Hey everyone! So the last couple of days have been very interesting....but let me start from the beginning:
The last days with Anthony were really nice, it was still a little cold outside but warm enough to go for a little quad adventure :) we went through deep puddles, drove on a still frozen river and saw some pretty cool beaver dams. There were also some deer and prairie chicken in the bushes. After Anthony left it was only one day until Marilyn and Kent came back from Cuba and had some nice stories to share.

Two days later the cows started calving and since then we have been pretty busy chasing cows and their calves, trying to tag them and provide them with some vitamins shots. Then Lisa and Mark, friends od the family came all the way from Regina to visit and we had a really good time with good food and some delicious Pina Coladas (and actually some sun-tanning on the deck!).

Finally on Saturday Dominique and Kathleen came back from their trip to Guatemala (they both ended up in the hospital there because of some parasite...) and we got some really nice souvenirs (thank you again!) We finished off the day with a nice supper (ham) and a big bonfire outside (delicious smores!) and Sina and me actually took out the guitars and played some songs we learned :)
Today we went to town for church early in the morning and got to do some shopping afterwards. Now i finally have my memory card for the new camera so you get to see some pictures I will put up on Picasa!! After returning home we relaxed and went some more quadding with Dominique and afterwards had our first Canadian Easter egg hunt :) We then played some card games, watched Crocodile Dundee and now went to bed, exhausted but definetely happy :)

oh yeah, and Sina and me went outside and had a little photo session and took loads of pictures of cows and the farm! I will upload to Picasa tomorrow!

Good night to everyone around the world (although there it is probably not the right time to say good night ;)

Lots of love from my now third home in Canada!

Tofino - Grande Prairie. And everything in between :)

