Winter fun

Sorry it's been so long since I updated this ... kinda forgot about it, then got super busy. My Christmas cards haven't even been sent out yet. :( It was a nice thought, but if they get out before July, I will be happy. ha.

This semester has been crazy busy, but in good ways. School started Jan. 14th and it was nice to not have to relearn all the little detail-things that complicate a first semester somewhere. About four weeks later, my sister Erin and her good friend Abbie (in the pic with me) came for a 9-day trip to see me here in Québec. We bunked out in my tiny dorm room, and had a super great time together. Erin is the first person from home to see where I'm at, and that was really special. After they left, I got a little caught up in my classes then headed down to Sherbrooke to see my good friend Greta for a few days. She and I go way back, to when she was in her first year at NBI and I was still in high school. It was great to see her - we figured we hadn't seen each other in at least 8 years. Lots of catching up, lots of funny memories. :) I am so thankful for friends like that.

Now the 'social high' is over, and things are mellowing a little. I am really anxious to get my classes over with. They have been probably the hardest part about being here (besides the financial stuff last semester). I think my courses are a little easier this semester than last, but they still stress me out, especially the giant oral presentations and stuff. I have this one class where we have to write a two-page essay every week on something we found interesting in the reading. That part of the assignment is super easy, but the prof has decided that every week, he will pull out 5 names out of an envelope, and those 5 people will need to present their thesis to the class - no cue cards or anything - and then have the class drill them on the flaws in their logic. Terrifying enough, but the worst part is that, even if your name gets picked, he puts all the names back in for next week, so potentially you could be chosen every single week ... or not at all. I don't remember the last time I prayed so specifically and desperately for something (sad, I know, other things should move me more than oral presentations, but we'll work on that later), and against statistical odds (which I now know how to calculate), I have not been chosen in 5 weeks. 2 more to go till the end. This is already a miracle for me, but 'total immunity' would be superb. :) I'll keep you posted.

Another funny 'mini-victory' happened on the weekend. My ESL class always bugs me about having trouble ordering food at McDonald's. The joke is that I can explain political nuances and government stuff with little difficulty, but have trouble with the day-to-day things I never learned outside the classroom. Anyway, it has been my goal to get up to the counter at Micky D's and order "Poulet McCroquettes" (Poo-let-mik-crlo-ket) - harder to say than it looks. I got up my courage, marched up to the lady at the till, looked her square in the eye and said, "J'aimerais 6 morceaux de Poulet McCroquettes." And for a split second, I felt great, until she said, "Et quelle sauce voudrais-tu?" Sauce? Dang! I have no idea how they translate from English to French ... I jogged my memory and thanks to years of studying food labels one came to me, but of course, not the one I wanted. :) Small victory, but funny nonetheless.

Anyway, I better get back to homework or something else productive. Miss you all very much, and hope you are well where you're at.

Kristen

The Home Stretch ...

18 more sleeps till I am safe at home in Abbotsford. Ahh. Normally time flies the older you get, but I am sure these last four months have been the longest four months of my life. Don't get me wrong - I have enjoyed enough adventure these last 16 weeks to fill several years. It has been a dream come true for me to live on the East Coast in a French-speaking environment, and I have been pleasantly surprised at how warm the people here are to 'foreigners' (well, English-speaking Canadians anyway). I have made so many new friends and have experienced at least one new thing every week that I've never tried before. That being said, this semester has been a unique blend of difficulties that have sometimes made the days drag on. I have already complained enough about my hardships, so I thought it might be nice to focus on the really great things that have happened thus far.

1. New friends - Classmates in my program, friends in other classes, friends at a women's Bible Study and at church, at work, etc. I think in 7 years in Vancouver, I never met so many people.

2. New job - Having left ESL back in 2005 after seriously burning out, I was so hesitant to get back on the horse. Since I really needed the cash, I accepted the only job I could find, and it has turned out to be a source of great encouragement for me this semester. I have the most amazing class of students at Revenue Canada who regularly express their gratitude for my work. On days when I feel like the stuttering, shy little Anglo at Laval, these 11 'tax collectors' give me encouragement that all this emotional investment in improving myself and my French will one day pay off. It's a God thing, I'm sure.

3. New 'home away from home' - Sure, I cook everything in the microwave, but this dorm room has been an unexpected blessing. I was super hesitant to live in a dorm - I didn't even enjoy it so much back when I was 21 - but this little sanctuary has been a great place to come home to after a long day at school. It's super cheap ($250 a month), it's across the street from a giant grocery store and 3 malls, and now that it's winter, I have underground access to every building on campus. I only need to wear my jacket on the days I leave campus. How great is that! (like my mom would say :) To boot, my hall is super quiet, clean, well-maintained, and best of all, safe. Love it. Sure a step up from our slum back in South Vancouver ... :)

