon for those of you able to pick up on that reference.
The Island... Vancouver Island, home of the capital, Victoria, BC.

J....

Jolly Macs... the pub across the street. They have some pretty good chicken wings! (It's kind of our Thursday night ritual... work out at the gym, then gorge ourselves on 25 cent chicken wings).

K....

Kraft Dinner... Mac and Cheese, I guess they're trying to class that up too!

L....

Loonie... One Canadian Dollar coin. Named after a breed of duck apparently.
Lower Mainland... BC is VERY large, and the lower mainland refers to the tiny little area in the southwestern corner which encompasses the greater Vancouver area.

M....

Municipality... instead of having suburban towns, they have "municipalities". They have their own city limits/police force/politicians/bylaws/etc., yet they don't have total independence from the Greater Vancouver Metro area.
Mounty... you may picture a police officer dressed in red on a horse... but apparently they only dress like that for special occasions! The "mounties" are actually the officers of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP)... kinda like our state police... only they work on a nation-wide level.

N....

Nanaimo Beach... one of the many beaches along the coast of the lower mainland. However, for you Oregonians, beaches are like they are back home... more like, the city ends and then there's water. lol

O....

Olympics... Whistler, BC (about 1.5 hours from Vancouver) is going to be the home of the 2010 winter Olympic games. Thus, the entire Vancouver area is going through a big, city-wide remodel. Roads are torn up, condos are being built EVERYWHERE, additional security measures are going into place in public areas... they are scrambling. If any of you reading this were in Eugene during the year or so leading up to the Olympic trials this past summer, picture that and multiply it by a couple dozen!

P....

Pub... a bar, just sounds a little classier. =)
Prime Minister... The Canadian "president", currently Stephen Harper
Poutine... this is the true "Canadian" food as it originated in Canada... french fries, gravy, cheese curds... I haven't had the guts to try this yet (something about gravy on french fries doesn't appeal to me), but it's a pretty big deal here in Canada!
Parks... Surrey is the known as the "City of Parks". We live across the street from one park, we are a 30 minute walk from an "urban forest" (Green Timbers) and a 15 minute drive to another one!

Q....

Queen... technically, Canada is still under British "rule" and so Queen Elizabeth is also the Queen of Canada... however this appears to be simply a tradition, and not really much of an actuality as Canada has it's own government headed by the Prime Minister (though the queen has a "representative" in the Canadian government known as the Governor General).

R....

Russell Peters... my new favorite Canadian comedian (not that I think I really had an old one...)
RCMP... the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (see "mounty" above)
Rasher... a strip of bacon.

S....

Superstore... The name of the grocery store we use. It's kind of a combination between a Winco (somewhat discounted foods, and you bag your stuff) and a Fred Meyer (has clothes and household supplies and stuff in it as well).
Surrey... this is the municipality that I live in. It is the largest one in the area, and also, unfortunately, the one with the worst rep. One person I met compared Surrey to their version of 8 mile. I have to argue though that the entire municipality is not THAT bad (there are certain areas, but shouldn't be generalized).
Skytrain... one of the forms of transit that I take to school every day. Two different lines, 33 stops throughout the Vancouver Metro area.
Simon Fraser University... my school.
Sunflower Oil... no idea exactly what it is, but it's right next to canola oil and vegetable oil! =)
Stanely Park... An beautiful "island" park in Vancouver... love it! (The banner picture for my blog was taken there as well).

T....

Toonie... the $1 coin is called a "loonie"... this shows the level of creativity used by Canadians when naming their $2 coin! =)
Telus... my cell provider. Plans in BC suck! Though, they don't rely on their cells as much as people in the US. Most Canadians still actually have landlines. I've been told this lack of sufficient cell plans is because Canada has so much open space with so few people living in large areas that cell reception is limited to the bigger cities. You would never see this in Canada (thanks Lauren... stealing this pic! I love it!)

U....

Universities... the Vancouver Metro area has an incredible amount of colleges and universities (I just google mapped it and came up with over 9,000 results... I'm not saying they are ALL colleges, however, I got as far as page 23 and they were still legit...). There is a store front down the street from us that you can tell USED to say something-or-college... now it's the "Premier Bathrooms"!

V....

Vancouver... the biggest city in the province and the third largest metropolitan area in the country with over 2 million people.

W....

White Spot... popular restaurant chain up here in BC. It's pretty good, though it's one of the few places that Jacob and I are unable to compare to something more familiar back home.
Washroom... the general term for "bathroom", and what they are all labeled up here.

X....

X-Ray... What I have to go throw every time I take a bus over the border.

Y....

Yam fries... When Davis restaurant back home opened one of their draws was there yam fries, and many places didn't offer them. Up here however, they are on almost every restaurant menu and generally offered as a substitution for normal fries.

Z....

Zed... the last "letter" of the alphabet.

Ok... I could keep going and going... but I think I should probably end this now! lol... don't even know if anyone will finish reading it at this point!

How Things Have Changed!

2009-02-27T16:38:00.000-08:00

One of my old classmates brought to my attention the other day that I was in high school 10 years ago.... It does NOT feel like that long ago! I started my freshman year of college almost 8 years ago now at SOU. Comparatively speaking, 8 years ago is not that long, however, as I sit in on the undergraduate lecture that I TA for, I am shocked at just how much has actually changed!

When my classmates an I entered a lecture hall in college we were looking for either a) a seat up front so we could see/hear the lecture without distractions, b) a seat in the back so we wouldn't run the risk of getting cornered to answer a question we didn't know, c) a seat near a friend who had gotten there before us, or d) a seat close to the exit so we could slip out if it got too boring.

What's the first thing my students look for when they walk into a classroom? A seat near the electrical outlet! I would say at least 80% of the undergrads in my class have lap tops. I'm use to having to look out for back packs when I walk across a classroom, but it is not in my nature to step over a maze of lap top power cords.

Additionally, I enjoy the sunshine. I loved sitting next to a window if possible, but, in today's electronic society, windows create a glare on computer screens, therefore, every window has a shade... which is often drawn shut to eliminate any of that obnoxious vitamin D. =P (Most of the laptops don't even have a file of class notes open! They're surfing the web via the universities wireless Internet access, updating their facebook status and checking their e-mail... if you're not even going to be working, GIVE ME BACK MY SUNSHINE!)

I can now understand how my parents must feel when looking back on their youthful days... these young whipper-snappers don't know how good they have it! lol

P.S. I still don't even OWN a lap top!

Hard Core

2009-02-24T23:20:00.000-08:00

Today, in my 2:30-5:30 lecture, we were discussing development of the human brain and how it can relate to aggression and violent behavior. We had all kinds of wonderfully color coded pictures, definitions of big biology words (like hippocampus and amydgala) and, at 4:30... the fire alarm.

Now, in a typical school situation, the teacher would get the class up and out of the building as quickly as possible. What do hard core graduate level class professors do?

Apparently they turn to the class and say, "I'm willing to work through it if you are."

LOL

So, he continued to lecture over the blaring of the fire alarm for about 5-10 minutes until our department's "Fire Warden" (it was really cute, he had a vest and everything), came to the classroom to tell us to evacuate.

Tagged!

2009-02-23T18:00:00.001-08:00

I thought this first part was an interesting way to learn a little more about me... the second part is strictly for Lauren as she, apparently, really wanted me to do it! lol

(And, for all you Canadians reading this, please take note that I have not highlighted the gun question... even though I am American! =P )

Things Everyone Needs to do Before They Die
(I have marked the ones I have done in purple!)

