Beautiful Babies. Family Fun.

Last week I worked in the Baby Room all week!! I really enjoyed it. The Baby Room is occupied by infants ranging from 6 to 18 months. The ratio is 4 babies per 1 staff member, and the floor space is licensed for 8 babies (aka. bebbies) so I worked alongside my coworker Marlie, because her usual partner in crime was on vacation (to Ontario, go figure!). During the week I experienced and learned a lot about the first year-ish of life, changed a LOT of diapers, cuddled with some sick babies, and got to know my coworker Marlie quite well. I also gained a whole knew respect for Marlie and Sarah (the usual baby room staff), and anyone working with babies for that matter, on Wednesday morning when Meghan (another summer student) and I were left to hold down the fort as Marlie attended a dentist appointment. Let me tell you...it was not pretty! Meghan and I unsuccessfully attempted to master the flow of routine in the baby room...unfortunately what came of it was a lot of spills and bumping and untimely eating. The babies survived no worse for the wear...although Meghan and I were a bit frazzled. It was a great week overall and marked the first for many experiences in my life, including being vomitted upon in a projectile manner(It was quite the unexpected escapade! I took one for the team to save a mom from going to work in barf-covered clothing...no harm was done and my coworkers affirmed that I would be stronger for it...it served as the joke of the day and I definetely felt like the rookie! :) I certainly feel equipped to handle my responsibilities in the church nursery now!
The Baby Room is exciting to be a part of because of the unique developmental milestones you get to observe. For example, Jordan started walking this past week! It was so cool to be a part of this stage in her life. I also love watching how their sounds, words and eventually vocabularies progress and grow. (I know, I'm a CYF nerd!) The babies and I have become good friends, I love being a familiar face that they greet warmly and I'm convinced by some of their dispositions that if they were 19 years older we would be good friends.

This week I have been floating in between rooms as needed which has been nice because I've got to spend time with a bunch of different kids and teachers. One thing that I and Veronika have noticed while working is that there are certain YMCA-isms, which I shall share with you. These are phrases that are used with the kids, either in disciplining them or just random conversation, that we found surprising to hear when we arrived, but they're actually effective with the kids!...the names are used randomly:

• "No Justin, that's George's work, go find some new work." - they refer to what the child is doing, no matter what it may be - whether colouring or playing with blocks - as "work"...at first I thought that this was strange but I've learned that it's quite effective because all of the kids know what it means right away without having to be wordy.
• "Put your words (and/or sillies) away friends!" - used usually before lunch or when standing in line to leave...whenever the children's undivided attention is needed.
  
• They used the word "body" a lot, in ways that we would think sound silly, but to kids it clearly articulates what needs to be done/what has happened. For example: Saying "Calm your body" when a child is crying, it makes more sense to them then "calm down" because, well, where is "down" anyway? Other examples are "You just hurt Grace's body" or "You need to move your body!"(made famous by Yvonne when telling children they need to hurry up :)
• "Red light friends!" - when children need to stop what they are doing.
• "No thank you" - a phrase children are equipped with early in their speech to let their friends know they don't like what their doing instead of having a temper tantrum/hitting them.
• "UH OH Louis, you should not being doing that. " - said in a serious tone to emphasize the seriousness of the situation.
• "DANGER Ava, come off that table." - similar to above.

This is daycare lingo!.....and inside the walls of daycare, everyone is called "friend" and smothered with lots of hugs and kisses.

(This past week...)While floating in between classrooms, filling in where needed and doing random tasks (fixing fences and filling sandboxes), in short fulfilling my task as summer student, I've enjoyed getting to know the kids and staff better. I'm finding that I enjoy my time more now that I'm used to the routine(it's very stressful to go into a classroom unguided when you're not sure of their activities or the norm of structure/discipline, etc.). My coworker Yvonne is very grateful that we ( the summer students) have all come out of our shells and are willing to be crazy, an attribute necessary to survive in the world of daycare! My coworkers have become my third family (the other C4C students I'm here with would have to take second place, we've grown a lot together and are living in very close quarters)....I feel really blessed to be working with the lovely ladies at the centre. They've taught me a lot about loving (kids, and each other!), forgiveness and the importance of team unity. Walking into working everyday I feel surrounded by friends, which is comforting and doesn't really make it feel like work at all! I am very thankful for my job, the great opportunities it's providing me with, and the joy it's added to my summer. Praise God!

