Halifax, Nova Scotia, CANADA

Without travel "I would have wound up a little ignorant white Southern female, which was not my idea of a good life." --Lauren Hutton

If we are going to talk about ignorance, it's about time someone just stamped the word across my forehead. I would have to call Canada a good trial and error country. I don't know what I would have done if I were to be traveling alone. Samantha and the rest of the students were incredibly helpful. Once we got into downtown, Samantha and I checked into our hostel. It was so nice! We ended up getting a suite for the same price due to a mix up. We got our own bedroom, living room, and bathroom for thirty dollars a night! The hostel was very clean and very accommodating. I don't know why people stay in hotels. Hostels are so much more inviting. Once we walked inside, I felt like I was back home in San Francisco. The whole building was very narrow and three stories tall. Just our luck, we landed the third floor. This was the first blunder of the day: too much luggage. Between the two of us we had just over two hundred pounds of luggage. I know, I know. I can't believe it either. But don't you worry, we reap what we sow. Samantha and I carried every single pound up three stories into our room. I have a feeling I am going to be giving a lot a away this trip. My second American blunder was pretty dang bad. I passed a sign that read "We support our troops" with a Canadian flag on it. Before thinking I blurted out in front of everyone "Is Canada in a war?" I wanted to disappear. Of all people, being a political science major, I should be expected to at least have some basic understanding of Canada's history and its current affairs, but of course I blurt out before thinking like an idiot. Humbling, very humbling. My favorite blunder of Samantha's was as we were checking in she asked "What is the Canadian dollar called?" the lady replied "ummm... the dollar." Our first night in Halifax we went to a restaurant and pub called The Lower Deck. Neither of us drank, but we listened to a live band from Newfoundland and had a really good club sandwich. The next day, Monday, Samantha got on board the ship for her work study training while I remained in Halifax. We met later on in the day and she said the boat is really nice and extremely clean. There is a lot of storage in our room and the food is "well... it's edible." Despite the quality of our food I can hardly wait to get on the ship in the morning! Finally, the day has arrived! I am so very excited! I can't wait to tell all of you guys about it! Until next time!

Best wishes from Canada!

~Brooke

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