Catchthegrizzlybear- My year in Canada :)

Freitag, 17. April 2015

Jasper video :)

Hey guys. You probably all know that I went to Jasper in March. Now I finally made a video, where you can see, what I saw. Enjoy :)

click here to get to the video :)

Grande Prairie (again),books, homesick?,school

Hey guys!
Last week we had springbreak. Everytime I watched TV or something I imagined spring break as something really cool. But eventually it's just a normal break. I didn't do anything special over the whole week. The only thing we did was going to Grande Prairie from Thursday to Friday. My hostdad wanted to go to an auction and it was huge! They sold over a thousand vehicles and also campers, trailers and other stuff. In the afternoon my siblings and I went to the swimming pool. They had a indoor surf thingy there and it was just awesome! First I was just trying it with laying and kneeling on a body board, but eventually I decided to stand and I did a pretty good job. It was a lot of fun and it's even a little bit similar to snowboarding. I hope I will have the chance to do that in Germany as well. For supper we all ate at Tim Hortons and then went to bed. In the morning I got Tim bits and a blueberry muffin from tim Hortons and then I went to the mall. I spent there like 4/5 hours . To my own surprise I just bought one shirt, a hogwarts shirt :D The reasopn I just bought this is, that I didn't wanted to spend money. idk I just don't really like spending money on cloth I just buy, so I bought something (I hope you get what I mean). I hope I haven't mentioned it before. But the last time we've been to GP I bought a snowboard bag for just 30 $ and I hope I can fit some of my clothes in there, because I'mk really scared, that my stuff will be expensive. Lately I just realized, how much I actually bought. But don't worry. My Plan B is wearing as much as possible on my flight. That would be fun ;D Anyway back to the mall. For lunch I ate greek and it was like a greek salad, chicken and peta bread and it was really good. I also bought the book "The perks of being a wallflower" It was a really really good book. By the way. I have the feeling I already bought way to many books. A while ago I read "Just one day" by Gayle Forman and I had to buy the second book. After going to the mall (which was really boring in the end, even if I met two friends from High prairie there) I went to Value village. It's a second hand store and I couldn't belive my eyes. They had six out of seven Harry Potter books there and if I'd had enought room and wanted to own them in english I would've totally bought them. I could've got them for under 30$ :/ But I guess some other really lucky potter head will get those books (I put them in order. I just had too). Then I bought the tales or beardle and ... (i forgot the name) But the other book from J.K. Rowling and then I went to canadian tire. I just relaxed in the garden furniture section, because I was still very tired from surfing the day before. Then after 2 hours our hostdad picked my host siblings and me finally up and after eating at Boston Pizza (not the best Pizza in my opinion) we finally went home and I was happy to be in my own bed again :)
On Monday school started again and I was just in my "all those people are pissing me off a I wanna go home phase". But then my one friend who just came back told be how "grey" Germany is and everything and that I should enjoy the last time and that kind of kept me going. i was not really homesick. It is just that it's kind of boring sometimes and I miss the public travel system and my family and my best friend. So okay. maybe it was homesickness. But it was not to bad and I think now I'm over it :D I was not super sad or desperate or anything , but I decided to open the letter we wrote in Frankfurt at the preparation meeting, that motivates us when we want to go home. It was really hilarious what I wrote. :)
Then also this week is so busy and I'm glad when it will be over . I have badminton 4! times this week and had to arrange a ride every time. The phrase . You know what you have when you lose it fitted pretty good. I miss the public travel system and I hate to depend on people giving me rides. But till now I nearly mastered three out of four times. (high five to myself). Also in school I am nearly done with my nightstand. There is so much work in this little thing and it takes forever to get it done, but it looks really good and it's a pity that I can't take it home :/ But I realized that I already learned so much in IA (industrial arts) about working with wood and stuff. It's awesome. In General I think I already learned a lot , even in my language (still people say I have a little accent . damn it ;).
One last thing I guess. There was an author at our school on Wednesday and he wrote 96! books or something and he was pretty cool. his name is Eric Walters. He told us about all the things he experienced. He gave us some good lessons on the way. (Don't fight hate with hate, fight it with love, twilight sucks and other things :). He said he was in Germany and I really hope, that I might meet him there again and then I can be like " hey I've met you before on the other end of the world" . He also has an orphanage somewhere in Africa and it is really impressive what he has all done.
I think that's about it. I probably switch from my Chemistry class to Art , because Chem is boring and I'm not very productive there. And I really wish we'd have IA in Germany then I could make so many cool things. Hope you are all doing great :) #84daysleft it's crazy how fast time went by :o

I'm nearly done with writing postcards. It's hard to write down your life on a little card like this!