Started your own blog
Slept under the stars
Played in a band
Visited Hawaii (I'm counting this one as I have a trip planned on April 28th!)
Watched a meteor shower
Given more than you can afford to charity
Been to Disneyland
Climbed a Mountain
Held a praying mantis
Sang a solo (Believe me... you don't want me to! lol)
Bungee jumped
Visited Paris
Watched a lightening storm at sea
Taught yourself an art from scratch
Adopted a child
Had food poisoning (three times... all by my own hand =P )
Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty (I've walked as far up as a person can now, so I'm counting this one!)
Grown your own vegetables
Slept on an overnight train
Hitch hiked
Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
Held a lamb
Gone skinny dipping
Run a Marathon
Seen a total eclipse
Watched a sunrise or sunset (used to watch the sun rise every morning on my way to work... gotta love those 6 AM work shifts!)
Hit a home run
Been on a cruise
Seen Niagara Falls in person
Visited the birthplace of your ancestors (recent ancestors... lol.. I've been to small town Idaho on a number of occasions!)
Seen an Amish community
Fired a rifle, shotgun or pistol
Seen Michelangelo’s David in person
Sung karaoke
Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
Bought a stranger a meal
Visited Africa
Walked on a beach by moonlight
Been transported in an ambulance
Had your portrait painted
Gone deep sea fishing
Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
Gone scuba diving or snorkeling (again, counting it because that's what I'm going to do in Hawaii!!)
Kissed in the rain
Played in the mud
Gone to a drive-in theater
Visited the Great Wall of China in person
Started a business (sell books online... taking a brief hiatus while doing the Canadian grad school thing)
Taken a martial art class
Visited Russia
Served at a soup kitchen (technically not a soup kitchen, however I worked at a place for a year that, part of which, consists of serving meals to the homeless)
Sold Girl Scout cookies (Not GS cookies, but I was a Campfire kid... we sold cookies too!)
Gone Whale Watching
Got flowers for no reason
Donated blood, platelets, or plasma (I would not be a good candidate for this and be more of a trouble to the techs than a help to the public, I think... if you know me, you know why!)
Gone sky diving
Visited a Nazi concentration camp
Bounced a check
Flown in a helicopter
Saved a favorite childhood toy
Visited the Lincoln Memorial in person
Eaten Caviar
Pieced a quilt
Stood in Times Square
Been fired from a job
Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
Been on a speeding motorcycle
Seen the Grand Canyon in person
Published something
Bought a brand new car
Walked in Jerusalem
Visited the White House
Had chickenpox
Sat on a jury
Met someone famous (famous in certain circles. lol)
Joined a book club
Lost a loved one
Had a baby
Seen the Alamo in person
Swam in the ocean (REALLY looking forward to swimming in a WARM ocean in HI!)
Owned a cell phone
Been stung by a bee
Seen Mount Rushmore in person
Learned to play an instrument
Held a tarantula
Touched an iceberg
Changed a baby’s diaper
Taken a trip in a hot air balloon
Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment
Had a food fight
Screamed as loudly as you possibly can
Ridden a roller coaster
Visited all 50 states (this is my goal... but I'm only about half way there)
Taken a road trip
Milked a cow
Been in a movie
Crashed a party
Made cookies from scratch
Gotten a tattoo
Rafted the Snake River
Performed on stage
Been to Las Vegas (Four times now)
Eaten shark (nope... ate alligator though)
Bought a house
Been in a combat zone (after working in a residential treatment facility with 10 teenage girls with emotional disturbances, I am SOOOO saying yes)
Walked the Golden Gate Bridge
Touched a sting ray
Broken a bone (I'm fairly certain I've broken toes)
Ridden a horse
Eaten sushi
Had your picture in newspaper
Gone back to school
Eaten fried green tomatoes
Killed and prepared an animal for eating
Dyed your hair
Caused a car accident
Saved someone’s life (In a conceptual way, I hope I have)

A--Attached or Single: Attached
B--Best Friend: I have a handful of really awesome friends
C--Cake or Pie: Depends... give me Sweet Life cake any time, but if there's a chocolate peanut butter cream pie there might be an internal debate! =)
D--Day of Choice: I like sunny Saturdays
E--Essential Item: Chapstick and a hair tie
F--Favorite Color: blue
G--Greatest Accomplishment: Graduating HS and college with top honors, being accepted to a competitive master's program.
H--Hometown: Junction City
I--Indulgences: Chocolate and Travel
J--January or July: July
K--Kids: Just my cat as of now!
L--Life is incomplete without: my family
M--Marriage Date: some day =)
N--Number of Siblings: 3 little brothers
O--Oranges or Apples: Apples... not as messy
P--Phobias or fears: Veins
Q--Quotes: "You must be the change you wish to see in the world"-Ghandi
R--Reason to Smile: Life
S--Season: Early fall or late Summer... I love the warm weather but I'm also a sucker for the color change.
T--Tag 5 Friends: If you're reading this and you want to, do it. =)
U--Unknown fact about me: I went to a super-max state prison by choice.
V--Very favorite store: Probably Target
W--Worst habit: Nail biting
X--X-ray or Ultra Sound: Um... either?
Y--Your favorite food: pizza, chocolate, ice cream. pork chops, fried chicken, mashed potatoes =)
Z—Zodiac: Virgo

Random People Pictures

2009-02-23T00:19:00.000-08:00

I LOVE taking candid pictures of random people... who knows, maybe I've taken your picture! lol I think taking pictures of people enjoying their environments tell some of the best stories (or leave you to imagine the story behind the picture). Here are a couple of my favorites... check out this link for the album that I just created.

Whistler

2009-02-22T23:26:00.001-08:00

Jacob and I took a trip up to Whistler today... we were on a secret mission. ;) According to the fine print I'm not suppose to tell anyone why we went, but let's just say that we got paid to go on a date at a nice restaurant! lol.. doesn't get much better than that! Oh... and we were FORCED to buy alcohol. lol (maybe it does get a LITTLE better!) =)

We had a good time. The weather was kinda sucky, rainy on the way up, cloudy and snowy when we got there. I need to go back up on a clear day, I bet the view is FANTASTIC.

I was pretty surprised at the village they have up there. I'm not a skier, the last time i went was half my lifetime ago. I think we went up to Willamette Pass and I just remember driving forever out into the middle of nowhere on a snow-covered mountain with a big lodge and a bunch of chair lifts. Whistler was nothing like that... big gondolas (not just boats in Italy!) carried people straight from the village up the mountains (there were two peaks to choose from with LOTS of different routes). Skiers could take a lunch break at one of about 50 restaurants in the village and leave their boards and skis in racks on the street (kinda like bike racks). I thought it was pretty cool! =) So many people shuffling in and out of shops with their ski boots and goggles still on, and boarders waiting to catch the bus to and from the village. I was impressed.

P.S. I won the gold while I was up there... I have the photo to prove it! =)

Hockey

2009-02-22T22:59:00.000-08:00

Canadians watch a LOT of hockey. It seems that no matter what night of the week I go out, there is a hockey game on the TV in the restaurant/bar/coffee shop. Luckily for me, I greatly enjoy a good hockey game. =) It's one thing that suits me well up here in Canada.

I know nothing about hockey. I don't understand the specific fouls. I don't understand why sometimes it's o.k. to plow a guy into a wall and sometimes it's not... but.. I don't really care... I love watching it! I find myself reacting with the plays (clapping hysterically, saying "OHHHH" when one of the bad wall-shoves happens, and calling for fights... lol.. though, the last one I generally only do in my head or to Jacob next to me).

