Folk Fest 2015

Ever since I was little, my family took us to the Winnipeg Folk Festival. You can read about last year's Folk Fest here. The difference this year? I camped! It's the first time I've ever camped at Folk Fest and so it was a whole new experience, one that I highly recommend to anyone who attends the festival.

There were over 70 artists this year from all over the world, some of my highlights were Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeroes, Bahamas, Shakey Graves, Donovan Woods, Royal Canoe, and The Dirty Catfish Brassband. There was such a variety of artists, and many local artists showcasing our Manitoba talent.

Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeroes

Bahamas

After the Main Stage show one night, my sister and I spent about an hour playing with glowsticks, making all kinds of shapes and things, including mushrooms, flowers and a turtle shell that I wore all night long.

My turtle shell

While I was volunteering at the Festival Music Store as a cashier, I was given a bunch of plastic geckos and frogs, which I then starting sticking to my water bottle... Those 6-hour shifts went by much quicker with this arts and crafts activity, though it really made me look like I was on all sorts of drugs, but hey, it was fun! Even my co-volunteer Sanjay helped me with this art project and we came up with a whole background story for the different animals on there. And yes, I did keep the bottle.

More Folk Fest art:

It was such a hot weekend, that I bought myself a scarf from one of the vendors and walked around with it only head all night, with my sunglasses too, and at some point, I decided that I became a hippie Jedi... I was probably the least "out there" of the people in the campground... From angels with 6-feet tall wings, to glowstick gladiators, to just plain naked. You'll always be surprised and it makes people-watching that much more fun!

As you can see, it's a hell of a lot of fun, and it's just a beautiful place. The lack of sleep doesn't even phase you and you get to hear incredible music all night long, even after the concerts are over, as bands and people are playing music in the campground all night, and the sun rises, just like the people, are incredible.

See you next year, Folk Fest!

Manitoba Marathon

On June 21st, I ran the in the Manitoba Marathon: The Intrepid Design Half-marathon and it was such a great experience! After running the Winnipeg Police Half in May, this was a completely different route, on the other side of the city, a side that I rarely explore, so most of these streets were brand new to me.

It wasn't until the very end that I really felt tired. My legs were fine, but my mind was exhausted, but at the end, I did an amazing sprint and finished with a time of 2:15:39! My goal was between 2:15 and 2:30, so I did exactly how I hoped!

The best part of this race is all the support you get along the way. It really doesn't end! Whether it's random people cheering outside their homes, bands hired to play along the road, the people who hand out beer, or the little "showers" that people set up to cool us down, it's those little things that make the run so much fun and also much easier! My favourite was the band playing at BDI - It was like a party there! It was loud and fun, and the perfect little boost of energy to get through the next couple kilometers.

I was exhausted after the race, but ended up at the beach anyway, and somehow ran into the water, which felt amazing! I can't wait for my next race!

Graduation!

Well, after a lot of hard, hard work, I finally did it! I graduated university!

I almost quit once or twice, I've had many anxious moments that my parents had to deal with, lots of tests, exams and papers to write, many, many, many German grammar rules to learn, a few short films to make, but in the end, I crossed the stage and got my diploma, and I can't explain how good it feels.

I've written 22 posts about school in the 2 years I've had this blog, and here are some of the highlights:
Final Film Project: Party!
Behind the Scenes: Party!
Ode to a Sugar Cube
Gerald Laroche: Master of the Harmonica
90 to 50
Peer Support
Back to Books!

It has been a crazy adventure, and I will definitely miss it more than I expected I would. I met some amazing people, some friends I will keep for life and have learned so much about myself and about the world through these classes and experiences.

Thank you so much to everyone who supported me through this three intense years, who helped me study or correct my homework, or just told me to keep going, or even those who let me rant about a professor, or some stupid homework I had to do. I wouldn't have been able to do it without all of you.

Life Lately

Gah! I haven't posted since May 21st! That's far too long in between posts. I've been so busy and well, to be honest, I just haven't had the motivation to write. I have plenty to say, and even a list of blog posts to write, but nothing. I'll try to be better!

