Monday, August 29, 2005

Sleeeeeeeeeeep.

I made this.

I get my passport tomorrow.
Thousand Foot Krutch in one week!
I can't seem to sleep.

I'm going to try again.

Thursday, August 25, 2005

Email from Ryan

So I got an answer to a few of my questions from Ryan. Still, the most important stuff is unanswered but this email really set me at ease about the whole thing. I've copied and pasted it:

Hey I cant answer all your questions yet but I can answer a few. Teaching - Basically all the students work at whats called an office. Its like alittle desk with dividers. They work in little booklets that dont need much explenation for them to work. If they have a question they have a flag that they put up where the teachers can see it. Then us the teachers go over and answer that quesitons if we can. Usually its can I go score my pace. The ¨Pace¨ is what the workbooks are called. They mark them themselves. We mark the test that comes at the end of each Pace. So basically what I do and what you will be doing is walked around a classroom of kids answering questions. I met the people you will be staying with. They have a kid in teh school. Shes really nice and speaks english. Her mom speaks english 2 and is really nice. I havent met the dad yet. I didnt get an email cuz I wasnt expecting to meet her today. She told me though that her house is your house as soon as you get here. I dont know about going home for christmas that all depends on whether I can get a work visa to stay in the country. If I can stay I think I will. I am getting more comfortable here and now that I´m working days go by faster. I´ll email you my flight number and stuff next email hopfully with a few more answers. The jacket just to let you know can be a sports jakcet or a blazer there not really picky with the teaches. Yes black pants and a dress shirt must be worn Monday Wednesday and Friday. On Tuesday and Thursday we can wear jeans. Your dress shirts dont all have to be white but they should be dress shirts. Anyways I should go to bed. I´ll talk to you later

Hee hee. My boyfriend, ladies and gentlemen, the grammar viking! (as in rapes and pillages the English language...lol...love him to death).

Saturday, August 20, 2005

Meh

Well, another week has passed and no progress has been made. I don't know what to do and it's getting very frustrating. I had a long post about this but my computer spazzed and left me with nothing. Lots of metaphors and allegories and general poeticness. In short, I feel like an extremely horny celibate about this Mexico thing. I can't plan without more information! This lack of progress is making me very nervous.

I told my supervisor that there was the possibility of my leaving for Mexico during the first week of September. I said, "possibility" not "I am going then. Good bye". She has not given me 1 single hour that week. I don't like my supervisor all that much. She's kind of a cow.

I've done nothing all week besides work and go online. My life is extremely boring. I have no Ryan to fill up the time and it's gotten very weird. I'm reverting back into loner Kristall...

PHOTO: Oh...just to jazz things up I've neglected to put up a super artistic picture and opted, instead, for something a little "Shaun of the Dead". Mhmmm, that's right. I love zombies. I like comedy. I like the Britons. This is a wonderful gift to the movie world.

Monday, August 15, 2005

Rodin & Rant

The passport office was ideally situated to be missed and the Government of Canada sign was hidden behind much foliage. Nonetheless, it was found and after an hour wait, I finally submitted my application.
Realizing we weren't in Surrey everyday and were already halfway to Vancouver, my mother and I decided to see Rodin's art at the Vancouver Art Gallery. The passport office is right by the Gateway Skytrain station, so we took that into the heart of the city. There, I proceeded to lead my mother astray by walking away from Hornby St. Ha ha ha.

Rodin was a bit of a disappointment. We saw The Kiss, The Thinker, and some other noteworthy sculptures but I believe it was the gallery setting itself that detracted from the pleasure of it. There was so much just stuffed into these few rooms that I found my appreciation of this beautiful and amazing art, much depleted.
Upstairs, my mother and I visited the modern art galleries. WOW. It was fantastic! I had a much more pleasurable experience. It was simple but big and very colourful. Franz West was a tad boring but Wang Du Parade was great. His stuff was poignant, BIG, and colourful and very very entertaining. If you get the chance, and don't mind paying the $15 admission charge, definitely check this guy out. (Enter! is the one pictured above)

And finally, we come to section of this blog that I've reserved for ranting. There is no type of girl that gets more on my nerves than the Male-Haters. These girls are easily recognizable as the ones with the heinous and incredibly ugly skin-tight shirts that read, "Boys Suck". These words are of course embellished with butterflies, sparkles, and sequins and are emblazoned across the bust. Ladies, ladies, ladies. Men are our counterparts! We would not be here without them. They make up half the world and insulting them by wearing such a t-shirt is ridiculous. Boys do not suck. If boys suck so much, why don't they wear shirts that say "Girls Suck"? On the Skytrain home today, I saw a t-shirt that made my stomach turn, "Guys make GREAT accessories". Excuse me? Lowering guys to the level of something you'd buy at Ardene's or Claire's, is inhumane. I won't go so far as to compare this to say the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia, but it is along the same lines. Once you begin to see the male sex as objects, rather than human beings that God created in love, you fail to treat them as human beings. Even if it is a joke, it's a poor one that I do not laugh at.

Enough of the rant. I think I got my point across.

Sunday, August 14, 2005

Mexico

Despite not knowing a word of Spanish, being very introverted and unadventurous, it looks as though God is calling me to Toluca. I figured if it's supposed to happen God will have everything fall into place and there will be a supreme lack of obstacles. And yes, everything has gone very smoothly. The pastor & family that my boyfriend is staying with has found me a place to stay and a job teaching ESL at Collego Martin Luther King. I am provided for there, which makes me happy and the only opposition that I've faced is from up here.

I'm excited and I thought I'd be really nervous, but I'm not all that much. There's a really nice peace within me because I know I'm doing what God wants me to do and I'm not just stuck working part-time for a company I despise with nothing else to do but sit and fool around on the internet.

Good things about going to Mexico:

Starting afresh
Will most likely become much healthier
No worrying about family problems, friend problems, & hatred of job
Will be making a difference in somebody's life
Might learn a third language (actually, it should be 2nd and a half because I don't really know French anymore)
Will gain such wonderful spiritual and earthly experience
Grow closer to God
Will see Ryan with much more frequency than if he were in Mexico and I in Canada.
Will be removed from most American media

I don't know if I'm supposed to be a missionary. I don't think I am. But I think, doing this ESL and helping the church down there, is something I can do. Something I can use my gifts for.

Saturday, August 13, 2005

Money



I always thought I was good with money...but now that I've actually got it, I'm not.

I bought two clothing items today totalling $60. Granted, the sweater was just the right colour for me and perfect in every way and I really did need a new belt, I probably shouldn't have bought them. I loathe having debts of any sort and I still owe my parents $100. I also have to think of plane tickets, luggage, "essential" clothing, and other stuff.

Went to the bank today...I will have enough for a plane ticket, if I don't spend it all.

List of stuff I want/need rather badly but must not buy it all at once:

TFK - Phenomenon & The Art of Breaking
Greg Sczebel
Hot Hot Heat
Audioslave
New Bible
Shorts/Capris
Jeans
T-shirts I actually like
Billy's gift
Carrie's gift
Mags' gas money that I will give her in form of TFK tickets! ^_^
Developement of film

PHOTO: Fooling around with the image layout... Those are my mom's tulips that I've photoshopped, cropped and basically tried to salvage from a crappy photo. I think I did a good job.