Here it is, I’m leaving for 9 whole days in Berlin… can my faithful readers handle it without blogs for that long?
Can Berlin handle the Jen and Kim show for that long?
We shall find out. I’m off to Germany and when I get back I’ll have plenty of stories and pictures.
I’ve been promised giant ferris wheels, Christmas markets and maybe the nutcracker ballet.
Oh the places I will go.
PS: it turned out to be a white Christmas after all. It started snowing Christmas night and left about a foot covering the ground for boxing day.
Don't listen to what they say. Go see.
Christmas will always be as long as we stand heart to heart and hand in hand.
Here’s wishing everyone a very merry Christmas and an even happier New Year!!
May Dominick and Santa bring you everything you could wish for.
Buon Natale!
Love Jen
“Blessed is the season which engages the whole world in a conspiracy of love!”
I’m dreaming of a white Christmas…
Or not. Because to be honest with you, white stuff or no, I’m finally excited for Christmas. I’d prefer a little of it, but not enough to ruin my travel plans, thank you very much.
But Canada. Oh Canada.
I hear you’ve lived up to your reputation. After months of telling everyone who assumed I lived in some white tundra that it doesn’t snow often in Vancouver the weather gods seem to have pulled a fast one on me.
I’m kinda jealous to tell you the truth. Because although snow sucks when I have places to be and things to do, there is something to be said about a snowy winter day and sitting at home watching it fall.
That and walking down normally busy streets that apparently are deserted.
But your minus 14 degrees… you can keep that.
Keep warm Canada. I’ll try to send warm thoughts your way, seeing that our thermometer hasn’t really dipped below 0 during the day for over a week.
Enough bragging now, I think I’m in for some cold stuff in Berlin.
Crap… by posting this I hope I don’t jinx my travel weather. Damn.
My 15 seconds should have started yesterday
It’s a well known fact that there is a certain area in the center of Vicenza where wireless internet runs free.
It’s how I post most of these wonderful blogs, download tv shows and music and generally try to fix my computer (update: my wait for everything to blow over plan worked, my computer has once again miraculously fixed itself… buy apple people, they fix themselves).
Anyways, I’m not the only one to do it. I see various people outside with their laptops. I may be the only idiot who sits there in the cold for long periods of time though (all in the name of Christmas gifts though).
On Monday I was downloading some stuff on iTunes (yes, I now legally buy music since the weak signal often means downloading a song can take an hour) for my uncles Christmas present. I was sitting on these steps where many people sit and eat or talk or use their computers, when up walks this woman and she shoves a microphone in my face and this cameraman has a camera pointed at me. She asks me something in Italian so I use my general excuse to get out of everything “I don’t speak Italian.” So she asks me in English… damn. She wanted to know if I was using the internet, unaware if this was legal or if it was allowed I didn’t want to say anything lest the free ‘net was shut down and I didn’t want to be stuck with the blame.
So I did what any famous person would do.
I put my hands up in a very dramatic fashion and said I didn’t want to be on film.
Looking back, I probably looked like an ass, but those are the breaks I guess. It’s the price to pay to keep your anonymity and the free web open.
Christmas waves a magic wand over this world, and behold, everything is softer and more beautiful.
Is it just me? Or is everyone else not quite there this year? I mean it's less than a week away from Christmas and I'm not even close to being ready.
I said I would bake, so far I've done none of that (but have big plans for that this weekend).
Christmas shopping? Uh, no. Not done yet. Not even started (ok, maybe a small gift was bought but that doesn't count). Thing is, I'm not quite sure how to go about it. I'm so used to stressed out mall shopping and knowing what I want to buy and where to buy it. Here, well malls are few and far in between (not to mention I get confused by even the simplest directions here), so it leaves me driving to stores that I assume has what I want, but only to be disappointed when it's not there.
It also seems to me that it's just not in the air. You know the Christmas feeling? I know, it's probably commercially created and it may be pathetic to some that I've come to rely on the commercialism to indicate the holiday season, but I just don't feel it.