I've also gotten quite a bit of sun this summer, which has been nice, as we take the kids on outings daily as long as the weather permits. (Friday I went with the Rompers to the Museum of Natural History...who would think that I'd get paid to do touristy things?!) Pictured are some photos from our trip to the Public Gardens with the Rompers(2-3 yrs.) and Juniors(3-4 yrs.). These beautiful children bless my every day!



























My Family visited this past weekend!!

Last weekend Mom, Dad and Kelsey came and explored Halifax. We endeavoured in lots of fun adventures while they were here! They were able to visit my workplace which was nice as well ( ya know...introduce one family to the other!) Friday afterwork we went on the Harbour Hopper which was a fun and informative way to explore Halifax. The Harbour Hopper is a land/water amphibious vehicle that was used by the U.S. in the war (I don't recall which one exactly) to carry troops from the water to the land - Some people from Halifax bought three of them for 1.5 million dollars, repainted them and added seats...and now they're giving tours of the city and harbourfront! The tour was an hour long, about half in the water and half touring around the city. We were able to see and learn about the sites and sounds of Halifax. I especially appreciated learning about how the city was formed and the defining day of the Halifax Explosion. We also learned that the building I work in is environmentally friendly: There are pipes that reach down to the deepest, coldest water of the harbour and pump it back to cool the building. They save $40 000 in air conditioning every year!

On Saturday we roadtripped to Peggy's Cove, Lunenburg and Mahone's Bay. Although Kelsey and I's initial perspective of Peggy's Cove was skewed due to the carsickness we were suffering from, we couldn't help but awe at the beauty of the view. In the quaint village of Lunenburg (home of the Bluenose!) we ate ice cream while sitting on the pier, basking in the unexpected but appreciated good weather. It was nice to get out and experience some of Nova Scotia's beauty outside of Halifax.

the pictures: Kelsey and I on the dock in Lunenburg; Kels, Ma, Pops and I at Point Pleasant Park Sunday afternoon after relaxing and napping next to the ocean(this activity is a favourite pasttime my friends and I here; Point Pleasant Park is beautiful and close by. On the particular Sunday we were there, there was a "Dog Jog", so Kelsey enjoyed watching all the dogs.).


All is well here in Halifax, the weather is beautiful! I'm looking forward to participating in Canada Day festitivities this weekend and attending The Tattoo ( a large multicultural concert) this upcoming week...to be posted about at a later date!

Special Visit. Retreat. Pleasant Partying.

Once again I return to my blog with lots to say and report on, but not enough time to do it in! So I shall choose to expand on some highlights of my past few weeks!

A few Saturdays ago I was blessed by a special visit!! My sister Danielle, her boyfriend Kevin, as well as friends from home Jon and Amy stopped by for a few hours because they happened to be in the province! Jon and Kevin were groomsmen in a wedding held in Cape Breton (Danielle and Amy accompanied them as their dates)...and since Halifax is only a few hours away, they decided that they were just too close to not stop by. We had a marvelous time! Since they had not eaten, we went out for dinner to a restaurant called "The Thirsty Duck"...one of a few oddly named establishments on one of Halifax's main streets, others include "Your Father's Moustache"(a restaurant), and "Your Mother's Underwear"...random, I know! Anyway, we had a great time chatting and it was wonderful to visit people from home while so far away! The visit was filled with lots of laughter as Kevin and Jon entertained us with their random stories, sounds and general brotherly goofiness! I was also able to show them around my humble abode and the major sights and sounds that I experience daily in Halifax. (Note: all visitors welcome! haha) I look forward to my next special visit from my parents next weekend!