This is how my night stand looks like right now. I just painted it. I kind of can't wait when it's done, but on the other hand it was a lot of fun doing this :) why don't we have that class in Germany?!?!?

that's my new Hogwarts shirt. Now I can be a proud potterhead :)

Sonntag, 5. April 2015

New youtube video!!!

here is my latest update video on Youtube . enjoy :)

Easter, Badminton, School, Schnitzel

Did I really say this blog will be weekly? I´m really trying but then a week goes by so fast, not many exiting things happen and I simply just foregt and am to lazy.

So let´s see what happened. I already had two badminton tournaments. One in Valleyview and one in Beaverlodge. When we went to the Valleyview one it was kind of cool, because I´ve been there before with basketball and already knew the school . A badminton tournament works , that they have different games and categories and then you get gamenumbers. So for example you will play game 23, 41 and 57. And then it depends on if you win or not, you will have more games. Because I´m not that good in badminton I didn´t win and had to wait about 4hours doing nothing exiting. Then eventually some of us invented a game where we had to throw pennies in a empty pop can from the stairs. That was pretty fun. On our way back we stopped at Tim Hortons (Timmies) and I bought buns and tim bits (it´s like mini cake balls. They are really really good). When I came home, I decided to make Schnitzel (german dish) for potluck on church one day later. While I was doing it, my hostdad later joined me. And because he is Austrian we were listening to Folks music later. To be honest. I never thought this woukd ever happen under my free will xD. The people at church all really liked the Schnitzel :D For our second badminton tournament we left on Friday to sleep in a hotel in GP (which is half an hour away from Beaverlodge). We ate in a steak house for dinner and so I ended up buying 17 Dollar pasta instead of buying something cheaper. Well at least it tasted good :D In the evening we went to the swimming pool from the hotel and I still have a plugged ear -.- (and it really sucks to be half deaf). The tournament didn´t went to bad, even if I haven´t had my usully racket. In the last game I played I even missed the easiest hits which was kind of awkward, but then funny too xD After the tournament we went to Tim Hortons again and I got a Swiss and ham sandwich, A fruit smoothie and tim bits., I guess this is my standard order there now.

School is going good too I guess.In English class we are reading Lord of the flies right now. Itself it´s not bad , but our teacher is reading it out loud (and I really don´t like that) and most of my english class people are not the brightest ones. In IA my night stand is nearly done. We just glued everything together and I really hope I´ll get it done one week after spring break. In cemistry we were doing some experiments and I´m also nearly done with my psychology course so than I can do something else :D

In church I joined the worship team now twice already , what means I sang aka played the guitar and drums some songs at the beginning of church with some other people and it was really fun.

Yesterday my hostfamily and me have been invited for dinner (my hostmums friend. And she is the "canadian grandma") .So she made a big easter dinner with turkey, ham, mashed potatoes and stuff and then for desert she made carrot cake and something else. It was really good so I ate lots xD There were also some of her grand kids (from the canadian grandma) and so we playedon hay bales and then nearly before it got dark we went to a waterfall.

We also went to GP one day and I got a graduation dress ( because I can take part in the graduation here what is really cool), a snowboard bag for just 30 $ (what is good too, because to bolster my snowboard I just put all my heavy clothes in there and then I won´t have a problem with the weight of the luggage anymore) . I also bought me shorts and I´m still looking for new gym and summer shoes (my gym shoes got wrecked xD)

At last but not least I will talk a bit about Easter here.

It´s actually less spectacular then in Germany , even if I thought it would be other way around. Of course I went to church on Friday and Sunday , but without me there wouldn´t be any painted eggs and hidden easter bunnies at all I guess :/

Well I think that´s the most important stuff. I hope now you are happy because you are up to date ;)

HAPPY EASTER!!

this are our painted easter eggs. expet for one that my mum sent to me. Guess which one it is xD

my canadina easter egg. Before I made this, I just remembered that I did one like this last year and then I wanted to do one this year again and then I just realized how fast time goes by.

another beautiful sunset. And believe me or not. It´looks million times better in real life and I´m always dissapointed, when my camera can´t show it that good.

playing on hay bales

A typical canadian holiday dinner ^.^

they really sell this for 5$ (and it´s the same like german schoko bonbons)

this are the legs for my night stand. They feel so soft ^.^

this is how the school looked like in beaverlodge. Isn´t that cool ?

