My Day

I thought it would be fun to record my day in its entirety. I love looking back and seeing everything documented. Welcome to a normal week day of mine in Quebec! 

7:00, I start waking up. This is the moment that I have to make the toughest decision: get up now and have enough time to pack lunch and eat breakfast, or sleep in. On this morning I got straight out of bed because I was wide awake. 

7:15, lunch is packed! Fruits, veggies and almond butter and honey. 

7:30, a nice breakfast of yogurt, dried berries and granola. 

7:45, quickly grab warm clothes and apply my makeup.

8:00, leave my apartment and start walking towards the bus stop. 

All bundled up!

The bus finally arrives.

Walking from the bus stop.

8:30, arrive in St. Roch, start walking to school and the coffee shop conveniently located next to my school. 

8:45, settle in the classroom for the next five hours. 

12:20, lunch time! Glad I took the time to properly pack my lunch. 

1:00, conversation class for the next hour and then freedom! 

2:00, I decide to head to my normal study spot to prep for an exam, chez Starbucks. 

5:00, after chatting with other students at Starbucks I head home. 

Waiting for the 801 bus.

6:00, finally home and cooking dinner. 

I made a variation on Feed the Multitudes- rice, scrambled eggs, cheese.

6:45, time for more studying. Fortunately (though it didn't feel like it at the time) the internet wasn't working so I could only study. 

8:00, took a tea break and chatted with my roommate. (Which totally counts as studying because we only speak French!)

9:00, trying to study but getting sleepy. And distracted by the Les Mis soundtrack. (The Broadway version and the 2014 film.)

9:30, finished making flashcards and I'm out. Time to get ready for bed. 

Airbnb, first impressions

I was really nervous about renting a room through Airbnb. Who hasn't heard those horror stories about crazy roommates? (Thanks for reminding me about them, Mom.) I was able to rationalize my fear of renting by remembering that crazy roommates happen in college dorms all the time. It's just a part of the experience when forced to live with strangers. 

Those selfies above were taken five minutes after I arrived at my new place in Limoilou, a little quartier about twenty minutes from Vieux Quebec. A little while later my new roommate would inform me that the bathroom is the best place in the apartment for selfies. 

I had such an insane case of jitters when I was moving last weekend.  I was a little scared of living with a new person that I found on the internet. I didn't exactly know where I was living. BUT. My roommate is the nicest lady and my new quartier is lovely. My roommate is easy to talk to and she made sure I was properly outfitted for the Quebec cold. 

When I first arrived, Celine Dion was blasting from the radio and I felt like I was in a Quebecois sitcom. And sometimes when we have conversations I feel like we would make a perfect reality show. However, my French has improved so much! I can now have normal conversations without the other person looking at me like I'm completely crackers. 

I have my own room (pictures coming soon!) and I'm free to use to the kitchen, washing machine and bathroom (obviously). I think I paid a little over $400 USD for five weeks, a great deal considering I got everything I wanted. And I'm not living in a hostel. Ha!

Before finding this room through Airbnb, I tried using Kijiji, a Canadian craigslist, but had little to no success. I found a few rooms, but it was so hard to get in contact with the owner! Renting through Airbnb is incredibly easy. Paying is easy and feels very secure, because the person you rent from doesn't get the money until you check in. No chance they'll take your money and split!

Finding a room is easy using Airbnb's search filters- I searched for a private room under $500 with a kitchen, internet and washing machine. Even though I'm a little further out than before, I really like my location. I've already found the neighborhood cafe! I plan on exploring Limoilou this week, if it doesn't snow too much.

I'm about a ten minute walk from the bus stop, but I don't mind the walk. It's good to be forced to exercise, heaven knows how many maple cookies I eat. 

I'll be sure to write a follow up post when I conclude my five week stay, but my first impressions are very favorable and my roommate isn't crazy. #winning  

If you have any other questions about my move or anything, let me know if the comments! 

Quebec Vlog, Week 12

A little late, but I was determined to vlog this week! Especially because I can just tell that these last few weeks are just going to fly by. I have to document everything. 

Baby, it's cold outside

It's freezing up here. #dgabroad #quebeccity

A photo posted by Della Hethcox (@dellahethcox) on Nov 11, 2014 at 3:51pm PST

I posted this miserable selfie the other day to show how cold it is in Quebec. And of course people find my suffering amusing. Thanks, y'all.

To be fair, Quebec isn't actually that cold, it's just the combination of wind and cold. The wind is horrible, it whips around corners and blows in your ears as though it is a train.

I came home last night and my roommate wanted to know if I was properly outfitted for a Quebec winter. I showed her everything I had and then she kindly gave me some long gloves. Now I feel like a character in a Dickens' novel!

Side story: I did try breaking in my snow boots this week, but I didn't have boot socks. I've regretted that decision every day this week. My legs are so cut up and bruised. They look terrible. Just ask my sister, I sent her a picture. I did buy some boot socks so the future looks brighter. However, I can barely move or touch anything below my calves. C'est la vie!

I wish I could carry a cup of never ending coffee with me everywhere as a cold weather preventative. And I've got a sneaky suspicion that I'm getting a cold.

Hold me?

Choses qui me manquent

*family and friends I obviously miss, this post only deals with things and random photos*

1. My animals. I cannot wait to smooth their cute faces. As soon as I get home from the airport I'm going straight to the barn. I don't care if it's midnight- I will kiss my goaties. 

2. Coffee. I know, you wouldn't think I'm lacking coffee because my instagram is 75% coffee pics, 25% selfies. But y'all, no one uses a drip pot up here. It's instant coffee at home and then everyone buys some type of espresso at a neighborhood cafe. I can't wait to be able to brew coffee at home! 

3. My car. I'm very grateful to be able to afford my monthly bus pas, but I miss the freedom of driving myself. And I miss driving the backroads!

4. Real Targets. The Target in Quebec City is so so so terrible. The shelves are always half empty and unorganized. Only two cash registers are open every time I visit and the self serve registers are always broken. And yep, fully aware that this is a singularly American complaint. But I love Target, it's my destresser.

5. Pandora. For licenscing reasons, Pandora is unavailable in Canada. I'm able to use YouTube and Spotify, but I miss my Pandora stations. Nothing helps a study session better than my Pandora stations!

6. My room. Oh my goodness. I miss my space and I miss living next to the laundry room. Ha! I cannot wait to be back in my room with my things.  

King of Kings

I adore Christmas.

The music, the spirit, the traditions. The cookies. 

I mentioned on Facebook that I started listening to Christmas music in October. I can't help it! The weather in Quebec begs for Christmas music. Especially now that the first snow has fallen. (Admittedly, it was more of a dusting!) 

During one of my listening sessions, Handel's Messiah popped up on iTunes. The Hallelujah Chorus is one of my favorite Christmas songs. I can belt that song like no other (thanks, church!) 

I got a bee in my bonnet and started googling to see if Handel's Messiah was being performed in Quebec and if I could still procure tickets.

Et voilà! I managed to find a ticket for $24 at this gorgeous venue. 

I am so excited for December 8th to arrive.

This is a dream come true! I'm so thrilled that I get to check this off my bucket list while studying abroad. I'm sure it will be one of my favorite memories. 

*sidenote: this Peter, Paul & Mary Christmas album is a classic in my family.*

Panoramic, Baie Beauport

"In every outthrust headland, in every curving beach, in every grain of sand there is the story of the earth." Rachel Carson