Time is running out. I appologize for few and short blog posts, but I only have one month left in Canada. To summarize this week in single words; friends, rugby, fishing, running, food, school, work and prom prep. As much as I would like to share all my thoughts and reflections in detail and skype with friends and family in Norway, I need to be "selfish" and live every moment of this very last month to the fullest. It's impossible to have one foot in each country. However, I promise I will make it up to you as soon as i get back home.
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We won it all! I have no words. Yesterday must have been one of the best days during my exchange. You have no idea how great it felt to hold the trophy. I played as a stand-off (scrum-halfs best friend) on Yarmouth A. We won 46-0 over Barrington (which means that we scored around 8 tries). Regardless of our loss (B) to Shelburne (last years winners), Yarmouth Vikings became the champions of this years league. (I did not take all of these pictures) The final games were 2 x 10 minutes, instead of 2 x 7.
The boys played phenomenal as usual. I'm so proud of everyone. Rugby is one of the greatest descisions I have taken. I have got to know a bunch of great, dedicated, fun and loving people and learned a new sport. I could not have been any happier with my coaches, teammates and the season in general. I don't think it's possible to end the season in a better way. By the way, I made it to the all-star game (Yes, I was just as shocked as you). It's a game where the best players in Nova Scotia play against each other. The strongest players from Barrington, Yarmouth and Shelburne are being put together as one team to represent the Tri County Region. The all-star game is June 7. In other words, I guess the season isn't over yet after all. This week has been great so far. The three first photos are taken by Jeanne. On Monday I ate lunch at Jungle Jim's as one of Celine's other birthday surprises (beloved and lucky girl). I had the day off because of Victoria Day. After I hung out with the boys at Max's house. He is a good friend from Shanghai. I finally got an authentic Chinese friend, haha. Upcoming events: Rugby final and gathering on Saturday. Two weeks to prom. I got my ticket today (25 CAD). Prom is a huge deal in North-America. I don't know if the fact that my Canadian friend Janell wrote me a list of all the things I have to do before prom day and an overview of the program makes me calm or stressed. However, it will be a fun, memorable and busy day. Tomorrow I'm going to one of my coop-placements, the hairdresser, practice and the last school dance of this semester. It's a grafitti dance where you can bring a white t-shirt and get people to sign it. Fun, run, fun fun :) To my grandparents (mommo,besse, faffa og gretemor): Hittil har jeg hatt en veldig fin uke. På mandag møtte jeg noen venner på Jungle Jim's for å overraske Celine med en bursdags-lunsj. Senere ble jeg med guttene til Max, en venn fra Shanghai. Har endelig fått en autentisk kinesisk venn, haha. De spilte Fifa (fotballvideospill) mens jeg så på. På tirsdag var rugbytrening avlyst på grunn av regn, derfor tok jeg turen til treningssenteret. Deretter spiste Matias, Raymond og jeg pizza på Jake's. Før vi tuslet hvert til vårt spilte guttene en runde sjakk på Sip Café.
Planer framover: I morgen skal jeg klippe meg, på utplassering, på rugbytrening og årets siste skoledans. På lørdag skal jeg spille rugby finale. Det blir veldig spennende. Jeg tror vi har en god sjanse til å vinne. Ellers begynner ballet å nærme seg. Fordi det er en veldig stor greie her i Amerika så er det mye å ordne i forkant av ballet. Jeg må blant annet legge opp kjolen, ordne blomst og teste diverse frisyrer. Ut i fra det jeg har hørt av de canadiske jentene så blir det en veldig hektisk dag, men med mye moro. Gleder meg. Jeg var forresten på forsiden av den lokale avisa i forbindelse med hjemmekampen forrige lørdag. Håper alt står bra til i Norge.
As much as I want to be home, I try not to think too much about my departure. I'm the type of girl that doesn't cry when appropriate or expected. I just awkwardly stand there with a stone face while everyone else are bawling their eyes out (Okay, I might have exaggerated a little bit. I offer free comforting hugs). Don't ask why. It's not like I'm not sad. The tears just won't appear, and it usually makes me feel like the worst person ever. However, at the moment I'm stuck in an emotional roller coaster. I am happy, free, confused, frustrated, sad and blissful at the same time; most of all content and grateful. An important note to all present and future exchange students, people in general (my favorite commentary): Enjoy every single moment of the time left in your host countries! I will.
I posted this in the rugby group on facebook: OMG, I love rugby, but I hope I'll never see myself like this outside the field. My coach replies: We told you that you played a "pretty" game of rugby... We never said you'd look pretty doing it. She has a good point. You can see all the pictures from Saturday's tournament by clicking - here. The photos are taken by Ken Chetwynd. How we felt when we realized that we are going to the final. Saturday was a blast. Barrington hosted this weekend's rugby tournament. I was back on the A team as a stand-off (the scrum-half's "best friend"). All our Yarmouth teams played phenomenal. We won all our games. Everything we have been working on for the last two months finally came together. We rocked the field. The two other teams are pretty strong as well. I am very excited for the final on Saturday. Yarmouth A and Barrington will be playing for gold, and Yarmouth B and Shelburne for third place. The boys will also be playing for the trophy. It's sad that this is the last week of the season, but I honestly don't think my body would been able to go on for much longer than two months.