I went to my first hockey game a few years back. A friend took me to see the Generals, Eugene's hometown team. Up here, I would really love to see a pro game and check out the Canucks but they are WAY too expensive, so, I stick with the SFU hockey team, and, I have to say, they are pretty much fantastic!

They are 14-1 this season and played their last home game last night. Jacob and I went to see it. It was tied 4-4 going into the 3rd quarter... still tied with only 12 minutes left in the game. Suddenly something happened and SFU scored 3 goals in the next 10 minutes finishing the game 7-4. FANTASTIC! I enjoyed myself. =)

Chocolate Axe Man!

2009-02-20T22:11:00.001-08:00

I saw this on TV the other day... pretty much a WTF sort of moment...

From Way Up High!

2009-02-20T18:17:00.000-08:00

I told y'all that my school was on a mountain! lol

(Sometimes I have to pop my ears on the way back down!)

SFU as seen from a plane

Sins of the City

2009-02-14T14:23:00.000-08:00

So I just discovered that Vancouver has a police museum! lol... I am probably a little too excited/intrigued by this fact. I am a criminologist after all! =)

Not only did this building use to be the coroner's facilities, but now it hosts birthday parties! Their website says that the parties are only intended for kids 4-12, but I want the forensics one! lol

I definitely need to check it out this summer when they start up the Sins of the City Walking Tour again... I wonder if I'll be able to find anyone to go with me! =)

Apples

2009-02-13T11:11:00.001-08:00

Do you know the fine is $300 if you're caught bringing a single apple into the U.S.?

I do now.

P.S. I talked my way out of the fine this time, but apparently the infraction is going on my "record"

The Joys of Undergrad Papers... NOT

2009-02-04T20:47:00.001-08:00

I just finished reading/grading an undergrad paper in which the student compared sex with children to beating chickens... if my brain wasn't dead already, it certainly is now...

Skytrain!

2009-02-03T21:19:00.001-08:00

So yesterday I had an adventure on transit! lol... I had to go downtown to pick up my train ticket down to Oregon this weekend and then head over to campus (grand total of 5 trains and 4 buses by the end of my day... not to mention that I saw/stopped at 23 different skytrain terminals... there are only 33 total). Anyhow... I got to sit at the front of the skytrain! lol... I've never done it before and I may sound like a little kid, but it was pretty damn cool to get to see everything rushing at you head on! So... I took video... *sheepish grin*

What I Miss About Oregon...

2009-01-31T16:21:00.000-08:00

Sweet Life
6th Street Grill
Being able to go to the grocery store at 2 AM if need be
Not having to have a dollar every time I need a grocery cart
Saturday market
Getting into bars/clubs without having to wait in line forever
No tax!
Being able to bake and not have to convert units of measurement
Having friends who also have cars
Being able to find 65 cents in my wallet without having to individually identify each coin
Being able to understand someone who speaks the same language as I do
Carl's Jr (why do all my "miss"es have to do with food?? lol)
Tillamook and Umpqua cheese and ice cream (there I go again!)
Bike paths/routes through town
The coast... with an actual "beach" and ocean

What I Love About BC...

2009-01-31T16:13:00.000-08:00

The woman at the liquor store today called me "love"
I can buy produce, a roast, and a bottle of wine... at the mall!
They refer to electricity as "hydro"
They really DO say "eh" ;)
I can get anywhere on mass transit... usually in the same amount of time (if not less) as it would take me to drive there
They have one kind of vegetable oil at the grocery store, but about 5 different brands of sunflower oil
There are islands... you have to take ferries!
On the same note, there are boats... EVERYWHERE!
Seafood is the cheapest meat at the grocery store
Any place east of Vancouver (so pretty much everywhere else) is called the "interior"
The views are GORGEOUS
The coffee shop at school uses Oregon Chai mix!
Cheap, GOOD sushi restaurants!
There are a LOT of different fantastic outdoor activities available... just need the weather to DO them! lol
Two faculty members at my school regularly put up baby gates in their offices and bring their dogs in with them
Cultural variety

Adventures on the Skytrain

2009-01-29T22:13:00.000-08:00

In order to get to school in the morning I need to take a bus from my apartment to the skytrain station... then I take the skytrain to another station where I transfer to another train... after which I take a bus to get me up the "mountain" to campus. Needless to say, with all the time on transit (about an hour either way) I get a lot of awesome people watching in... here are a few of my favorites:

1) There is a blind man that rides my morning bus sometimes. He has a golden lab as a guide dog. When he gets to the bus stop in the morning he says, "Anybody else here?" To which we respond in the affirmative and he says, "Good... didn't miss the bus." One rainy morning his dog was wearing a little doggie parka thing... and, once on the bus, the man pulled out a towel to dry off his companion. This simple scene touched me... the connection between the man and the dog was simply stunning.

2) Today a college aged guy rode 2 of my skytrains and a bus up to the university... wearing an admirals hat. (This is not him by the way... lol).

3) A couple weeks back I was waiting for my first train. There was a rather attractive young Asian guy standing next to me... I was enjoy the view when, out of the blue, he starting do squats on the platform! Full-out squats... exercise breathing and all!

4) On my first bus of the day a woman got on while talking on her cell phone. She sat down behind me and continued her conversation about, I'm assuming, and ex-boyfriend and how he needs to stop sending her demons and "all the transportations".

5) This morning (today was a good people watching day), I got off the train at my connecting station and stepped into an ocean of elementary school kids. There were dozens of them (I'm going to guess about 50 kids plus chaperones). It appears as though they were headed on a field trip down town and someone thought it would be a good idea to take a bunch of 8 year old on the skytrain... let's just say I was VERY happy that I was getting OFF that train!

6) I was eaves dropping on a conversation a few months back between a couple guys (from their accents I think they were from the Caribbean or some other islandy place). I thought they were speaking a foreign language and was trying to figure out what language it was... they one of them used an English word and I realized that they had been speaking English the whole time! Just with a VERY thick accent with a LOT of odd slang.

7) My favorite people watching experiences are the kids with their parents... the kids who obviously don't ride on the skytrain often and still see the wonder in it. They peer out the windows (especially when we go over the river) and point "cool" stuff out to their parents (who are taking pictures and also pointing out things for their kids to see). This is how I feel on the skytrain... wonder, excitement, joy... but I'm 26 years old... too old to have my head pressed up against the window and getting excited over freighter boats and taking pictures... I find this revelation pretty sad...

Three little girls with their parents... marveling at the view from the skytrain.... the dude on the right is wearing the admiral's hat! ;)

25 Things...

2009-01-29T21:36:00.000-08:00

I was wondering how long this was going to take to get to me! lol

25 Things

1. I'm pretty sure I can recited the alphabet backwards faster than I can forward.

2. I secretly judge girls who get all made up to go to the gym.

3. I take a LOT of pictures of my cat... quite like a parent with a newborn.

4. When my brothers and I all came down with the chicken pox at the same time they all got comic books... I got a chess set.

5. I'm no good at chess.

6. I love traveling.... and would happily go into debt to do so.

7. I still don't really know what I wanna be when I grow up.

8. I started applying to grad school as an idle threat... I finished the application process in order to run away.

9. I have never smoked pot... or anything else for that matter.

10. Sometimes I can't remember how old I am.

11. When I get into my car alone at night, I turn on the overhead light and check out the back seat for hidden boogie men.

12. I own the entire "Friends" series... and watch it... a LOT

13. I use examples from "Friends" in every day conversations... lol

14. I think a LOT in the first few minutes after going to bed for the night... and I'll get up again if I remembered something I needed to do or if something comes to mind that I feel the need to google.

