Well.. So maybe Katimavik isn't the best program if you require time and energy to do extra things.. Such as keep a blog updated or eat. :p Just kidding! It seems everything we do here revolves around food.. 'We can't do this activity because it will run into our lunch time'; or 'no we can't do that because it starts at 5:30 and that's when dinner is.' It's frustrating, coming from a house where food fell into the time between getting home from volleyball practice and running back over to the school for a game. I'm really missing my volleyball as this is the longest I've gone without playing since I started in grade 7! I'm really excited as there is a drop-in league in Riverview which is about a 15 minute drive from here. It goes every Wednesday and Saturday I believe and I know that a few roomates would be interested in going with me. This would be nice as it would be an organised, indoor physical activity! Something we don't do very often!
I'm currently writing this from the home of my billet family; with an 8 week old golden retriever puppy snoring in my lap. You could say I'm happy. :) Let me explain the term billeting for those of you who don't understand it. For 9 whole days our Katima-family gets dispersed around the greater Moncton area. We all are assigned families to live with for this time in order to become better acquainted with the local culture and also for a little 'sanity break' from the group. I'm staying with a woman from my work, Donna; her husband; son and of course Pheobe the puppy! They're a really great family and just plain wonderful people! Especially to put up the the likes of me! :) I'm also lucky enough to be able to enjoy the peaceful tranquility of my own bedroom (WOAH!!). This means I don't wake up to a jostle, sneeze, cough, full or incomplete sentence, fart or any other sleepy-time bodily function. Oh the luxury of billeting! :p I am starting to miss everyone though.. It's difficult. We've spent such an intense amount of time jammed together already that it's extremely bizarre not to be surrounded by my Katima-family. I catch myself wondering what everyone else is doing and hoping that they're having a good time. I cannot believe the bonds that have been formed in such a short amount of time! It's nutso! :p
So I'm not going to take the time to recap on everything that has gone on here as that would require far too much time and energy. Plus I don't think anyone besides you grandma wants to read about it all! :p I'll just say that I'm still having the absolute best time of my life! I'm loving the Maritimes! The people, the ocean, the atmosphere; the way of life! Things are a lot slower paced here compared to anywhere else I've been. This is one of the only places (outside of Delburne) where I'll be standing on the side of the road, waiting to cross illegally and the cars actually stop and allow me across the road! The first time this happened to me I didn't know what to do! I'm in a city and people don't mind taking the time out of their day to slow their transit in order to let a complete stranger cross the street? It's so cool! People will start conversations with you on the street while waiting for a street light to turn or while you're standing in line at the grocery store. It's really refreshing to me as it goes to show that maybe humanity isn't as far gone as it seems to be at home. It's also really cool how people react to me.. If I were an unknown in small town Delburne right now I think people would regard me as an unsavoury character based on appearances. I have red streaks in my hair now and I'm in the process of stretching my ear piercings. I am able to pass a pencil though my left lobe without any difficulty. I really like it but it's been expressed to me (*cough grandma cough*) that maybe the effect won't be so pleasing in 15 years or so.. I don't really care as I think almost anything that makes you happy is worth doing.
Here people don't care what you look like. It seems they don't just judge a book by it's cover; they seem genuinely interested in what the pages may hold.

Well I'm off to take the puppy to the beach :) Gonna play in some tidal pools!
Until next time!

True happiness cannot be measured. Only felt.

~Syd