Day 112: Goodbye Canada...

It's over. My four months in Canada is finished. This morning I woke up and finished my packing and then Ron came home from work and Joyce, Ron and I had some lunch together and then Shelley turned up. We just spent some time chatting till the cab came for me and then we said our goodbyes. It was difficult, very difficult. Anyway after aan hours drive to the airport I met Karl and we checked in. I had a crazy 30 mins trying to get my suitcases checked in because I was overweight and had to pay $60 plus remove some stuff from my bag. I managed eventually but it was insane. The flight to Frankfurt was ok, as bit bumply at times but not too bad. I couldn't sleep though while everypne else seemed to be able to but I watched a movie and read a book so it was ok. Then I did some 'looking around the shops' in Frankfurt airport till it was time to go and I slept for most of that flight. When we arrived there was Steve to meet us and it was so great to see a familiar face!! We got our luggages and went out...oh my was there a big crowd to meet us! A BIG thank you to all those who managed to make it, I appreciated it so much! (Andrew, Tamsin, Leah, Rebecca, Alexia, Josette, Kristina, Chiara, Aunty Mary, Nanna, Mummy, Lawrence, Kevin, Leana, Jonathan, Marisa & Mariella.) Anyway we went home then and some of those people came home too and my mum cooked a delicious dish of baked macaroni... I missed your cooking so much ma! It was really nice, I loved being with all my friends. Later on in the evening after I stayed with my mum I went to say hi to everyone at the hall in Paola and it was so nice to see them all! So now it's back to normal life, but somehow I think it won't be normal because time changes people and I think that I have changed in a way so really it's a beginning of something new... I can't wait! Ps: I will continue to update my blog for those who would like to continue checking it out... I think it's a great way to keep family and friends updated!!!!:)

Day 111: Last day in St.Catharines...

Oh my I can't believe it. Today was my last full day in St.Catharines. Four months are over!! Unbelievable! I woke up today to a huge breakfast Joyce prepared for Karl and I. It was lovely. Later on we took Karl to the bus station to go back to the family he is staying with and then I went to Shelley's house to see her parents. It was nice seeing them again, I hadn't seen them since the last time I was in Canada four years ago. Anyway, after a quick visit to the Dollar store I went back to pack and I almost did everything. Later Ron, Joyce and I went out to diner to this lovely place called the Lake House. I got back and watched some TV with Ron and now I am going to bed. I leave tomorrow, my plane takes off at 5.30pm. I am so excited to be going home, but it's sad to say bye to everyone too. Oh well... you never know I may see everyone in time to come.

Day 110: Ice-skating

Today was a nice day. I woke up and had some breakfast and then Shelley came over and met Karl and we spent most of the day just chatting. Later on in the afternoon Joyce took us shopping and I had fun looking around... so many things to see!! Anyway at about 7pm we went to an arena and watched this really lovely ice-skating show. I had never seen a live one and it was so nice... such an atmosphere! Anyway when we got back to the house Joyce made us a lovely plate of pasta and then it was off to bed for me!

Day 109: Almost got arrested by accident...

Today we woke up quite late as we had a big day yesterday and slept at about midnight. After a nice breakfast Karl and I just lazed about till Ron came home for his lunch break and we had a nice lunch. Then Joyce took us on a long drive round the scenic route to see the lakes and old towns with beautiful houses. She wanted to take us to this lovely town called Niagara on the Lake to do some Christmas shopping (obviously at this point shopping is no longer an option it's just a matter f window shopping - Just in case you were wondering Rob!!) and so she took the long way so we could see all this. The only problem was...(and here is the reason for the title) that Joyce was unaware of the new construction on the roads and as she was busy driving and explaining to us all that was around us she did not notice that there was no longer any exit to this town we wanted to go to and dorve straight into the border gates between Canada and the States... Little piece of information... Karl and I have no VISA!! So just at the last second we realised what we were about to do and she made an illegal U-turn before we did anything serious enough to get us arrested !! Oh well it was quite exciting. We eventually got to the town and did some shopping. Later on we went back home and she cooked a lovely dinner of rabbit and fruit for dessert. Now I am off to bed... my goodness by the end of the week I am home... exciting!

