All is Well

I don't have to go into the clinic until the afternoon today, so I've spent the morning chilling in bed with Joe. He's been put on nights for this shift so he went to work last night and got in around 8 this morning. He's sleeping right next to me as I type in bed.

If I hadn't decided to move up here for the summer this would not be happening right now. Joe would be up here by himself while I would be back home doing who knows what. This was such a good idea.

Things have been good here in GP. For Joe's first shift with me here he ended up getting sent down to the states for nearly the whole thing. I was feeling pretty bummed out about it by the middle of his shift, but then I  stopped moping and got busy.

I love working in the physio clinic I'm at. I get to see clients with my mentor, T, everyday and every case is so different that I couldn't possibly be bored doing this job. T is really great. She's good at getting me involved and testing my knowledge. My anatomy is a little rusty, but she's patient with me. It was nerve racking the first time she left me alone with a patient to do a couple simple exercises. But I'm slowly getting more comfortable and gaining a little confidence. Yesterday I helped a guy find his hips. It sounds silly, but he really had no idea how to move them.

I'm also having fun at the rugby club here in GP. There aren't nearly as many girls here as there are back home, so we do a lot of work with the guys. The men's coach makes a huge emphasis on fitness which is good because by the time I played my first game I wasn't dying like I thought I would be. There's a good group of people here at the club. I'm having fun playing with them. Joe's even made it out to a couple practices, which is awesome!

Basically, things are good for me right now. I know I made a good decision to come here because I am happy. I miss my family and my friends, but not as much as I thought I would. (no offence! I still love you all!) My first month has flown by and I am really enjoying myself.

You say Hello and I say Goodbye

I am more likely to greet someone in the morning than I am in the afternoon just because I like saying good morning more than any other greeting.

I love the exchange between Gandalf and Bilbo in The Hobbit when Bilbo greets Gandalf with "Good morning!" And Gandalf responds, "What do you mean? Do you wish me a good morning, or mean that it is a good morning whether I want it or not; or that you feel good this morning; or that it is a morning to be good on?"

I hate it when I'm walking along and I see someone I know and they say "hey how's it going" without showing signs that they're actually going to stop to listen to my answer. Do they actually want to know the answer to that question? How am I supposed to respond? Am I supposed to tell them I'm good and then ask how they're doing? That's the polite thing isn't it? If that's true and we haven't actually stopped in our paths to talk, then we'd be shouting by the end of the exchange because we've already gone too far apart.

I expressed these concerns to Joe one day and he told me you don't have to ask them how they're doing, you can just say "hey, I'm good." But isn't that rude??? You're supposed to ask how they're doing back because it shows that you are interested in how they're doing as well. I hate telling people I'm good when really, I may be having a rotten day. But no one wants to hear about your rotten day so that's why everyone says they're good. So really, you may as well just say hi to each other and the same amount of information gets exchanged because saying you're good doesn't mean anything.

That's why when I see someone I know on the street and I don't have time to talk to them, I will still greet them with a wave or maybe even a "hey!"

But if I have time or like the person enough, I will be more than happy to stop and talk.

A New Adventure...

We finally did it. Joe and I are finally living together -- for reals! Mind you, this is only temporary, but it will be permanent once I graduate.

GP's not too bad. This has been my third day here and I feel like I'm adjusting quickly. Yesterday was pretty windy and it reminded me of home. I feel like it was GP's way of welcoming me to town. This place isn't all that different from home anyway. Except instead of coulees there's muskeg and instead of it smelling like a brewery near my house it smells like freshly cut lumber.

We're living with some friends of Joe's. They are renting a house for themselves and their daughter so we're splitting the rent with them. We pretty much get the downstairs area to ourselves. I videochatted with my family last night and showed them the new digs.

Today was a good day for me. It started by going out to the physio clinic I'll be doing my applied study at for the summer to meet my mentor. Then Joe and I went to the field behind our house to get a workout in. While we were there I ended up meeting some girls who play for the GP rugby club and were coaching the high school girls' team. So I got to help them coach and now I know where to go for rugby practice. Then Joe and I ended our day by seeing the new Iron Man movie which I enjoyed much more than I thought I would.

It's certainly shaping up to be a grand adventure here in GP so I'll be sure to keep you all posted. Peace!