Freitag, 13. März 2015

Last basketball game and other stuff

To give you guys a weekly update on what happend. Last weekend we had our last basketball tournament forever. We had one game on Friday, against our A school team, and we lost. But the cool thing was, that I played the entire game. Then in thw evening the football team had a meeting. It was I guess for finishing up the season and there were also two players from the CFL and we all got cool trophys. After the meeting Nicole and me went to a friends house to stay there the night. We ate some icecream cake and then went soon to bed, because we had to get up at 7.15 the next day, because our first game was at 8.30. We played against GP vaniers. And I really thought they were fr Grande Prairie, because of the GP. But on this day i found out that they were not from Grande Prairie, but somewhere else xD. We lost again, but that was ok it was still a fun game and I played again the whole time. Then we had about an hour break, before we started the last game of the season. It was a really close game. First it seemed like we lost but I said to my team "Even of we're loosing. We are not losing ". If that sentence makes sense or not. We didn't loose this game and in the end the score was 27:30. I think this game was perfect to finish the season and obviously I played the whole time again.
The rest of the day I hang out in town,skyped with my family, went to church in the evening with my family and was glad, to fall into my bed after having a shower. Sunday was normally church and it was hard to believe, that already one week past, from when we were on our way to Jasper.
This Wednesday we had a Fun day with school, that means that we went snowboarding ^.^ it was a pretty good day but I guess this was the last time snowboarding for me this year :/
Also Wednesday night would have been a dinner with my basketball team, bu because I couldn't get a ride a couldn't go :(
If someone should care about how I do in school. Pretty good. In English we are writing a story right now, which is pretty cool, because I did this last on grade 5 ans it's nice to do it again. In industrial arts I'm still working in my night stand, but I'm doing really good. I already did a box and right now I'm working on the legs. Chemistry is not to bad either and Psychology too. One bad thing is, that they crossed out a class called sucess block, where you could so homework and stuff.
Another cool thing. I don't know who of you guys know Ed sheeran. But he is playing in Edmonton in June. I was planing on going there with friends and got permission from my mum and hostdad, but then the original tickets were sold out so unbelievable fast, that we could get tickets just for double the price on other websites. And yeah now I think about maybe bot going. Especially because my friends (who both love ed sheeran) seem to not care to get tickets as soon as possible.
Oh another cool thing. I don't know if I'd already mentioned it, but I hate if people have to give me rides and that I'm so depended on them. I found a bike on the farm and it works really good there is just a broken part at the back of the chain. I really hope we cam fix this, because then I could just go by bike after school home. And I really don't care, that it will be a 1 1/2 hour ride. I just really hope it will work.

my picture wall is growing

my awesome basketball team

the score of our last game

this is part of my wood from IA. It´s so cool that you can make a nice looking piece of wood out of shitty one.

and this is the box for my night stand :)

Last but not least. That´s how my locker looked like, one day before Fun day

My short story

Hello guys. In English class we had to write a short story in the moment and I thought I share mine with you, because I think it´s not to bad. And some backround information. We had three classes time for that. And I actually had a Harry Potter fan fiction. But then my teacher said, that she never read or watched Harry Potter, so I decided to write a different one. Enjoy :)