4. New direction - After months of agonizing about it, I finally decided on a thesis topic that highly interests me (issues of national security) and I have found a professor willing to supervise me and my work. Not only that, but he is also willing to have me write the thesis in English. When I planned to come here, I was very gung-ho about writing my thesis in French. Though I could probably write it in French if I really wanted to, I would go broke having to pay someone to proofread it constantly, and from my experience this last semester, I would also spend more time worrying about the French than I would worrying about the content. Writing a thesis in English is hard enough (so I've been told); I would hate to have the quality of my work suffer just because of a language deficiency. Surprisingly, now that I have decided to tackle that project in English, I feel much more inspired to work at French in other areas. My speaking needs a lot more work than my written French, so now I can dedicate all that freed-up time to practicing the things I really need to work on, like ordering Chicken McNuggets at McDonalds. ha. My students tease me about that all the time. They often ask me how school is going, and one day I explained to them that I have little difficulty speaking about academic topics (politics, etc.) in French, but it's the everyday little things I have no experience in. I told them that the few times I actually went to McDonalds here in Québec City, I really wanted Chicken McNuggets, but for the life of me could not pronounce 'Poulet McCroquettes'. Both times, I went to the counter, looked the cashier in the eye and said, 'J'aimerais le P-pp ... ... un cheeseburger.' :) My students think that's the funniest thing ever, and they have threatened to take me to McDonalds on our last day of class and have me order for all of them. I told them they were all getting cheeseburgers. :) ha.

5. New places - In my short time here, in between classes and other time consuming activities, I have had the privilege of visiting so many new places. Québec City has so much history and culture to explore when all I have is an afternoon and a valid bus pass. On our way here to Québec (and again this last weekend), we got to see Trois-Rivières and every little hick town between here and Montréal. A friend and I spent this last weekend in Montréal and took in as many of the sights as possible. In November, our prof from SFU who came to visit us took us on a road trip to l'Île d'Orléans just outside Québec. And last but certainly not least, I got to drive along the Atlantic Coast to see Rocher Percé. That was an unbelievable trip that I will not soon forget (seeing as how I took more than 600 pics ... who can forget anything? ha). Changes in scenery always do me good, and I am so thankful for every opportunity I've had to go see something new.

Well, life looks pretty good when you put it that way. In the meantime, I have 3 oral presentations, three 20 page projects and 2 final exams to finish in the next 2 weeks. I am praying for B- in everything (or more if the Lord is feeling generous), or the grace to take whatever mark I deserve. We'll see, and I'll keep you posted. Hope you are all well and enjoying the holidays so far. Miss you all lots, and hope to hear from you soon (and see some of you as well!).

KNL

Trading in expectations

Remembrance Day (Jour du Souvenir) at the National Assembly near the Citadel

The last few weeks have been filled with all kinds of "bouleversements" like we say in French; loosely translated, the term refers to the way laundry gets thrown around in the dryer. :) I have had a sort of epiphany lately about how I have been going about my life here in Québec. After weeks of feeling very lost in my homework, thesis preparation and life plans, I think I've started to shift gears a little (since the way I was going about things really wasn't working for me at all). To be honest, I had no idea what I was getting myself into, applying to grad school last fall. And grad school in a second language, to boot. Not that it has been a bad choice; on the contrary - I think it will pay off nicely in the end. But frankly, back in Vancouver, I had no idea things would be this complicated. I find myself spending twice as much time correcting the French grammar in my assignments as I do actually putting all the content together. I think that in my desire to really perfect my French while here at Laval, I forgot that I was here to study Political Science and prepare for my future career. Sounds funny, but those who know me well know I have a one-track mind - no chewing gum and walking for me, thanks. ha. Now that I realize what I've been doing, I think I will better be able to focus on my work and worry about the language afterwards.

Speaking of language, I have two new jobs! They only total about 3 hours of work a week, but it's a start anyway. My main position is teaching English to public servants at Revenue Canada. I know I promised myself that I never needed to teach ESL again (after all, getting away from ESL is why I am back in school for these 4 extra years), but desperate times call for desperate measures. ha. Anyway, my class is made up of ten 30-50year-old Quebeckers who are already quite advanced. Because they work for the Federal government, their work pays for their language training, so once a week for two hours, they get to hang out with me. :) In Vancouver, I worked almost exclusively with Korean students, so I catered my first lesson to a Korean audience (as in, I do most of the speaking, etc.). Well, before I even opened my mouth to begin my very first lesson, the fire alarm rang, and the whole building needed to be evacuated. About 20 minutes later, when we were all back in the class (and I gathered my wits about me), I started to talk when one of them interrupted me and said, "So, I guess we will all introduce ourselves to you ... " And there began a 45 minute session of them telling me all about themselves. One lady even shared the details of her love life with the whole class (and I mean details you would only hear in a French classroom - no kidding). I sat back in my 'teacher-chair' and thought, "I'm not in Korea anymore." Well, I went home, overhauled my whole plan, and since then, things have been going so well. They are such an amazing class. Who knew teaching adults could be so fun and rewarding? They are so responsive and interested in learning the language. They aren't afraid to make mistakes, and they love to talk (which works for me, because I would rather not). They have given me a lot of positive feedback, and it is quickly becoming the highlight of my week. Even the security guards I need to check in with in the lobby try to practice their basic English with me. It sure shatters the stereotype of the anti-anglo Quebecker that we hear about so often on the news. Can't believe everything you hear, I guess.

My other job is a little less glamourous, but it is something I enjoy anyway - proofreading and translating for one of my professors. I've only been given about 3 projects so far, but hopefully, things will pick up so my financial worries will lessen.

