Riots Take 2

Night 2 of riots in Belfast . . . this time a journalist was shot (not fatally). I am glad I am on the other side of the country!

 (but it's still a little too close for comfort)

See the Belfast Telegraph's article here.

Tesco Child

Recently, I went on my weekly shop (aka grocery run) to the local grocery store: Tesco.  While there, I saw a little boy of about 4 or 5 years of age who was being picked up by his father.  The boy said, "Daddy, daddy, set me down!  I'll be good!"

The father duly set him back down on the ground, to which the boy looked up and smiled sweetly at his father before saying,"But not today!!!!!"

Brilliant.  I don't think I've ever laughed so much in the supermarket before.

I got mail!

Recently, I received some mail in the post from Canada.  Well, sort of from Canada.  The truth is that it originated in Northern Ireland, then traveled to Canada and then back again.  You see, a year and a half ago, I sent my sister a Christmas card and, last week, it returned to my door.  Let me reiterate that point. . .  A YEAR AND A HALF AGO I SENT THE CARD!  What had happened during that time to the envelope?  It's well splattered with dried rain drops, so it certainly saw the light of day at some point.  I can piece some of the picture together.  I know it made it to the house my sister lived in at some point, but apparently at least 8 months after I sent it, since that's when she moved out of that place and some one else had scrawled "Not at this address" on it.  It then mysteriously visited the street our mom lives on, but a couple of houses down from her.  I know this because it says not at "1## *%$£" Street" which is literally steps from my mom's apartment.  It then, at some point, decided to cross the Atlantic again, this time in the opposite direction and return itself to me.  I wonder what it says inside?  I can't actually decide if it's amazing it made it back to me or truly sad that it never made it to my sister's address!  (This comes as news breaks of Canada Post possibly going on strike this week too)

Perhaps it's best if I hand deliver this one in person when I go home in August?

Ancient Arachnid?

Goliath Bird-eating Spider

Recently, I was watching a wildlife program where the tv presenter was getting rather over-excited by a spider.  Mind you, the spider was cool (it even had an incredibly cool name: the Goliath Bird-eating Spider.  Sounds impressive, no?).  However, what excited the presenter the most was how old this particular arachnid was.  "This spider is ANCIENT! It's at least 25-30 years old - ANCIENT!!!!!"

If that is what constitutes ancient then what hope is there for the rest of us???*

*Please note that this message was written by a greater than 30 year old and therefore may be *slightly* biased

Cultural Differences

For me, NI has many similarities to my home province in Canada. It's a fairly small place where everyone knows everyone (or at the very least, knows someone in common). However, there is one big cultural difference that I do not think I could ever adjust too.

Bombs.

This includes bomb threats, pipe bombs, car bombs and left-in-random-places bombs. They must happen at least once a week in Northern Ireland, and while most of the time it results in a hoax or the item being safely destroyed, occasionally it results in severe destruction or even death, as these links will tell you.

Bombing of Santander Bank, Derry


Car bomb under police officer, Ronan Kerr's, car

Canada Bound! (Fingers crossed anyway)

Today, I made the big announcement. I waited until everyone from work (well, everyone that was here and available, which totaled 5 people, 2 of which already knew) was gathered around our conference table for our "weekly" (read: once in a blue moon) staff meeting. I didn't want a fuss made, as I didn't feel it would be genuine, but I admit I did expect some sort of reaction. I laid my cards on the table by stating:

"It's my intention to return to university in September to pursue my teaching degree, so there will be some upcoming changes to the education department here"

The response. Silence. Seriously, no one even said congratulations or what uni are you going to or anything! My boss already knew, so I wasn't completely dropping the bomb on everyone at the table, but still people could pretend a little bit. I so can't wait to go back to people who are socially normal! Wee Northern Irish village - you have been a struggle (and a half!)

3 months to go and so much to do!

Canada Election 2011!

Oh, Canada! Another election, another disappointment. At least from my perspective. I completely understand that the highest number of Canadians who voted, voted for the Conservatives, resulting in a blue majority, but given what I have heard Harper has done in the past few years (and also what I know he's done while I was still in Canada) I can't help but feel let down. Saddened. And thoroughly gutted by the fact that this election resulted in only 61.4% of Canadians going out and voting, according to Elections Canada. Someone told me that this was the 3rd lowest voter turnout in Canada's history. I wonder why less than 2/3 of Canadians can be bothered to do anything? To voice an opinion? To stand up and be counted?

These days in the media, there are plenty of countries where their people are demonstrating and protesting. Why? To have more power and a say in their government instead of being ruled by dictators. In Canada, where we do have that precious freedom, over 1/3 of us appear to be apathetic. The concept of our right to vote is not seen as important enough for many to bother to get out and make their mark on the ballot paper. It's at times like these where I wonder if it would be best for Canada to adopt a system similar to Australia where if you do not vote you are fined. And the Australian government are good at finding people to pay their fines, as a friend of mine who lives in Britons can attest!

I am off to vote in the UK election on Thursday, including a referendum on electoral reform. Here's to hoping things improve here!

Chefchaouen, Morocco (population 36,000)

Pretty blue Chefchaouen (or Chouen, as the locals call it), it was such a good decision to go and visit you! The estimated 3 hours for the bus journey from Tangier turned out to be exactly right, magically including the long delay departing from Tangier, and a lengthy stop at one of the towns along the way. Chefchaouen, a small village, set in the slopes of the Rif Mountains, makes a perfect destination for travellers who may want to get away from the hectic larger cities of Morocco.

View Larger Map

Most of the houses are white in colour, with the outer walls of the ground floor coloured a beautiful blue. The blue goes very well with the clear blue skies that greeted us while we were there. The weather was perfect, at least in terms of lack of precipitation. Temperature wise, it was a bit too warm for my liking: 37°C each day. My poor pale skin does not cope well with such extreme heat and I frequently hid out in our pension during the hottest part of the day. As a side note, I thoroughly recommend Pension Souika as a place to stay – very relaxed and the men who run it are very friendly and helpful!

Typical colours of Chefchaouen

The first day, we just wandered through the maze of streets in the medina, checking out the variety of shops and all their tourist wares. The second day we climbed one of the hills that overlooks the town where a smart new hotel has been built, complete with a spa. The views were spectacular, looking back down at the village and at the mountains. While we were up there, we couldn’t pass up the opportunity to check out the spa. I had my first ever massage and I have to say that I could get used to having more of those on a regular basis! The exchange rate also worked quite well in my favour!

Spice Shop

View over the Rif Mountains from the spa

That evening, on the recommendation of a fellow traveller, we had dinner on the rooftop terrace of the Casa Aladin restaurant. Not only does this provide fabulous views over Chefchaouen’s main square, but if you time it right, you will also witness the sun setting behind the Rif Mountains. That is one sunset I will never forget.

View of Sunset over the Rif Mountains from the rooftop terrace

On the final day, I did a few bits of shopping and also visited Chefchaouen’s Kasbah, or “old town”. It’s a beautiful golden colour with some interesting buildings and a lovely tower to climb for some more wonderful views.

All too soon, we were heading back to Tangier and Tarifa, Spain, our next destination.