An unexpected incident

I was just on my way back home. I´ve been on a buissnestrip in New York City and now I was heading back to Los Angeles after five days. I was sitting in the airport gate waiting for my flight, while I was trying to check my mails. Then I noticed this really good looking man in his black suit. He had short brown hair and was really tall. He seemed like he was looking at me, but then quickly checked his phone.This man was probably trying to get signal for his phone as well. He sat himself right next to me and said “ Uggh. You can´t even get a signal at this airport. Why am I even paying for the first class lounge. I am Goodwin, Alexander Goodwin”. I tried to find a good answer, because I´d never thought he would even speak to me. “ Hello. My name is Vanessa Walten. And I totally agree. I can´t even check my emails here!” “What a beautiful name”he answered, “you must come from a rich family I guess. I heard the name before.” “Yes I actually am” I answered, while I was focusing on his beautiful face. We kept talking for a while, till they finally called our flight. “Finally “ I said. There are lots of reasons to fly first class. One is, the better service and the way more important reason, I don´t have to share my seat with a scruffy stranger. I prefer a comftable flight. Alexander offered to take my handluggage and I didn´t resist. I just polished my nails. We walked together to the plain and went to our first class section, in the front and sat down. While I was already sitting down, I was watching the people from the economy class, how they walked by, probably looking jealous at me, rushing to their poor seats. I noticed this one guy, who nearly looked like a homeless men. I wonder, how he can afford a flight ticket at all. He said “oh sorry madam” while he tripped over my bag. What an idiot. Can´t even keep his feet away from stuff, that is not his. He walked by and left to his seat, just like everybody else. The plane started in the air and I sat back to relaxed. After two hours, which I spent with sleeping, reading the vogue and talking and flirting with Alexander ,we were nearly there. I noticed that the homeless looking men was walking around and it looked like he was on the way to the front of the plain. I wonder what he was up to. Alexander exused himself too, and walked in the front to get us some drinks. In some moments you just know, if it clicks between two people and this was definetely a moment. I thought I would stay single forever, but Alexander could really change my life. I was sinking in my thoughts, while I was looking out of the window, happy like I haven´t been in a long time. I saw, that the airplain sinking, even if I thought it would take us another hour. But maybe the pilot was taking a faster route or something like that. I heard whispers around me. It seems that I was not the only one, wondering about the early landing. I wanted to ask one of the stewardesses what was going on, but I just saw them standing there huddling together with horrified faces. I could catch words like “gun”, “kiddnapping” and “forced pilot to land right now!”. That was horrible. my heart was beating really fast. What if the kidnapper will kill someone and the bigger question. Who is the kidnapper? I bet everything I have , that it was the homeless looking guy. He looked suspicious from the beginning. Oh I just hope Alexander will be ok. He just wanted to get us drinks. I hope he is alright. Right before we landed I heard a stewardess saying “Dear passengers. Please stay calm. Our pilot just has been forced to land, because we have a kidnapper on board. The kidnapper said, he just wants one person to take along, and he will leave everyone else in peace. Please stay calm! Everything will be alright. We have everything under control”. The voice went off. The plain was full of panic now. Everyone was scared. Kids were crying, people looked really frighted. I mean, who expects that their plane is getting kidnapped. But if the kidnapper really just wants one person,why don´t we just give the person to him and then we will all stay uninjured. While I was thinking about the situation, a stewardess came straight to me. She probably wanted to make sure that I am ok. “ Mrs. Walten?” “Yes, that´s me”. “We received the news, that “ she took a short break and took a big breath, before she continued talking, ”the kidnapper wants you”. No this was impossible. Me? This can´t be real. This is just a big dream. My face was getting pale and I was too shocked to answer. This homeless men. He is the kidnapper. The look he gave me, when I walked by. “ We want to make sure that you are safe” the stewardess said, “if you could please follow me quickly .” I wanted to grab my bag, when she answered “you can´t take your bag with you, that would be too dangerous!” “What?” I answered surprised. “ I can´t even take my bag. It was a two thousand dollar bag. Of course I want to take it!” “Mrs. Walten you have to understand. We don´t have enough time to discuss this here and now. We have to hurry to get you safe”. But it was too late. The masked kidnapper was running with a gun in his hand in my direction and put his arm around my throat. The airplane already landed. He was pulling me to the exit. He pointed the gun to everyone who was in his way and said “Get out of the way or I will shoot you all” in a really aggressive voice. But this voice sounded familiar. And the smell. It seemed that I recognized it before. No . No way it couldn´t be. Now I recognized his shoes too. There was no doubt. The kidnapper was Alexander! He was forcing me to the door now, and pushed me outside, after he forced the stewardess to open the door. I was panicking now. What am I supposed to do. I am helpless. No one will help me, because he would shoot everyone, who just gets closer to him. We were standing outside now, while Alexander was looking panicky in every direction. “My ride should be here by now. Why are they not here!”, he was talking to himself. He was holding the gun now strait against my head and said, if I should make any moves, he will kill me right away. I still couldn´t realize what was going on. He seemed perfectly normal to me, one hour ago. I even thought about going out with him, but I think this was history now. My heartbeat was still very fast and I could hardly breathe. II was wondering, what was going on inside the plane. Did someone plan to do something to help me? My guess was, that everyone was just looking outside the window, to see what was going on. We were in the middle of a desert, so if there should be coming a police they better hurry, because if Alexanders company arrives first I will be screwed. Alexander was not really paying attention to his close enviroment. He was just looking tensed in the landscape, hoping for a car to arrive. I saw a shadow first and then everything went really quick. The homeless looking man, did a confusing thing ,but Alexander couldn´t move freely anymore after seconds and the gun way laying on the ground. Right after that the pilot was coming out of the plane, grabbed a gun and held it against Alexander. “Good job Sirius”, the pilot said. Finally I knew the name of this man, who eventually didn´t seem to look to bad. His long black hair fell in his face, while he was still holding on Alexander. Five minutes later a car arrived. But it was the police. They said that they catched alexanders company, before they could reach this place. The police told me that Alexander Goodman is a psychopath and they thought he would´ve been healed. His real name is Peter Pettigrew and he is after rich women. That explains everything. That´s why he wanted to know about me and my money. I thought he would just be another business men. He was one of the first persons who understood me. Maybe if he comes back from the hospital and prison. Maybe we could build a life after that. No, said another voice in my head. He is a criminal. You can´t do that! And I think this voice is quiet right, even if Alexander was still a good looking men. But I might have a chance with Sirius. He doesn´t look to bad either, if you think about it again. I went to talk to him. “Hello” “Hello” he said. “I can´t tell you how much I am thankful for saving my life. I could be dead by now” “No problem” answered Sirius cool. “ I have the black belt in taekwando. I was just walking in the front of the plane, to get a nice view outside the window. You know. You get the best view in the front. But then I saw everything happen. And to explain my clothes. Someone stole my whole bag yesterday and everything I had left, was my flight ticket and twenty dollars. So right now I´m still wearing my clothes from yesterday, when I was helping homeless dogs. But to be honest. It´s actually quiet comfortable and I couldn´t have fought as good with jeans“ “Wow that sounds interesting and as a approach , I´d like to invite you for dinner” I answered. “No thanks madam”. I saw how you treat people and I don´t think I want to spend more time with you , then I have to. I saved your life, because I would be really nasty to not do it, because I know how to do that stuff. I work for the CSI. But anyway. I guess I will see you around someday.” I didn´t expected that answer but answered a short “okay” and walked away back to the plane ,which was leaving soon after that. We landed safely and in the end I didn´t even get hurt. Even my fingernails looked perfectly fine in the end.