Or maybe it's because I'm not where I know what Christmas is. I'm used to certain things, you know. I'm used to cutting down a tree with the family while singing Christmas carols and dodging tree stumps. Then going home and decorating that tree with Christmas cartoons playing in the background.
Baking isn't solitary and trying to find ingredients for shortbread or gingerbread isn't a task that is near impossible.
I'm used to new pajamas's on Christmas eve and waking up to open presents followed by breakfast with the family. Then heading to Nonna's to watch fake fires on TV and the mystery Christmas gift exchange.
It's all relative, I know. I'm in a different place from those that I know and that's what I want. I wouldn't trade it for the world. Maybe it's just another barrier in language and culture. Maybe I'm just stressing because it's a week away and I'm need more time.
Whatever it is, I need Christmas spirit.
(although I am very, very excited about my trip to Berlin in one week!)
The best of all gifts around any Christmas tree: the presence of a happy family all wrapped up in each other.
Behold the beautiful Christmas tree decorating our living room
Pretty swell huh? All my doing. Well almost all, I had an issue with the tinsel so Uncle Meraldo helped me out. He also put up the tree and the lights. But the bulbs, all me.
(Side note: Tinsel here is different from in Canada, that’s why I had a problem, not because I’m inept or anything. It’s all long strands instead of the short stuff back home, much easier and better I think)
The tree is artificial, apparently that is the norm here since, as my student put it, “Italy isn’t all forest like in Canada.” He then made me feel bad when I told him that it doesn’t feel right without a real tree. It quickly passed though.
Also, let’s take a mini-survey right now. How many people hang apples on their tree (fake apples of course) or use them as decorations of some kind (fake again of course)? Because I know we do at my mom’s house, also my awesome ghetto tree had them glued right on. I found them here as well and I’m pretty sure Nonna uses them too. Now what is this obsession with apples? Is there something about this? I always thought oranges and cranberries were the fruit of the season.
This weekend I’ll start some Christmas baking (start and finish I suppose, this holiday is creeping up on me this year), because quite honestly it’s not feeling very Christmas-y yet, maybe it’s the lack of commercialism or Christmas music on the radio, so I hope that helps. I should probably begin my Christmas shopping as well… this may be the latest I’ve ever left it, but gift ideas are hard and finding what I have in mind is harder since the stores here are way different then Canada (and I need a mall… malls are hard to come by around here).
Update...
My aunt will be coming home from the hospital tomorrow (Tuesday).... yay!
After over a week in the hospital (and a week since the operation) she's gotten the ok to come home Tuesday.
Hooray
hey faithful readers...
so I'm trying out something new.
you know those annoying ads you see on every webpage? they sure are pesky.
as you'll notice, I've added them!
here's the deal, I put them here, they get some advertisment based on what I'm writing about (which adds to blog fodder when I can laugh at what they chose to advertise based on my writing)and if you, my special readers, click them (no purchasing or anything necessary), I make money!
win- win- win situation there you see.
So click away... I know mom will :D
Thanks y'all!
I am so smrt
At dinner today I had a thought. I was thinking about school and life and how when I first started at ubc I was annoyed that I waited so long to go to university and how I wasn't going to graduate until I was 26.
Today I thought of how proud I was that I proved myself wrong and did it before I was 26. You see, I thought I was 24 for a moment there.
Why am I sharing this with the whole interweb?
Well based on my meanderings on this here blog I didn't want total strangers to think I was always brilliant.
We need not think alike to love alike
Dr. Laura Schlessinger is a radio personality who dispenses advice to people who call in to her radio show. Recently, she said that, as an observant Orthodox Jew, homosexuality is an abomination according to Leviticus 18:22 and cannot be condoned under any circumstance. The following is an open letter to Dr. Laura penned by a east coast resident, which was posted on the Internet. It's funny, as well as informative:
Dear Dr. Laura:
Thank you for doing so much to educate people regarding God's Law. I have learned a great deal from your show, and try to share that knowledge with as many people as I can. When someone tries to defend the homosexual lifestyle, for example, I simply remind them that Leviticus 18:22 clearly states it to be an abomination. End of debate. I do need some advice from you, however, regarding some of the other specific laws and how to follow them:
When I burn a bull on the altar as a sacrifice, I know it creates a pleasing odor for the Lord - Lev.1:9. The problem is my neighbors. They claim the odor is not pleasing to them. Should I smite them?
