Kiss my egg...

Yeeeah it's happened, I've gone the way of Lauren Thacker (I tip my hat to you) - rather than just telling the same hilarious stories many times I figured I'd just monologue and those who are interested can dip in and out! This one'll be extra long cos I've got some catching up to do! Soooo I'm on my year abroad in Calgary in Alberta, Canada - many of you may [only] know it as the site of the one, the only COOL RUNNINGS. That's right. I've been on that ice rink. In fact, here it is.

aaaaaaaand there's also of course the bobsled run, which we drove past on the first weekend we arrived here (Linda and I) when Janice took us up to the amazing house on the lake in Invermere! The tall thing's a ski jump from the Olympics, aaand the bobsled's on the right. Oh yes.[you may have noticed i've done something ridiculous and turned this all into a link. just ignore that...] Now, I should probably explain the majority of that last sentence - Linda is my friend who's also from Leeds Uni and helped me sort my life out, making sure I went to the right airport for example... and get me here in one piece.

My parents used to live in Canadia (hence why I have my own deeply exciting CANADIAN PASSPORT. Oh yes, makes life so very much easier) and my dad's housemate Craig's brother Don (that's right, pay attention) lives here in Calgary, so my father got in touch and basically sorted me completely - Janice (Don's wife) is a complete superstar legend who put Linda and me up for the first few days and took us to their sweet condo in Invermere - on lake Windermere I might add - for the weekend. It was goddam amazing and beautiful and we got the only sun we've had since we got to 'one of the driest places in Canada'. Really? REALLY? My. Arse. It has rained since we got here! But on Thursday it will SNOW apparently! Wooooo :D

This is the view from the roof in Invermere

and this is the giant Inukshuk, Inuit figures that were used to guide people through the wilderness. I have one in my room. It's a bit smaller. And awesome.

Then on the Monday Janice got us moved into our halls which are sweeeet - my flatmates, Marine [French girl] and Anna [Spanish girl] are awesome, and there's an empty room so I get my own bathroom. Boo ya. We explored the city and found a genuine Cowboy shop. These people were serious. We were not.-->

Since getting here I've been to Orientation, and a pep rally (which I'm glad I went to but it was sort of like the 2 minutes of hate from 1984. but peppier. and possibly worse - we met up really far too earlier and far too hungover for so much enthusiasm - then we got taught a chant (this was for faculties, not like a sports team or something

which makes sense) and ours was a play on YMCA, yes, with a dance, then there was lots of shouting of ARTS ARTS ARTS (which doesn't work in an English accent cos we're not all about the RRRs. This was for an hour. an entire hour, against all the other faculties, with all the orientation leaders running around with flags like they'd had too much sugar, all of us wearing matching t shirts and chanting and clapping and shouting and stamping and getting all riled up, then we had to sit there for the 2 hour formal induction ceremony. Forgive me for not really understanding the logic behind this.

The rest of the week has been a good mix of talks, sorting out phone and bank etc so I feel like a real person here, drinking until I don't and meeting some sweet peoples! There was an International students trip to the ice rink (did I mention it's on campus? yeah.) and getting lost in the tunnels that connect most of the buildings so people can live like moles and not see the sun for the 8 months of winter we're about to descend into.

I need to buy some waterproof clothes.

We also had the Rez Rodeo on Sunday - Rez = Halls for all you British people - which was a ridiculous fancy dressed up fete/sportsday thing where you compete against the other residences. I'm not boasting, but I was fucking phenomenal at tricycling, I have the bruised knees to prove it.

And we were just awesome at tug of war. obvz. check the guns. Cascade (my halls. the best halls won. HELLS YEAH.) Started class today.

Forgot that's why I'm here. So, it begins...