But this my friends, only seems like the end.

So for the record I'm sitting on my bed, in my bedroom, in my house, at home, in E-town.
But let's start from the beginning.
On Tuesday after our evaluations we were put into teams of three and assigned another team of three group members to draw a picture of them and then write all our memories and the things that will remind us of them after the program. Me, Sarah and Jared drew Ma, Ryan and Isaac. I was priveledged to have our group artist Zoe do mine and it's absolutely amazing, beyond amazing. I seriously loved this activity because it truly will bring back memories for years to come.
Afterwards we went on our last bus ride ever to eat out at St.Patricks as a group.
It was a great last meal, filled with fun and stories.


After we walked back to catch the bus back home and I tried to absorb my last look at the beautiful old Quebec. I don't think that I ever truly appreciated to the fullest extent how lucky I was to be able to live in such a beautiful city for three entire months.
When we got home the coffee was being poured left right and center, and many games were played including jungle speed and monopoly.

As the night got on the more crazy it got, from Isaac's guitar playing, to disney songs, to my rendition of "Are you ready for me, because I'm ready for you, and I'm coming anyways.." me and Kate rolled down the hallway, blanket parties, cereal and sitting around and just enjoying eachothers company for the last moments we had left.
Ryan was keeping watch for the bus and when he said the bus was headed our way, we thought he was kidding but he was serious. We ran for the window and grabbed the Katimavik sign down in hopes that maybe they'd think it was the wrong house, but no go!
We put our luggage in the bus with tear stained cheeks and then lined up to say goodbye to an amazing PL who has helped us all in so many ways over these past 3 months. Stephane has seriously impacted us all, and taught us so much and was a constant source of entertainment.
We piled onto the bus into the only avalible seats located in the front and I consoled a broken Katelyn on my shoulder. The front of the bus was hushed low sad murmurs and tears and the back of the bus interupted the quiet with loud songs and excited chatter.
When you know your impending doom is coming, the trip always seems to shrink in length significantly. Not even 15 minutes passed before we got off the bus and group 51157 gathered in a circle. We began hugging. I hugged the precious Zoe who was so upset, promised to be Stylo Amies. I hugged Rye-Rye who agreed to be my closest FB friend again. I hugged Jared, my brother and we danced one more time. I said goodbye to my lovely evelyne who stole one last sensual moment with me. Aha, goodbye to the crazy Brandon. I hugged Sara about 20 times and told her it would be okay about a 20 more times. I hugged the tall, strong MA, and was flooded with memories and calm. Then me Sarah and Kate headed to the airport and Eve Sara and Zoe joined until the last minute, Zoe helping me with one o the suitcases. Then I sat with Katey-Roo at my gate until boarding. Saying bye to the group was heart breaking but saying goodbye to MY Katelyn, my Kate, Katey, Roo, Rooage was almost unbearable. To see her cry broke my heart into a million pieces, and the waver my voice when I yelled my final "Bye Roo!" broke it into a million and one. Katelyn looked back at me, her face in shambles and Sarah and I walked down the walkway together, her arm around me, tears streaming down my face.
The first plane ride went by quickly and I read my notes from Kate and Sara and they made me bawl all over again.
After we landed Sarah and I bee-lined for Timmies where I tried to force down some food but found it difficult with my nerves. Me and Sarah only live 3 hours apart and know our friendship will always last so we weren't too worried.
Once I got on my plane from Toronto I was exhausted and passed out for half the trip and wrote my journal for the other half.
When I got off the plane I headed to get my luggage slightly nervous but once I rounded the bend and saw my Dad and Sister I gave them a huge hug and the water works started.


We drove home and I continiously tripped out as I drove past the same buildings I had seen 6 months before, and the buses with numbers and names I all reconized.
When we got home, I unlocked the door with my own Key and my dog first barked, then growled at me, then went crazy when she realized it was me.
Hugging my dog was something I really, really wanted to do.

Now I'm all unpacked, and settled in, my souvineers are all in place, my bonhomme is on my bed.

My Quebec piece is on my bedside table..

My Character on my wall..