I would like to sell my daughter into slavery, as sanctioned in Exodus 21:7. In this day and age, what do you think would be a fair price for her?
I know that I am allowed no contact with a woman while she is in her period of menstrual uncleanliness - Lev.15:19- 24. The problem is, how do I tell? I have tried asking, but most women take offense.
Lev. 25:44 states that I may indeed possess slaves, both male and female, provided they are purchased from neighboring nations. A friend of mine claims that this applies to Mexicans, but not Canadians. Can you clarify? Why can't I own Canadians?
I have a neighbor who insists on working on the Sabbath. Exodus 35:2 clearly states he should be put to death. Am I morally obligated to kill him myself?
A friend of mine feels that even though eating shellfish is an abomination - Lev. 11:10, it is a lesser abomination than homosexuality. I don't agree. Can you settle this?
Lev. 21:20 states that I may not approach the altar of God if I have a defect in my sight. I have to admit that I wear reading glasses. Does my vision have to be 20/20, or is there some wiggle room here?
Most of my male friends get their hair trimmed, including the hair around their temples, even though this is expressly forbidden by Lev. 19:27. How should they die?
I know from Lev. 11:6-8 that touching the skin of a dead pig makes me unclean, but may I still play football if I wear gloves?
My uncle has a farm. He violates Lev. 19:19 by planting two different crops in the same field, as does his wife by wearing garments made of two different kinds of thread (cotton/polyester blend). He also tends to curse and blaspheme a lot. Is it really necessary that we go to all the trouble of getting the whole town together to stone them? - Lev.24:10-16. Couldn't we just burn them to death at a private family affair like we do with people who sleep with their in-laws? (Lev. 20:14)
I know you have studied these things extensively, so I am confident you can help. Thank you again for reminding us that God's word is eternal and unchanging.
Nobody sees Santa Claus, but that is no sign that there is no Santa Claus
May I present to you, the reasons I love the Christmas season more than any other. Not even years and years of working in retail could dampen my love of this time of year.
1. Real Christmas trees and the hunt for the perfect one
2. Christmas music, even if I start listening before it’s probably socially acceptable
3. Dominick the donkey and the fun times Team International Delight has with him
4. Red cups and Christmas at Starbucks, which thereby tells me it’s ok to start celebrating (I know, I know, I am sucked into the most obvious commercial ploy to man)
5. Ghetto Christmas at Kim and mine’s apartment the last couple years… geez I’ll miss that tree that Kim swore would cause her seizures
6. Mandarin oranges
7. The smells of Christmas (nutmeg, clove, tree, cinnamon, etc)
8. My mom’s decorated house that I used to think was too much but now do the exact same thing
9. The occasional white Christmas that happen so rarely in Vancouver
10. Snow in Stanley Park while walking the seawall with an egg nogg latte and occasionally jumping in to piles of white stuff
11. It’s a Wonderful Life, which we watch every Christmas Eve
12. Velvet Christmas dresses and patent leather shoes that I used to get every Christmas to wear for our portraits
13. Christmas parties and the outfits to go along with them
14. Candy canes and the art of making them into Christmas shiv’s.
15. Santa hats
16. Wrapping presents
17. Christmas lights on the houses
18. Peaceful winter nights at home, where you’re all warm and bundled up watching old school Christmas cartoons
19. Christmas baking
20. Christmas eve with the family and bragging about the awesome turkey I made years ago
21. The kindness of people at this time of year
22. The feeling… the indescribable feeling that we get at Christmas that makes you feel as if everything is right with the world
23. Believing in Santa Claus
“Christmas — that magic blanket that wraps itself about us, that something so intangible that it is like a fragrance. It may weave a spell of nostalgia. Christmas may be a day of feasting, or of prayer, but always it will be a day of remembrance — a day in which we think of everything we have ever loved.”