Day 108: Andre Rieu

Our last day in Toronto. Today we woke up a little bit later than usual and packed all our stuff. After breakfast we made our way down to St.Michaels Cathedral were we heard mass with a gorgeous boys choir who attend the school attached to the church itself. Afterwards we walked to the Skydome were we attended a concert by Andre Rieu, who is world famous. It was a great concert, two and a half hours and it seemed like five minutes. There were 10, 000 people in the dome and the atmosphere was simply out of this world!! Anyway we went back to the hotel got our stuff and went to pick up Karl as he will be staying with us for a few days. It has been a great weekend, absolutely superb! I can't believe it, by the end of this week I will be home!

Day 107: Radio City - Rockettes

Wow, another great day! I woke up again today after a great night sleep and had a lovely breakfast. Today Joyce and I decided to do some serious shopping so Ron decided he would leave us to ourselves, and do some of his own things. We killed ouselves but my oh my what s day. We went into so many stores it was great. I didn't buy much really it was just fun experiencing the atmosphere. We then had a quick snack at the mall cafeteria and then went to change for yet another show. Tonight we went to watch the Radio City Rockettes, which is a show that has been going on in America for years and this year they brought it to Canada. The technique was something out of this world, timing was perfect, there wasn't a single mistake. I loved it. Afterwards we went to have dinner and this Jewish restaurant and then off to bed!!

Day 106: Wicked!

Today was another great day. I woke up at about 9am after a lovely sleep in such a comfortable bed. We went down for breakfast and then took the car to a near by distillery. This place was beautiful. It is a few roads of old beer factories which have been turned into art centres but they have left all the original setting and machinery there so there is this great fusion of old and new. It gave me the impression of being in one of Dicken's books with cobbled roads and real gas lanterns. We then stopped for lunch at one of the bars and afterwards went back to the hotel for a rest. Later we got ready for another show, this time it was a musical, quite new, called wicked. The singing and the technical aspect of it was great I loved it! Afterwards we really felt like a snack so we went to Tim Hortons for tea and muffins and then a good night sleep!

Day 105: Nutcracker

Thankfully today Joyce was feeling much better so we decided that we would be able to make our weekend in Toronto afterall. We packed for most of the day and then left. It was about a one and a half hour drive but it was quite pleasant. We got to our hotel which was called Cambridge Suits and we were given a room on the 20th floor! It was so nice, and the view! Anyway, we had just enough time to unpack and then we left to go and watch the ballet 'Nutcracker'. Out of this world, in all of my life I don't think I have ever seen anything so beautiful. Afterwards we were all hungry so we went to have dinner and found a place called 'Rich Tree' which was so original. It was set as a market with each stand selling different types of food and you could go around and buy anything you wanted from there and sit at tables in the centre and eat... I loved it. Anyway went back to the hotel for a good sleep... I was exhausted!

Day 104: Hospital

Today was not a very good day. Ron woke me up early in the morning to say that he had taken Joyce to hospital in the middle of the night because of bad stomach pains. I spent the rest of the day waiting to hear from them to see about any news. In the meantime I decided to start some uni work for Malta as i have loads to do and I was quite pleased that I managed to finish quite a bit but I felt bad for Joyce. Thank God by the end of the day she was back home and Ron and I went out for a quuick bite to eat and then we watched some T.V. I didn't mind spending a day in at all I got to catch up on some work, I just felt bad for Joyce but thank God she is ok now.

Day 103: Revolving Dinner!

What a day... so today I woke up to do some sorting out of suitcases as I am rather overweight and needed to fine the best way possible to pack. In the afternoon I went shopping with Joyce and Shelley to the Pen Centre as Joyce needed to get some Christmas shopping done and I just wanted to look around. We had a really nice afternoon and then we stopped to have lunch at one of the cafeteria's in the mall. At about 6pm we went back and Ron was back from work . We stayed there for a while and then decided to go and see the lights at Niagara Falls. They were out of this world... All along the road there were huge lights in the formation of Disney characters, different Candaian trademarks, and just everything you can imagine... amazing. Anyway we decided to go up into this building called the 'Skylon' which used to be the tallest building in Canada. It is so high you can see for miles and miles and usually people go up there to walk around this board walk where you can go all the way round, but did we do that??? No... instead we went right to the top and had dinner in the restaurant which did the walking for us because it is a revolving restaurant!! Oh my... what an experience. So I had the most amazing dinner, while my restaurant kindly revolved to show me different sights of all that was around me! It was such an experience.

Day 102: First day in St.Catharines!