And my cell phone is gelled to my hand if any of my Katima buddies wanna talk.
Still running on no sleep since Monday night, I'm slightly delusional but I got to talk to Sara and Jared on skype a little bit which made me happy. I can't help but dwell on thoughts of my Katimafam and wonder how they are and if they're thinking of me too or not... but now..
I'm offically alone.
No-one from my group left to say goodbye to. It really is the strangest thing. When I left for Katimavik I cried and was so sad to leave my amazing parents, and disgustingtly apprehensive to meet my new group and now it's completely reversed. I was devestated to leave the beautiful group I can now call family and I'm extremely nervous to meet my real family again.
It's hitting me. I have to find a job now, come up with a future plan, change my phone number, write a ton of letters, remeet my friends, sleep in a real bed.
Katimavik has gotten me used to a balanced diet of bread and cereal, to eat meals with caution to avoid plastic, to find a plastic mattress with a sleeping bag draped over it comfortable. To have my every moment except 12 hours a week planned for me, to share a bathroom with 12 people, to shop with 2 carts, to see past the conflict and see the person.
It taught me that I'm a little negative sometimes but that I can change, that you can feel like family after 6 months together, and that a PL works really hard. That Canada is different, the french are different and that Quebec is a beautiful province and that Vanderhoof is a dynamic town. I learnt that there is oppertunity to grow everywhere. Whether in the four walls of a house rented by the government that's falling to pieces or in a small office alone in northern BC, or in the basement of a homeless shelter in old Quebec.
I learnt that sometimes knowing what you don't want to do is almost as good as knowing what you want to do. That growing up is more than age and has more to do with facing your realities head on, facing situations with maturity and being proud of who you are. That goodbyes are not always goodbyes but can be see you laters, that tears are fine, but appreciate how you were lucky enough to have the moment instead of just focusing on how it's no longer there.
Katimavik has opened my eyes so much and my pls, katimafam, and jobs have taught me so much about myself. In the end, I'm extremely grateful I did the program, and you know that when leaving hurts a lot, it's clear that what you're leaving behind is incredible and that's a good thing. Just as I was willing to leave everything and everyone behind to go to Katimavik now I must do the same.
Like a puzzle, we're all pieces distrubuted across Canada, but at least now we know we go together. There is something that rests the mind in the fact that that in almost any province you choose to go there will be a puzzle piece that would be more than overjoyed to reconnect again.
Endings are never easy, beginnings can be just as hard, but we may as well kept it going if we've gone this far.
I now again have the chance to reinvent myself and it's up to me to decide who I am, but I know who I am.
I'm a little bit negative with a hint of sarcasm, Im part of a family spread across the country, I'm a past resident of BC, and QC, I can speak a tad bit of French, I know what it's like starting over again while leaving something behind. I'm 18 years old and have excitement for my future, and I will always stay true to myself. I'm Kyra and I'm a Katima Victim and I will love this fact with each miniscule particle that I possess to do so.
This is just the beginning.
Group 51157 Sept '10 - Mar '11.
Thank you for following me in my journey,
if you'd like to continue to follow my day to day happenings please visit www.kyrasreality.blogspot.com

Evaluate this!

So I'm sitting in my Katima Living room, chillin with the Katima family. All our suitcases are piled into the Zen room, and everyone has their laptops out, busy filling out our post program questionaires. Our bunk beds are empty, our sleeping bags rolled up, the only food in the house is cereal and our PC came to say goodbye and simutaneously high jacked our printer. Sara has gone on a timmies run, Eve to get a Sandwich and Isaac is playing with Lego. My goodness, this program is sincerely one of the funniest things ever.
This afternoon we had our one on one meetings with Steph and we got another Katimavik shirt, our letter we wrote to ourselves in Vanderhoof, our last $21 dollar Katima allowence, $16 for food at the airport, $350 for our travel deposits, our certificate, letter of recommdenation and... a hug from Steph.
It's pretty crazy that I now have in my possesion my Katimavik certificate and that this time tomorrow I will be sleeping in my bed at home.
Leaving my Katima fam will be one of the hardest things I will ever have to do, but it's really, really, not goodbye. It's a, I'll talk to you soon, I'll visit when I have a job that pays more than $3 a day... and an I'll always love you.

Mayhem..