“What is Christmas? It is tenderness for the past, courage for the present, hope for the future. It is a fervent wish that every cup may overflow with blessings rich and eternal, and that every path may lead to peace.”
Ever since I was a kid, I've always been a real deep thinker and stuff
What’s this? Another post with no direction except some ramblings of a gal trying to figure out life in Italy?
Silly blog readers, you should have figured out by now that that is the point of this thing. Hell, it’s the point of my life, either in writing, speaking or emphatic hand gestures (which by the way, if you thought I was a big gesture hand talker before, you should see me now). Anyways, on with the rambling…
*Let me start by saying there is one side effect of not having a second English speaking person to translate in the house right now… I’m speaking Italian to people. No, really.
Sure, Christian has to correct my verb tenses (damn the verb tenses I say! Damn them!), but I get my point across and it’s not as hard as I assumed.
I had hoped to test my Italian when my aunt was in Canada, but the situation changed and the last few weeks of cramming were cut short. Life throws curve balls and we adapt, it’s as simple as that.
*Speaking of my aunt, she had her operation on Tuesday and it went well, she spent the rest of the day sleeping, due to the heavy sedation she was given while undergoing eye surgery. I’m unsure if there was an option to stay awake with only local anesthetic during the operation but if there ever is an operation that I think requires heavy sedation, anything on the eyes would be it (says the girl that freaks out if she touches her eye while dealing with contact lenses… but who am I kidding, I believe sedation is needed for anything that involves doctors)
But, she is doing ok, the operation was successful and she is awake and talking now. She should be home on Tuesday or Wednesday.
*I came to an important conclusion last week after my aunt and I were watching some Italian show with some American actor I’ve never heard of but my aunt recognized. She mentioned how he hasn’t worked in the US since circa 1980 and was now trying his hand at Italian television (he obviously spoke his lines in English and they dubbed his voice with the Italian voiceover, meanwhile all the other actors spoke in Italian). Anyways, I realized that the whole dubbing in Italian is actually a good thing for some actors. I mean, if you’re Keanu Reeves or Val Kilmer and you’re speaking/acting skills are atrocious, the dubbing guy can kinda fix that for you so that you’re not that horrible.
Other fun facts about dubbing… the Clooney guy sounds a lot like Clooney, so does the Russell Crowe guy. Watching shows like Will & Grace kinda suck because Karen and Jack don’t sound the same, it’s missing the high-pitched Karen voice and laugh and dare I say, they make Jack sound really, really gay.
*In Polish/East European excitement… I had a class with a student yesterday and the unit we were talking about had a chart that named the top tourist destinations in the world. It surprised me a bit… France came in first, U.S. second. I’ve seen charts in the past that reflect this, but some other countries were absent that I thought would be there, such as Australia, weren’t. What surprised me was Poland was number 9 and the Czech Republic was 10, I think Hungary was 7 or something like that.
I asked my student why he thought it was like this. He got kinda embarrassed at first, but then said he thought it could be because there is apparently a big sex tourism industry in these countries. Really?
My first thought with Poland was history, you know, concentration camps and all that stuff (because concentration camps seem to be my first thought when anyone mentions Poland… it’s not perverse, it’s a bi-product of reading many books on the atrocities there). But he argued that a lot of people go to east Europe for the sex trade. I reminded him this wasn’t just European tourists, this was a worldwide thing, I could swear other countries were more popular for that kind of thing, but no, he said it was a thing, especially because E. European women are beautiful, whereas my examples (Thailand, etc) aren’t (in his words) “as beautiful.” It’s all relative to your type I tried to explain… but then it occurred to me that we were discussing the sex trade and it’s a sad topic and I didn’t want to get into it. Especially since I began to wonder why he knew so much about the topic.
