Back in O-Town

This last month has been an absolute blur. Many duty shifts, working, studying here and there, hanging out with friends and trying to get everything done that needed to get done was exhausting. I still haven't recovered from all of that yet; hopefully by the weekend I'll feel rested.

After checking out over 60 students, with the help of Jeffrey, I packed up all of my belongings. Francis, Jaclyn, random friend of Francis, Tiana, Dave, Eric, Francis's parents, Adam and probably more people helped get all of my crap to Francis's place. My shoes went missing in the process, somehow, which really sucks. Still can't find them and I was going to be bringing those as my work shoes. Darn. I have a ton of stuff after living in a house last year with Tiana and a decent sized bachelor last summer. I didn't move back to Ottawa at all, so all of the things that filled those homes were stored somehow over the last school year. Needless to say, there's over 2 large van loads of stuff. The patience of everyone involved in moving, which included Ania, Brendan and Mom by Sunday, is much appreciated. Especially considering I was grumpy and drained, I can't believe how well everyone came together for me. Complete strangers and families of friends were so generous in helping me, a random girl with a ton of stuff who they don't even know. Francis's family and Ania's mom ROCK --thanks so much for letting me store some of my stuff until we can haul it back to O-Town!

We ended off our incredible 3 years pre-placement with an "Epic Party" at Francis's place on Saturday. People from first to fifth year, UofT staff to Ryerson students, parents and friends piled into the Massé residence. It was an unforgettable evening in so many ways. Throughout the night were tearful good-byes but I definitely smiled and laughed way more than I cried. There weren't many pictures of the night because everyone was having too good of a time to remember to document any of it, haha. I doubt many of us will be forgetting it, though.

Sunday night, Brendan and Mom -fresh from a hockey tournament- picked me and Jeffrey up from the Massé place. We were back in Ottawa by 11pm and it was off to bed before a long day on Monday.

Monday, May 5: dentist, waited 20 minutes at the police station for a police check and gave up, eye doctor, waited 2 hours at the police station for a police check and gave up. Mom got my malaria pills, which I started. They're dry pills and suck to take.

Tuesday, May 6: waited 10 minutes at the police station and got my police check!, scanned/photocopied/printed a million forms at Mom's office, told OHIP I'll be gone.

Tonight I'll be hanging out with Devon, my first friend in elementary school. We haven't seen each other in a couple of years and I can't wait!

Left to do? Mom and I are shopping til we drop at MEC tomorrow. Most of my shopping needs to be done at Shoppers and I'm still waiting on a few prescriptions. I need to mail some receipts in to Toronto and mail my police check to CUSO. Jeffrey's teaching me a bunch of accounting, Excel and SWOT analysis stuff. I'll be catching up with friends and family before I'm off. And I need to cram some Spanish while I'm at it. It's going to be a busy final 8-9 days!

shot party with my husband

Health forms are complete! I gave Nancy (my co-op supervisor) my receipts for my forms being signed and my TB test this morning and my package of forms. I wrote up my page and a bit about all of my health issues :p Hopefully the insurance company doesn't make me do extra tests because of my asthma, chest pain and stupid stomach. *Fingers crossed* Also gave Nancy a present of maple syrup which caused her to squeal and give me a hug across her desk, haha.

Maple syrup is nothing since I owe her! CUSO and Oxfam-Quebec didn't ask for my resume based on a chart of everyone in my program. Nancy sent in my resumes anyway after I bugged her. And, go figure, I got hired by both! The Oxfam job wasn't as perfect, so my Guatemala job was an easy choice.

Dave and I went to get our shots today. We got typhoid and yellow fever shots. Technically I don't need yellow fever but I will need it if I travel to Brazil or Bolivia. Also got cholera booster powder crap that you mix with water and tastes like "raspberries". Or crap. Depending on what raspberries normally taste like to you. Prescriptions for Cipro (traveller's diarrhea) and Chloroquine (malaria) were given, too. So as soon as I get those prescriptions, I'm DONE with my health stuff! Woot.

The doctor was convinced we were married. She thought it was romantic that I want to go visit Bolivia. Uh, sure. "Do you always travel together?" Makes you a bit nervous when your travel doctor forgets you're going to two different countries/regions...

Our first Spanish lesson on Monday was good. Los palillos are chopsticks! Not the most useful addition to my vocabulary but it was relevant in the discussion because we were eating stirfry. Francis assigned me homework, which was helpful. Ania got some grammar tips. It was good times. Another "class" on Thursday!

I got traumatized by looking at Leslie's pictures of Costa Rica. I'll post some later on...scorpions, snakes, spiders and lizards...oye.

first entry!

About two months left to go before I head off into the Guatemalan rainforest. Well, technically I haven't sent in my signed contract to CUSO or been approved for health insurance, so there is potential I won't go. Technically.

I started a to do list on the side. There are approximately a million things to do in my last two months here in Canada. All of my health insurance sign offs from the doctor and tests were completed last week! Whoohoo! Remind me of things I'm missing. I don't want to forget anything!

And this week I'll be sending in all of my documents to the health insurance company and my acceptance letter to CUSO. Hopefully on Tuesday Dave and I can get our shots (or at least talk to a travel medicine doctor). On Friday, I'll be back in Ottawa. I'll be getting my licence and passport renewed that day.

Things are moving along!

I'm really happy to be leaving in May. The thought of spending a summer in Canada, anxiously waiting to head off to Central America, is brutal.

My placement is, at this point, 8 months long. Which is nuts because it means I'll be done before Christmas! However, I do plan on staying in Latin America for the holidays and travelling.

Three of my friends in my program are going to be in Latin America as well. Ania is going to be in Honduras, Francis in Nicargua (the jerk passed up a job in El Salvador -we would have been so close! Haha) and Dave in Bolivia (COCHABAMA! *hip wiggle*). We are all scheduled to leave in May. Dave and I are working for the Canadian placement agency CUSO (although we have different local partners we'll directly be working for). Francis and Ania were hired by Oxfam-Quebec but are also working for local partners.

We'll be doing Spanish practice sessions at my place twice a week starting this week. My Spanish is the weakest (the only verbs I recognize are the ones that are very close to French verbs). Dave is from Colombia, so his is pretty good, and Francis has become nearly fluent in only a few years -he tutors it now! Ania has taken classes and picks up languages really quickly. So hopefully they can whip me into shape in the short two months we have left...YIKES!

On that note, I have some residence stuff to work on and then should practice some Espanol!