Alright, I am finally putting up with this after not having written for ever....
So, Sina and me left the mountain (as most of you already know because it was about 6 weeks ago) and dove to Tofino where we had a really great time. Sunny weather, beach and a nice host who'd play the african drum at sunset. Most of the time we just relaxed at the beach and on our last day Darrin took us out to go kayaking and then ended our day yet again in the hot tub outside with a clear sky right at the bay and in the middle of the rainforest. I don't think there are many places on earth like this :)
After Tofino we headed as fast as we could to Victoria because Jessy meanwhile had a snowboard accident (broke a vertibrae) and was now in the General Hospital of Victoria. As soon as we arrived there we stopped at the hospital and from then on spent a couple of hours there every day. On our first night we went out for dinner and had delicious Pasta at the Old Spaghetti Factory and after that we wanted to head home and get some sleep. Well, there the problem was: our host Mark was not at home and didn't pick up his phone. Great. We then went to the main street and tried to get some free wireless :D what eventually worked out and we then looked up the number of another guy whoh had offered us to stay with him. I called him right away, and there we go, within 5 minutes we had a place to stay. Later that night Mark called us and told us he was stuck in Vancouver and apologized for him not calling and the next day we actually movedin with him because his place was located closer to downtown. Mark was a very funny artist (painter) who had all sorts of crazy things going on in his apartement (emoty post-it's on the wall decorated with wire and chinese fortune cookie sayings :D ) but we felt very welcome. The following days we just chillaxed again and went to the Royal Museum of British Columbia where we saw a really interesting exhibition on the First Nations in BC and the history and wildlife of BC. Besides that, the hospital and the beach we really didn't get to do a lot more. Well, we met up with a friend of Sina (a german who works at the McDonald's in Victoria right now) and went to the movies to see Sherlock Holmes (halfway thru the bulb of the projector broke) and to a bar afterward (and I actually got in although I am not 19!)
Meanwhile Jessy had her surgery and on our last day we went to see her again before we got on the ferry to leave Vancouver Island for good to go to Vancouver the site of the Olympic Games 2010!In Vancouver we were more than lucky with our host(s). 4 guys all our age living in one apartement, 1 other Polish couchsurfer and friends over all the time. We had a blast and felt really comfortable at their place (our actual host moved out for those 4 days to stay with his girlfirnd a couple of blocks away so we had a room to ourselves) In Vancouver we just enjoyed the olympic spirit, especially when Canada's hockey team won and got in the final game against the U.S.A. We saw the olympic torch, went to the Aquarium, saw an Inuk-shuk and even visited the German Fan Fest (Beer $8 for 0,33 , Bratwurst $ 8...so we actually only went there and left again :) ) We saw the fireworks at Robson Square and tried to get into the Art Gallery but the line-up was sooo long (because it was for free) that we decided not to. On our supposedly last night we went to a party with our roommates at someones house where a couple of good bands played and we met some really cool people. The next day we didn't leave but slept in and stayed another night :) That's the best thing about traveling with a car and not staying at a hotel, you can spontaneously decide to stay longer or leave early :) On our last day we had a Burrito breakfast at 2 p.m. and just relaxed before we got into our car the next morning and got on our way towards Calgary. Our firs stop was about 1,5 hours outside of Vancouver where we stopped and watched the final Ice-Hockey game, Canada vs. U.S.A. and grabbed some fries. After Canada won (in der Verlaengerung) we drove on thru the Rocky Mountains what was a beautiful drive. All the mountains, most coered in snow, the lakes and the landscape made it an enjoyable drive. After some 7 hours (and the best drive alone in the Rockies with a full moon above us) we arrived in Revelstoke where we spent the night couchsurfing at someones place. The next morning we took off for our last longer trip to Calgary. Again thru the Rockies and Bannf national Park. All of a sudden the landscape changes and you find yourself in the middle of the Prairie. It's all flat and real Cowboy-country. In Calgary we got lost but finally made it to our next couchsurfing hosts where we had to sleep on a single matress in the cold basement (even with thermal underwear I was still cold) so that's why we started looking for a place to stay and a job right away the next morning. After some scam about an appartement and not so succelsfull job-hunting we went to Rinze and Tash's house on our third day. Rinze (from Holland) and Tash (from new Zealand) have a house close to downtown but still in a very quiet area. They offered us to move in with them right away and the next morning we were all packed and left for our new warm room. Rinze and Tash live downstairs in their house and shre the kitchen and the living room upstairs with their various roommates, most of the time foreigners. Jess, an Asutralian 19-year-old girl also lived there at the time. A couple of days later (still no job) Anthony moved in with us. Besides looking for a job and a party at a friends place (a guy we met at the party in Vancouver) we didn't do a lot. We got really lucky when one morning Anthony's parents were over to see his new place and offered us to come and stay with them on their farm to work and look after their cattle while they were on vacation in Cuba. We decided to go for it and wanted to leave 3 days after. On our last day in Clagary we decided to go to Banff and Canmore to do some hiking and enjoy the Rockies. In Banff we saw the Waterfalls and had some hot chocolate and coffee and in Canmore we had a great hike with an impressive view to the Grassi Lakes and the Waterfall. Whenever we came back to the parking lot, the shock was pretty bad: someone had smashed in our window and stolen our backpacks from the trunk! We then had to spend some time at the police station and drove home with no window (was pretty cold). On the next day, Anthony helped us yet again and went to the junkyard with us to get a "new" window ($35) and put it in for us (thank you again!). After some Burgers and Fries at the best Drive-In Burger place in Calgary we then wen t home and later that night to the Irish Pub with Anthony Rinze and Tash. We had a real good time in Calgary but the next day we left to drive up north for 7 hours to work on the farm. We took Anthony's 17-year-old brother Dominique who was visiting another brother of theirs in Calgary with us and he actually drove the last 2 hours becuase Sina and me were just exhausted. Whenever we arrived there, we were welcomed with hugs and after supper (that's how they call dinner here) we went to bed and fell asleep right away. Since then on we have beed working on the farm, we built a greenhouse and we started framing the basement where we want to put in some walls and build more bedrooms and a bathroom. We are also looking after the cattle (around 50 cows and a Lama) that should be calving withing the next 2 weeks. We get along really well with everyone, especially our host-siblings Kathleen, 15 and Dominique, 17. If we want to g osee a movie or shopping at the mall we have to drive 1 hour to the next town called Grande Prairie. If I look outside the window here all I see is open space, cows and a lake. Sina and me go out with the quad to check the cows three times a day since our hos-siblings are in Guatemala on a missions trip and our host-parents in Cuba on holidays. Before they left, Dominique took us out to go skidoing (snowmobiling) what was a blast and swimming in Grande Prairie. If we are not building things or checking on cows we try to practice the guitar a little bit and watch movies. Oh and on our first night, we saw the northern lights what was pretty awesome. We are learning a lot of new things here and appreciate being in the country and having such a nice family to stay with. Yesterday Anthony came up here from Calgary to visit us and we drove with the quads to the lake and had a campfire. We even walked all across the lake and Anthony showed us around...it was beautiful. The dogs here are really nice, too, we have a red heeler (australian cattle dog) and two great pyrenees that watch the farm and the cattle. There are horses, too but noone is really doing anyting with them, they are one mile away from the house on a field.
Well, that's about it, I am going to write again as soon something cool happens :)

