Voici ma vue ce matin en écrivant ce blog:

Effectivement, je suis chez Wendy encore, et ce n'est que le français qui me vient à l'esprit. Mais, pour tout les anglophones, je vais faire l'effort de switcher en anglais. ;) All you anglophones can just put that into an online translator to get the gyst, I don't feel like translating. As mentioned, it is only for you that I'm making the effort to write this in english today. If it was only for me personally, today especially would be completely in french, but as I know that most people that read this only speak english...*sigh*... ;)

That is getting to me more and more these days: people that only speak one of the two languages. It greatly hinders conversations and mixing between friends. I do understand however, as it is the same when I go to Germany and Julija and Vera have to translate a lot of thoughts and conversations from German and Russian to English or French. (But they are crazy and speak 4-5 languages...I'm just jealous really) I would love to speak German. Along with Spanish, and a handful of other languages. Again I run in to my eternal dilemma of only being able to be at one place at a time, and doing a Masters takes up quite a big chunk of that time. Especially because I want to learn by living there and immersion, not just taking a class for a few weeks. So as you all reading this as my witness, one day (hopefully not in 50 years) I will speak at least minimal German and Spanish, at least. 

All I really want is some peace man, A place to find a common ground

Do I stress you out?
My sweater is on backwards and inside out
And you say, "How appropriate"

I don't dissect everything today
I don't mean to pick you apart you see
But I can't help it

An' there I go jumpin' before the gunshot has gone off
Slap me with a splintered ruler
And it would knock me to the floor if I wasn't there already
If only I could hunt the hunter

And all I really want is some patience
A way to calm the angry voice
And all I really want is deliverance

Do I wear you out?
You must wonder why I'm relentless and all strung out
I'm consumed by the chill of solitary

I'm like Estella
I like to reel it in and then spit it out
I'm frustrated by your apathy

And I am frightened by the corrupted ways of this land
If only I could meet the maker
And I am fascinated by the spiritual man
I am humbled by his humble nature

An' what I wouldn't give to find a soul mate
Someone else to catch this drift
An' what I wouldn't give to meet a kindred

Enough about me, let's talk about you for a minute
Enough about you, let's talk about life for a while
The conflicts, the craziness
And the sound of pretenses is fallin'
All around, all around

Why are you so petrified of silence?
Here can you handle this?
Did you think about your bills, you ex, your deadlines
Or when you think you're gonna die?
Or did you long for the next distraction?

An' all I need now is intellectual intercourse
A soul to dig the hole much deeper
And I have no concept of time other than it is flyin'
If only I could kill the killer

An' all I really want is some peace man
A place to find a common ground
And all I really want is a wavelength

An' all I really want is some comfort
A way to get my hands untied
And all I really want is some justice

'Cause all I really want is some patience

And all I really want is deliverance
A place to find a common ground
And all I really want is some justice

I feel like this sometimes.. Often actually. Particularly now. In case you grew up under a rock, this song is All I Really Want by Alanis Morissette. There is a reason why this is one of the greatest albums of all time. It's kind of my relaxation, try-not-to-give-up-on-life album right now. 

This is all I have to share for now, while I'm writing essays. This last one is sucking the life out of me. I will write a proper update about life and my recent travels when I'm finished recovering from my blitz to celebrate finishing these damn papers. 

Things I have learned

I cannot work well or write essays in planes, trains or automobiles. I find travel relaxing and like spending my travel time pondering, listening to music, and staring out the window.

Sleeping next to someone who snores loudly makes me want to kill something (or them).

Russians find the title 'chai tea' hilarious. Apparently the word tea in Russian is chai. So to them it is like someone ordering a 'tea tea latte'.

Trying to call a cat or dog that doesn't understand English (or French) is very difficult. It just stares at you like you're stupid.

Any city that is not too humid, and not too densely populated, and has history, nature, a nightlife, and an abundance of cafés and coffeeshops warms my heart. But I do love vacationing on the beach.

One really good friend is worth more than one hundred other friends any day.

I can sleep anywhere that is remotely flat and has a minimal level of comfort. However I cannot properly sleep on even the comfiest of chairs.

It's not pop (or soda) that I hate, but actually just anything carbonated.

It is not just French that I love, but languages, learning them, and culture.

I have very low tolerance for people who dislike or complain about something or someone simply because it is different than what they are used to, or because they are different than themselves or their world view.

Russian New Years, in Germany

So I’m writing this blog from the IC 459 train heading to Berlin from Hannover, and will most likely publish it when we get to Vera’s place in Berlin, along with the pictures of Hannover.

Christmas in Canada was good. It was exactly as expected. Lots of visiting with family and friends. Lots of snow. Lots of drinks. Lots of vodka soaked gummi bears (let me know if you want to see some videos of these ;). Although I did experience a bit of reverse culture shock upon landing in Winnipeg and heading to Redvers. Being in an English speaking place again was weird. As was the flatness of the area. What was nice though was to see proper amounts of snow and winter, and people carrying on just fine. Rather than ‘some’ people freaking out over 15 cms….

All the friends and family that went out of their way to come visit me, ask me how Belgium and travelling was, share some stories from back home, and have a drink definitely made me smile. What else makes me smile is the new camera I got for Christmas.

This picture was unfortunately not taken with my camera

The trip back to Brussels was good but long. I was very excited to see my bed and sleep when we arrived at 9am. However the break from travelling didn’t last long as we had train tickets to Hannover the next day. That trip was equally long and painful, as the train ended up arriving in Hannover an entire hour later than expected because of ‘weather conditions’, and we ended up sitting facing backwards for half the trip which made me motion sick. All in all, not a very fun trip, but I was very glad to get to Hannover to see Vera and Julija again!

Our few days in Hannover were great, in a very large part thanks to Julija, her family, and Vera. However the thanking Vera will probably come more after our days in Berlin. Russian hospitality and Julija, are amazing. Russian New Year is crazy. I knew Russians liked their vodka, and drank it straight, but wow. Many, many shots of vodka followed by a pickle categorized the afternoon and evening before supper. And yes, apparently vodka and pickles go very well together. Do not try to tell a Russian otherwise, or you will get a look of total and utter bewilderment of your apparent lack of knowledge of vodka. And when they ask you what you drink your vodka with, do not tell them mixed in a glass with orange juice or 7-up. This will only lead to a look of further confusion.

Russians also take their drinking, and eating, very seriously. I believe we had 2 glasses of Baileys, a beer, and 5 vodka shots before even heading over to her parents place. Julija on the other hand had already had another 4 while cooking with her mother earlier in the day. The food was like a fabulous feast. Everything from the table layout, to the variety, to the food itself, to the many glasses of sparkling wine, to her parents that didn’t speak English was amazing. And of course, the random vodka shots that were scattered throughout the meals and at every celebration of New Years (Russian, Latvian, and German).

Then after this we went to a friends place and watched the fireworks outside. Let me tell you, Germans do New Years and fireworks right. I think every family had a set of fireworks and was lighting them off all over the city. As a result, we were all outside with a few bottles of sparkling wine and plastic champagne flutes watching the fireworks displays that were erupting all over the city and continued for the better part of an hour.

In true form, because they drink like Russians, but party like Germans, Julija and Vera didn’t get back in that night until 8am. Me being jet lagged and a Canadian who does not have the habit of clubbing until 8am, was in bed by 5am, and David the Belgian was in bed by 6:30am. All in all it was a fantastic New Years and séjour in Hannover, despite the fact that I didn’t want to look at vodka or food the entire following day. Russians say that how you greet the new year will be how you will spend your year. So here's hopin.