Another very large highlight for me recently was our project retreat. We were whisked away by the staff to Camp KejimKujik, a National Park in Queens County(about a 3 hour drive away). Here we were able to really relax and recharge from the busy and stressful (not bad stress, but stress nonetheless) lives that we've been leaving. We were blessed by the teachings of a guest speaker named Mike Woodard, the director of Campus Ministries. The theme of the weekend was "Supernatural Leadership", and he really imparted a lot of wisdom on us concerning how to be God-focused and surrendered leaders. It was a very special and blessed time. We also spent a lot of time in quiet reflection in God's creation - the camp we were staying at was on a lake, it was lovely to just sit beside the water and spend time with God. The top picture is of one of my apartmentmates, Amber, and I the night we arrived...we were beside the lake basking in its beauty and watching the sun set (I attempted skipped stones, which she was amused by, but I couldn't get it to skip more that once...either it's a special boy skill or the rocks weren't suited for the job...I like to think it's the latter..)
It was on this retreat that I realized quite a few things...one of the lighter ones being that I'm addicted to being by the water!! There's something about a large body of water, I don't know what it is - but I love it! At first I thought I was addicted to being by the ocean, but the lake seemed to satisfy me delightfully as well! I think a large part of it is that the weather is very different (much cooler, and always breezy) here, nothing like the thick heat of Southwestern Ontario that makes me irritable. (Don't get me wrong - I love home and miss it, but I don't miss the weather!). anyway...that was a random tangent...The retreat was really wonderful! Saturday afternoon was free time which I spent with my good friend Joanna (she's lovely - she attends University of Western Ontario in the Nursing Program)....we rented a canoe for an hour, paddled out into the lake a bit...and then just sat in the bottom of the boat and talked as we drifted back towards our destination. It was delightful...soaking in the sun, being on the water, and enjoying great conversations! (See picture!) Another thing that came to me this past weekend was that I forgot how much I love camping!! There's something to said for being in sun, water, and nature, having to survive without the conveniences of western society, and having nothing to do but relaxing activities! My new MEC gear also made a world of difference...my new sleeping bag kept me very warm as I slept outside under the stars Saturday night! Soooo, I'm sure that you can gather from this paragraph that it was a fantastic and refreshing weekend(minus our raccoon problems!...they ate some of our food...).

The last highlight of late actually happened today at work! Today was the main event that my coworkers and I have been working towards ever since I started work: the annual graduation/birthday party. Every year Purdy's Wharf Child Care Centre holds a big party/mini carnival for the children and their families to celebrate those going into school and to celebrate the birthday of the daycare being established, this was the daycare's 16th birthday! The afternoon included a special presentation by the senior class (an adorable rendition of "Somewhere over the Rainbow" as well as a few other songs), the presentation of the diplomas and then lots of partying, cake, games and fun! As a summer staff, I was often given duties related to this event and as a result, quite emotionally invested. The day turned out great, and I left with lots of warm fuzzies. Watching the parents and kids together, interacting...watching how proud and eager with cameras in hand the parents were...and how eager the children were to show off their accomplishments ...really really warmed my heart and reminded me of a few things: why I'm enrolled in my program(Child, Youth and Family Studies) ...how amazing it feels to invest in another person's life(we, as daycare workers, have a direct impact on the kids' lives/development, and in turn the parents', because if the kids have a great experience, so do the parents!) .... as well, it rekindled my passion for working, not just with children, but families. My heart also melted as I observed my coworkers and their love for the children in their class...they were moved to tears as they presented the diplomas and spoke of the children moving forward to "big school". I have never seen such an amazing investment of love (but at the same time, appropriate boundaries..etc.) and I am continually realizing how important it is for every child to have loving adults in their life. I am learning a lot from my coworkers about working with children and at the same time growing a greater love for kids (if that's possible..). I really hope and am striving to be an effective and loving influence and support in children's lives as they have been to their students! Although I've only been working for 3 weeks I find that I'm not looking forward to when they/I have to leave...they're really adorable and there's a special attachment that forms when you invest into another's development. Watching them grow, mature and become amazing young people is really gripping my heart! It's really cool to sit back and imagine the incredible adventures in store for their life...what their occupation will be...what kind of person they'll be...and think about whether we, the daycare, had any impact on that. Anyway, I'll stop blubbering above my love for my job, coworkers and these kids......the day was really amazing (although tiring...), I was able to unleash my creative talents by womanning the face painting booth, which was lots of fun. Pictured is one of the students and myself after I transformed him into a tiger! (don't tell anyone...but he's one of my favourites!) I've actually had quite a few opportunities to display my craftiness at work ( which I of course love!) ...through designing and making the kids' graduation caps and painting the sign pictured. *sigh*...I really really love my job!