Cheers,
Tanja

Mount Washington

Hey there!!This being the third attempt to put up a blog, I am smart and typing it into word and then copy+paste it!!GENIUS!!!!

So, lets start from the beginning of my trip. I am actually here for over a week now and the first two blogs I tried to post were probably a lot more detailed but this is the best I can do now.
After arriving safely in Toronto at the Greyhoud Bus Terminal I was happy to see that the Airport Shuttle would leave in 10 minutes. Well, I wasn’t anymore whenever the bus driver told me he yet had to go to 9 (!) different hotels before we’d arrive at Pearson International Airport. Thankfully he told me to take a cab two blocks down so I could catch the bus ahead of him, otherwise I would’ve ended up paying $ 50 for a taxi right to the airport. He also called the other bus driver to wait for me in case I wouldn’t make it in time (thank you Toronto bus drivers!!!Only had good experience with them so far!)
Well, I made it in time and from then on, the whole trip was just perfect. The plane left on time without any inconveniences (surprise for I always have problems with traveling by plane) and I arrived about 6 hours later at Vancouver International Airport. There I went straight to the next gate to catch my flight with Central Mountain Air to Comox, Vancouver Island although it wouldn’t leave for another 2 hours. I then realized that the numbers of the departure time on my ticket were mixed up and went to the counter to get it fixed…aaand fortunately they put me on standby on an earlier flight!!! I only had to wait another ten minutes and there I was, boarding the….I really don’t know if you can call it a plane. It was the smallet flying object (any kind of animals excluded) that I have ever seen in my life. First I burst out in a laugh, after sitting down in one of the 18 seats (9 on each side and about half the size of a regular economy class seat) all I wanted to do was cry. After I realized that I was probably NOT going to die that day, I really enjoyed it and had the most beautiful view I have ever seen in my wole life. Well, I wanted to take pictures but I wasn’t even allowed to take my purse inside because it was too small. I realy didn’t want the flight to ever end but, well, it did and after approximately 25 minutes we arrived at Comox Airport. On the same flight as I was also another girl on standby going home to visit her parents and after picking up my bag (that fortunately made it on the earlier plane) they gave me a ride to Courtenay Hostel . There I asked for a bus up the mountsin and realized that I just missed it by 10 minutes.
Well, Kiyokos parents were so nice to give me another lift up to the base, halfway up the mountain. There they left me standing on the side of the road with the words “just hitchhike from here, everyone does it”. For the forst couple of seconds I was dumbfounded. But then the 4^th car passing was a staff bus and the really nice driver Randy took me up. Arriving at the lodge he there intodruced me to the supervisor of the restaurants on the mountain who told me to send her my resume. Only then I called Sina who still expected me to come later that night. She came right away to the lodge to pick me up and after a lot of hugs and also seeing Jessy for the first time in 6 months we were on our way to their apartement.
Well, that’s basically it, nothing changed from there. I sleep on the couch, I sent out my resumes but didn’t get an answer until two days ago. But then, Sina and I already made up our minds to leave next Thursday for we now have a car!! We bought a Dodge Neon (called Rolf) about 4 days ago and we’ll try to take it back to the east coast.