15. If I don't, I'll forget all about it in the morning.

16. I look like a clone of my mother.

17. Sometimes I feel like I'm too young to be married and have kids, etc., etc.

18. Sometimes I feel like my clock is ticking and need to get a move on... NOW!

19. I have enough baby names picked out to name 6 children... 3 boys and 3 girls.

20. I only really want 2-3 kids.

21. This is the first time in a VERY long time that I can think of enough GOOD female friends to round out a bridal party. =) For that I am SOOO thankful!

22. I didn't get my ears pierced until I was 25...

23. I got my nose pierced a year before that.

24. I slept outside naked once on a REALLY hot night in Ashland.

25. I'm ready to go back home (the U.S.)

P.S.

2009-01-28T00:04:00.001-08:00

I forgot about this one!

"Little Mosque on the Prairie" (thanks for the reminder!)

I'm in love....

2009-01-27T23:28:00.000-08:00

The Boob Tube

2009-01-27T23:08:00.000-08:00

Guess what Canadians watch on TV up here?

Grey's Anatomy, Law and Order, Lost..... AMERICAN TV! lol I was expecting to find some cool Canadian shows when I came up here... but this is what I found... I present to you... "Corner Gas" (any show where the lead actor's last name is "Butt" has GOT to be interesting, right?)

I did find one I like though... it's called "Being Erica".... though, since I don't have cable and only use rabbit ears, it's not one I can get... thank goodness for Jacob's mad downloading abilities! =)

Can I do this?

2009-01-25T15:26:00.000-08:00

I'm really starting to wonder just how long I'll be able to make it in my line of work... if I'll even make it to retirement. My dad has been working for the same place for 20+ years and will be retiring this year... but I just worry about the kind of person I'll be if I spend that much time working with, and hearing the stories, day after day, of youth who have been abused by their families and people that they have trusted.

I spent the majority of yesterday reading journal articles about youth who, after being taken from their abusive parents, were then abused physically, emotionally and sexually by their foster parents and foster siblings... the statistics are sad. Especially the one that said that in 44% of the confirmed cases, the perpetrating foster parent already had a history of accusations... WHY ARE KIDS STILL PLACED THERE???

It seems like foster kids leave the system more messed up then when they went in. They leave with a variety of educational and mental health problems, not to mention a lack of emotional support and few actual life skills... they end up homeless, drug addicted, teenager parents, unemployed, high school drop outs, criminal offenders... how much of this can we really blame on them? And how many of these stories can I take for the next 20+ years??

Amongst all my readings, I had an phone appointment with one of my distance ed students. Their first essay assignment is due this Thursday and I figured she wanted to clarify something about the paper with me. No... she wanted to inform me that she was having trouble putting her all into the paper because the various readings of child pornography and prostitution were bringing up past traumatic events from her own life... I can't get away from it... and the scary thing is... I'm choosing not to.

Quite the Work Out!

2009-01-23T11:38:00.000-08:00

Back when I was choosing my on-campus housing options at Southern Oregon University I took into account the fact that one of the residence halls was in the same building as the cafeteria and one of them was down the hill... I figured, in order to avoid the legendary "Freshman 15" it would be wise to get a room in the hall at the bottom of the hill... forcing me to exercise every time I wanted a meal.

Over the course of my undergrad career I still managed to gain the weight (if not a bit more), AND I seemed to have cursed myself into only attending schools built on the side of mountains! lol.

SFU is located on Burnaby Mountain (about 1200 feet above sea level... SOU, by the way, was about 1800 feet). The entire campus is, pretty much, built as one extended building. You can walk from one end to the other without ever getting wet in the rain.

The problem with this, however, is that the campus is built on quite the incline, and the multiple "buildings" that are interconnected are not interconnected at each level. For instance, I cannot walk straight through the lower level of my building... if I want to get from the coffee place (on the beginning of the lower level) to my office (the end of the lower level), I either have to go up an intimidating flight of stairs and then down another set of stairs, or I have to walk around outside (which is usually what I choose to do).

There are two main bus "terminals" on campus. Both, obviously, are on the street level of the university. However, to walk from the first one to the second one, you must go up 4 or 5 flights of stairs (in a maze like pattern). It's pretty ridiculous.

When I started school this fall and walked up and down all those stairs I started to think about how difficult it would be for a person in a wheelchair to get around the campus. Sure, there are elevators, but they are hidden away. I don't even know where most of them are. Then I started to realize that I don't see any wheelchairs on campus... ever. I wonder if I'm on to something! =)

** P.S. All of this came to mind yesterday when I saw TWO wheelchairs in the student service building... I'm assuming they were on a tour or something **

Hey Sarah Palin...

2009-01-23T00:30:00.000-08:00

This is a bit late, but still great!

These guys have a bunch of other politically based stuff on YouTube.... check out VengaProductions

Where Would You Rather Live?

2009-01-22T22:52:00.000-08:00

U.S. comparisons come up a LOT at school. I suppose its easy to do since the U.S. and Canada are not really THAT different. I put up with a fair amount U.S. bashing (since most of it I agree with), but I was a little surprised at the seemingly ignorant following of anti-U.S. sentiment that I felt from my students today during my tutorial.

The class discussion was about governments that have a parliamentary supremacy model and those that have a separation of power model. We talked about what this different models meant to their citizens and which system the class felt better about. The resounding majority of the class felt that their rights were better protected with an SP model. So, then we talked about countries with this models. The prime example of countries with PS and SP models are the UK and the US, respectively. The question I presented to the class was, "Which country would you rather live in?" I heard about 15 voices say the UK all at once...

O.K., no big deal, but here's the kicker... not ONE PERSON could tell me why! Even though 5 minutes before hand everyone said they would rather live in a country with an SP model, nobody could tell me why the UK would be a better place to live than the US. The only people who were able to give me any sort of reasoning behind their answer were the 2 students who said they'd rather live in the states! I couldn't believe it.

I don't care if you dislike the states, but could you at least have a reason?

Laziness Creeping In....

2009-01-22T10:19:00.000-08:00

I only have class 1 day a week.... and on-campus work 1 day a week... why is it that on those 2 days out of the week I have to drag myself to school? I need some motivation and energy...

"Plastic People"

2009-01-20T21:33:00.000-08:00

Have you ever googled your name? I do it on occasion when I get bored or tired of reading academic journal articles... which was the case this evening.

There are a lot of "Brittney Boyer"s out there (and no google, I do NOT mean BrittANY! =P), and, after shuffling through those that weren't me (job profiles, half dressed women, 16-year old who think they've met their soul mates, and obituaries), I found something that surprised me... a new entry that WAS me.

Most of the stuff that comes up in a google search of your's truly are JEA and NSPA award listings from high school... but this was created last May. The Register Guard's columnist, Bob Welch, wrote a piece about a 20Below kid, Chad, 10 years after his tenure. Back in 1998 this kid wrote a column in which he was justifying dropping out of school by putting down everyone else around him... especially his peers who did well academically, he coined this "plastic people." My name came up with this because I wrote a letter to the editor response and Welsh included it with his recap of Chad's story (who recently graduated from college). Below is the original article by Chad and the letter that I wrote in response:

05/25/1998 Who needs high school? Not me

By CHAD ANDREWS, 20Below News Team The Register-Guard

ALL MY LIFE PEOPLE have been telling me about how important school is to my future. “Without a good education, you won’t go anywhere.” “You’ll never have a job if you drop out.” “You’ll never succeed without a diploma.” “School is the best thing for you,” they say. I beg to differ.