...annnnnd retreat.

Veronika got the job! Woohoo and praise God! I/we are very excited!! Yesterday and today we participated in the traditional YMCA staff training which included a Child Abuse Protocol Training Workshop (sad, but interesting and useful) and today we went to "new staff training". It was a great day! I didn't realize how great an organization the YMCA is. We learned about the history and how it has become what it is today...James Naismith, the inventor of basketball, was a YMCA fitness director! How cool is that? I really appreciate everything they stand for, especially the holistic approach they have to serving the community: they are committed to help build up people in mind, body and spirit which is different then other organizations such as regular fitness facilities who would concentrate on catering to just your body, etc.
ALSO...on a very small world note, two of the girls I met there were from Ontario! One of them grew up in the Sarnia area and the other in Markdale..apparently the maritimes is a hot spot for Ontarions to go for school!
Well, this is just a short and quick blog to say hi and happy weekend...we're packing up to go on a camping retreat for the weekend! I'm excited for this downtime to relax and recharge from work/project chaos. This past week I've been dodging the stomach flu and battling a cold, (both of which are a result of the mass exposure to germs at the daycare)... so it will be nice to rest up and have lots of fun in beautiful rural Nova Scotia. I'm also excited to bust out some new camping equipment that I invested in at MEC! Good times will be had by all and I'll have lots of pictures and stories to blog about. Have a great weekend everyone!
I've included some more pictures of my workplace!...keep in mind there are usually lots of children in these rooms..these pictures were taken at the end of the day.

Paid to Play!

I started my job on Monday and I love it!! It's really fantastic! I have a lot of details, and not a lot of time, so forgive me, but I'm going to blog in point form (gasp! I know, Mrs. Stancek* would not approve!). So, here it goes,

Why I Love my Job:
-the staff are really amazing. They have a lot of experience and I know that I'm going to learn a lot from them ( I already am!)especially concerning effectively handling a large group of children without raising the stress level, among other things.
-the facility is really great...well maintained, spacious, colourful, clean...it's really great. As well, the building that it's in is magnificent...it's one of two very large business buildings downtown Halifax that are occupied by businesses, law firms, accountants, etc....so the building is really beautiful (see picture, left). The picture on the right is of the beautiful interior.

I was mistaken when previously describing the center: it's a daycare that cares for children 6 months-5 years of age. Our centre takes up the majority of the 2nd floor. There are 22 floors in all and I discovered today that going all the way in the elevator makes your ears pop, not a delightful experience.
- the building, as I previously mentioned, is right on the waterfront...there's a huge, beautiful pier at the base of the building(see picture, right) that goes out into the water with benches and such to eat your lunch or whatever, you know...beside the ocean! SO COOL. I'm really excited about that.
-the program structure is fantastic!! The days are very structured, so the kids know what's coming (which is important!). As well, it's so HEALTHY!...That's the only word I can really use to describe it...not just physically ( although we do go walking a LOT with the kids)...but emotionally and spiritually as well. As you can tell I'm a big fan of the YMCA programs right now.
-the walk to work is really wonderful. It's nice to spend time by myself, but also the scenery is beautiful! It allows me to either walk through downtown or along the waterfront. Recently I've been taking the downtown route in the AM and the waterfront route on the way home. It's been a great way to further discover the city(and wander..fun times.)!
-apparently a large part of my tourist activities are going to be covered this summer because we're going to explore them with the daycare(museums, etc.).
-Coming soon is a huge graduation party for the children leaving the daycare, which is fun preparing for. Today I was paid to be crafty! I designed and made the graduation caps for the cutie patuties. It was fun!
- The children are adorable and really well behaved. I know, what children aren't?...but for real...these kids are really great! Today, while walking home from Dollarama, Bridget looks up at me and says "Nicky, who makes it rain?......God?"....cuteness:)
-It has potentially landed my roommate a job!! FUNNY STORY: So....my first day on the job...I'm in the kitchen and my boss Rhonda is distressed about having to hire another student to fill an admin. position
Nicky - "Well...I've got a roomate looking for an admin position if you're still accepting applications.."
Rhonda - "Does she happen to be a visible minority or have a disability?**"
Nicky - "Well ya, she's from the Philippines..."
Rhonda - "REALLY?!?!? WELL THEN GET HER IN HERE FOR AN INTERVIEW!!"
**insert lots of laughter here**