About our trip: we will leave on Thursday and drive down to Tofino. There we will stay for 3 days (couchsurfing) and do some hiking, whale watching, relaxing at the (still pretty cold) beach.
After that we’ll drive to Victoria, British Columbias capitol (also couchsurfing there) and see the city, go to the museum, see Emily Carrs house…whatever we’re up to. Then we want to take the ferry from there to Vancouver and try to get some Olympic Spirit. We’re lucky to have found someone there who will let us couchsurf on such short notice during the games. In Vancouver we want to visit some museums, proabably the Aquarium, hang out at Stanley Park and experience the most multi-cultural city on the west coast (don’t worry NY I won’t let you down!) . We tried to get some tickets for an olypic event but it is too expensive. But fortunately we had/have all the skiing athletes up here on Mount Washington. Last week we actually wanted to watch them practice shooting, but they cancelled it again. We still saw the French and Swedish biathletes though. And the Snow Leopard, Ghanas first Alpine Skiing competetor. Go Ghana!
After the sad news of the death of a Georgian luge athlete we watched to opening ceremonies of th 21^st Olympic Winter Games on TV yesterday. And today we already have one silver medal!!!Weiter so, Deutschland! So wie letztes Mal in Turin!
Back to our plans for the trip. After Vancouver we’re going to drive all the way to Calgary, Alberta (Olympic Winter Games 1988, by the way) and try to find some work there. We won’t make the trip in one day so we decided to stay in Revelstoke for a night. We are still trying to find someone to host us there, if not we’ll have to stay at the hostel.

That’s it so far. Tomorrow I’ll finally go skiing up here. I will have to rent skiing equipment though, but well, it’s skiing and I hope the price for it will be worth the experience (over 60 slopes and a 415 cm snow base!).
I hope I am doing the right thing by leaving the mountain but I got to say, I can’t even go and sit in a restaurant with my friends here because I am not 19 yet. And in Calgary, Alberta the legal drinking age is 18 so that will be better. And it ias pretty boring up here if you can’t go skiing so I am actually happy to leave and not be stuck up here anymore.

I hope everyone who is reading this is fine (wherever you are at the moment)

Cheers!!!
Tanja

Greyhound / Windhund ;)

I thought I might let you know I am on a Greyhound bus to Toronto to start my trip to Vancouver. Thanks to the Laptop I can be online and chat, blog or even skype while I am on the bus.
So here it goes, my last day in Apalachin. After finishing packing and getting my nails done (I went all alone to the nail place and didn't hit any lights on the way!!! :)) we had a nice dinner at Olive Garden where we coincidentally met a German *weird* lady... I guess our talk is just too loud to go unnoticed...Anyways, we had delicious food including a nice dessert :) After that Gabriela and me went to the movies to watch "When in Rome" - very cute and funny movie - to fulfil our tradition of wathing a movie on the last day of my visit. when we got home I threw my last things in my backpacks and off we went to Syracuse...
It started snowing earlier and we left a little knapp (don't know the word in English...) but after finally (!) passing a weird car in front of us we made it to the bus terminal just in time (5 minutes before the bus left). It was good having no time to make it a huge goodbye, because after purchasing the ticket i just quickly hopped on the bus (thank you busdriver for waiting and carrying my backpack to the bus - I hope nothing is missing ;) )
I'll keep you updated whenever something new and exciting will happen...(hopefully not soon, I really want to sleep now...but gotta talk to Scott first :) )
Have a great day/night depending on wherever you are...
Tanja

Greek Peak

On Friday, Mike and Scott, two friends from Chappaqua came all the way up to Binghamton just to see me. Saturday we took the chance and went to Cortland to do some night-time skiing. Having the slopes almost all to ourselves we had a blast at the very cold Greek Peak. After 3 hours of skiing/snowboarding (fun but exhausting) on Marathon and Zeus we were more than happy to return to our warm hotel. Almost directly after enjoying a delicious Domino's pizza the three of us immediately fell asleep in our cozy beds...
thank you guys so much for the great weekend!