Most of my earliest memories are of when I first started kindergarten. I remember sitting there, among a bunch of strange kids, listening to the teacher - Mrs. Wikel, I believe - droning on in a cheerful voice about all the fun things we were going to be doing and learning now that we were in school.

Boy, was I pumped. I was one of the big kids now. I was in school, and I was going to learn how to tackle the world.

They sure fooled me. From the day the teacher started singing the ABCs, I knew I was in for a long torturous ordeal that would leave me drained of my mind, my soul and my dignity.

As I got older, I began to realize that I didn’t have to let them take me. I watched the people around me, the ones who always get those ridiculous little paper awards for their achievements that they wave around like little banners that proclaim, “Look at me! Look what I did! Look at what I am that you’re not!!” and I am always reminded of the little poodles in pink tutus that do back flips and walk upright for treats at the circus.

I always look into the scholars’ blank little eyes, and there’s always pride shining in them, and I think, “Woo. You got a paper. Way to go, genius, now go jump through the flaming hoop and see if you can get a fish.”

Even worse are those I deem “plastic people.” Those who have spent their whole lives being led around by Mommy’s apron strings. The people who are on scholastic honor roll and the ones who have never missed a day of school and are devastated by a B on their report card.

They disturb me because I see them sitting next to me in class looking up words like “derision” and “irony” and struggling to understand the definitions they find. I see them sitting there sounding out the words in “The Great Gatsby” and saying Versailles “Vuhr-say-leeze.”

These people get all kinds of “honors” heaped on them, because they are willing to toss their wills out the window and leap through hoops, because they are willing to kneel down and take whatever they must just so they can get their circus treats. I will not be made to kneel.

People tell me I am making a big mistake. My own brother calls me worthless. My mother says nothing, but I know her dreams are crushed. As much as I would like to be able to stand side by side with my peers, doing handstands and begging for scraps, I will not.

The vast majority of what I know, most of my skills, were not learned in school. I figured it out on my own. I know the teachers (most of them) are far smarter than I am, but one of my favorite things to do at school is play “Stump the Teacher” because, even though they know a lot more than me, I can find what they don’t know, hunt down their weaknesses and exploit them. I got nothing better to do.

Don’t get me wrong. I believe that education is important, but I can’t take the way they try to give it to me. I’m done. I’m going to ruin my life by throwing in the towel and quitting after this, my junior year.

I’m dropping out of high school because I just don’t belong there. I don’t even have a shot at graduating because I just can’t make myself sit there and do what I must to pass. Every time I try to do my homework, I can almost feel the little pink tutu growing around my waist, and I won’t stand for it.

Teachers do what they feel is right, and I respect them for it. If they want to interfere in other peoples lives, I’ll leave them to it. Just leave me out of it.

A wise man once told me a story. He told me about a young cocaine dealer he knew. He remembered asking the 15-year-old boy, “Where will you be in five years?” and the boy told him he would be rich, living on an island and waterskiing all day. The young man is now 27, in his fifth jail. No island. No waterskiing.

When he finished comparing me to a cocaine dealer, the wise man asked me, “Where will you be in five years?”

I had no answer for him. I still have no answer, but at that moment, something changed inside me. For a moment I wavered, my resolution thinned, and doubt crept into my mind. I could hear distant doors slamming shut on a distant me. The sound of crumbling dreams boomed silently in the air, and I thought, My god, he’s right! If I do this I’ll end up like his cocaine dealer, maybe not in jail, but, in my own personal prison, with all the exits barred, trapped without hope of egress until the day I die.

Then the moment passed. He was gone and I was alone. The fear washed away, and I was certain that I would make it. I may never be rich, but I will not allow myself to be held prisoner by my past.

I am a survivor, and I mean to survive. Even if dropping out of high school means scrapping my dreams of being a journalist, or possibly a novelist, it’s what I feel I have to do.

If I am condemning myself to doing grunt work for the rest of my life, so be it, but I will not be made to kneel.

Dear 20Below,

I started reading your article in the paper this morning (ÒWho needs high school? Not me") and I was thinking, “this kid may not have the same views as I do, but he knows what he wants.” And then I got to the fifth paragraph and from there the whole story went downhill. ...

“Those who have spent their whole lives being led around by Mommy’s apron strings. The people who are on scholastic honor roll and the ones who have never missed a day of school and are devastated by a B on their report card.”

I am one of the people you dubbed “plastic.”

I take pride in my grades and my achievements, though I don’t wave them around or jump through flaming hoops to receive more. School is something I can master. Something I can do well if I try. And that is exactly what I’m doing ... trying. You have made up your mind to stop trying to master school, and that is your decision. I’ve made up my mind to stay in school and try my darnedest. I’m not making fun of your plans ... so why make fun of mine?

Brittney Boyer,

Junction City High School

(A former 20Below columnist)

U.S. Secret Prisons

2009-01-16T15:08:00.000-08:00

I need money. So, I took a second campus job. In addition to being a tutor marker for an online course, I am now also a teaching assistant for an on-campus course. This week I sat in on the lecture as well as the tutorial that the professor is over seeing (so I could get an idea of what a tutorial should look like as I have never done one before).

The question presented to the students was, "What countries can you think of that don't have a rule of law?"

(For those who aren't criminologically minded, a "rule of law" has two parts, 1) governments are not able to make arbitrary decisions [they generally have to answer to a court system], and 2) nobody is above the law.)

Many of the answers were reasonable... Zimbabwe, Pakistan, China, etc... and then one kid piped up and said, "The United States". This took the professor off guard... he asked what the student meant. The student replied that the U.S. obviously doesn't have a rule of law with all the secret prisons they have.

This was a new one to me... (and, thankfully, to the prof as well!)

What Would YOU Do For Nicorette Gum?

2009-01-13T22:59:00.001-08:00

In school, somewhere along the line, I remember watching commercials from foreign countries that I couldn't BELIEVE would actually air on TV! They were often high sexualized and inappropriate... little did I know that Canada had different commercials all of their own!

Canada's commercials aren't inappropriate exactly, but rather, weird, odd, and somewhat humorous... here are a couple of my favorites.

BC Dairy Foundation
This is equivalent to our "Got Milk" campaigns...

Lotto 649
As I've mentioned before, the lotto is HUGE up here. This one makes Jacob laugh every time!

Nicorette Extreme Chill Gum
What would you do to stop smoking?

Way too much to do!

2009-01-12T12:16:00.000-08:00

Do you ever feel like you have a lot of life ahead of you and you just want to get going and see where it takes you?

That has been the story of my life for the last year or so. I wanted to get to Canada and start school... for months I looked at housing on craigslist (even though I knew there was no way to get something 6 months in advance, but I was just curious about what was out there!), now I'm in Canada and I find myself planning for what's going to happen next!

I am going the unconventional route for getting my Master's. Rather than writing a thesis as the end of my tenure at SFU, I will be doing a "practicum" that includes a 3 month internship and then a written literature review. Originally I was thinking about how great it would be to do my internship somewhere far away; get the opportunity to travel a little and see more of the world. So, I spent the last couple of months researching social service agencies in New Zealand, air fare, housing, locations, etc. Then, over the winter break it occured to me that it would probably be more "practical" (I hate that word) to do my internship somewhere that I may want to settle down and possibly get hired on.

I really love the Pacific Northwest and want to stay here, and Jacob wants to end up back in the Portland area, so, I'm now looking at agencies in Portland . I think I found one I like, The Inn Home ILP, but I am still very much up for suggestions. So, now I'm looking at housing, etc. down in Portland... and I still have 7 months to get through up here!