Today was a really relaxing day. I woke up quite late and had a really lovely breakfast with Ron & Joyce till quite late actually too :) Afterwards I unpacked and then just chatted for most of the day till about 7pm when Ron took me to a mass he usually goes to which is said in the old way, i.e pre Vatican II, so it was all in Latin and the priest said it all with his back towards us and oh... hehe my favourite, I had to wear a veil:) I was reading through the translation booklet as we went along and there were some really interesting facts like the priest makes the sign of the cross 52 times throughout the whole mass! Anyway, later went back home and had a lovely home cooked meal ... thank you Joyce!

Day 101: Goodbye Prince Edward Island!

It's over. My student exchange to UPEI is done. I am now in Toronto and have eleven days here till I go back home. Today has been a very emotional day. I went to mass at the Cathedral down town today with Karl and that was really lovely and then we went to Sears as I needed another hand luggage. Aferwards we went back to residence to finish packing and in the meantime Linda, a friend of mine came to say bye and brought us these lovely gifts! We went for lunch and then to Tim Hortons as we had arranged to meet alot of our friends there. It was great seeing them there but sad because then we had to say bye and it was really hard. Anyway, after a stressful 30 mins Karl and I got to the airport and managed to get on the plane just in time... the plane actually had to wait for us cause we were over weight and Karl's suitcase had to be checked... anyway long story!! We made it though and I have just had a lovely dinner of Rabbit spaghetti and ice-cream. I'm off to bed now though as I only slept an hour last night and I'm falling asleep. Looking forward to these eleven days!!

Day 100: Panic!!

Oh my goodness I can't fit all my stuff into my suitcase!! I am desperately trying but no luck. Today was a day of byes and packing. I went to the mall this morning to get some last few things but didn't get much. Then I started packing and oh my what a problem... the stuff I have accumulated over four months is something amazing! Anyway, a few friends then came over to say bye and that was nice but quite sad. Afterwards I went shopping with MIke and Amy while Karl had an exam. Later we went out to eat at a really lovely restaurant called 'Gahan' and then we went to a dance club called 'Piazza Joes' and I loved it!!! Had a great time. Now I am stressing myself out big time trying to finish packing... Karl is coming to the rescue thank God with his huge suitcases! Anyway, we'll see tomorrow now.

Day 99: Last day in town... more snow!

Today I had planned to go down town for the last time and get some more gifts before I leave. In the morning Karl and I did some running around in the university to get the last few papers we needed and then went back to our rooms. At one time we looked out of our window and saw tons of smoke coming from one of the uni buildings... it was huge. We immediately got a voice message on our phones telling us to stay in as the fire was quite large and the fumes toxic as it was the building with all the biology chemicals which went up in flames. Anyway, we went for lunch and then got a cab down town. Oh... it started to snow again today as yesterday it all melted but it's back!! Anyway, I managed to get some more things and then later we went for dinner with Lisa Chilton and the other two students who are coming on exchange next semester. We had a lovely dinner at a place called 'Piece a Cake' and then afterwards Mike took us home and we began laundry and packing... it's so strange I can't believe it! Anyway, in the meantime I am on Skype with Robert... miss ya Rob!! We all do! Anyway tomorrow is going to be a packed day so off to bed.... night night.

Day 98: FInished Exams and Puzzle!!

Today I had my one and only exam and now that it is done everything is done!! It was quite tough but not too bad. I can't believe all my university work for this semester is done... already!! Anyway afterwards a friend of ours took us out for dinner to this Indian restaurant and I really enjoyed it even though the food was a bit spicy!! We got back to the room quite early so I decided to work on my puzzle for a little bit and I finished it!!! Perfect timing as tomorrow I want to start my packing. This morning we went to our last mass at the chaplaincy and had to say bye to Fr.Charlie which was really sad and also some of my friends I usually meet there. Oh well... part of life I guess... but hey Toronto here I come!!!

Day 97: Show is over!

Today we had our last ever performance of 'A Christmas Carol' and I have to say I am really sad. It was an amazing experience but it is so hard with these things because you become so close and then you have to leave and in my case I know that I will probably never see them again. Oh well it was great while it lasted! The show went really well today and then a few of us went out for lunch afterwards which was nice. I spent most of the rest of the day studying as I have an exam tomorrow at 2pm. Mrs. Baldacchino came for a suitcase today which she is kindly taking down for us! Everything is going by so quickly now and I am looking forward to going to Toronto and eventually home, but a little bit of sadness is still there. It has been great though.

Day 96: Packed first suitcase!