Veronika and I had many laughs over this story. The next day (yesterday) she had an interview, which apparently went super(!), and well...we're just waiting the final word to hear that she's my coworker as well as roomie! Veronika loves filing, organizing, and well, administrating...so she's going to be a great assistant to my slightly scattered boss. (she actually got excited when she heard how disorganized the office is at work!)

-It's wonderful. What more can I say? God has really blessed (spoiled!) me with my job placement and I am really really thankful!

Okay, signing off, so sorry for the rushed blog! Good night all!

*My amazing Grade 12 English teacher.
**This was the stipulation on the grant she was given by the government...they're encouraging the hiring of visible minorities and people with disabilities.

DRIME time!

Time for more stories!! Last night was a fantastic time; we participated in "Battle of the Sexes" for our Mandatory Fun/Team Building evening. It was a random set of events that tested different skills both genders were more accustomed to including obstacle courses, tests of fitness, organization, cooperation, communication, bravery and gluttony. After a very close score, the women won overall!! Woohoo! Our prize is a social next Friday night planned by the men catered and targeted entirely to the female gender. Although there've been some suggestions made that we will be watching "Braveheart" (apparently for the William Wallace factor), I'm confident the men will plan a fun evening for us.
To explain the picture shown in the last entry and tell a story I know you've been curious about...I shall proceed in telling you about last Saturday's happenings. The director of DRIME (Disciples Ready in Mobile Evangelism) Tanya Price joined us for the day to train us in the art of "driming". DRIME is an organization that "exists to reach people for Christ through choreographed street drama, empower others for ministry through drama and evangelism training, and produce passionate, discipled leaders through purposed community"(drime.com). If you search drime on youtube.com, you can see examples of these dramas that we learned (our groups specifically learned the ones entitled "please", "ragman", and thief"), there's also the ministry video on there which gives a clear outline of who they are and some great examples of their work(http://youtube.com/watch?v=VR615vEtHe8). So, basically...it's a choreographed drama set to a song that tells a story from the Bible, or just on the truths of the Bible. The specific drama that I participated in was based on the Bible verse John 10:10, which says, "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full." and was set to the song "Idioteque" by Radiohead. In our drama I was one of three girls (symbolizing steal, kill, and destroy...I played the one being "destroyed"..it was dark/morbid, yet powerful.). The drama began with Jesus (in the professional drimes, and the ones on youtube.com, Jesus always wears a white tshirt to be distinguished from the others...everyone else is in all black.) creating each one of us in his image and then Satan slowly making his way into our lives. Soon we were under his command and participating in self-destructive behaviours. After a rigorous path of destruction it parellels us breaking the shackels of Satan's control with Christ's crucifixion and resurrection...symbolizing that he died so that we can be set free from the hold of our sin. It's hard to explain exactly how the drama played out, but it was very powerful and I found myself overwhelmed while watching another group perform. It was a very different way yet very relevant way of illustrating God's impact on our lives. Like they say in the ministry video, everyone can relate to music and drama. The day was very intense/draining, both physically and emotionally. But we all came away very empowered and excited to use this new tool.
On an entirely separate note, one of the big lessons that I've learned over the past few weeks here and I'm confident will continue to learn is effective time management. The upcoming time commitments of project and work ( I start my job on Monday! yay!) have forced me to map out a weekly schedule so that I can a) get the most out of my "project" experience through participating in ministry activities, building relationships and completing assigned homework and b) stay in contact with people from home through phone, email and blog. In doing this, I've set aside time on Tuesdays, Thursdays and once on the weekends for blogging(...just so you know when to expect them!). I think this is best in keeping everyone up to date on my happenings but also allowing me time to experience happenings. As well, I've set aside a specific time to reply to emails, so please forgive me if I don't respond in a timely manner! ..Just thought I'd let you all in "the know" of things!

