Adding to my list...

I have a few things I'd like to add to my list of "Things I Find Funny in Canada" from a previous post...

• I saw my first moose...dead on the side of the road!


• Runners will still run in 2 feet of snow (witnessed this today)...pure dedication!


• No salt on sidewalks...does everyone have spikes on their shoes or what?


• Bus system still runs even when the roads have not been plowed yet


• Snow plowers clear driveways, not just streets!


• People wear ice skates to work...ok, just kidding about that one, although it might not be a bad idea!

Where's the SnowBird Report?

The first snow in Moncton is much different than the first snow in Bowling Green. We had our first snow this week--about 6 inches! I'm pretty sure this was the same day that I saw every Facebook profile from Bowling Green saying it was snowing there too. So while the dusting MIGHT have stuck a little bit on the ground in BG, we got a heap of it! It felt very strange going to class with this much snow...in KY I would be anxiously watching the SnowBird report to see what all was cancelled! The university had not put salt or anything on the sidewalks so they were complete sheets of ice. Couple that with the hill I have to walk up to get to class--not a safe combination!

Last night we went to a Junior Hockey League game...guys 16-20 years old participate in this league right before they get drafted by the NHL. So it was a lot of fun...well, minus the part where someone's head got slashed open by a skate! When we were leaving the game, you could tell from the sky that another snow storm was waiting to unleash its fury! I woke up this morning to what looks like 2 feet of snow. I say "looks like" because I haven't actually been out in it...my inner KY self has kept me inside the safe quarters of my room just like I would if it had snowed 2 feet in KY; while I know that normal Canadian citizens are going about their normal lives--because this is normal to them! I've said it once, and I'll say it again: it looks like its going to be a cold winter!

While its so white and pristine outside, I know the ice is there...let's just say that beauty can sometimes be treacherous!

The Adventure to Mont Tremblant

Warning: This is a long story...

Fall Break provided a little bit more adventure than any of us expected. Ten hours of driving to get to Montreal was enough, but we had no idea that our journey had just begun!! We spent the first couple of days in downtown Montreal. Such a beautiful place teeming with people! And lots of great shopping! The wind was intense there, so the extreme chill in the air was almost painful. None of us were prepared for that much cold...and then it started snowing. No big deal, not too much snow...in the city. But as we started to drive towards the mountains to reach Mont Tremblant, the snow in the air got thicker and the ground got whiter. We were definitely not equipped for this unexpected encounter with snow--no snowshoes, no heavy coats, no shovels, no ice-scraper, and of course, our rental van wasn't equipped with winter tires! As we reached the top of the mountain where our cabin was, we realized the snow was pretty deep--about 18 inches (or more in some places)! It was very hard to find our cabin's driveway and as we pulled into the drive, through a large snowbank (at least 2.5 feet deep), our van got stuck! At midnight! With no other occupied cabins nearby! As we were using our MBA brains to plan how to get the van unstuck, Genevieve realized we were at the wrong cabin! So, us girls started walking in the deep snow to find the correct cabin. This was straight out of one of those "20/20" specials where you see the abandoned hikers lost in the snow and an avalanche comes down and buries them alive...I will admit, I was scared! My imagination was going wild. With the thick snow clouds covering the moon, there was nothing to guide us, only pure white all around...very easy to lose your sense of direction! We finally find the correct cabin, only to realize there was no power!! And the lighter we found (by using our cell phones for light) was out of fluid...so we couldn't even light a fire in the fireplace! The boys ended up giving up on the van, so we had to go search for them to show the the way to the correct cabin. We decided this crazy nightmare would go away much quicker if we all just went to sleep and we would at least have sunlight in the morning. The power ended up coming back on the next day...and we had a wonderful fall break there. We had lots of studying to do (a huge midterm was the following week), but also had a lot of fun building snowmen, having snow fights, and visiting the ski village.

How's that for a Canadian experience?