Another dry aspect of 'shopkeeping' that has added to my feeling more optomistic about school is that I have completely thrown out my former thesis topic and have decided instead to study what really interests me: questions of National Security. My former topic ("The Socio-Economic Impact of the Diamond Mining Industry on Northern Canadian Natives and the Inuit") - though interesting - kind of led me to a dead end. There wasn't enough research done to support an 8 month project, so I needed to let it go. As soon as I decided on the new topic, a series of Federal Government recruitment seminars and conferences came up all within the same week related to my new topic. This gave me hope for life and work after school is over, and it's inspiring me to regroup and try to 're-tackle' the way I have been going about things. I feel a lot more confident about where I am headed, and hopefully, this is also where God would have me go.

Well, I better get to bed. v x ua ... Uh, those last letters were typed into my computer from a stack of textbooks that spontaneously decided to jump off my top shelf and land directly on top on my computer. Scared the daylights outta me. Now I can't stop laughing. Oh, that's so embarrassing when you're alone. ha. Well, OH! I forgot - I have to tell you a funny story ...

The other day, I was at a friend's house for a girls' pizza party/movie nite. We were all (10 of us) seated at the table eating pizza and salad, and there was also a bowl of croutons beside the salad. When the hostess had finished most of her pizza, she said (to everyone in general, but us out-of-towners in particular), "In Québec, we do something a little strange. We put margarine on our 'croutes' (that was the French word she used)." I thought about what she said, and wondered, "'Croutes'? What are 'croutes'? ... Maybe that is how they say 'Croutons' in French ... but I thought 'Croutons' were French ... Well, I should never assume anything ... " She went on for a while about it, then walked to the fridge to get the margarine. When she came back to the table, I was still really confused, so I asked (loud enough so everyone could hear, of course), "But how do you put the margarine on the croutons?" She looked at me blankly, paused, then said, "What?" "You know, they're so small ... " Then she burst out laughing, saying, "No, not 'croutons' - I meant pizza 'crusts'!" Then she thought a little more about my thought process and couldn't stop laughing at the image of me trying to spread butter on every little crouton. Trying to save my dignity, I responded, "Well, THAT's how we eat our croutons in Vancouver ... " To which she replied, "Yeah, right!" Sigh. Fun was had by all.

Anyway, gotta get to bed. Talk to you soon - God bless.

KNL

Aventures en Gaspésie!

This last weekend was absolutely incredible. After a month or more of school, language and financial stress, God provided for me and a couple girlfriends to go on a super-cheap roadtrip to the Atlantic coast. Armed with 3 days worth of peanut-butter and jelly and a rental car with unlimited kilometres, we left Québec City Friday morning at 7am, pumped full of caffeine and ready for anything.

Our destination the first night was an auberge (like a dorm-motel) in a little coastal village called Sainte-Anne-des-Monts. It was supposed to be about a 6 hour drive, but being as Ashley, Sarah and I are all obsessed with getting that elusive 'perfect photo', we took 12 hours to get there. The journey was the best part of the trip. Sarah had been out east about 10 years ago, but for Ashley and I, this was as far east in Canada as we had ever been. We took Route 132 most of the way - it runs along the south shore of St. Lawrence, and for about 90% of the trip, the ocean is in plain view on the north side of the road. Québec City is situated on the St. Lawrence where it narrows, and the further you go east, the wider it opens up until you completely lose sight of the other shore (and are looking straight at Newfoundland, far off in the distance). Our first photo stop was at Sainte-Anne-de-la-Pocatière (see photos on right) - it was super cold, but the view was fantastic. Next, we stopped in Rivière-du-Loup, and enjoyed peanut-butter and jelly near a waterfall. Between Rivière-du-Loup and Rimouski, we came across ruins of an old stone house - it looked really old, but there was no sign explaining what it was or who it belonged to (see photos). Great for cool photos, though. The rest of the day was more of the same - drive a little, stop for photos, drive a little more, stop for more photos - until we finally made it to Sainte-Anne-des-Monts for the night.

