Two weeks ago I went down to Banff to see Louise before she left for South America. It's always nice to get out of Edmonton, and I really like the relaxed atmosphere in Banff. Plus the Greyhound bus ride is always a nice six hours of staring at the scenery (five hours of flat and the last hour of mountains). The Greyhound in Alberta is a bit better than Chicago or Toronto, but it's still a surreal place. Every single time I ride on the bus I overhear someone talking about the criminal justice system or their previous misdeeds. While waiting for my connection in Calgary, the couple next to me spent an hour comparing their experiences in the jail system. It seems that women's prison is "way different" from men's prison, and that provincial jails are much cushier than federal prison. The things you learn...
Banff was great except that I was really, really sick most of the weekend. I rarely get sick and I can only think of two or three times that I have been that sick. Part of it was my fault, I wouldn't give up my chance to try snowboarding just for a sore throat and cough. Louise and I went up Sunshine where she's been working in a restaurant on the hill. We took a 15 minute gondola ride to get to the village and we went to her staff accommodations to get layered and geared up. One of her friends had extra snowboarding equipment I could use, so the only downside was that I didn't have snowpants. We started on the learning slope (you couldn't really call it a hill) and Louise patiently taught me the basics. I was pretty lucky to have such a great teacher, and I felt like I was picking it up pretty quickly. I didn't feel completely confident to go to a real hill, but Louise, as a friend, knew that it would be the only way to learn (it's much harder to snowboard on a slope than on a hill!) So, she decided that we would not be allowed to go inside for a warm lunch until I had gone down the real hill at least one time. Unfortunately my camera wasn't working, so the only documentation of my snowboarding experience is a dark snapshot on Louise's cellphone. These pictures will give you an idea, but it was overcast and snowy when I was there.
Louise was most worried about the getting off the ski lift part at the top of the hill, but I aced that test (ie, did not fall over and force them to stop the ski lift so others didn't trip over me). Then came the hill, which seemed extremely steep, but I made it down without any big issues. Of course I fell over many times, but I mastered an efficient way to get back up (involving rolling onto your stomach, then standing up facing the top of the hill so you can get your balance before continuing). All in all, it was a very successful first time down. Most of it should be attributed to Louise's superior teaching skills, and a bit to my natural ability. I could see myself trying again some weekend, and really enjoying it. But, as it was, as soon as I got inside for lunch, all the snow started melting on my jeans and I got really chilled. And breathing cold air was really painful for my throat. So, back to Louise's place to change into dry clothes, then a hot beverage to drink on the gondola back down.
The rest of the weekend I was a pretty lousy guest... I had a fever that night and then couldn't move much the next day (possibly fatigue from being sick, possibly from the snowboarding). Thankfully Louise took good care of me, and I advised while she packed for her trip. She's in the Galapagos Islands at the moment, and wandering around Ecuador and Peru for the next few weeks. I was thinking of going to join her after school's done, but I decided just to time my visit to Toronto so we'll be able to meet up when she returns and I can hear all the stories.Yes, I am going back to Toronto for a visit from May 4-11. I'm very excited, and already planning out all the things I want to do and see. It's been 2 1/2 years since I was last back for a visit, and it wasn't very expensive just to buy a one-way flight from Edmonton and then another continuing onto Halifax. As for the summer, I'll be working with the same language school I worked with last year, although the girls from the UAE won't be coming back (sad). Instead, I'll be working with Hollywood in Halifax, which should be smaller and much less stress. Plus Carole has decided not to teach, but to do some studies at Dalhousie, so I think we'll be able to enjoy our time together more (she'll want to hear my stories, but we can also talk about things other than camp!)
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