Mother Teresa Rep Soccer

My Trip to Canada's Wonderland

On Friday May 22nd the grade 9 concert band travelled to Toronto to Agincourt High School to play in the Trills and Thrills Music festival. One judge gave us 94% AND the other judge gave us 95% which put us in the superior category. With an average of 94.5% we were the highest scoring grade 9 band in the province of Ontario. In the concert band I play Alto Saxophone.

After the festival the most important bit came. We went to Canada's Wonderland. We were let loose at the park to run around and have fun for four hours.
The park is so big and we didnt get enough time to do everything and we didnt get to the waterpark so I have convinced mum and Dad to take the family back there is the summer for two days which will be fun...

When we go back I am definately going on the Behemoth which is Canada's tallest rollercoaster (to see the height just google behemoth). It was a great day and we'd been looking forward to it for ages.

Written by Emily Carter.

Birthday Fun

Yesterday I celebrated my first ever birthday in the Northern Hemisphere. It couldn't have been a more perfect day. It started with a sleep in and a visit to the gym. When I arrived home, the kids and John had presents for me - a new Pandora Charm, two tickets to the Tragically Hip Concert at the K-Rock Center and some shopping money.

We decided to go to lunch as a family and since it was my choice, it was Red Lobster. We had a great time and the very friendly waiter had a brother in Australia so we had a good chat. For a chain restaurant, it was pretty good. John and I enjoyed the lobster andd shrimp meals.

After lunch, it was off to one of my favourite places - the mall. Max came with me and we searched for some new T-Shirts for him. Aeropostle is the choice of style for every self respecting 12 year old boy in Kingston so Max had to get himself suitably attired. I even managed to get some Columbia gear for myself. It will come in handy when we travel out east for the summer.

By the time we got home, Emily had made a fantastic cake and had decorated it beautifully. So fresh and moist, the family devoured it immediately.

In the evening, it was time for John and I to go to the Tragically Hip Concert at the K-Rock Centre. What a chance to get out on what seemed like a date without the kids! Neither of us could really remember the last time we went to a real rock concert. We must be getting old. 20 years ago we would have been drinking and partying with the best of them. Instead, we set off with our bottles of water in tow. John remembered to take his glasses so he could see the stage. I wish I had mine. We also had to have a couple of toilet breaks during the performance and were quite shocked when the guy next to us lit up a joint and happily imbibed for the duration of the concert. What was even more concerning was that he was with his mum! Oh boy, we are getting old and conservative.

Nevertheless, the concert was fantastic. The crowd was rocking and the "Hip", a local Kinstonian band, made good, rocked out the stadium for about three hours. I guess the style of music would be a cross between Midnight Oil and Paul Kelly. I bought a CD and hope to use my contacts to get it signed by the band for my Aussie friend Dom, who is their biggest fan!

Driving home, I really thought that it had been a most perfect day. I couldn't ask for more; a great family and a unique adventure in a fabulous place.

If any of you blog readers ever get the chance to enjoy a teaching exchange, get out there and do it. You wont regret the experience.

Spring has Sprung

What a difference a couple of weeks make. It seems that only a few weeks ago, everything looked dead and tired. All of a sudden, with a bit of rain and some warm temperatures, we have a garden which seemed to spring from nowhere. I swear I could see the leaves growing on the Birch tree in our front yard. Canada is a very different place in warmer weather; lush and green. It really does feel like summer is coming. We even had a temperature of 27 degrees the other day which really reminded us of what hot weather is like. Bring it on!

Victoria Day Weekend

This year Victoria Day fell on May 18. We had a hectic schedule planned for the weekend. First up on Saturday Evening was dinner at Harry and Sandy Murphy's - our community sponsors. They have a lovely house backing right up on Lake Ontario. They made us fell very welcome and we enjoyed a lovely dinner. Emily provided some Aussie flavour with good old lamingtons. This is a desert unknown to Canadians but once sampled, I would say they were hooked.

The next evening we invited to the home of Sean Roberts and Anne O'Brien for dinner. Anne and Sean are colleagues at Holy Cross and their daughter Ciara is in Emily's English class. It was great to get to know people from school a little more closely. Anne and Sean are lovely and we enjoyed their company very much.Once again, Emily impressed with a pavlova and we even managed to find some Timtams. what a treat!

Monday morning, Victoria Day dawned bright and early. The days are really getting so much longer now. We were invited to Liz Rae dalton's property on Howe Island. In order to get tthere, we had to catch a ferry. This was an adventure in itself and the views up the St Lawrence River were impressive. Liz and her husband Bill have just built a beautiful house here and it really was spectacular. Liz is an artist and her home reminds me somewhat of an art gallery. The kids were really impressed, Bill took them for a ride on Louise, the backhoe. Even Emily got to drive it and scoop the dirt and rocks. There could be some possible careers in the earth moving business after this visit. It was hard to go home.

The day felt so much like summer that school seems to be a bit of an appendage at the moment. Bring on the summer break!

Ottawa CLEE Weekend

Sunday Brunch

Spring has sprung in Canada and it's May already. Last Sunday, we were invited to share Sunday Brunch with the Bouvier Family. Bob is a friend and colleague of mine who has made me feel very welcome at Holy Cross. We met his wife Teresa, and large, friendly family whilst enjoying the most delicious and hospitable brunch. After we ate, Bob and Teresa took us for a walk around the area. Despite the mud, we walked for several kilometeres to reach a man made pond. Here we sat for a while to savour the view and soak up the sun before making our way back to the house to enjoy ice creams. John and I had to agree; it was an idyllic way to spend a Sunday.