The next morning, we left before the sun came up, and when dawn finally arrived, the scenery had dramatically changed from the day before. Our first stop was an old red lighthouse in a tiny fishing village. The highway signs warned drivers of crashing waves that may overcome the highway. The day started out cloudy, and at random points on the way, the winds really picked up and were so strong that we couldn't even keep our cameras steady for a photo. We were standing on a cliff (at least 100m high) not far from Forillon National Park trying to take pictures but were getting drenched. When we got back into the car, we licked our lips and discovered that it wasn't rain that had got us all wet, but ocean spray from 100m below. It was a wild exerience - I have never been in winds that strong, and frankly, I hope I never do again! The storm was at its strongest driving through Forillon National Park, so we couldn't really see the cliffs that we had heard so much about, but that was OK. On the other side, the weather quickly calmed down, and the sun even peeked out for awhile. In Gaspé, we came across the site where Jacques Cartier placed a cross to claim Canada for France back in 1534, surrounded by monuments with very politically incorrect passages written from his diary on his impressions of the Native people of the day. About an hour more on the highway, we arrived at our destination - Rocher Percé (see photos). It is a giant piece of barren rock that sits like an island jutting 88m up and 433m long off the shores of the village, with a giant hole near the seaward end. It was absolutely breathtaking - nothing like it on the West Coast that I have ever seen before. We were hoping to walk out to it (it's possible in summer during low tide), but the sea was really stormy, and the stairway down to the water was closed. We found a pier on the shore, and spent about an hour taking pictures of it from every possible angle. It was amazing the way the colours of the rock changed as the sun tried to come out and the clouds shifted. You could probably spend a whole day just watching the Rock adjust to its natural lighting. We nearly got drenched from the crashing waves on the pier that not only spewed water, but also spit out all kinds of sealife onto the shore. Some of the crashing waves were at least 6-7m high, and they were strong enough to pull you back into the sea. After taking an inordinate amount of photos, we decided to head back 4 hours down the road to Sainte-Anne-des-Monts for the night. On the way back, we came across at least 10 cars with giant game tied to the front of all sizes and makes of cars (moose, deer, etc) - some had the whole animal, others had huge moose heads attached to the hoods of their cars like bullhorns on a Texan Cadillac. I grew up in the sticks, but I have never seen anything like that in my life. When we got back to the auberge, we asked our dorm-mother about it; she said hunting was like a religion out here, and that today was the last day of moose season. Men put these dead animals on their cars like trophies to show off to everyone else. She said that locals get so worked up about the hunt that the conservation officers spend more time breaking up fights than they do checking for poachers. Another thing we noticed was how quiet things were on the road and in towns - not only was tourist season long over (so most businesses were closed), but most locals were in the mountains hunting. It made it easy to not spend any money we didn't have to - our PB&J and other snacks suited us just fine.

Another quirk of this area is that most towns are one street wide - everyone seems to live right on the highway and or right on the shore. Very few yards have trees, although less than a mile from the shore are giant forests and mountains. Directions to places are given in terms of their proximity to the local Catholic church - and no matter how small the town is, they have a giant church that stands 5 times taller than any other building (sort of like grain elevators in Saskatchewan). Gas stations are very basic - gas and car parts are the only things sold there (no snacks, coffee, etc). The further east you drive, the less likely anyone will speak English with you (although if they do, they will advertise it on their sign - "We speak English!"). Whoever built Route 132 decided that going around hills and gradually grading the road must have been a waste of time - some hills were 17% grade, and I can't remember how many times I slowed down the car because the road seemed to go straight down a hill. It was like a roller coaster sometimes - ha.

It was a much needed escape from life at Laval, and I am so thankful for all the fun we had together. Now, I am into midterms and am praying for a miracle to do well on my Economics exam on Thursday. Next week is Reading break, and I will be using it to get ahead in a lot of my work. Hope you all are doing well - I would love to hear from you. Miss you all, and talk to you again soon.

KNL

Turning the corner

Well, I know this will probably cost me politically, but I just couldn't resist. :) By accident the other day, I came across a student rally for Mr. Gilles Duceppe, leader of the Bloc Québécois (the political party whose main concern is breaking out of the Canadian federation). I am no separatist, but being an extremely curious person, I thought, "Well, here's something I've never done before," and I decided to take it in. Students were given "Oui!" pins and Québec flag stickers just outside the door of the theatre, so I helped myself (Bunny was so excited - he's a big fan of Lucien Bouchard - ha) and went in. I was standing right by the door at the back when Mr. Duceppe walked in to the applause of the crowd and took his place on the podium. I stayed for about 10 minutes, then went home to have lunch. Now I can say I've done pretty much everything.

Well, today I finally got the second half of my Student Loan (yay!). Hard to believe it took from mid-July to October 12th to get everything in order, but now that beast is behind me - Dieu merci. I've decided to not talk about it anymore because it only upsets me - but I do thank God for intervening in the meantime. I came across a familiar verse today that had special meaning in light of everything that has happened for me in the financial realm this year:

Matthew 6:25-34

"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?

"And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

I find that passage sobering. I even teared up a little in coming across it. It's funny how in life we go through certain situations that, at the time, seem 'as bad as it can get', and yet later, life's path leads us to darker recesses of the valley. Growing up in northern Saskatchewan, we didn't have a lot, but I remember never thinking we would go without - Mom and Dad were great at protecting us that way. I knew they didn't have much, but we always had a warm house and food on the table. Then, last year, when Allison and I moved into Vancouver to got to school and our student loans took till the end of September to arrive, I thought, "Man, this is going to be a benchmark for me - I don't think I'll ever be this poor again." I wouldn't say I was especially hungry - we had all the canned soup a couple of college girls could want - but we had no hot water or heat (for 8 months), mice running all over our apartment and the landlady from the dark side. On the upside, we had each other, and that helped. This semester, I have a great place to live, but there was a point last week where I had been eating spaghetti noodles twice a day for about two weeks, and all I had in my cupboard were two cans of ham, a cup of uncooked rice and about another cup of uncooked oatmeal. Yet God intervened on that day with enough money to get proper food. My faith at the moment just before the money came in was low - I didn't doubt so much that He could provide - I just never remember feeling so helpless and upset at the situation in general. It was like God was talking me to the edge of my faith in Him. Sure, it's easy to trust Him when there's food on the table, but will I trust Him when the cupboard says I have another two meagre days of food and no promise of further provision? I think I royally flunked that test of faith, but in retrospect I have learned to focus on the Giver and less on the cupboard. Anyway, like I said, enough about this topic ... on to better things!