Mittwoch, 11. März 2015

Snowboarding in Jasper

Last Sunday we met at 11am infront of the school, to go to Jasper (in the Rocky Mountains) ^.^ we had a 6 hour drive infront of us and the cool thing was, that nearly over the whole time,you could see trees. They seemed endless. It was so amazing, when we drove in the national park and there were mountains everywhere. Obviously I took a bunch of pictures. When we arrived in Jasper, we first went to town and ate supper. Three girls and me decided to go to an italian pizza restaurant. The pizza was really good and afterwards they even had nutella icecream ^.^ then we just walked around a little bit, I bought tim bits at tim hortons (this are mini cake balls, which are very delicous) and then we headed to the hostel. We all had to sleep in a big dorm room. The evening we spent with playing cards and using the wifi xD. On the next day, we had to get up, to be early on the bus,who brought us to the hill. We drove for about 25 minutes, got dressed and finally at 9am we could go on the hill! There were many different lifts and we took the one,who brought us up very high. (it took the lift 8 minutes from bottom to top). After we went down the first time with a snowboard teacher, we could go alone after that. So I decided to go alone, so I could see most and go my own speed without anyone waiting for me or other way around. Jasper was different from where I usully go snowboarding. I think the biggest difference was, that in Jasper were more trees. You had trees everywhere next to the slopes and if you wanted you could even snowboard in there. Another good thing was, that there were not so many people. So most of the time I could freely do whatever I wanted. After our first dwy snowboarding we went quickly to the dorm and then directly to town. My two friendsand me were really hungry, but before we ate I wanted to have a Japser Hoodie. Lots of people have them in school and I really like Hoodies. So I went in the first store we could find and within seconds I decided me for a Hoodie and a toque. Then we went to another really good restaurant. We bought hot wings, ceasar salad and mediteran bread. It tasted really good ^.^ After that I wanted to look for a Sticker for me snowboard and eventually we found one in another store. We had to hurry, because nearly all of the stores closed at 6. But that wasn't too bad, because right after that, we went to the swimming pool, where I spent most of the time in the hottub (obviously xD). Then we went to the movie theatre to watch Kingsmen. In my opinion the movie was a bit weird,but still interesting. Then we headed back to the hostel and on the next day we had to pack up and everything and went on the hill again. I really tried to make the best of the day, so I just made a short lunch break and snowboarded the rest of the day. I couldn't understand how some people could sit inside longer and not use the time for skiing /snowboarding. Then at 3.30 we sadly sat in the bus, on our way home :/. The only good thing was, that I could read harry potter on my way back home. ;). In the end I can say Jasper (our skihill wqs called Marmot Basin) was awesome. I enjoyed every moment of the mountain view and I was really sad, when they were gone. I would say Jasper wqs a great experience and i would come back everytime.