*We also discussed Italian industry, he claims the main exports are cars. While this is probably true, I joked that I thought fashion was… he didn’t appreciate that. But he did tell me when I complained it was all so expensive that I could go buy designer goods at the market at cheap prices… they even say the names on it. This of course is just like the “designer goods” you find at the night market in Richmond and of course they’re not real. He did not believe me. I wonder why he continues to take lessons with me if he constantly thinks that I’m naïve (this happens at least once a class, we meet once a week), even if it is just my way of being funny.
I also joked that I thought Kinder was a big export for them, again… he did not find this funny. My sense of humor is wasted here.
*I think I’ve achieved the impossible. Or not me, but a cat has pulled a quick one on me and made me tolerate it.
Meet Ginger:
This is Jessica’s cat. Jessica and Simone went away for the weekend and left Ginger at our place to stay, being an inside cat he had to stay inside… my allergies be damned.
Aside from a spastic allergy attack I suffered the first night he was here I had little to no other allergy attacks (mainly because I was cold and grabbed a blanket to cover myself while watching TV, little did I know I grabbed his blanket and pretty much lay in cat hair for a few hours). It may have been due to my diligent hand washing after I touched him, which was actually a lot since dude likes to jump on you lap and sleep. And I hate to say, I may have liked playing with him a bit, or maybe I was trying to make the other cat jealous, to show her that I can be nice to cats that aren’t complete bitches (because while Ginger isn’t a complete bitch, because he is a cat he was slightly snooty, I mean he’d try and sit on my computer keyboard because he was lacking attention, when I’d swat him away, he’d just jump back up).
PS: yes that is a hockey game in the background of the ginger pic, it was Calgary vs St. Louis since finding a Canucks game is pretty hard around here. Sure we get the occasional game, but it seems the network here is a lot like the CBC and TSN and love to show mainly Toronto and Ottawa games.
PPS: You know it’s big news when the Sean Avery incident makes it’s way to Europe. I’m glad to see the guy remains the biggest douche to every hit the NHL. Can they please ban him? (and I don’t like the actress in question) How about we forget about the whole getting rid of Harper discussion and instead focus our attentions on getting rid of that guy.
Pass the scalpel
Apparently I’m a doctor. No… seriously.
How scary would that be, me a doctor. I know, I know, doctors don’t just operate, but the whole thought of me as a doctor scares me since I don’t like blood or anything else that has to do with the innards of our bodies (I believe they’re innards for a reason). If this was unclear before, the way that I screamed and covered my eyes when I flipped to “Doctor 90210” yesterday while they were doing a tummy tuck made it crystal clear to me.
So why am I a doctor? Well apparently anyone who holds a university degree in Italy is called ‘dottore’ (translation: doctor), just like those that work really hard in North America to earn their doctorates.
Let’s be clear though, I’m still uncertain about the whole university system here. At times it seems that they work a lot harder than we do and I know they go for a minimum 5 years for a degree (unlike most Canadian students who should do it in 4 years, but most of those I know take 5 or more). I’m still not sure if the degree they get is the same as a bachelor degree in North America. I just like the sound of being a doctor, so let’s just pretend everything equals everything else and that I’m a doctor.
That could be so much fun if I’m ever in a situation where someone screams out “Is there a doctor here!!” when someone is choking on something or having a heart attack or whatever and I say “I’m a doctor” with a proud smile on my face. But then point to the person suffering and say “oh, but I don’t know how to deal with that.”
Ok, in theory it might not be funny if it were to be true, but hypothetically you could get a chuckle out of it.
I found all this out when I went to a grad party of one of the girls I work with. It was a lot of fun; I got to go out on a Saturday night with people aside from my cousins and their friends and meet new people. Everyone started singing fun Italian songs, line danced to such classics like the Macarena (Microsoft word knew the correct spelling to that and auto-corrected it, crazy), YMCA (who knew their was an actual dance to that aside from the requisite YMCA hand gestures) and the Wingfield classic “Saturday Night” (a long forgotten ditty by me, who even knew that had a dance either). I also heard Friar Jacque in Italian. Fun times!