After the torunament all the girls + Ryan, Koko and Brandon (boys from the team) met at Sarah's to throw a surprise birthday party for Celine. It was an awesome feeling to see Celine's reaction as she walked in the room. We bought her a cake and a rugbyball signed by the whole team. What a night. I am very lucky to be part of such a fun, loving and supporting team as Yarmouth Vikings. Next morning Sarah's mom made us pancakes and bacon for breakfast. Lucky and spoiled girls. These are the pictures I took from the arrival of the new ferry. Nova Star Cruises travels between New England (Portland, Maine) and Nova Scotia (Yarmouth). It's a 10 hours trip and costs around 100 CAD each way. It was nice to see that so many people showed up to welcome the returning Canadians and tourists.
Today is Norway's national day, which is a huge deal in our country. This is my favorite day of the year! Some background information: "Norway's Constitution, which declared the country to be an independent nation, was signed at Eidsvoll on 17 May 1814, and despite full independence having had to wait until 1905, this date remains Norway's official National Day." May 17th is celebrated with children parades (no military), games (like potato race), songs, banners, flags, speeches, barbecues and national costumes. It's a day to spend time with family and friends. The kids usually get to eat as many ice creams and hot dogs as they want. I wish I could be home celebrating with all of you. I would also like to arrange a Norwegian celebration here in Canada, but I have too many things going on over the weekend. However, you can read more about our national day - here. Jeg ønsker alle i Norge en fantastisk nasjonaldag, og gratulerer Norge med dagen!
Stolt av å være nordmann. This morning I walked to the waterfront to take pictures of the new ferry arriving in town. It was a part of my job for YASTA (my coop-placement - the local tourist agency). At noon I ate lunch at Subway with Celine, Matias and two of his Canadian friends. As an exchange student I'm not allowed to drive or work, therefore I usually bring lunch and eat in the school cafeteria. However, it's nice to go out once in a while. After school I had a mocca shiver with Matias, Raymond, Max, Jeanne, Yara, Beatrice, Marco, Daniel, Arturo and Carlotta at Sip café. It's a nice place to hang downtown. Later in the evening Jeanne and I met Celine, Catherine and two other girls at the movies to celebrate Celine's 17th birhtday. We saw "The Amazing Spider-Man 2" in 3D. The movie is great by the way. Celine, Jeanne and I ended the night at Pizza Delight where we ate a late, but good supper. For my grandparents (mommo, besse, faffa og gretemor):
I dag morges ble jeg sendt til brygga av YASTA (det lokale turistbyrået jeg jobber for) for å ta bilder av den nye ferga. Jeg ble invitert med ut for å spise lunsj på Subway med Celine, Matias og to canadiske kompiser av han. Det var kos. Fordi jeg hverken kan jobbe eller kjøre, pleier jeg å lage egen matpakke og spise i skolekantinen, men det er hyggelig å dra ut en gang i blant. Etter skolen tilbrakte jeg et par timer med mine internasjonale venner, Matias (Finland), Raymond (Sør-Korea), Max (Kina), Jeanne (Belgia), Yara (Nederland), Beatrice, Marco, Carlotta (Italia), Daniel og Arturo (Mexico) på Sip Café. Senere gikk Jeanne og jeg for å se "The Amazing Spider Man 2" med Celine (Tyskland) og tre canadiske venner. Celine, Jeanne og jeg avsluttet Celines bursdagsfeiring på Pizza Delight (restaurant). Med andre ord; en fin start på helgen. I recommend every bored soul in Yarmouth to visit the Yarmouth Waterfront Gallery. The gallery is divided in an art gallery and an antique museum. I felt like a kid in a toy store as I entered the first room. There are lots of cool and retro items from all the way back in the 1800s. This was another task I had to do for YASTA. It's open from 10:00 am - 05:00 pm everyday. The best part is that it's not just a gallery, it's a shop. You can actually buy whatever you would like for a decent price (no tax). The co-owner told me that they've been going on for six years. The items are found or brought in from attics and basements. She also said that they do it as a hobby. The purpose is to save local history, which I think is a great idea.
For more information go to their facebook page. |
THEA JORDAN (18)
I'm an adventurous and positive girl from Tønsberg, Norway. Last fall (2013) I decided to fly out of my comfort zone to live 10 months in Nova Scotia, Canada. With this blog I want to keep my family and friends posted on my everyday life in Yarmouth, Canada. I also hope this can be an inspiration and guidance for future exchange students.
Med denne bloggen ønsker jeg først og fremst og holde familie og nære oppdaterte på livet i Yarmouth, Canada, samtidig som jeg håper at dette kan være en inspirasjon og hjelp til andre som også har lekt med tanken på ett år i utlandet. Archive
July 2014
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