So today was spent cleaning and packing, and boy what a job that is. Countless suitcases are laying anywhere they can fit, the broom is in high demand, everyone wishes the vacuum actually works, there is a pile of dishes, there are no clean rags, and Evelyne has informed us that no-one is allowed to take a shower from today on because she cleaned the bathrooms so well. Sorry, but that last one is not going to work.
When packing, everything seems to become that little bit more real.
We have tomorrow... and that's it.
We're going out for supper as a group and most of us are staying up all night long, and the following morning is a time that makes my stomach churn just to think about.
At 12:22 pm on Wed I will be returning to my own city, my own house, my own bed, and my friends and family.
I'm so excited but so scared at the same time.
This afternoon I've made a new blog, one that I can carry on with after Katimavik is over, because I am only Katima Kyra until the 2nd of March. :(
If you'd like to stay in tune with my life and adventures after Katimavik, go ahead and follow me at www.Kyrasreality.blogspot.com
Thanks for reading, update again the next chance I have, which may easily be when this is all over.
xooxox,

Debriefing.

The time has come where Katimavik is coming to the end. If the program had been the 9 months we had all signed up for, we would be reaching the start of our final rotation, but rather in two days we are making the sad, yet equally joyous voyage home.
Debriefing activities which focused on just Quebec were planned by us group members and have taken place over the last two days.
Last night MA, Zoe and Kate did their activity which covered group living in dynamic. They gave each group member a mountain to represent a hard time, a tree to represent a time of growth, a heart for a time of love, a sun for a happy moment and a stop sign for a new start. We had a timeline and each group member put their objects where they felt it belonged over the 6 months and why. I put my stop sign at the start because I felt we all had the oppertunity to start fresh and sort of be whoever we wanted to be because we didn't know eachother before the program. I put my sunshine at the end of november, one of our last nights in Vander where we all had matching timhortons mugs and walked to timhortons in the middle of the night in the middle of the street together. I put my tree in the first billeting section because it was our first time away from eachother since the start of the program, I put my mountain in the two weeks of hell at the end of Jan start of Feb, and my heart at the start of the program because that's when we had to many conversations late at night about life and at the time it made me so excited to spend time with the group I had been given and appreciate the group I was in so much, because I could tell I was in the right place with the right people who had similar intrests as me, and NO I didn't cry at all when telling this to everyone... hardy har har.

This morning when I got up for breakfast people were giggling and making many references to my camera so I turned it on and found a wide array of extremely artistic photographs of couches, silly faces and the inside of my project leaders mouth. Stephane had found it and decided that he'd spend his valuable time and leave me with some of his extremely rare photography. These are my favourites.


After breakfast I was sitting and drinking my juice when I witnessed a spontaneous massage train through the kitchen, dining room area. Since my camera was nearby for the epic pictures already taken for me that morning I also snapped this candid moment.

After the dishes and massages, it was me and Eve and Isaacs turn and we had the competency category. We got everyone to rate how they felt we did on doing activities which covered all 8 of our competencies and then they were allowed to use that many fingers to support an exercise ball as a group. It was cool to see if the ball balanced or not, and it really sparked some interesting conversation about whether or not the group felt we had spent considerable time on learning about the French culture, and about languages in Canada and the identity of Canada.
After was Jared and Brandon and they had 11 random objects and by rotating objects we all had to relate them to our workplace. It got a little old after about 6 rotations, but it was funny to hear all the work memories it brought up from everyone, and we never really would sit down and talk about our work experience because it was just something we would all do everyday and not really talk about so it was cool hearing about what everyone thought about their workplaces.
After supper it was Sara(h)s and Ryan who organized a scavenger hunt. I was on Eve's team and we had to collect a packet of salt and pepper from Ashton's the best place for poutine, a napkin from Star Cafe, a hangout for uni students, from Espresso lab, an empty cup, a nice internet cafe, from the movie theatre the clap a photograph, and Timmies a small treat. When we got home there was hot chocolate and doughnuts for all of us and we spoke about our favourite place and least favourite places in the community.
We decided to stay in for the rest of the night and everyone except Eve and Brandon played monopoly. It was cute though, because even though they didnt play they stayed in the room and the entire group was together the whole night. In between her turns Sara managed to paint mine, Eve's, her own, Sarahs, and Kate's nails! She's kinda professional.
We were tired so we paused the game until tomorrow but at this point Zoe and Sarah are raking in the dough, and we have a death alley on our hands.