I am starting to feel a little more comfortable with life here in la Belle Province. I've made a lot of new friends and I'm starting to get into more of a routine. Fall seems to have taken root - the leaves have all changed and the strong autumn winds have blown many of them onto the ground. It's been raining for the last few days and locals say the snow isn't far off. When my loan came in, the first things I bought were new snow boots and a new winter jacket. I realized I hadn't owned either since, well, the 20th century. ha. I'm looking forward to the snow; I think it will bring back fun memories of my childhood that haven't crossed my mind in years. It's funny - even having a significant African population here at school has brought back so many memories from my short time in Burkina Faso. Compared to Vancouver, it really is like another world here in Québec.

Well, I should get to my homework. Miss you all, and hope to hear from you soon.

KNL

The honeymoon is over ...

I'm so glad this week is finally over. By about Tuesday, I was ready just to lock myself in a closet and wait out the rest of the week, but sometimes getting back in the saddle is the thing to do to get past whatever's bothering you. And many things decided to bother me this week ... :)

Monday started OK. My research methods class was first - it is probably my favourite class because we get help developing our thesis, but I have trouble with the class discussion groups. The class is pretty packed, and with that amount of people talking at once, I can't understand anything that is being said. I was in a group with 3 other people, and a few of them were giving me pointers on my thesis subject. I was grateful for the help, for sure. One of the girls told me that I should ask the teacher about something in my topic, and I agreed that that would be a good idea - even though I really wasn't sure what she was wanting me to ask the teacher about; it was just easier to agree with her than to constantly keep asking, "What did you say?" "Could you repeat that?" every two minutes (noise problem, not a language problem). Then, lucky me, the teacher came around, and my new friend, trying to be helpful, told him, "Kristen has a question for you." He looked me straight in the eye, and I panicked - not only did I not want to ask him a question in front of so many people, but I had no idea what question she was wanting me to ask him. I told them it was OK and that I would talk to him later, but I must have come off looking like quite the weirdo. I got pretty flustered after that, but instead of being able to leave class and go de-tox in my room, I had to straight to my next class where I was supposed to do a 10-minute oral presentation on ... I can't even remember now, it's been that kind of week. ha. Anyway, that went surprisingly better than I thought, except that I had to do it in front of the guest speaker the teacher invited to our class that day. I still have no idea how I did (as far as a mark) because that teacher says very little, and mostly just lets us take over debate in that class. That worries me. Our oral participation in debates in that class is worth 30% of our final mark - being quick on my toes is definitely not a gift of mine, so that is a constant stress for me every Monday as well. Our teacher is also the program director who decides if we graduate or not - I wish he would just react to my work every once in a while so I know where I stand. Anyway, I went home after 6 straight hours of class, thinking the worst part of the week was over.

Tuesday morning, I got a phone call on my dorm phone telling me that (what I thought was) the Registrar's office had something for me to pick up, and that I should just ask the person at the front desk for an envelope from the "Bee-cee Meeneestree of Ejookayshee-on" - that should have been my first clue that a language kerfuffle lie ahead. I have found that many people in the Registrar's office can't read English, and this has majorly complicated my BC Student Loans application - I still have received no funding because of mistakes at Laval, but more on that later. Anyway, I went to the Registrar, waited in line, and asked the lady at the front desk about my envelope. She had no idea what I was talking about and was unnecessarily rude to me. Fine, whatever. I asked her if she could guess where that phone call this morning came from (since, evidently, it wasn't them), and she was quite sure that the Political Science Department had what I needed. I walked over to that building, and eventually found the right person to talk to. I retold her the whole story of where I had been this morning, and she had no idea what I was talking about. I asked her if she could guess maybe who ELSE may have called me about that. She thought maybe it was the Financial Aid Department. So, discouraged even more, I headed clear across campus to Financial Aid. I waited in line and re-retold my tale to the lady at the front counter. By this time, I am pretty stressed out and nervous, so not only is my French deteriorating, but I start to stutter a lot through it. She, too was quite rude as well and had no idea what I was talking about. She told me that I should go to the Registrar's office. She clearly was not listening to me. I said, "I went to the Reigistrar. She sent me to the Poli Sci Dept. She sent me here. Is there a FOURTH place you think I may have gotten this call from?" By this time, I am practically crying. Some kind soul behind her took a little pity on me and took me aside to call around to see what he could find. He wasn't able to find anything, but he tried to comfort me by saying, "Well, I guess if it was really important, whoever called you will call you back." I laughed a little, thanked him for his help, then went to the washroom to have a little meltdown. I walked back to my dorm room and saw a huge red puddle under my fridge. I opened the door, and everything had melted, including the strawberries I had frozen in little Glad containers. My fridge must have come unplugged yesterday somehow, and now everything smelled funny. Another meltdown on my bed. I had to throw everything out, and all I had was a small can of beans for dinner.

