I love the weekend

Hey!

What an amazing weekend I've had! Every day has just been perfect.

Friday night was advisor night, the night where your small group and advisor (in my case, Mr Luukkonen) go out and do something wacky. Our group went and visited the uber-sketchy ferris wheel, powered by a couple of guys jumping around on the bars.

This has nothing to do with the ferris wheel, however, it totally freaked me out (in a good way).

The most ILLEGAL thing I've ever ridden!

Stopped while some people get off...

A nice shot of some monkeys while riding the wheel.

Lexine

Kushal

The suicide squadron

This. is. SKETCHYYYYYY!!!!!

After that we went out to Kalsang's chinese restaurant. We had to wait for a bit, because Mr Miller's group was already in there and it's not the biggest of places.

See? Super crowded!

Ahhh, peace

Mmm, sweet banana lassi!

And spicy lamb in garlic sauce!

Mr Luukkonen taking on the Bollywood model. 

That night, becaue it's a weekend, Tanya slept over in our room (we're kind of the hub of social events ;) and we watched FRIENDS. Awesome!

Next morning started off interestingly enough: Kal got up at about 7:30 and was moving around, so I got up. "What time is it?" I asked. She said "7:35" and I FREAKED OUT because I thought she said 10:35. We were due to set off for our hike at 9:30, so I was understandably a little anxious. Fortunately for me I misheard, and was able to get a little more sleep before heading out at 8:40 for the hike to Jordi village. 

Hiking in Mussoorie is really different from walking around in Guelph, but remarkably similar to the Yorkshire hill area, in terms of rockiness, narrowness of pathways, steepness and landscape. I almost called out for my cousin Peggy at one point!

We had to trespass, just a little

Steepness

Something I don't have a photo of: the hardcore pregnant dog that followed us around for 3 hours. We were all completely mystified as to why she kept following us and didn't go rest her massive belly in the shade somewhere. After about two hours we started feeling kind of responsible for her, and started feeding her cookies and nuts, giving her water from our water bottles, and walking slower so she could keep up. She was having none of that, leading the group on for most of the way and drinking spring water along the way. I have a new hero!

After the hike (with Devika looking as though she might collapse from exhaustion) we went for lunch at the Clocktower Café. I officially have a new favourite food: this fried corn spicy stuff that is totally amazing. We also had a veg pizza and apple pie. 

I know what I'm getting people for chritsmas now. Beware, folks, beware! >:D

That evening, we made homemade pizza (Tanya is awesome, just saying) and roast corn, indian style. I was slightly less traditional in how I ate mine, hacking it off without discretion and eating with my hands (very indian). 

Al the girls in the dorm watched Miss World, accompanied by much noise, cheering and comments on how pretty they all were. I was quite creeped out at how if you ignore their different cheset sizes and skin colour, they all had EXACTLY the same body. It was eerie...

Also, the rambunctious cheering made it difficult to skype. Oh well...

After that, Annabelle, Lexine, Tanuvee, Kal, Devika, and Tanya all piled on to the beds and we watched Mean Girls and Footloose. This seems to have beome a regular thing now, and I have absolutely no issue with that at all!

On a related note: Subin Song, for family reasons, is moving back to Canada this week, much to everyone's dismay. This means that Jihoo will be missing a roommate, wich means that out roommate Ritsen will be moving out, which means we have an extra space in our room, which means that it's highly likely that Tanuvee will be making her weekend home here. If you can follow all that, well done!

Today=lazy day. Uno, room cleaning, homework, and ordering pizza! You can NEVER have too much pizza! :D

All right loves, I hope you have a good week. And wish me luck with my Lady Macbeth audition tomorrow!

Emily

Sending love from afar

An average day in Woodstock school, with one notable exception: Grade 9 initiation day! This was very different to Sarah's description of initiation here, as none of the things were mean at all! The way it works is that a gr 12 and a gr 9 are partnered up, and the senoir dresses up the freshman however they please, BUT whatever they dress up the freshman as, they have to wear the same thing! This makes for some entertaining results, although unfortunately I didn't get any good photos.
We saw Bane and Scarecrow from Batman, The queen of Hearts, Tweedle Dee, Tweedle Dum, Alice, Cheshire Cat and the Mad Hatter, McDonalds workers, Spartan warriors, and many more!

The weather has settled into a pretty consistent routine: it's sunny in the morning, with mist on the horizon. By midmorning it's starting to get hazy, and by the time we leave school at 4 we're surrounded in fog. By late evening it's usually raining, varying in intensity.

This is what it looked like on the way down today:

So, weather, whatcha gonna do?


I also have some very troubling news from back home. This is really important: a friend of mine has a life-threatening condition, and is in serious danger due to a blood infection. I've been in contact with a few mutual friends, and we are all praying for a miracle. I just got this information this morning, and I don't know much of what's going on. If you can, please pray for Kate and that she pulls off a miracle. We love you!!!

Finding this out at 8:30 am just as I got to school was not the best way to start the day. I was quite terrified in my state of partial knowingness, I alternated between bawling and being completely exhausted all morning (note: if you are feeling a bit emotionally unstable, it is not a good idea to handle sodium hydroxide and hydrogen chloride). Everyone is so extremely considerate; the coucillor kindly allowed me to sit and cry and pray in her office for about 1/2 an hour during math class, and my friends were kind and supportive all day, and cooked me dinner.

Please keep Kate in your prayers, and if you know the family at all, please send your regards, best wishes, and if possible visit them for me.

Emily

The day of independence

It's true what Ms Maya said: Independence day is the day Woodstock is most beautiful.

Everyone resplendant in their clothing, the most fabulous food and drink, celebrating 65 years of independence from the British.

Behold!

Mehendi: 200 RS, equivalent to about 1. 80$

On our way up (Tanuvee and Devika)

The decorations, in green and orange. Made from fresh leaves and flowers

Slightly creepy colour matching by Lexine and Devika

The gate to the Quad

So pretty

Group shot: Tanuvee, me, Lexine, Devika, Ugyen, Amber, Mansi

Tanya and Tanuvee

Kalki is siper excited to find a fellow Ethiopian

Mehendi! Clockwise from bottom: Me, Kalkidan, Annabelle, Lexine, Devika.

To the gym!

The fabric of my outfit!

Me, Tanya and Lexine

An inspirational speech from Woodstock Alumnus Bhubhnesh Kumari (class of 1950)

Raising the flag!

Uma and Annabelle. Sad note of the day: Uma has been trasnferred to hopital for tests as her fever has been constant for the past 3 days.

Group shot! There were a LOT of these

Les roommates

Mr Luukkonen's advisor class (advisor night this friday!!!!)

Tara looking lovely...

Me and Devika!

Asma and Lexine: the running girls

Caroline and her friends

Nina, looking gorgeous as always

Devika and Caroline

Moi et Mme Amy, mon prof de français.

Cuuute

Me and Mr Okie, my vocals teacher (who fails at smiling)

Mr Wunker, fellow Canadian and english prof

I posted this just for the face...

Mr Luukkonen, my advisor!

Mr Conrad, my math teacher.

On to the meal, the main focus of the day:

Gulab Jamun: like timbits but better!

So much good food...

Making Tandoori Roti...

Bhatura

Masala Dosa.

And then Devika grabbed me some Papdi Chaat, Jalebi with Rabri, Aloo Tikki with a lot of chutneys (all this was typed by Devika, because I have no clue what I was eating, but it was DELICIOUS)

Indian man!

Tanya's Pakistani style of Mehendi

Give us a twirl!

Traditional Ethiopian dress. Lovely!

That's all for today, 

Love you and miss you all,

Emily