But we're cute, and intense monopoly players, and me and Kate are losing, lol!

The other night I decided I simply needed a picture with the bagged milk that is ever so popular here in quebec. Here you buy plastic bags of milk, cut the tops off and put the bag in a little jug, def not a thing you see in the west so Sarah and I took photos with this eastern rarity.


We also figured out that in Quebec, we haven't had a SINGLE group picture, because everytime we seem to take one, at least one person is missing for whatever reason so we took our first complete group picture in our living room this afternoon, with 3 days of Katimavik left.
You know, with two days left, and me able to say, 'See you on Wednesday...' a fear truely shoots through my body. Over these past six months I have had the oppertunity to go through so much, so many experiences, good and bad, and learn so much about myself and the people around me. I know that Katelyn love's stars and can see the Ocean from her bedroom, and that Sara is italian and wants to be a teacher and that Sarah wants to be Vegan and wants to have dreads, and how Ryan has his pilots license and loves living in northern Canada, and that Isaac is accepted to University and likes meat, and Brandon loves Parkour and second hand stores, and Evelyne loves working at night time and going out, and that Zoe is extremely artistic and loves places with mellow atmosphere's and that Jared likes to read and loves history, that Marc-Andre has an adventerous spirit and can run an entire farm. And I learnt to face conflict head on, to be honest with myself, to follow and do what I want to do, and to be independent.
I learnt how to cook, how to manage my time, to be less lazy, and to live in a house with 10 other teenagers.
I've slept on plastic matresses, I've volunteered in minus temperatures of extended amounts of time, I've taken public transit in a city I didn't know, I've spoken a new language, I've learnt that I don't like sorting clothes, I've tasted real Quebec Poutine, I've seen carnaval and bonhomme, I've eaten soup out of tupperwear, I've house managed solo style, I've eating soup with plastic in it, I've pulled all nighters, I've built card cities, I've lived near a river, I've sent more postcards than I can count, I've written almost two journals worth of my experiences.
I will cry when I say goodbye to my Katima family, I will sleep when I get onto the plane to forget reality, I will cry again when I see my family and my dog again. My heart will be happy when I can share a room with my sister again, grocery shop and play computer with my dad, and sit with my mom for hours and talk, and give her the longest hug I can imagine, when I hug my dog again for the first time. I will smile when I see Lisa, and Cally, and all the dear friends I've missed this whole time. I will change my cell-phone number from Quebec local to Edmonton, and I will find a job again.
I will be a Katima-Victim, and I will never forget the things I experienced in these six months.

Thanks for reading, xoxo

Festi-Glisse!

Hello again!
On Saturday morning we woke up at 7 to go volunteer at 9 for the Festival of Ice at Sara and Jared's volunteer placement. We all have different assignments such as photographs, selling refreshments, renting out skates and tubes, and Sarah, Zoe and I got to face paint!
At first I was really, really nervous. I had never face painted before, and we all know how I barely passed Junior High Art class, so the first two faces I painted I hyperventilated and prayed that when they looked in the mirror they wouldn't cry. But it turned out after a little while, I wasn't doing too shabby! The kids seemed happy when they saw my artwork on their face and it put a smile on my face!

I ended up doing 2 spidermen, 2 spiders, 2 princesses, a dolphin, 3 hearts, 2 flowers, a panda, a cat and about 500 butterflies. I was pretty surprised, as I thought about two people would want their faces painted but we pretty much had non-stop people from 12-3.
The best part about face painting was that it was indoors!! Many of the activities were outside and the group had to switch and do shifts because it was so cold! -25 for a few hours is certainly not the most enjoyable time spent, and it was slightly alarming when they came inside and their water bottles had frozen.
However, due to the volunteering we got to wear these attractive red fleece vests, and obnoxiously long toques, so we kinda pulled those off with A LOT of class.




And in the few moments we didn't have kids who wanted their faces painted some of us got a little creative aha.