Long story short, I called BC Student Loans (for the relief of being able to talk out my problem in English), and they told me that Laval had somehow messed up on my paperwork, and that I should take the loan form in myself, have the Registrar stamp it, then fax it to Student Loans on my own. I agreed to do that Friday. I went back to the Registrar (which closes for 1.5 hours at lunch), and just made it in the door before they locked up. I gave her the form and asked her to stamp it for me so I could fax it in and get my long-overdue Student Loan money. She took it, and told me she would fax it off in 3-5 business days. Completely exasperated, I gave her my best, "Are you kidding?" look, but knowing that she would do nothing to speed it up, I thanked her and left. I know this is no one person's fault, but maybe the 'administration' doesn't realize that while all my paperwork is being delayed, I am feeling hungry (for not having my loan money, and for losing everything in my fridge), that I can't pay rent on Sunday, or my phone bill, etc. I get that there are always procedures to follow, but I have been in Quebec more than a month - I really thought I would have money by now. Fortunately, the "Bank of Dad" has come to my rescue and offered to lend me what I need to get by. I am so grateful for that, but frustrated that my financial woes have spilled over onto my parents' shoulders. It looks like I SHOULD have my loan in order by about October 15th, and in November, I can start this whole process over again for the Winter Semester loan. Sigh.

Well, all is not lost. This is getting long, so I'll keep it brief. Even with my Student Loan, I still need some extra money to get through the semester, so I decided to get a job. I was hired this week at "l'École des Langues de l'Estrie" - an ESL school that works mostly with French-speaking public servants and business people who need to learn English for work or who need to pass a public servants' language exam for a new job. I was hesitant to get back into teaching, but so far, this is what I have found for work so I will teach until something more political comes up. I'm grateful for the job, and hopefully, they will have a contract for me soon. I am hoping that somehow, in teaching public servants English, I will meet people who will be looking to hire at their government office, and since they will know me already from English school ... who knows? Maybe this is the Lord's roundabout way of getting me my dream job, whatever that might be. At this point, I would be satisfied with a positive income instead of constant loans from so many people. God does provide, though, even in this way, so I should be grateful. When I finish school, I would really like to financially help out others who struggle with funding school - it's just so crazy to worry about money when school has so many stresses of its own.

Anyway, speaking of school, I have lots of work to do, so I better go. My French friend and I are leading a 3-hour class discussion on Monday (in that same class) on the legitimate use of violence by the state. Yeah, I don't know what that means either, but whatever. We'll put on a good show. :) Miss you all.

KNL

Fall in New France

Well, fall is finally here in Québec. I have to say, though, that we have had the most wonderful weather this last month: not too hot, not too cold, sunny and when the rains come, they last only hours instead of weeks. Who knew that there was good weather outside the Lower Mainland (just kidding - I miss Saskatchewan weather a lot more than I let on) :)

I'm slowly starting to get a little more confortable with life here. My classes don't seem quite as overwhelming as they did initially, although my oral presentation on Monday is still scaring the be-jeebies out of me. I have another one next week (with a French-speaking partner, thankfully) that will last about 3 hours - ! - one giant hurdle at a time. Every day, as I try something new that scares the stuffing out of me, things get a little easier. What I keep forgetting is that a lot of these new social situations would be terrifying for a shy person like me even at home in Vancouver where I could fall back on my English. Who knows ... maybe I will be a completely different person when I come home ... or maybe I will just need that many more hugs from loved ones when I land on the West Coast in December. ha.

After church today, I was talking with someone who asked me where I was from. I told him Vancouver, and he said, "Wow, the culture here in Québec must be SO different from home." Not wanting to stir the pot, I said, "Yes," but it got me thinking a little. I have noticed, so far, a few subtle cultural differences between the average Québecker and the average Anglophone Canadian. We Anglos tend to be a little goofier and a little chattier with strangers (especially the girls) on average. But all things considered, there is FAR more in common between me and someone from Québec, than, say, me and someone from Chinatown or Little India back home in Vancouver. If one didn't know better, we Anglos look like the average Québecker, even if an Anglo can't speak a lick of French he/she can read every French sign (unlike stores in South Vancouver where I can't even make out what they sell), most Canadians share a common history with the average Québecker that we don't even share with people from our homeland of England (here on the North American colony), and the food is generally the same except for a few regional differences (which we would find in any province, English-speaking or not). Funny how both Québeckers and English Canadians can get so hung up on what divides us but don't want to admit how much we have in common.

Speaking of things that never change from culture to culture, the other day when I was in the mall with Sarah and Ashley, a (MUCH older) man made a pass at me, sort of. We were standing at the Telus counter, trying to get Sarah's cellphone woes solved, when a man who looked about 70 years old, came up to me, interrupted the Telus lady and said, "I just want to tell you how wonderful your red curly hair is. I have two sisters who also have red hair, and I gotta say that I just love it - we never see that anymore. I have no ulterior motive for telling you this - I just wanted to let you know that I think it is so beautiful." I was taken aback, but managed to thank him for his kindness and eventually he left. When I used to candystripe in the Nipawin Hospital, very elderly men often told me that, too. How frustrating that these men are three times my age ... why couldn't 30 year old men be approaching me instead? Well, at the very least, I will be the most eligible spinster in the old folks home in 2048. haha.

Anyway, I better get back to work. Miss you all and would love to hear from you sometime.