In other news (amazingly this update is all about medicine and doctors)…
My aunt, Livi, was supposed to be heading to Canada for Christmas is unfortunately not able to go now. Last week she started having problem with her left eye and after a visit to the hospital on Saturday they told her she has to have surgery because her retina had collapsed. She was admitted to the hospital on Saturday and should be having the surgery on Tuesday... or not, as of Monday (a holiday) the doctor is unsure if he has time for her on Tuesday or Wednesday, so it could be any of those days or after.
This means that she will not be able to fly like she had planned to the next Tuesday. She was told that she should be in the hospital for about a week after the surgery, which is quite different from what we’re used to in Canada. On the plus side, she’s being operated on by one of the best eye doctors in Italy.
Don’t worry everyone, I’ll try to keep you guys updated on the situation (being a doctor and all I assure you that my medical updates will be as detailed and informative as possible). If anyone has any ideas for things that can keep her occupied we’d really appreciate it though. She’s not allowed to watch TV, read or do anything with her eyes, so she listens to music and has visitors, but as you could imagine, it can be boring. Suggestions?
In lighter news…
I received an interesting letter in the mail a week ago. As most people know, in North America we’re responsible for making appointments for screenings of any kind of cancer- mammograms, pap smears, colonoscopies, etc. These need to be done something like once a year, but most of us probably let these things slip if we don’t find a need to be concerned or anything. Anyways, imagine my surprise when I got mail here (not just the surprise that someone actually felt the need to mail me something, aside from my mother) saying that I had an appointment for a pap smear (or pap test as they call it). I opened the mail and tried to decipher the Italian writing, utterly confused by the words I asked my aunt if “pap test” meant the same in Italian as it did in English. It did indeed. I was also confused why these people were writing to me about my... ahem… lady parts. Sorry, it’s odd… I’ve never gotten any mail about them. Apparently screening for cancers here is really diligent.
So here’s how it works. They send you a letter telling you to come in to get your pap test, mammogram (of the certain age) or whatever, they tell you the day and time. Also that if you have to work, you’ll get a note for your absence and they’ll still pay you for the time you miss. There are a few more other surprising things that came with this letter. One is that I’ve been here for less than 3 months, only a registered citizen for a little less than two, and they’re already booking me appointments. In comparison, Jessica has been 25 since April and has yet to receive an appointment (it turns out that I wasn’t going to go, so Jessica was able to go in my place). The second surprising fact is that this system is in place. It’s kinda awesome since they specifically tell you in the letter that you’re due for the check up and that they will be screening for HPV (an STD which can lead to cervical cancer), they give you an appointment and really no reason not to show up (except for myself, who would be working at the time and because I’m a contracted employee I wouldn’t be paid for it, so I’m not going). Thirdly, this is really, really, really organized for the bureaucratic mess that is the Italian system. As my aunt told me “it’s the only part of Italy that isn’t broken.” By the way did I mention this is all free?
On the negative, for women of a certain age- i.e. my age- it’s every 3 years that you get this appointment, but as you get older it’s every year, even though I always believed it’s important to go on a yearly basis. You can also get a test in the meantime if you make an appointment, either with your doctor or if you go to the cancer clinic, but you have to pay if you chose not to wait for your government selected appointment. It costs $10, but here’s what’s kind of cool about going to the cancer clinic over the doctors: if you go to the doctors or the hospital the money basically goes to the doctor, but if you go to the cancer clinic and pay your $10 the money goes to the cancer foundation. Do they do that in Canada? I mean if I had to pay for a pap smear or whatever cancer testing, I’d prefer the money go to cancer research rather than to whatever doctor and the government.
I’m glad that something in the Italian system works, because if there is anything that I’ve noticed here is that bureaucracy here is a mess, even for those that can understand the language and have lived here for years.
ideas?
hey everyone...
so I just got a new set of students, I'll be teaching to a bunch of children, actually babies and toddlers are more like it.
the program requires me to talk about one color a month, january will be white, february will be orange and march is green.
we have activities planned, but does anyone know songs or rhymes suitable for children, that has to do with these specific colors? I know some songs but they're about many colors, not just specifics.
help?
thanks!
j
Christmas is sights, especially the sights of Christmas reflected in the eyes of a child.
