Monday 14 October 2013

A few weeks of firsts.

Recently i have been spending a lot of my time, especially the weekends exploring Halifax and other places in Nova Scotia and also trying to learn more about the cultural differences and experience some of the things that make Canada, Canada.

Going apple picking was one of these things, being taken on an old yellow school bus to go apple picking, i never thought i would ever feel so American/Canadian (this has been topped though :P). It was a beautiful day too, we arrived and tried some free cider (which here does not mean that it is alcoholic, much to the disappointment of the Brits), and went around filling a punnet full of apples, and getting suitably burnt/bitten in the process. On that same day i also experienced my first ever ice hockey game, a particularly violent one i have been told, and i loved it! Not just because someone got hit in the face with an ice hockey stick and there was blood everywhere, but because it is amazing that the players are so well practised in what they do they can not only play on ice but also beat the crap out of one another on ice. Then i was even more shocked to find out this week that they are from the junior league so are only aged 14-20, baffling.


Me and all my friends then got dressed up all swanky like and went to a ball, there was a 3 course dinner and charity auction and a band playing... i felt much too common to be there :P Then the next day was another Canadian delight, a lobster dinner. It was homecoming weekend and we went for lobster then to the American football game. The first time i had done either. Firstly, lobster is a tricky dish to eat, it is certainly not something you would eat on a date with a bib round your neck and claws flying everywhere, but it is an experience! I was also the epitome of playing with your food, but what else am i meant to do when i have a full lobster in front of me! It was lovely though to be sat enjoying lobster with a man on a ukulele serenading us. And then lots of cake to follow :) The football game was a little less exciting though, i attempted to learn the rules, the man behind tried his best to explain it, but still, i thought it just stopped and started too much. The day after i then went to a historical site called the citidel for a project that was due not very long after (whoops) and i had a roam around and watched the midday cannon be set off, which is very loud, I'm glad i took the tour guides advice and put my fingers in my ears.



This weekend it was thanksgiving weekend, and never having celebrated thanksgiving before, i didn't really get it, but i have figured it is like Christmas without the presents :) I consumed lots of turkey this weekend. Firstly though i went to a place called McNabs island, which was just off Halifax, about a 20 minute boat ride away, and explored the island, it was beautiful with lovely beaches and views. After getting the boat back from there we went to an amazing hot chocolate shop and then to the harbour to buy bacon butties, which are different to the ones in England, they have maple onions and tomatoes in them, but nice all the same :) Then on to a thanksgiving supper i went and ate turkey and played boardgames :). Then yesterday i went for another thanksgiving dinner, but this time there were loads of us, and two turkeys, a massive mound of potatoes and 3 pumpkin pies. Needless to say i went back for seconds and had 2 desserts, leaving feeling content. We should celebrate thanksgiving in England ;)

All in all, a good few weeks of firsts, and many more to come :)