Bienvenue a Canada

After arriving in Edmonton last Thursday, I got to enjoy a few days of rest, relaxation, and reconnecting with relatives.  It had been three years since I last saw some of them, sixteen years since I last saw others, and some I had never met, so it was good to just hang out and enjoy their company.  I've decided that, next to Cameron, my cousins' children, Tamsen and Rowan, are THE cutest kids in the world.  I mean, I'd already seen the photographic evidence of their adorableness, but I hadn't had a chance to see how cute they were in person.  Verdict: pretty dang cute.

Monday, I was very brave and walked over to a houseful of YSA girls to get a ride to FHE.  Don't laugh, this was a big step for me!  FHE ended up being at one of the myriad parks found in Edmonton, called Hawrelak park.  It's huge, and we drove around for about 10 minutes just trying to find the group.  While being introduced to some of the other YSAs, I got to have The Conversation:

"Hi, I'm __________________"

"Hi, I'm Claire Horspool."

"Nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you, too."

[various inquiries about where I'm going to school and what I'm studying, and then we get to...]

"So, where are you from."

"Southern California."

"Oh my gosh, are you terrified for winter?!  It gets really bad here, I hope you don't freeze!"

"Yeah, I've heard that.  I'm trying not to think too much about it, just enjoy the rest of summer."

"Oh, well, let us know what you think of our winter when it gets here (hee hee hee)."

"Will do."

Even my new Canadian YSA friends are worried that I will freeze to death once winter hits.  I'm starting to get a little worried.

But other than dire warnings of my sad fate by snow come winter, FHE was pretty fun.  It's a neat experience, playing Bocce Ball while listening to bagpipes and being consumed by mosquitos.  It makes me a little sad that, once school starts, I'll be in class Monday nights until 8.