After we had finished working we grabbed a group picture minus eve and zoe because they had to house manage, and Melony Sara and Jared's boss bought us cookies and pop. Cute!

For our last volunteering oppertunity, we all really enjoyed it. Despite the cold weather we all realized it was our last chance to volunteer in the community and the time passed quickly and we had a lot of fun.
Up next, debriefing!
Thanks for reading!

Shennigans!

Hello there everyone!
Sorry if I haven't been updating much! There is.. dare I say it.. 2 days of Katimavik left, and things have been crazy! So many shannigans I've been catching on my camera!
Friday was our last day of work! (Finally...) I got to do Laundry (yay!) with Nadia, (yay) sit at the staff table for lunch (yay!) and get a certificate with my name spelt right. (yay!) and finish at twelve. (yay again) I captured two more photos of my workplace.

This is the 'donation room' and I would come and get the donations from here and drag them to this table in the laundry room to sort them. This is where I spent my entire work day, 8-230, sorting dirty donations.

Friday evening, someone got the idea to slide down the stairs on our Katima matresses, which are made of the hard plasticy consistancy.. This didn't work because the mattress was too wide, so it turned into Jared getting squished in the front entrance, and MA and Brandon having a parkour competition up the stairs..


I used to be shocked at the weird things our group came up with, and now I just accept it, nothing phases me anymore.
After that, most of us went over to Zack's apartment to say goodbye to him. It really, really sucked to see Kelton and Zack say goodbye because they are super close friends and to see them have to seperate seriously broke my heart.
Here's me and Zack looking uncontrolablly happy. At Christmas by the river he taught me how to look like I was having fun in every picture.
Flashback to Christmas:

Now:
Now he's headed to see Friends and Fam, and then going to Denmark with Aupair! Best of luck Zack, you'll own no matter where you go or what you'll do!!
Coming up: Festi-Glisse et Debriefing!
Stay tuned!

'It's like we have our own Landfill...'

Hello my lovely readers! (Of which there was almost 50 of today!)
Today was a good day but I'm a bit tired!
I got up like usual to go to work for 8, and sorted donations for the morning.
Marc-Andre came eventually and requested we take photos of our personal landfill.
When I say I sorted donations this means I open boxes or garbage bags of people's donations, check to see if they are clean enough, fold them, put them into like piles, and then put them in a new garbage bag, label it, in French, and then put it in a bin and someone takes it to a room in the basement and throws it on the other 100 already sorted bags to eventually use in the second store, or send to Africa.
So we took photos of the fruits of our labours for the last 3 months.
Observe.







My morning break got skipped however because we went to the local church where the homeless shelter has a recreation centre for the homeless and we set up tables, one for each type of clothing, pants, shirts, socks, whatever. Then we opened it up to the homeless and low incomed from 12-3pm. When they came in they were handed a garbage bag, and a small piece of paper which they had to get initialed at each table to say they had taken an acceptable amount of clothing. It was really crazy to see, it was completely packed for all 3 hours. I ended up speaking a lot of French and it called for quick understanding! My most common phrases of the day in French was 'Mens shirts are here, womans shirts are there.'




Yesterday was our French evaluations, and it was so much harder than I expected!
She asked me my birthday, where I was born, the time, the temperature, my job in Vander, my job in Quebec, if I liked Katimavik, and what we've done in Quebec so far. Funny part is I understood 90% of it, answered in full sentences, and moved from a 0 out of 5 to a 2! (And the biligual people have like 3s... soo..) Yay me! I guess Katimavik really does help you learn your other language.
Tomorrow is my second last day of work, and we have free time I think. Marc-Andre wanted to experience working at night, so he's working 4-10 pm and I'm doing my usual 8am-2pm.
On Monday morning at 3:30 am our lovely Sara left us and will be gone for the next two days. She had to do a comfirmation for her friends daughter or something. The morning she left I told her to wake me up and we took a goodbye photo together.
Aren't we cute?

Me gots me morning face on. aahaha! (:
Butttt... I'm super tired.
I'm going to take a shower, drink hot chocolate anddd go to sleep! Ahaha. 6 day left of Katimavik, hasn't quite hit me yet, but I think I'm ready to come home.
xoxoxox,