Today I woke up to a white world!! As you can see everything is so beautifully white... but so so cold! We had two performances today and they went really well but I was quite sad cause tomorrow is our last one and I know I am going to be so sad to say bye to all those in the company!! I went outside inbetween the two shows and had a snow fight with the kids!!:) Afterwards I slept for an hour and then went around to pick up some paper work. I got some results back and bought my last Santa present for the secret santa we have going on at the theatre. Later I went to dinner and then to a friends room (Sonja) as it is her birthday tomorrow and she had a small birthday party... more goodbyes! Anyway, tomorrow Mrs. Baldacchino is coming to pick up a suitcase for us as she is going back to Malta and is kindly taking down one for us, so Karl and I packed one and it felt so strange packing!! Anway, tomorrow is going to be a sad day saying bye, but I am looking forward to coming back and seeing everyone!

Day 95: Snowmen and Snowfights!

Oh my goodness... it snowed today and it snowed heavily! The whole place is just white and I got to build my first ever snowman and have my first ever snow fight!!! I was sitting in the Karl's apartment doing some work when I saw what looked like rain. After a while I started noticing that everything was going white and before I knew it everywhere was white!! Karl and I flew into layers of clothes and just rain out into it... my goodness what fun!!! We started taking pictures and then we noticed two others in the distance doing the same. Later we noticed they were out two friends fom Australia and they were as excited as we were cause they had never seen snow either. Anyway we decided to try and build a snowman and it took us ages as we were grabbing handfulls of snow and just piling them on top of each other. An hour later we did actually make something close to a snow man. In the meantime of course we had the odd snow fight and that was great fun! Just as we had finished our snowman, out American and Canadian dreinds came along and made fun of our snowman saying it wasn' t the real stuff. They then spent the next ten minutes laughing their heads off when they found out how we actually made it because apparently you are meant to roll teh snow and it just grows and grows and we were picking it up and piling it!! Oh well they built a quick one, smaller than ours though in a matter of seconds!! I had great fun!! Some of them then try sliding down a slope on trays which we stole from the cafeteria!!:) I loved it! This morning we had two shows and they went great. We were given lunch inbetween so it was nice to sit and chat to the others. I also took loads of pics but I can't put them all up here. The one that I did put up is of my fiance and myself... Young Scrooge:) And the one in the snow has a special dedication.Tomorrow another two shows!!

Day 94: Excuse me?!

Ok my day today... woke up did some reading. Had breakfast, started writing a paper. Got washed and changed, went to mass. Went to dinner and came back to my room. Finished a paper and checked my e-mails. That was my day today... not very exciting but now all my papers are done!!! Just one exam and I am finished. The main point of today's blog is in the form of a quiz. I was sitting at the cafeteria today having dinner, when a friend of mine from France who is in a business course gave me a page from one his books. Yes, he actually tore out a page from his course book as he wanted to show me something really worth seeing. This is where the quiz comes in... who of you can tell me what is wrong with this map?!?! I was shocked when I saw it! Remember this page has come out of a respectable (although no longer in my eyes) and expensive business book which is being sold to hundreds of North American students. And then they blame them for having a bad sense of geography!!

Day 93: Cast Party!

Today we had our second evening show and it was great!!! The show went really well and smoothly. Today was the day that it was filmed for the DVD and before the cameraman came into our changing rooms to interview us and it was so much fun cause he asked me to say Merry Christmas in Maltese and then made all the kids repeat it and they were so cute!!! Anyway, after the play we had the cast party and that was so much fun!! I sat at a table with most of the friends I made and had such a blast. Everyone left at about ten and my table just stayed there till midnight chatting and laughing... oh my it was great!! This morning I didn't do much except work and go for lunch. Tomorrow I have to finish a paper which is driving me crazy and we don't have a show so I am going to miss that... then we have another five as of Monday. Oh well I am going to miss all of them when it is over... don't want to think about it!!

Day 92: Two shows!!

Today was so much fun we had two shows, one in the morning and one in the evening for the public and it was great!! The morning show went really well as usual for the school kids and then Karl and I went back to residence to do some work. We had lunch and then decided to go picture crazy and took all these really weird pics :) Anyway, in the evening we set off for our other performance and I was so excited because there were people who I knew in the audience like Mr. and Mrs. Baldacchino and Amy!! They really enjoyed it apparently and afterwards we went to have a drink with Mr. and Mrs. Baldacchino at Maver's the theatre bar. I had a really great day... I love this show business stuff! Tomorrow we have another performance and then a cast party afterwards. Fun!!:)