So here we are. It's been a long time since the last entry so I'll try and fill in the important details. The travel after camp had everything from new passports to Harry Potter and ice wine.
So after many anxious weeks I finally got my BRAND NEW PASSPORT in NYC! Many thanks to the Collins family for putting me up, I'm forever in your debt. Armed with my passport; Gaz (welsh mate from camp) and I joined up with Benny Falkland-Brown (Melbourne mate from camp) tripped it on the mega bus to Boston and spent some chill time on a friends' porch waiting for Cyclone Earl to blow us away. We survived and left Benny to head back to Connecticut while Gaz and I made our way up to Vermont.
We spent the following week catching up with Camp Billings crew in the Upper Valley and then enjoying the loft apartment accommodation provided by Anne Hartman. It was great to spend a week in the green mountains away from the big cities and prepare ourselves for the travels ahead.
We then caught a train from Vermont to NYC arriving in the city with no place to stay and having to kill two nights before a flight down to Orlando, FL. Luckily enough we were able crash with Dave Peskin and after some late night wanderings catch a subway down to JFK at 4am to catch our 7.30am flight to Orlando. Many thanks Peskin!
After a sleepless night in NYC we arrived in Orlando and waited for Lydia Batham (British camp friend) to drive and meet up with our camp house mates for the next week; Elsa from Australia, Ethan from Canada and Natalie from NZ! After settling in we spent the following week chilling by the pool, reminiscing moments of the summer and taking in the tourist sights. We started with a day at Universal Studios of which half was spent at the new Harry Potter world. Gaz realised his dream and was selected by Mr. Ollivander himself to select his very own wand! In other news ... I conquered my fear of rollercoasters! We spent a couple of days at the Aquatica Water Park! On the last day Elsa, Ethan and I spent an amazing afternoon at the Kennedy Space Center, Cape Canaveral. After a great week in Orlando we had to part. I left for Montreal with Elsa and Ethan to start the job search and find out what those Canadians were going on about.
I LOVE MONTREAL! What a great city! All the structure of a big city with that relaxed, Adelaide type feeling. Many thanks to the Kraus family for putting us up, showing us the sights of the city and the many celebrations including my first Shabbat and Canadian Thanksgiving!
I also made a trip with Elsa to Quebec City for a week to meet her parents and celebrate my 25th birthday! It was only a 3 hour bus ride we were magically transported into France. QC is a city of walls, fashion, baguettes and everything French. I was able to catchup with an old friend from Billings, Maryse Paquette. Maryse was able to show us the local sights which included an afternoon of wine and cider tasting on Isle d'Orlean and there we discovered Ice Wine/Cider. A winemaking process in which they allow the grapes to freeze on the vine and only after 3 days will they be picked.
After Quebec City we returned to Montreal in an effort to find a place to work in this beautiful city, but unfortunately I am not bilingual :( So once Natalie joined us in Montreal we started making plans to head west to Alberta and in particular Banff, a town of opportunity! We spent our final week in the city watching hockey with Patrice and playing pool with Cedric. Then Natalie and I made the flight out west to Calgary.
Well here we are in Banff! Its a beautiful place. The mountains are huge and covered in snow! Nat and I settled into the Hostel here with a job seekers package and should find work soon. We've done some exploring in the mountains nearby and from first impressions I know the winter up here will be life changing. Now that we've settled down I'll end this entry here. There's more job hunting to do, a weekend trip to NYC for the Camp Billings Staff Reunion and some skiing and snowboarding to do. To the family and friends I hope everyone is well and I apologise once again for my slack updates.
Much love and keep in touch.