Christmas in Vicenza is in full-effect. And it’s beautiful. They have lights everywhere. Everywhere. All the streets are decorated with little blue lights hanging from wires. The main squares have white lights everywhere. There’s a giant tree. The store windows have displays of Christmas scenes and snowscapes.
It is wonderful.
Here are a few pictures I took. Trust me, my sad attempt at photography does not do any of this justice. 
We’ve been to hundreds of weddings, and guess what? We’ve rocked them all.
Oh my god… I was watching Wedding Crashers last night and John McCain is in the movie! He’s in the scene right before the wedding of Christopher Wallace’s daughter.
Crazy. If he had mentioned that in his campaigning, I’m sure he would have gotten a few more votes.
It’s a Christmas miracle!
Oh Canada. I knew you’d smarten up.
PS: try to find this on any of the international news stations. It’s impossible. Canada doesn’t seem to matter according to BBC, CNN International or Fox”News”.
The Christmas spirit — love — changes hearts and lives.
“It is not even the beginning of Christmas unless it is Christmas in the heart.”
It's December 1st... that means the beginning of all things Christmas for a full month.
Let's start it off with some music to get you in the mood.
I didn’t know my addiction was that bad
I feel like I need to rename this blog. Or maybe just add a new subtitle or something. Because I spend a lot of time writing about Starbucks here.
The other day I heard some horrible news. Apparently Starbucks profits for this year were down 97%.
For those who don’t know, Kim and myself owe our university education to Starbucks. They kept us awake many nights when our beds called to us while essay deadlines and examination dates loomed. When we couldn’t concentrate at home because we were looking up useless facts or Hawaiian real estate on the internet or we had to watch just one more episode of Law and Order (which would always lead to some fight on the politics behind the episode), we would head to Starbucks to sit and study, hoping we’d be able to focus on the task at hand (most probably, but not always true).
While I figured that when we graduated we might miss late night runs to Starbucks, we would take turns walking to the corner of Davie and Denman right before they closed for the night. Sometimes we’d spot fellow students making their late night run (our favorite was the guy who went in his pajama’s and robe, we would at least put on clothes), most time’s we’d catch some really bad karaoke action at the bar on the way. I’d often have to dodge the drunk creepy old guy in the building who was always hitting on me. And then there was Bobo. Oh Bobo, the homeless guy in front of Max. His name wasn’t Bobo, we just called him that (why am I talking like he’s dead)… we CALL him that. We’d always come back from a Starbucks run and report back what Bobo was doing. Sometimes he’d be sleeping on the Max sidewalk, other times he’d be inside watching hockey on their TV, he is also known to talk to himself and say random things to people walking by. The best (well for me, who didn’t bear witness to this) was when Kim saw him doing his business in the middle of the sidewalk… she came home horrified that she had seen him, well, you know, doing numero due.
I had no idea what us graduating was going to do for their business. Never mind the fact that we’re not even in the country to still support them. Sure, one of us is still in a country that has a Starbucks (apparently I’ll be able to get the nectar of the God’s when I get to Berlin), but us leaving North America, specifically Vancouver where there is a Starbucks on every block (three actually on the block where we lived) has killed their business.
Don’t work ‘Bucks. I’ll try to make up my part when I get to Berlin. Sadly, I hear they do not have egg nogg latte’s, but instead some weird German latte that includes pastry of some sort. I’ve been warned that I will need to try this delicacy. I’m also afraid that I’ll have to drink out of a huge beer stein when I get to Germany. Will the German’s kick me out for not liking beer? Can I get wine in that?
Oh! Today I may have also found a new Christmas drink. My mom always had this thing when she had a cold, she would boil red wine with cloves, cinnamon and lemon. I never thought this would work, instead it’s just a way of getting drunk to forget your symptoms. I told my aunt this yesterday as she was explaining this drink to me, but instead she says it’s not just a cure for what ails you, but a drink for the holidays. We went to a Christmas market today and I tried it. It’s pretty good, doesn’t make up for the no latte situation, but you know, I do what I can (which is apparently drink to forget?).
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