Merry Christmas! Here's an update...

Merry Christmas to everybody!!! Let me just start by saying that I hope that you had a wonderful Christmas day with your friends and/or family, whether you are a Bishop's friend on holiday (or back home!), or friends and family back in Australia. I know for certain I did, but I'll get to that in a bit.

Now, I know I have not updated my blog for a while. There is good news and bad news: As Marci has left Bishop's with a number of other exchange students (its gonna be so different and sad when I return!), the competition we had will no longer be running. And as we both missed many days (about the same), you'll be disappointed to know we took the easy route and decided we both didn't have to do the pants/shorts in the snow thing. The good news however is that I would like to continue updating my blog, as I am now, without as much time pressure that has forced me to stay up to 3am on occasions… I will aim for once every one or two weeks :)

Since my last post, things have been very very exciting. The rest of my time in New York was fantastic, and I look forward to going back there some time again next semester to see things I missed, such as the museums and Central Park. Not sure if I wrote about it in my last post about NYC, but my favorite thing about the city is not any of the attractions, but rather how it works. It is literally the definition of 'organized chaos'; There are so many shops, ticket sellers, tour companies, taxis, hot dog stalls, subway stations, people cramming the streets and so on, yet everything somehow runs smoothly. For instance, businesses throw rubbish onto massive piles on the street side, all over NYC, yet the next morning, they are gone. Then there were the taxis, who view lane markings as an option, and will cut across anyone to get the next fare or make the next turn. In short, it was a truly fascinating city.

After the train ride back to Montreal, I ran into some of my own chaos, with imminent exams that I had not really managed to find time to study for. I must have done alright though, because for my overall subjects, my worst mark was a 71% for french, and a 93% for level 3 marketing. And in the midst of all that, on the day of my final exam, I went skiing with Jezza, Quentin, Josselin and Marie. It was my first time to Jay Peak, and I was so excited to finally be skiing in Canada! Well, technically it was in Vermont USA, but you get the idea… Anyhow, on my second or third run of the day, the guys took me down a black run, and I coped with it surprisingly well! I'm looking forward to going back when more snow has fallen and the rest of the lifts have opened.

That night I did my final exam and then packed/cleaned my room for the imminent arrival of my parents at 10:30am the next morning. I'll tell you what: It was pretty amazing to see them again, and then to show them around my new home, as well as meet many of my Bishop's friends. Later in the afternoon we bused it back to Montreal, and that evening we met up with even more Bishop's students for one final dinner. It was so great for my family to meet so many of my friends… and for those of you that read this, they thought you were all lovely :)

So since I've been with my family, we've covered a lot of ground. We took a train to Quebec city the next day and stayed at the Manoir Victoria in Old Quebec for three nights. It has been not only our favorite destination so far, but also our favorite destination to stay, as the staff were absolutely lovely, the rooms were great, the breakfast buffet was excellent and there was free wireless internet! The reason I mention that last point is because since then we've stayed at the Fairmont Waterfront in Vancouver and the Westin Resort and Spa in Whistler, both of which charge about $15 per day for internet. Its plain ridiculous, and one of the reasons I pretty much haven't been on the internet yet.

Vancouver was an alright city… we didn't see too much of it, but I think the worst part about it was not it's fault: the weather sucked. While it didn't rain, it was just overcast the entire time, which isn't the way you want to see a city. It was also in Vancouver that our APT tour began, starting with a limo transfer from the airport to the Fairmont (a nice surprise!). We met the rest of our 23 person group (Andrew and I are the youngest by a number of years), and after sleeping one more night in our own rooms (Andrew and I had our own room with an oversized double bed each!), we made the 140km coach ride to Whistler.

Here are only a tiny portion of the photos so far... these are ones taken by mum and dad, as I have not yet had a chance to upload my own (of which there are heaps!)

Ice Skating in Old Quebec City

Ice sledding, also in Old Quebec City


Fairmont's Le Chateau Frontenac, in Old Quebec

At night...

Being immature...

One of Quebec's many cannons

A steam-powered clock in Gastown, Vancouver - It played Westminister chimes every 15 minutes

The Olympic countdown clock in Vancouver

The worst part about Whistler was the lack of time we spent there! We arrived in the afternoon of Christmas Eve, and spent it just looking around and relaxing a little bit. And here is what I did for Christmas: Skied ALL DAY on Whistler!!! The mountain is absolutely massive. I think you could ski for 3-5 full days and not have to do the same run twice. Just incredible. Everything about the mountain was great. The lifts were fast and not very busy, the trails were so much fun with a huge variety and great snow conditions (although admittedly not too much powder, but I enjoyed them groomed nonetheless), and you could not have asked for better weather - it was full sun and barely a cloud to be seen, with temperature inversion meaning it was 3 degrees up top and -10 down at the base.

We started the day with mum, who braved the Whistler gondola for the 20 minute ride to the top of the mountain, where she did a special thing called the Sno-Limo where she sat in a toboggan-like seat mounted onto skis, which a guide would ride down the mountain. It meant that she could experience the sensation of going down the mountain, while Dad, Andrew and myself skied beside her. She truly enjoyed it and was excited for the rest of the day, in which she also did tube sliding, somehow loving it even when she went backwards!!! Mum has truly conquered some fears and I'm so proud of her for it!

Us boys skied for the rest of the day without any stops for food, drinks or the bathroom, trying to make the most of our only day on the slopes; we had to leave the next day. My favorite run was one called the Peak-to-Creek, a 5.5km intermediate trail that seemed to go on forever, had some great powder sections and lots of dips. I must give a special mention to dad, who not having skied for like 20 years, managed to keep up with Andrew and I extremely well! I was thoroughly impressed, and it meant a lot that I could ski with him all day.

So that just about brings me to here, as I sit on our APT coach once again, winding up the final road to Sun Peaks for two nights. Hopefully I will be able to access the internet somehow and post this for all of you to read. I just want you to know that my family and I are having a wonderful time and enjoying every minute of it, with much more to look forward to before we split ways on the 4th of January.

To the Bishop's students, I hope you are all well and have arrived home safely if you aren't returning, or if you are currently traveling with friends/family until you return, that you are having a wonderful time wherever you may be, and I can't wait to see you again!

To friends and family back home, I hope you are all enjoying your Christmas holidays, and that you're managing to cope with the heat!! Its now only 6 months before I return (4 months down!), so I'll be back before you know it ;)

Anyway, sorry for the length of this, its kind of a consequence for a lack of updates.

Till next time!!

Jono