KNL

Meeting her Excellency, the Governor General of Canada

It has been a full week, to say the least. I really should have been blogging every day since Wednesday, but I will try to sum everything up in this post (so it may be a bit long - get yourself a hot chocolate and a warm blanket, here we go! - ha).

Anyway, I will begin with the most obvious ... I spoke with the Governor General today. (For those non-Canadians out there, the GG is appointed every 4-5 years to stand as the Queen's representative here in Canada. She officially has more powers than the Prime Minister, but rarely uses them. Mostly, she travels around handing out awards to outstanding Canadians, and also entertains dignitaries who come to Canada on official business). Anyhow, I had heard that she was going to be in town today at her residence in Vieux Québec, so I invited Sarah and Ashley to come with me to see her. I have always wanted to meet the GG, but never had the chance in Vancouver/Sask. After getting completely lost somewhere on the Plains of Abraham in the rain and wind, walking up and down hundreds of stairs and climbing battlefields for about 45 minutes, we finally found the GG's residence. We walked inside, and knowing we were late, I was sure we had missed her speech and everything. We got a tour of the dining room, and then we went upstairs to the ball room where there were displays of the GG's work all over Canada and the world. We went into a smaller sun room to sign a giant banner that was to be sent to our troops in Afghanistan. We continued on back into the ball room, which isn't very big at all - maybe 80 people were in there - squished together. We couldn't figure out why so many TV cameras were converging on a smaller group of people in the middle of the room, so Sarah got a little closer. She said, "I think she's HERE" ("She" being the Governor General). And there she was, in the middle of the room, talking to all the visitors. She had two tall men in uniforms beside her and two older women in red suits acting as 'social directors', kind of guiding her to who she could talk to next.

We stood nearby for about 3 minutes when one of the red coat ladies said (in French), "There are some young ladies waiting patiently here to speak to you, your Excellency." She approached us, and said hello in English, then switched back to French when she figured out we understood her. She asked us where we were from, and I think I said Vancouver :) . Sarah did most of the talking, and told the GG that we were in a French political science program back home in Vancouver, and that we were here for a year to study at Laval (well, Ashley and Sarah are in that program, I was too nervous to tell her I was in another program ... small detail she probably would soon forget anyway). She said that she had noticed on a recent trip to BC that there were so many people there wanting to learn French, and she thought that was wonderful. We must have said something else, but I was a little starstruck to remember what it was - ha. We did ask to have our picture taken with her, but she said no because it would cause a bottleneck in the 'receiving line' of sorts. Her red-coat assistant said it was OK for us to take pictures of her as the GG "moved around" - so we did ... lots, in search of that elusive perfect photo. I felt bad using the flash in her face, but I guess she must be used to it.

Shortly thereafter, she and her husband made short speeches welcoming us into their home and outlining what events were happening there during Québec's 400th anniversary. When that was over, we made our way out, but not before coming upon a room that was serving free refreshments. There were freshly picked apples, dried apple rings with chocolate, honey and chai tea spices, and freshly squeezed apple juice - I think the apples were from the gardens at Rideau Hall in Ottawa. It was the coolest accidental meeting ever - it will be a long time before I forget today. :) She was such a warm person - she seemed genuinely interested in what you had to say, and she chatted with us like any normal person would at a dinner party. Some visitors from Columbia were introduced to her, and she began chatting with them fluently in Spanish. After she moved on from us, she saw a small child, and said, "I saw that cute little face across the room, and I had to come see him!" Then the baby began to cry, but the GG laughed and spoke sympathetically to the baby's mother.

As we were walking around the house, and before we even knew we would see the GG at all, my friends and I were discussing how lucky we were to live in a country where our government buildings are open to the general public, and without intense, obtrusive security at that (although I am sure that there were as many security and staff there today as there were guests, but most of them smiled, talked with you and were there mostly to make sure you had a great time with the GG). It got me to thinking a bit about Christ, especially when we were in the crowd vying for a chance to even see the GG face to face: kind of like those friends of that paralytic in the Bible who did everything they could to bring their friend to Jesus for healing, and eventually cut a hole in the roof to lower their friend right into Christ's presence. Now the GG is no Saviour, of course, but she is essentially the highest ranking Canadian; yet, we were invited to her house, she listened to us, and she let us stay and enjoy just being in her home (with food and everything!). God is not obliged to even give us the time of day, but He welcomes us anyway; He listens to our requests and praise even when we must seem awkward and less revering than we should; He shares His wealth with us in food, shelter, etc. Having grown up in late 20th century North America, I can't say I fully understand the kingly analogies in the Bible that explain God's majesty and position over us, but for a few minutes today, I started to "get it." It was a great object lesson I will never forget.

On second thought, I will explain my birthday and other things of the week in another blog entry. Too much to say ... in a good way. :) Miss you all - talk to you soon.

KNL

Finding God in unexpected places

("The Christian and Missionary Alliance of Sainte-Foy -
One church ... one family")

Today, I made my first venture out into Québec City`s community of faith. Thanks to Dad's work connections, I heard about this church somewhat near the university so I decided to try it out this morning. I got off the bus, and across the street was this giant cathedral-like chapel. I stood there in awe for a second, but as I got closer, I noticed that it was not the church I was looking for. I glanced across the street and saw a much more modest sign outside an older community centre. Voilà, the church I was headed to ...