wild week

Wow...I can't believe it's been a WEEK since I last blogged...the past 7 days has flown by! Time here seems very strange...part of me feels like I've been here for months because so much has happened since we arrived, but other parts feel like time is flying by and before I know it home time will be here! Strange, really.
This past week has been quite the adventure, like most weeks here! Sunday I went to church with Gilberto, Joanna and Denise. We attended Faith Tabernacle; we like to call this day "A Series of Unfortunate Events"...similar to the blockbuster favourite you know and love. To set the stage..it was raining, like it is most days in Halifax...but on this day Joanna and I had done our hair without knowing that it was raining outside (all of the females reading know what I'm talking about...straightened hair + rain = a half hour that you could've spent doing something more productive!) ....UE(unfortunate event)#1: on the way to church we got stuck in traffic due to the Bluenose Marathon, which went through Halifax this past weekend (you might have seen it on the news). As we drove around trying to find an alternate route we discovered that the marathon literally cut right through the part of the city that we needed to cross and there was no way around it. Eventually, we were allowed through..although it put us 20 minutes late for church. (funny quote: "This marathon is holding up the economy of the city!" - Gilberto). UE#2: Finally, once arriving we discover that the road that Faith Tabernacle is on was undergoing construction which meant that we had to park on a side street and walk in...in the rain. UE#3: I accidentally stepped on the back of Joanna's sandal and it broke! ...it was easily repaired, but counted as one more addition to the UEs of the day. This concludes the unfortunate events of that day, church was delightful - I think I might go there again next Sunday...I'd like to see what it's like to show up on time and talk to some of the people. I appreciated the diversity of the church, both in age and culture; there were a healthy amount of people from every age range, from babies to seniors, as well as ethnicities.
Well, I'm going to have to cut this short, I'm headed out the door...more stories to come! Tonight is "Battle of the Sexes" during Mandatory Fun time, so I'm sure that there'll be some good stories to share from that!
Happy Friday!

P.S. This picture has nothing to do with the story mentioned...but it leaves you guessing what the next one will be about!!

Back in Blogging Action....God provides!!

We're back in business!! The lovely folks at blogger.com helped me to sort out my problems! Hooray!...back to blogging goodness.
A lot has happened this past week and I've learned a lot, I'm not really sure where to start blogging! I guess my big news to report is that God provided a job for me this past week!! hooray!! I am very grateful for this and the perseverance and trust I've developed throughout the process.
Welll....I guess it all started Wednesday, what a great day it was!! I had two job interviews: 10:00am at St. Joseph's Children's Centre(picture, right) and 1:30pm at the YMCA. Both went fantastic! I was able to arrive early at St. Jo's which gave me ample time to properly prepare myself for the interview (including finding a comfortable limp-free way to wear my shoe which conveniently sits on a sore spot from walking to church wearing them last Sunday..)...the interview was with two very nice and professional women directors of the centres. The questions were nicely mixed between developmental ( all those classes I'm taking at school are finally coming into use!) and situational. God really blessed me with clarity of mind and I was able to articulate myself clearly. They both seemed quite pleased with how things went and offered me a position! Unfortunately, it was just as a Substitute Teacher so the hours weren't guaranteed; I told them that although I would love the opportunity to work for their organization ( their mission statement/outline was fantastic! I really appreciated everything they stood for.), I needed to make a wise decision in concern to my financial situation...so I told them I'd let them know after I knew how the YMCA interview went....they were very understanding of this.