Argh... I REALLY think too much!

This Is What Jacob Does On A Snowy Day In Canada...

2009-01-10T16:02:00.001-08:00

I'm reading 85 pages of the Youth Criminal Justice Act for one of my courses... he is currently playing a video game in which he is a tattooed escaped prisoner shooting people and stealing cars while wearing a cheerleader's outfit... he thinks it's hilarious... hmm... what it must be like to be a boy!

This would never have happened at SOU!

2009-01-10T15:58:00.000-08:00

I convinced a professor to RESCHEDULE a class session...

Now I get 5 day weekends...

I kinda like grad school! =)

Obama Would Have Won in Canada, Too

2009-01-07T07:42:00.000-08:00

I know this because, when I met someone new and they found out I was from the states, they would generally ask "Are you going to vote for Obama?" (right before the ask me if I own a gun). I heard SOO much on the bus and skytrain about the U.S. presidential election. Information on the movements and progress of the campaign were in the papers up here almost daily. The Canadian people appeared to be HUGE Obama fans. In fact, many of them actually watched the election coverage as well... even went to dinner parties that night to watch the race with friends.

Here is the funny thing though... Canada had their own election about a month or so prior to ours, I did not hear nearly as much buzz. In fact, I can't even tell you who all the different parties were who ran (they have about 5 primary political parties up here, I think). I mentioned to a classmate of mine how odd I thought this was that Canadians seemed to be more interested in the U.S. election than their own. He told me that it was due to the fact that the election in the states was more interesting; stances on issues were different and more extreme between candidates than they are for those in Canadian elections. He explained to me that even the conservatives in Canada were generally more liberal than the democrats in the states.

Oh... and they are definitely not Bush fans either! This became quite apparent to me in one of my courses last term as the professor was quite to use Bush as an illustrative example of a buffoon... not to mention the popularity of the movie "W".

Because All Canadians Live in Igloos

2009-01-05T18:43:00.000-08:00

A friend of mine forwarded this joke e-mail to me... I found it amusing and wanted to include it here because I have plenty of my own comments and observations to add!

Because Everyone In Canada Lives In An Igloo.

Now that Vancouver has won the chance to host the 2010 Winter

Olympics, these are some questions people from all over the world are asking. Believe it or not these questions about Canada were posted on an International Tourism Website. Obviously the answers are a joke; but the questions were really asked!

Q:I have never seen it warm on Canadian TV, so how do the plants grow?( England )

A. We import all plants fully grown and then just sit around and watch them die.

** If you saw the weather we've been having the last few days, you wouldn't think this question was so out of line!

Q:Will I be able to see Polar Bears in the street? ( USA )

A: Depends on how much you've been drinking.

** You may see other kinds of bears though... even completely sober. My first week on campus someone saw a bear roaming around. There's been bear sightings in local neighborhoods, too!

Q:I want to walk from Vancouver to Toronto. Can I follow the railroad tracks? ( Sweden )

A: Sure, it's only Four thousand miles, take lots of water.

Q:Is it safe to run around in the bushes in Canada? ( Sweden )

A: So it's true what they say about Swedes.

** See this sign posted in a local park... they tell me what you think of question!

Q: Are there any ATM's (cash machines) in Canada? Can you send me a list of them in Toronto , Vancouver , Edmonton and Halifax ? (England)

A: What, did your last slave die?

**They exist, but none of the banks are the same and international fees for withdrawing are pretty high. Bring cash!

Q:Can you give me some information about hippo racing in Canada? (USA )

A: A-fri-ca is the big triangle-shaped continent south of Europe. Ca-na-da is that big country to your North...oh forget it. Sure, the hippo racing is every Tuesday night in Calgary. Come naked.

Q:Which direction is North in Canada? ( USA )

A: Face south and then turn 180 degrees. Contact us when you get here and we'll send the rest of the directions.

Q: Can I bring cutlery into Canada?( England )

A: Why? Just use your fingers like we do.

** You can fined $300 for bringing in an apple... I don't think this is a ridiculous question!

Q: Can you send me the Vienna Boys' Choir schedule? ( USA )

A: Aus-tri-a is that quaint little country bordering Ger-man-y, which is...oh forget it. Sure, the Vienna Boys Choir plays every Tuesday night in Vancouver and in Calgary, straight after the hippo races. Come naked.

Q: Do you have perfume in Canada? ( Germany )

A: No, WE don't stink.

** After spending hours on the skytrain, I think I'm going to have to disagree with this answer!

Q: I have developed a new product that is the fountain of youth. Where can I sell it in Canada ?( USA )

A: Anywhere significant numbers of Americans gather.

Q: Can you tell me the regions in British Columbia where the female population is smaller than the male population? ( Italy )

A: Yes, gay nightclubs.

Q: Do you celebrate Thanksgiving in Canada? ( USA )

A: Only at Thanksgiving.

** And in OCTOBER! Thanksgiving is not supposed to come BEFORE Halloween =P

Q: Are there supermarkets in Toronto and is milk available all year round?( Germany )

A: No, we are a peaceful civilization of Vegan hunter/gathers. Milk is illegal.

** Milk maybe.... eggs No! Today is the second time I've gone to the grocery store and they've been out of eggs!

Q: I have a question about a famous animal in Canada, but I forget its name. It's a kind of big horse with horns. ( USA )

A: It's called a Moose. They are tall and very violent, eating the brains of anyone walking close to them. You can scare them off by spraying yourself with human urine before you go out walking.

Q: Will I be able to speak English most places I go? ( USA )

A: Yes, but you will have to learn it first.

** You can speak it no problem... its understanding it from others in the
area that's the problem!

An "A" By Any Other Name...

2009-01-05T18:23:00.000-08:00

As I mentioned in my previous post, grad students at SFU are pretty much guaranteed a job as a teaching assistant... which brings in enough income to completely pay tuition fees. Of course, I jumped right in!

Prior to fall term I was offered a position as a Tutor Marker (teaching assistant for an online, distance ed course) for Crim 312: Criminological Perspectives on Social Problems. This course is pretty much right up my alley. The focus is on mala prohibita crimes rather than malum in se (actions that are not evil within themselves, but rather deemed wrong by society) such as pornography, prostitution, drug use, and euthanasia.

Marking an online course is fantastic. I work around my own schedule, don't have to be any where at any specific time, and don't need to sit through undergrad lectures. I grade 3 papers a term (for a class of about 60 students), and 4 online discussions. Reading 60 papers 3 times a term can be a little frustrating, but over all it's a pretty good gig.

My mom asked me what I did for my job, and this is what I told her... Imagine that you walk into a classroom on the first day of school and the teacher gives you all the assignment prompts and textbooks for the term and then walks away and never comes back. This is pretty much me. My supervising professor has put together the reading list and the assignments for the term, but after that the course is mine. I answer all questions, grant extensions on assignments and determine what grades each student deserves (both for assignments as well as for final grades).

I enjoyed the course and the flexibility so much last term that I applied for, and was granted the same course again for this term... and the same course is offered during the summer as well... so here's hoping!

My only complaint so far is that I don't feel was very prepared. I work well independently and sometimes really appreciate being let loose to do what I will. However, I had no experience with grading papers, or even the Canadian grading system (which is different than the U.S.), so I think i would have liked a little assistance with that early on.

