Wednesday August 10th, 2006

Time is flying by and I haven't had a moment's rest. I guess this is the way it goes when you get to your hometown once every two years or so. I was looking for a nice, relaxing vacation ... so much for that. Just when I get a moment to sit down, it's only another few before I'm up and running out to the next place. I've hardly done any of my Chinese writing homework ... bad student! I am going to have to bust my you know what when I get back to Taiwan. I'll have about three weeks before Uni starts.

Tuesday, I went to St. Jacobs, ON with Freda, my Dad's girlfriend, and my aunt Pauline. St. Jacobs is the home community of many old order Mennonites who drive around town via horse and buggy. I noticed that horses are put to work rather than using the conveniences of tractors and such. The town has many unique shops along with a huge farmers market and flea market. I was amazed at the abundance of fruit, vegetables and meat available. If there is one thing I've learned this time around ... it's that North America is overly spoiled and overstocked with food.


I went to Sobeys in Brighton with Bill, my stepfather, and he had to drag me through the aisles as there were so many things I haven't seen in years. All of the grocery stores here are at least three times the size of the ones in Taiwan ... never mind how many stores exist here. I wonder how it is that there are so few people in Canada, yet the food supply is massive. I wonder how much of it actually goes to waste ... I'm sure it's shocking. Taiwan is a country of convenience and a lot of the older homes don't have kitchens. I suppose that's why there isn't a need for big grocers. There are small food stalls and restaurants everywhere and you can eat for next to nothing on the streets... but, still. I miss the big grocers with all that variety to choose from.

Today I went to Dundurn Castle with my friend, Jada, and her daughter, Savannah. It's hard to believe she's three. What a cutie she is ... although, it still doesn't make me want one ... sorry, Mom! It was $25 to take a tour through the inside of the castle but we decided that was a bit too rich for our blood ... plus trying to take a three year old through ... probably not the best plan. The grounds were beautiful, so it was nice just to walk around.


Tomorrow I will be heading to Toronto for the day. I am meeting up with a friend I met in Cambodia. He owns a house in T.O., so he's going to show me around in exchange for some of my photos from Cambodia. It'll be nice to see someone from the other side of the world ... share some travel stories.

Only four more full days for me before I head to B.C. Most of my time will be spent on the island with my Mom and Bill, so I should be able to find some time for R & R as I don't know anyone except them. I do have to deal with a storage locker full of things and a garage sale, but I hope that won't take up too much of my time.

For now, I am off for beer with one of my oldest and dearest friends, Howie. I can't wait to see him! Knock, knock ... good timing, Howie ...

... 130am ... just arrived home from Hess Village. We decided to go to the Pink Flamingo ... after sitting down, the girl at the door came over to tell me that they don't allow bandannas at the bar ... huh? How silly is that? We decided to take our business elsewhere. I am off to bed as I have an early start tomorrow.