South Africa report # 1

So we are driving in the car. All of the sudden this little black cloud of something hits the windshield. It turns out that that was African bees migrating and we hit like trizilon of them. The entire windshield is covered in honey, it smells great, but nothing can clean it even the windshield wipers and liquid. So we are driving with this honey covered windshield that you can hardly see through. I am acting cool (even though I am freaking out) but everybody else in the car thinks that that is not a big deal.
And this is just one of the many things that happen in first day when I had to play cool.

Germany report # 1

10 things to do if you are stuck for 9 hours in the Frankfurt airport on your way to South Africa

1. Have as much tee as you can and every time you must use a washroom find a new one, see how soon you will run out of the washrooms.
2. Start timing yourself and see how much time does it takes to find a washroom you haven’t used yet.
3. Find all similarities between Euro bill and Monopoly money.
4. Sit where you can see planes going up and try to guess if this one is gona make it.
5. Put your MP3 player on random and promises yourself a most expensive ice-cream every time when you guess the next song (highly improbable)
6. Find a Muslim man with 7 wifes eating lunch and try to see their faces as they eat.
7. Run away from the Muslim man chasing you with a chair.
8. Think of all the places where it would be worse to be right now.
9. Come up with adjectives for word boredom.
10. Come up with 10 things to do if you are stuck for 9 hours in the Frankfurt airport on your way to South Africa

Canada report # 31

Did you know that the most effective advertisement is the advertisement in public washrooms? Canadians do know that. Today I went to the mall to get some things for my South Africa trip. I went to use a washroom and there was a little screen above every urinal and sink and hand dryer. On these screens there were commercials going with cool music and all. It is so hard to find a place in Canada where you are not being persuaded to by something. Even a bathroom is not a safe place anymore. But then again Canadians do get a point for being creative and smart in doing their business. This is why they are doing so well.

Canada report # 30

I was driving through the mountains another day. It was great. But then I saw a sign that said, “Avalanche area; drive with caution.” I was thinking what kind of cautious driving do I need to exercise to go save through this dangerous area. Should I drive as quiet as I can? Do I need to drive as fast as I can, to shorten the time of my presence in this area and therefore limit the opportunity of being hit? Or may be just the knowledge that now I am in the dangerous spot will enrich my traveling experience.
Anyhow I cam back save, I guess we did drive with caution and did not case any avalanche.

Canada report # 29

This weekend I was privileged to spend with some new friends of mine. As the host was making the bed for me I noticed the skin of the animal on the floor (see picture). I though it is some kind of a black fox or something, but very big. So I made a joke, “Hey this looks like e dog!” “It IS a dog,” my host answered.
It turns out that they had a pet dog, which they liked a lot. It was very old so they shot him and kept its skin as a memory.
As I was laying that night in the darkness, with the skin of the dog by my bed, I realized that the day when I will think that I have seen it all in Canada, I will be so wrong.

Canadian report # 28

Things do not appear the way they are!
Even though I have been in this country for almost 2 years I still have a hard time figuring those Canadians out.

• when they are really glad to see you and when they are just being nice
• when they really want to help you out when you ask them and when they just feel bad saying no
• when they ask you “how are you” when do they really care when is it just an expression
• when they act all cool and confident but really are lonely and desperate for help
• when they are joking and when they are serious

Some how when you grow up with people you learn to read them better. Not that people on my planet are not confusing some how their confusiness makes more sense than Canadian confusiness

Canada report # 27

Canada still holds for me a lot of mysteries. Let me illustrate one of them for you.
Canadians get some interesting holidays one of them is Labor Day. Schools are closed people can get a day of. This is Ok. Then comes the Easter. You would think that Christian college will get an Easter weekend of. But no; I need to work on Saturday and my exam is on Easter Monday. All my Easter holiday plans are dead and I am bitter. By the way I am sorry for my bitterness. I know that Easter is not about me getting the day of, but still I am upset.

“I miss you” report # 2

It was raining yesterday. I was walking down town and I realized how much I miss it. I miss thunders in the May. I miss puddles with bubbles of the size of an apple. I miss running barefoot under the poring rain and yelling my guts out knowing that because of this rain nobody will hear me. I miss looking out of the window and not being able to see anything but water that is running down the glass. I miss my wet and soggy homeland. I miss triple rainbows over my parents’ house and freshness of the lilac after the rain. If you live in the semi desert you start to miss things like that.

Canada report # 26

I watched Canadian traveling show last night. And I realized one great truth about this country. Meals are very special.
This man on the show was talking about this great city and first thing he started with was information about the location of some great places to eat - mo museums, no parks or Zoos but restaurants.
Before coming to this planet my friends and I would just grab supper before we get together for something fun, but now I am learning how great it is to shear a meal together with my friends. Canadians eat out more, invite each other over and they still know how to enjoy slow and peaceful lunch or dinner. There are some families who will not answer the phone during the dinner.
I am not saying that restaurants are more important than some culture stuff but it is great to be in the community that values time of table fellowship.

Canada report # 25

Foreign guy is going to see a dentist

Volume # 2

She was short, very short. When the nurse talked to me she would look in to my chest. And I am not a tall person. Then it began. She had to take my x-rays. I had to be standing up and she had to put something in my mouth. All my energy went in to preventing the outburst of laughter. She would reach up, I would bend down, then she would tell me to stand up still and then she would try to reach me again. It was very comical. It turned out that some of my x-rays did not worked, so we did it again. And then they left me. “Doctor will be back soon,” she said. But doctor wasn’t back soon. So, I took a nap.
Somehow all this experience is a lot of waiting. And not just in waiting area but in actual dentist’s chair. One would think they would try to keep you away from that torturing device, but they don’t.
For Canadians it seems normal, but I wish they would know that there are so many different ways to do all that. Not necessarily better just different.
My brain somehow suppressed actual drilling moments. And probably it is a good thing, but my biggest surprise was still ahead of me after the doctor said, “Well, we are done for today.”

- To be continued -