In the U.S. the standard grade scale is 90-100 A, 80-89 B, 70-79 C, etc. However, in Canada the scale is generally 85-100 A, 70-84 B, 55-69 C, etc. You can see how this might have gotten me in trouble. As I was unaware of this change in scale, for my first two assignments were graded with the U.S. scale in mind. When my students threw a fit I spoke with my supervisor, who told me that I could use whatever grading scale that I wanted and that he was more concerned with the distribution of the final grades being on 20-60-20 curve. I explained all this to my students. And found, at the end of the term, that the US grade scale as I was using worked out to the curve my supervisor wanted, therefore those were the grades the students received. Unfortunately, for WEEKS afterwards I was getting e-mails from students complaining about their final grades. Fortunately for me, my supervisor backed me up and its time to start fresh... I made everything VERY clear to my new students at the BEGINNING of this term! lol

This is Grad School?: First Impressions

2009-01-05T18:04:00.000-08:00

Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC

I don't know what I was expecting when I starting up the Master's in Criminology program at SFU, but what I got was not it! I expected lectures, lots of classes, and many, many students. Instead, classes are more discussion periods, professors see you a colleagues rather than students, and there are only about 14 other students in my cohort.

I have pass codes to secured areas of the building, have access to a private computer lab, get a printing allowance each year, have an office that I share with 3 other classmates with my own desk area and large storage bin, and another office to use for any teaching assistant duties. As a grad student I am pretty much guaranteed a job as a teaching assistant for an undergrad course, which pays my tuition completely.

I only have 3 classes a term. Last term I went to school 2 days a week, this term I'll be there for 3. However, after this term, my coursework is done and for the next year I work independently, never having to go to another class.

Professors don't want to give grad students anything less than an A- and will adjust their grading scale in order to reflect that.

On my first day of class, we were told not to sleep with professors or undergrad students... I guess I should have known at that point that this was going to be an interesting experience!

Moving to Canada: Trials and Tribulations

2009-01-05T16:58:00.000-08:00

In early August Jacob and I set out for Vancouver to find a place to live. We decided to stay at Dogwood Campground in Surrey (just outside of Vancouver), since it would be cheap and still within the city area.

Prior to leaving I searched craigslist for different rental openings... however, upon arriving in BC we soon discovered that cheaper housing (which we were looking for obviously) was such a commodity in the area that apartments are gone within days, or even hours, from when the posting goes up. Thankfully, we borrowed a friend's lap top and were able to search new listings at a Wifi coffee shop near our campground.

We looked at about 15 different apartments... 12 of them sucked. They were either too small, too weird, too gross or they were rented out minutes before we got there. We put in applications at 3 of them, they were:

Third Choice: A large apartment complex in Surrey, on the other side of the river from Vancouver and about an hour commute to school. Nothing really special about it, but not horrible either.

Second Choice: Private apartment building in Vancouver suburbia. Older building but really pretty. Wood floors, higher ceilings, character in the architecture, nice neighborhood. Would have probably taken me a half hour or so to get to school.

First Choice: Mid-sized apartment complex in Coquitlam. IT HAD A DISHWASHER! Clean, big, nice sized closets. Within biking distance to school (if I chose to bike up the mountain.... who knows... I may have tried!).

We were the first people to fill out applications for both our first and second choices. Our third choice was a property management company with a lot of openings so if our application was accepted we were pretty much guaranteed a place somewhere. We never heard back from our second choice, heard that we were accepted at our third, and were just waiting to hear back from our first choice.

Our first choice was shown to us by the man currently living there. He and his family were moving to India for work and he needed to find someone to take over his 6-month lease. He told us that he'd take our application to the rental office and get back to us... and he did get back to us, after we'd already returned to Oregon, to tell us that there was a miscommunication and that we needed to submit a deposit with our application. He wanted to know if we could "stop by" and drop it off. After telling him that we were already back in Oregon, and lots of begging and pleading, we finally got him to agree to give us 3 days to get our deposit up there. We hung up and took off for Fedex. We sent the check and thought everything would be alright. I watched the tracking on the package for the next 3 days... only to discover that the delivery man was unable to find the proper address on the last day and no one was answering the telephone number we included. Our check did not get to the rental agency on time and we lost our top pick apartment.

Thankfully we had been accepted to our third choice. We contacted them and picked out an apartment in their Regent Place complex. Unfortunately, it was an apartment in a complex that we had not seen so we would be surprised upon arrival (I was not too fond of this idea).

We were told that the apartment would be ready on the 1st of September, and then the 5th... and then the 8th. I told them that I needed a place on the 1st, so they allowed me to stay in another unit until ours was ready. So, on September 1st I arrived at the apartment to sign papers and see, sort of, my new home. The rental agreement was signed, my temporary accommodations shown to me, and it was time to pay the rental fees.

I started a bank account the week prior, but because my funds were coming from the U.S. I was told that they wouldn't be available until the 2nd of September. Due to this, I figured that I would just pay the move in costs for the month with my U.S. debit card. Unfortunately, debit card systems in Canada are not like those in the U.S., so my Wells Fargo card did not work... and I had no money.

I explained my situation to my the property manager. I told her that my funds would be available the next day and that I would be more than willing to come in then the pay the fees. She already had my deposit so I was hoping that it wouldn't be a problem... Surprise! It was. She told me that she couldn't let me in without the money... and they didn't take checks. I left the office feeling lost and scared. I didn't know what to do or where to go. I tried going to get cash out of ATMS, but I couldn't get enough. I went to the mall, ordered a slide of pizza, and just sat there. I called Jacob (who was waiting until the 8th to move our stuff up) and cried. Finally, as I was wondering around Walmart wasting time, the property manager called me back. She said that she was feeling bad about my situation and said that she would accept a check if I would come back the following day to trade the check for a debit transaction.

I agreed and got the keys to my temporary unit.

I went back to the rental office on the 2nd to pay with my debit card. She ran the card and the screen flashed "insufficient funds". I couldn't believe it. I ran to the bank and talked to a teller, who told me that the funds were not available until 11:59 PM on the date I was told. I found this incredibly strange... if they aren't available until the last minute of the day in question, just tell the customer they will be available the next day! At least, though, the banker was nice enough to make the funds available so that I could pay my rent.

I slept on the floor in that unit for about 5 days. It smelled bad, it was dirty, the window panes were broken, there were no screens on the windows and big bugs flew in when I tried to air the place out. I was not happy. I told Jacob about it and we agreed to look for a new place. But then, on the 8th, after finally seeing our new apartment (which had been slightly renovated) and we hauled all of our stuff up to the 3rd floor, we decided the place wasn't that bad after all... and we could last a year or so here! lol

Our apartment isn't any fabulous. The kitchen is kind of small and there is no dishwasher. We have go down to the office area to do laundry, and we don't have screens on the windows. But it's cheap, somewhat clean, and has a walk-in closet in the large master bedroom. We're happy here and we're making it into a home.

Life in Review, 2008

2009-01-05T15:25:00.001-08:00

My life has changed a great deal in the last year... I became part of a new relationship, moved to a different country, went back to school after 3 years away, started a new job and made lots of new friends! Below is a month by month playback on my life, my experiences and the changes that ultimately led to where I am today!

January
I started out the new year as a newly single woman... but it didn't last long! Less than two weeks after the end of 2007 I met a fantastic guy, Jacob, and we quickly became a bit of an item!

However, prior to our first date, after a rather large turning point in my life, I decided to complete my application for the Criminology master's program at Simon Fraser University in Burnaby, BC. It probably wouldn't be far from the truth to say that the last of my paperwork arrived at the university the same day I met Jacob.

I told myself at that point that I needed to start thinking about myself, and what I wanted to do with my life. That I needed to stop putting my desires on hold for a man (which was, unfortunately what had occurred in the past). Jacob knew from the start about my pending application, but we decided there was no harm in spending time together... we kinda liked each other after all!

