My story starts 2 weekends ago...
On Sunday our house went to the Bay of Fundy National Park!!! It was a wonderful day, that began with a beautiful drive there! Everything I saw reminded me so much of Muskoka, I think that everyone in the car might have been a little annoyed after the 6th time I said "Oh my gosh, that cliff and those trees is exactly the kind of thing you would see in Ontario!!". You know that song Big Yellow Taxi? It is so right to say you don't know what you've got until its gone. I never realized just how incredible my own province is, I just wish I could bring everybody home with me. There are so many things I would show them. First I would take them out for a cookie skillet!!! Then we would drive to Gravenhurst for the beautiful drive, the Saturday Market, and then a cruise on the Segwin. Then we would all go to Wasaga Beach, and we would go to Toronto to the CN tower! Then we would take my Dads boat from Ottawa to Kingston on the Rideau Canal. We would see the Niagara Falls too! I just have so many plans for everyone, I may not have highlighted the best of Ontario, but those sure are the things that I love and miss... Wait, Was I talking about Fundy? I get distracted so easily!! SO, we got to Fundy and after stopping for some sticky buns we spent over an hour walking around the port and along the rocky beach of the bay. It was a really beautiful day, with beautiful people, and we made beautiful memories :)
 |
| My family :) ( minus Brian ) |
 |
| Fundy port |
 |
| Says it all :) |
So I'm still using Kayla's blog to remember everything we did, since I haven't been writing in my journal (don't tell my sister). I forgot the day before we went to Fundy everyone came over to our house for a BBQ! It was great to have everyone together. Quin did AMAZING impressions of everybody that entertained us for at least an hour. Everyone knows how I'm an overly enthusiastic person right? Well now people here do too, it was inevitable I guess, somethings I just cant control! Quin loves to make fun of me for the time I found out that Kayla liked Thai chicken salad like me, and also when I found out Jacob and I were Buff buddies!! I don't go a day without her imitating my infamous excitement freak outs, all in good fun, I cant help but laugh every time, she does me so well!
Now for some serious stuff. I have now received 2 documentations. Like Kayla says, the honeymoon phase of this program is now over. A documentation is a record of behaviour that is not acceptable for the program, and they are kept by our project supervisors. Basically, they're there so that if Jess or BB doesn't see a change in my behaviour, they turn instantly into a warning. 3 warnings and you're out of the program. This program is not just fun, and this program is not easy at all. No one can understand how difficult it is to communicate cross culturally. That was what one documentation was for. While were doing the Canadian phase of the exchange, it is our responsibilities as the Canadians to tell the Ghanaians everything about what is OK in Canada, and what is not, and I mean everything! I have been doing my best, but the problem is, my best isn't good enough. In this program you have to go above and so far beyond. Every day is frustrating, trying to communicate and make everyone happy and comfortable. The thing is, I know its hard for the Ghanaians too. Our culture is so different from theirs. How are they supposed to know what is considered rude to us when their customs are so different? I don't want to give any specific examples, because the goal of this isn't to point the blame. The point is to live, and learn from every experience. And I am learning, everyday and every night. If you think your having a harder time in university my friends, you would be wrong! This program is so much more difficult then I ever could have imagined. Don't get me wrong though, its an incredible experience and I dont regret any minute of it, like I've said before, whats an experience without a few challenges?
Even though there have been some rough times ( and I expect to have more until the day I go home), there is no lack of fun, lets get back to those experiences, you'd rather hear about those wouldn't you? So last weekend was really wonderful! We set up a CWY booth at the Moncton Farmers Market. It was incredible there, my shift at the booth wasn't until 12, but Charles Kayla and I decided to go a little earlier to look around. There we met up with Teressa, Miles, Zoe, Christine, and I cant remember who else, and we spent the morning walking around the market. It was so full of cool stuff, and everywhere I looked I saw things my Mum would love!!! I tell everyone about my mom and her crazy craftiness. Its truly amazing everything she does, whether it be slippers, rugs, quilts, walking sticks or hats, they turn out so beautiful every time! After my shift, before we went home Teressa pulled us over to listen to the last few songs of a particularly sexy busker named Nathan. I hope its OK I say sexy, Dad you can can skip over this part! He was a beautiful guitar player and incredible singer and he played 3 of my favorite songs, including Slide by the GooGoo Dolls. Unfortunately, as found out by Teressa, he was engaged.. darn! (haha just kidding Charles).
I was so excited when Monday finally came! Quite a few of us got the opportunity to participate in a walk in honor of International Day to End Poverty. We gathered at riverfront park downtown Moncton along with about 80 other people to begin with. After a presentation on the facts of poverty and poverty prevention, we walk the streets of downtown with our picket signs and gathered outside of a church. there we chanted and waved our signs. It felt so great :) A skeptic might say that we did nothing to really improve the situation, but i think differently. Raising awareness is an effort, it gives hope, I think that's definitely worth something!
 |
| The group of us |
 |
| Jacob in his element |
Tuesday comes next !! After work every one went to help out at a haunted house, and MAN was it scary! I cannot handle scary stuff, even when the lights were on they had to pull me through. It was so fun to experience it and help out there with our Ghanaian friends! They don't celebrate Halloween in Ghana so everything was new to them. I don't really think they grasp fully the concept of just how much free candy you get yet though, I cant wait to take Mary and Priscilla out with us next Monday! Every one loved participating in the Haunted house. I was a zombie, and a very scary one at that after Kayla had finished my makeup! Eddie loaded on multiple costume pieces, only to remove them and follow the kids through saying "Giddy Giddy Giddy Giddy". It was so fun !
 |
| Eddie and I, GIDDY GIDDY |
This is everything, everything up to date! Tomorrow Charles and Mary have their E.A.D which means they are in charge of facilitating the whole day based on their chosen (technically stolen) topic : SEX and religion, emphasis on the sex part I think is how the day might go? Who knows, Charles and Mary would make the best partners in crime, you never know what to expect when they're together!
I'm thinking of everyone, I miss you all
Pumpkin Juice and Love!
Jillian xo