A little hesitant, I made my way in and was greeted by several friendly people who seemed about my age and who coincidentally (well, I guess coincidence is impossible in a church - ha) also work on campus at Laval. I found myself a seat on the side (there were probably 60 chairs available) in a room not unlike the gymnasium at Alex Wright Elementary School in Nipawin. As I waited for the service to start, I got to thinking about churches back home in Vancouver: How strange to come from the Fraser Valley, a veritable smorgasbord of church choices and preferences when it comes to music, preaching and community activities, to a little congregation in a temporary facility amidst an ocean of Québécois culture which has collectively given up on religious authority of any kind. That the church exists at all from year to year is an achievement.

The music started, and surprisingly, I recognized most of the songs (the lyrics having been translated into French). Younger members of the congregation played all sorts of instruments such as the cello, fiddles, electric piano, drums (I think), etc. It`s funny - you can sing the same song in Vancouver and Québec, but each culture puts its own spin on it. Here in Québec, church music sounds remarkably similar to the little square dancing songs Mme Nyuli used to teach us in music class - it was so cool. Later in the service when people were sharing about what God had been teaching them, a lady in the front row started saying the Lord`s Prayer (in French, of course). My thoughts went straight back to my French Immersion days where all our Catholic teachers (in a public school, mind you -- long live the 80`s) had us recite the Lord`s Prayer in French after singing the bilingual version of O Canada every morning. Had our English-only school principal spoken a word of French, we may not have 'gotten away with that'. Funny, too - most of us weren`t even Catholic (and only a handful of us were regular church goers), and I don`t ever remember it being a problem. How things have changed. To this day, I still do not know the Lord`s Prayer in English - good thing God speaks all forms of Canadian :)

Anyway, I came away from that service feeling silly about the way I had drawn up my list of must-haves in my 'church-shopping' adventures. Fantastic modern music? Well, heartfelt music by ordinary people wins out. Great looking facility? An affordable, safe place to meet for a couple hours on Sunday is good enough for me. Large, diverse congregation? A few well-chosen (by God, of course) people who live out their faith in a culture of historical opposition to Christ are the kind of friends I am looking for. What a refreshing reminder of what truly makes up a church - God`s people.

KNL

Bonjour!

(Top photo: "Welcome to Quebec City, the National Capital" - funny. And so it begins ...)

Hello from the east coast! Sorry it has taken me SO long to update this. I was without internet for 8 days, and it felt like an eternity. Today, I finally got things hooked up in my room, so I am back to being connected to the world! What a relief. It is very hard to start in a new place without the internet - maps, bus routes, store hours, etc ... my SFU buddies and I were hit and miss all last week. :) Even though we were on campus here at Laval, we had no communication with the school because it is mostly done by internet - isn't technology great? ha.

So far so good. Life here has been surprisingly enjoyable. The dorm I am in is old school, but really clean and equipped with all of the modern conveniences of home - a sink in every room, all the furniture we could possibly need, showers and bathrooms just a few doors down, a 3rd floor view of the courtyard, a TV room downstairs with a big screen TV, a grand piano in the lobby, kitchens, laundry rooms, ice machines, pop machines, candy machines, coffee machines, tunnels to everywhere on campus (for those frosty winter days to come), etc, etc, etc. Two of my SFU buddies and I are in the one residence (all girls) that is separate from the three others (further from classes, but right across the street from the grocery store and three malls). I am so thankful to be in this one - you can see pics of it on Facebook if you like. Four other SFU students from that cohort program I used to be in are here, too - I never realized how much easier it was to move somewhere new with someone else. Most of my life, I have done these giant steps alone, but it has been really great having them here to go through all these firsts together. I am in a completely different program than them, but hopefully, we will run into each other from time to time. I start classes on Thursday -- I'll keep you posted on the academic front.

As for the French, I think a lot has changed since I was here last. Part of me thinks Quebeckers are a little warmer towards anglophones than they were back in 1994 when I was here last (they were only months away from that nearly fateful referendum back then). Part of the difference is that my French is exponentially better than it was back in the day, although I still have so much to learn. Thankfully, it hasn't been as difficult as I imagined. Or rather, I haven't been as traumatized as I envisioned. :) I understand most everyone, but my speaking could really use some work. The other day, the registrar had me in her office to register me in classes, and she told me three times that we were done before I understood and responded appropriately - I was nodding and smiling, thinking she was telling a joke; she was actually telling me to leave. My bad. :) God has been gracious in giving me a newfound confidence in speaking even in situations that would make me nervous in English. I even made casual conversation with a complete stranger today in French. I don't know how other people move from their homeland to another country without being thoroughly equipped in the new language (like immigrants who come to Canada without English). I am having enough difficulty, and I have spoken French for 24 years (though never outside of school). I have a newfound appreciation for what my former students went through. :)

Well, I better get to applying for a few more jobs. I still don't know if I am approved for a Student Loan, so I am here in faith hoping things will work themselves out. Please pray for both the loan and a great job. Miss you all, and hope all is well in your corner of the world.

Talk to you soon.

KNL