Back in Cali - YEAR 2 BEGINS
Hi all,
So I’m back in Cali after my lovely Canadian summer. It has been a really long time since I’ve posted so I’m sure that I would have lost all of my valued readers if most of them weren’t family members.
I had a great time being back in Canada. Things smell different (familiar). I got to spend time with Sky and Wendy and my Mom and Dad. I got to visit my grandparents, and see other family members. I spent Rendezvous and another day volunteering at the Old Fort, and I spent as much time as possible with Emily. All things that are pretty high on my “Matt’s favorite things to do” list. I’m sure that I’ve left out many important things and people….. it’s entirely NOT on purpose though. As Mom always said, I’ve got a good memory but it’s short. It’s great to be back but it was hard to say goodbye. Especially to Em. Don’t worry, I won’t get to gushy here.
I was supposed to leave Thunder Bay at 6:30am but there was a huge storm the night before and WestJet wasn’t able to bring their planes in. They wanted to put me on another flight but that would have me arriving a bit late in Toronto (and changing terminals) and the people at the Air Canada booth politely told me that if I didn’t arrive early enough I might just loose my $1000 ticket and have to buy another one (that would, most likely, cost $3000 at that point).
I HATE AIR CANADA – WITH THE FIRE OF A THOUSAND SUNS
Sorry if any of my faithful readers work for Air Canada or know someone who does. I don’t hate Air Canada employees. Just the company that they work for (and some of their co-workers). I ended up buying a stand by ticket through Air Canada and getting to Toronto on time so AC didn’t have to follow through with their threats. WestJet was kind enough to refund the price of the ticket even though I flew with their competitors. Ok, I’m done ranting.
So I’m back in Cali. It’s nice seeing everyone. There certainly are a lot of cool people here. Shortly after returning I went up to the pension Stein (the old swiss consulate that has been turned into a hotel… .see the beginning of my blog for pictures of myself there last year) to visit the new import teachers. It’s such a weird experience seeing these people going through what I was going through just a year ago. They are so full of energy, but slightly burnt out at the same time. They’re overwhelmed, excited, and a hundred other emotions. It’s strange seeing someone in a very different state of mind than myself, but a state of mind that I can totally empathize with.
We took all the new teachers out to the place that I went last year called Kukaramakara and danced, listed to an awesome band, had them try aguardiente (the Standard Colombian drink).
My new roommate, Michael, is great, not that I had any worries in that department. He’s pretty much exactly where I was last year. To be honest it has been a little hard to get used to sharing the space with another person though. I’d gotten so used to having the place to myself (really, a ridiculous amount of space for one person) that it has been a bit of a change having another person around.
Today is actually the first day of school and I officially have access to a fast internet connection again. No students yet so I’m got this week to get things mostly organized. Wish me luck.
I was watching the BBC news last night and they were focusing on the Israel-Lebanon conflict going on right now. Heavy stuff…. It got me thinking though…..
How can we think that we have a valid frame of reference? There are innumerable examples throughout history where people had opinions considered very normal that we find abominable today. Similarly, there are people reasonable, mature people all over the world who believe radically different things. How then, can we consider that our own frame of reference, and what we consider right, moral, important, wrong etc has any bearing on truth?
Any thoughts?
So I’m back in Cali after my lovely Canadian summer. It has been a really long time since I’ve posted so I’m sure that I would have lost all of my valued readers if most of them weren’t family members.
I had a great time being back in Canada. Things smell different (familiar). I got to spend time with Sky and Wendy and my Mom and Dad. I got to visit my grandparents, and see other family members. I spent Rendezvous and another day volunteering at the Old Fort, and I spent as much time as possible with Emily. All things that are pretty high on my “Matt’s favorite things to do” list. I’m sure that I’ve left out many important things and people….. it’s entirely NOT on purpose though. As Mom always said, I’ve got a good memory but it’s short. It’s great to be back but it was hard to say goodbye. Especially to Em. Don’t worry, I won’t get to gushy here.
I was supposed to leave Thunder Bay at 6:30am but there was a huge storm the night before and WestJet wasn’t able to bring their planes in. They wanted to put me on another flight but that would have me arriving a bit late in Toronto (and changing terminals) and the people at the Air Canada booth politely told me that if I didn’t arrive early enough I might just loose my $1000 ticket and have to buy another one (that would, most likely, cost $3000 at that point).
I HATE AIR CANADA – WITH THE FIRE OF A THOUSAND SUNS
Sorry if any of my faithful readers work for Air Canada or know someone who does. I don’t hate Air Canada employees. Just the company that they work for (and some of their co-workers). I ended up buying a stand by ticket through Air Canada and getting to Toronto on time so AC didn’t have to follow through with their threats. WestJet was kind enough to refund the price of the ticket even though I flew with their competitors. Ok, I’m done ranting.
So I’m back in Cali. It’s nice seeing everyone. There certainly are a lot of cool people here. Shortly after returning I went up to the pension Stein (the old swiss consulate that has been turned into a hotel… .see the beginning of my blog for pictures of myself there last year) to visit the new import teachers. It’s such a weird experience seeing these people going through what I was going through just a year ago. They are so full of energy, but slightly burnt out at the same time. They’re overwhelmed, excited, and a hundred other emotions. It’s strange seeing someone in a very different state of mind than myself, but a state of mind that I can totally empathize with.
We took all the new teachers out to the place that I went last year called Kukaramakara and danced, listed to an awesome band, had them try aguardiente (the Standard Colombian drink).
My new roommate, Michael, is great, not that I had any worries in that department. He’s pretty much exactly where I was last year. To be honest it has been a little hard to get used to sharing the space with another person though. I’d gotten so used to having the place to myself (really, a ridiculous amount of space for one person) that it has been a bit of a change having another person around.
Today is actually the first day of school and I officially have access to a fast internet connection again. No students yet so I’m got this week to get things mostly organized. Wish me luck.
I was watching the BBC news last night and they were focusing on the Israel-Lebanon conflict going on right now. Heavy stuff…. It got me thinking though…..
How can we think that we have a valid frame of reference? There are innumerable examples throughout history where people had opinions considered very normal that we find abominable today. Similarly, there are people reasonable, mature people all over the world who believe radically different things. How then, can we consider that our own frame of reference, and what we consider right, moral, important, wrong etc has any bearing on truth?
Any thoughts?
posted by Matt and Emily at 12:41 PM
1 Comments:
my only thought is that everything works out in the end...
just yesterday, i was telling my housemate about how i was kind of worried about my friend matt, because he hadn't posted on his blog since may 22nd, and his last post was about the guerrilla warfare going on where he was working.
"oh, where is he working?" she asked
"columbia"
"oh...you don't possibly mean matt ___? (i'm protecting your identity here. you're welcome in advance) who did his b.ed. with the faculty of education last year and is now in columbia teaching?"
*blank stare*
[note: this is an edited version]
remember a cute little blonde named lindsay who was doing her b.ed. last year?
hello six (or rather 1) degrees of separation!!!
anyways, we were sure that you had merely taken a summer vacation, and hadn't posted that you were back in canada because, well, practically everyone who reads your blog would have already known. we decided not to worry.
so, you see, it will all work out. it always does.
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