I finally made it to Canada. I got tired of telling everyone individually what’s happened to me really quick, so I decided to just go ahead and make me up a nice little blog. So, with no further ado, the first day’s report. There’ll be photographs later, as I make them, but for now just text.
My grandma, grandpa, aunt Rhonda and I left from Tampa at about 6:20 PM, Eastern Time yesterday. There was a relatively short flight to Houston, an hour layover, and then a way long flight up to the Vancouver airport. Of course, they had a fancy in-flight entertainment system on the short flight, but nothing on the long flight (which was ultimately okay, because that flight went on until almost 4:00 AM Eastern Time, so I had some sleeping to at least try to do). We finally managed to get to where we’re staying and get to sleep at about 2:00 AM local time, which is five in the morning back home. Needless to say, we were all tired.
Anyways, we woke up nice and late in the morning, had some breakfast. Turns out we’re staying in Tsawwassen (pronounced too-woss-en), on the same street my mom, aunt, and grandparents lived on when they were growing up. We’re staying with their old neighbors, two-doors-down from their old house, and we met them as well as their old next-door neighbors today (they’re all mighty friendly, unlocked doors, coming and going, all that typical Canadian stuff). They’re letting us stay in the upstairs, which has got two bedrooms, and a mattress on the floor, which is mine until Aunt Rhonda leaves next week (her room also has the router in it, so I’ve got an effective Internet curfew until then).
So, first thing I see in the morning paper here: the washed-up-feet mystery. Apparently, they’ve had five feet now, in running shoes, wash up on the shore. Just feet. No DNA matches to any known missing people, and apparently not anything to do with the University up the channel. Figures. Canada must have known we were coming, and decided to get nice and weird, just like home.
Today was spent mostly shopping, after we got up. We went to Costco, and then a mall, got some food, protein stuff, and I got a pair of long running pants: turns out it’s still pretty cold up here. And Aunt Rhonda got lots of Splenda. She’s all health-like, so now we can share recipes and crap, fun stuff. The shopping took most of the day, then we came back and I went for a run (turns out there’s a high school with a track really, really close), and we ate dinner. Tomorrow we get to start going out sight-seeing, which should be awesome.
The area’s just immensely cool. We’re on sort of a peninsula (which, interestingly enough, the border slices through, so there’s a tiny spit of land on the bottom that’s part of America), with Vancouver to the North, and Vancouver Island to the West. Vancouver Island is a massive island, pretty much on par with England. Seriously. Apparently, there are people that spend their entire lives there, never leaving it. There’s mountains to the north, and there’s water all over the place, and awesome clouds and great landscapes and hordes of Great Blue Heron (turns out they also live in Canada: go figure).
And now it looks like I’m about to lose computer access, Aunt Rhonda’s getting ready to go to bed. That pretty much sums up the day, tomorrow’s looking like it should be fun, and hopefully I’ll have some photographs to show.