...in between interviews I was able to partake in what I've discovered is one of my favourite pastimes: exploring/travelling by myself! As much as I love people and being in groups, I really love venturing and exploring new things by myself and finding my own way!...I find a great deal of satisfaction from successfully navigating the city transit system, or just reaching destinations on foot using a map...maybe it's me overcoming my long history of having a bad sense of direction (when I first began to drive, I wasn't sure how to get to my grandma's house...about a 15 minute drive away that we drove weekly...)....or maybe I'm just weird...but over the past few weeks I've discovered that I love discovering Halifax and exploring all the cool things it has to offer!...included are a few pictures from my journeys...I went into this really random yet cool bookstore...there was books everywhere!...stacked on the floor, stairs..it was a unique experience. I also window shopped at all the little stores downtown, I'm looking forward to discovering them more when time permits....Anyway...moving on to interview #2!

...After finding my way to the YMCA ( okay, so my sense of direction is stilled minorly flawed and I had to do some backtracking..but I got there...that's the point!) I was greeted by a lovely lady named Rhonda. The interview was facilitated by her and another woman named Barb. This interview was alot more laid back and casual, which was nice. It went quite well and, while leaving, the women seemed delighted that I had applied and told me that they'd notify me by Friday.

Welll.....Friday came......the phone rang.....and I got the job! YAY!

I'm going to be working at one of two YMCA centres here in Halifax. It's at Purdy's Wharf (if you care to google), which is right on the waterfront (yay, ocean view!). The centre is in a business building (the employees bring their children to the centre)...it doesn't have a pool and fitness centre like most YMCAs, but apparently we take the children across town to the other centre for those types of activities. It sounds as though I will be helping out in the day camp/care, wherever I'm needed. Although I think it would be nice to be placed in one direct room/age group for the purposes of building relationships with the kids and other staff, it will be nice to mix things up and maintain variety. I'm excited because I'll have the opportunity of working with a large age range of children (who am I kidding? I'm excited and thankful to be working with kids this summer period! :) I'll be working with Rhonda as my supervisor(one of the women from the interview), which I think will be fun, our personalities seemed quite similar during the interview so I think we'll get along well. What else...the job will be full time (40 hours/week) which is great!....the walk is about 30-45 minutes, which will be good exercise everyday...and I'll be by the water everyday, which I'm looking forward to. The job starts May 28th, however, one bittersweet aspect of this job is that it requires my presence until August 31st. This is bitter in the fact that I won't be able to spend much time at home with my family before heading back to school; I've talked to Rhonda and she said that there's a strong possibility that I'll be able to book off the last half of the week to be able to head home early(yay!). The advantage of this is that I'll be able to explore Halifax in August after the official program of our missions project has finished, so there won't be scheduled events in the evenings...I'm looking forward to this time because there are lots of festivals and touristy things to check out in the summer and I'll be able to experience Halifax at its finest!

....Speaking of home, I've realized while here that there are a few distinct things that remind me of Ontario(either Guelph home or Courtland home):

• Country music...there aren't many Country fans out here! Fortunately I was able to find a station on my radio in my room so I can wake up to the sounds of home every morning.
• City Transit - public transit buses look and feel no different here than Guelph...although I think that the drivers are a bit nicer! (everyone out here is super friendly for that matter though)
• the small town atmosphere of Halifax
• (Strangely..) the air freshener in the bathroom (Lauren!...I told you it would!)
• Laughing and being silly with roommates
• The significant amount of green space Halifax has to delight in
• The recycling system!! I was pleased to discovered that it's very similar to Guelph's.
• I know there are others...but I currently am having a lapse in memory...

Conversely, I've also discovered a few things unique to Halifax some that I love..some I could live without:

• the people here are extraordinarily friendly!
• the houses here are uniquely beautiful
• the names of the streets are stamped in the sidewalk!
• the weather is very unpredictable!...it gets very foggy sometimes...and then we hear the fog horns roar from our room! (we have a nice ocean view...it's pretty cool!)
  
• unique towers and parks
• the city is rich with culture and history

Well, I think that's a wrap for me tonight. I hope you enjoy my exploring pictures, some of them are from the Public Gardens, which I was able to delight in after the YMCA interview...it's a lovely little park in the middle of the city. I hope you all enjoyed your long weekend! Ta ta for now!