Life Lately:
I turned 21,
I graduated university,
I ran another half-marathon,
I quit one job and got a new one,
I went to the Winnipeg Folk Festival,
And all of these, I will be talking about a little later on, except the job.

The job.
I got a new job at a restaurant as a line cook. Well, cook may not be the right word for it... I'm on salads. My job doesn't actually involve cooking. Just mixing salads and slicing veggies, and occasionally decorating desserts. I now work full-time there, while still working at the museum part-time (although soon I'll be full-time at both....).
With shifts like 3pm-11pm, it's hard to have any kind of motivation to get up early to write or do anything, really, and when I get home, I'm too tired to find the words. Not just with blogging, but when you get home at 11:30/midnight, it's already too late to go out, so I've been spending a lot more time at home, so you'd think I would have the time to write, right? I thought so too.

Soon, I'll be working both jobs full-time, which will be crazy and I'll be exhausted all the time, but that's life! I need the money if I plan on travelling!

There are lots of posts coming up! Things about my graduation, the Manitoba Marathon, my new job, dating, the Winnipeg Folk Fest... and then all the random things I ramble about as well!

Couchsurfing in Germany

I know this post is going to sound like an ad for Couchsurfing, but I promise, it's not! This is just me, telling my experience trying Couchsurfing for the first time.
While I was planning my trip to Germany, I was talking to my friend Basti about where to find accommodation and he suggested I try Couchsurfing. I had never done it before, and I thought I would give it a try. Free accommodation? Hell yes!

I tried and tried for a long time to look for someone who could host me in Munich and Leipzig, but I couldn't find anyone. Many guys offered, but being a single female, I was reluctant to stay at a strange man's apartment, so the search went on, until finally, I found hosts in both cities!

First, Kathi in Munich. I had just gotten off the plane, I was exhausted and wasn't quite sure where to go, so I texted her, and she replied right away, giving me very easy directions to her subway station, where she came to pick me up. Her apartment was literally a minute walk away from the station, which came in handy as I explored the city. She had me in her kitchen on a mattress and gave me a key to her place so I could come and go as I pleased. She even took me out downtown Munich, showed me around and then settled to a patio for a few beers. It was great! She helped me find my way around the city and without her, I think I would have had a much harder time figuring out this city. It came in handy when I returned to Munich at the end of my trip, since I already knew where things were and what app to use to figure out the public transport (having the options of tram, s-bahn, u-bahn and bus, it can get a little confusing).

Then, after Berlin, I headed to Leipzig, where my friend Basti lives, and met up with my couchsurfer host Vanessa. She came to get me at the train station and we dropped my things at her apartment, then headed off to do the one sight-seeing she thought was worth seeing... And of course, it started hailing while we were outside, but the second we got in a tram, sunshine and rainbows! My entire stay in Leipzig was like that. Rain for a hour, then sunshine, then hail, then sunshine again, combined with very strong winds. But we made do. Vanessa introduced me to some of her friends, we went to a bar to see some live music one night and the next we went to another university bar with more friends and showed me the best burgers in town. We spent all three days basically non-stop together and it was awesome :) I seriously can't wait to see her again!

Then, I met up with Tina. Vanessa had to work, so I needed a place to stay for the next two nights (which turned into one because of my tattoo appointment) and Tina took me in. We went out for brunch, then we went to a park behind the zoo and we could hear lions roar, which was pretty sweet. If I ever go back, I will have to go to the zoo (which is what I've been told by multiple people). Afterwards, she gave me a key, because she worked nights, and so she wanted to be able to sleep while I roamed the city with Basti and Vanessa. I didn't get to spend a lot of time with her, but it was still nice! She had a very comfortable couch and an adorable little dog that would just get way too excited.

I enjoyed it so much, that I ended up hosting two girls from Germany while they were in Winnipeg for their cross-country road trip, and we had a blast!
It may seem scary, to sleep on a stranger's couch, but so far, I've had some pretty memorable experiences and I definitely plan on doing some more couch surfing on my future trips. It's a great way to meet new people and make friends, but also see a city from a totally different perspective. Definitely try it if you have the chance.