February
My relationship with Jacob continued to evolve. For Valentine's Day he took me on a weekend getaway to his parent's beach house in Waldport. I absolutely love the ocean, and this trip was no exception. However, it was definitely an added bonus to be staying in a house with a large picture window that looked over the beach... perfect for hot chocolate and nights watching the ships go by.

March
I received notice in March that SFU had accepted me into the Fall 2008 program and I had less than a month to make my decision and pay the deposit. My thoughts were on how fast everything was happening! I had a lot of very difficult decisions to make in a very short amount of time... however, the first step was to actually go SEE the school! (I had only learned of the program via Peterson's College Search based on the location of the school and the fact that they were the only university on the western side of the "country" to offer a master's program in Criminology).

April
My mom and I decided to take a road trip up to BC to check out the university in April. I remember my eyes getting big when we drove by the city and I saw all the tall buildings in the downtown area. Growing up in Junction City, Oregon, buildings with more than 3 stories are pretty rare... and here skyscrapers with floors in the double digits!

When we pulled into the parking garage and I first saw Simon Fraser University I remember thinking how ugly it was; it was all concrete and gray (later I would find out that they refer to it as the Concrete Jungle). But once we got un-lost and found our way into the actual university (the campus is almost completely enclosed) my opinions changed and I could see myself walking those halls, studying in that library, and looking at the fantastic views from the mountain that the university resides on.

I called Jacob that night and told him that I thought I wanted to go to SFU. I told him that I wanted to be selfish and ask him to come with me, but I knew that it was too early in the relationship to do so. I told him how much I wanted to be with him, but how scared I was to do the long distance "thing". He assured me that everything would work out.

By the time I got back home to Oregon, he was already telling people that he was moving to Canada.

May
We celebrated my Dad's 50th birthday in May over the Memorial Day weekend. His sisters threw him a party in Bend, OR... Hawaiian themed. It was nice to have my whole family together in one room... even if we did have to travel all the way to Bend! All of my brothers and their significant others were there and we all stayed together in a little house that Jacob's parents set up for us, while my parents got a hotel room. It was nice to get the opportunity to spend more time with the women that my brothers had chosen to spend their time with. I never had sisters, so my hope was always for good sister-in-laws!

June
My baby brother graduated from high school this year! No more Boyers at JCHS to hassle teachers and make a ruckus! =)

In addition to graduation, June was also the start of the sand volleyball season! My friend Holly and I put together a team of friends and relatives to play in the city league. We had fun... we'll leave it at that!

July
July was full of all kinds of fun! The summer was finally here which meant picnics, rafting trips down the river and camping at the coast! I also got my fill of fireworks with displays at the Em's game, the rodeo and at the beach.

Unfortunately, the coming of July meant that my time in Oregon was getting shorter. Jacob and I were living together by this point (my stuff remained in boxes in his living room as I knew that I would be packing everything up again soon) and trying to figure out how the whole thing was going to work. He wanted to come with me, but I was concerned about his job, his duplex and visa requirements for the two of us (I also had to get all my paperwork together for my student visa). I was also stressing up about living arrangements and how difficult it was going to be to find an apartment from such a distance.

August
To address our housing worries, Jacob and I took a trip to Vancouver at the beginning of August to try to nail down a place to live. It was a complicated process and I think I may blog more in depth about it later! lol

After returning from BC, Jacob and I both finish up our jobs and then took off with 4 friends for goodbye weekend away in Las Vegas. We stayed in condo off the strip and took the shuttle in every day to explore and see the sights (and usually a cab back since we stayed out a bit late!).

The last two weeks of August flew by in a whirlwind of activity. We packed up Jacob's house, had to say goodbye to all our friends and family, and moved everything we owned to Jacob's parents place in Sandy, Oregon. I started orientation at the end of August, but our apartment wasn't going to be ready for us until September, so our stuff would be stored and I needed to find a place to stay for a few days in BC. Thankfully the university set me up with a "Partner in Crime": another grad student to be a mentor and answer any of my questions. And, thankfully still, she had a spare room in her apartment on campus that she offered to me while I waited for mine.

Orientation went by in a blur. I remember getting horribly lost... a LOT!

September
September was a busy month as well! Amid all kinds of apartment related stresses (which you'll here about in a different posting), Jacob and I moved our things into a 3rd floor, 2 bedroom apartment in North Surrey, BC. For those of you who know Eugene, Surrey is the "Springfield" of Vancouver... both by location and reputation.

We were here for only a week or two before returning to Oregon to celebrate our birthdays and attend Jacob's annual family gathering at the coast. After a week away from BC, we made the 8-hour drive back, looking forward to some relaxing time in our new home.

October
I started to make new friends right away at school. The cohort of incoming grad students is pretty small (about 14 of us I think), and pretty much all of our first term classes were together, so we saw a lot of each other! October was spent continuing to form friendships, figure out the grad school thing, and explore Vancouver. Over the first two months in the area we tried to take a few different "tourist" days... roaming around the Historic Gastown neighborhood of downtown Vancouver, taking a ferry out and hiking around Bowen Island, and exploring the Green Timber Urban Forest that is pretty much in our backyard.

It was also in October that my friend Josie and her husband flew back to the west coast (Seattle) from their home in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. We met half way to go bowling and eat Chinese food. It had been over a year since I'd seen Josie and I was really happy to have the opportunity for such a good, close, old friend of mine to meet Jacob and give her opinion! lol.... he passed her test!

FYI... Canadians celebrate Thanksgiving in October. When asked what the story behind the Canadian Thanksgiving is, one of my classmates looked at me and said she had no idea! lol

November
November was a rush of finishing term papers and group projects. The semester ended the last week of the month, when I should have been home celebrating a US Thanksgiving with my family. Instead I convinced my mom to postpone Thanksgiving until the following weekend and finished up my first term as a grad student.

In addition, early in the month Jacob and I took a belated birthday trip to Victoria, BC. We spent several days exploring the harbor and taking in the sights... and just relaxing in the condo we stayed in!

December
Jacob stayed in Oregon when we went back for Thanksgiving, but I had to return for about a week to finish grading papers, so I took Amtrak back up to BC. It was pretty lonely. Jacob was with his parents and my cat, Scout, was with mine. I left my car in Oregon, so I had to rely on public transit, thus I didn't want to leave my house after dark by myself. It didn't take my long to finish grading however and I was back in Oregon less than a week later.

December was filled with family, friends, and holiday festivities. The Pacific Northwest was hit by a freak snow storm with ruined many of our holiday plans. Jacob and i were going to meet his family at the beach for a Christmas Eve celebration, however road conditions were not good so his family decided to have the celebration at their place in Sandy... and then they got snowed in. His family ended up postponing their Christmas until New Years Day. My family was going to have Christmas day celebration, but my relatives in Portland also go snowed in and didn't feel safe driving to and from on Christmas, so our celebration was postponed until the following weekend... even though we still had a Christmas dinner with my Grandmother. So, in the end, Jacob and I had 3 Christmases this year!

It was also nice to be able to spend time with friends again. We went out to dinners, went ice skating, played pool, and overall had a great time with great people... with whom we ended the year right. New Year's Eve was spent out with friends listening to live music at the Cooler in Eugene, talking, laughing and having a great time.

2008 was a great year, and I'm looking forward to 2009!

If you are interested in seeing more pictures of our life in Canada, you can check out my albums:

Life In Canada 1
Life in Canada (Part 2)
Victoria
Vancouver Apartment Hunting