Blog Closing. And opening.

Hey, I forgot to mention that I'm moving this blog over to WordPress.

GermanyExchange.wordpress.com

Phoenix

I have left this blog empty for quite a while, I know.

My principal said 'no' for last year. But I wasn't going to give up that easily: So I learned German. I borrowed (torrented) Rosetta Stone German in June, took lessons and can now easily say that I can have a small conversation in German!

Now, and this might come as a shock to many, German is actually pointless in Ottawa, Canada. So I'm going to try again.

From my last attempt, I come out stronger and better informed about how I should get this on track. I've organized a meeting between the person responsible for exchanges and whatnots (which was postponed yesterday because of and 'Urgence').

This time, I'm going to do it. This time, I'll be ready and god forbid they say no again, I'm going to find a one-year exchange and just go.

Wish me luck, again.

-Ben

So sorry...

But My principal didn't send my an e-mail with an answer, so I will get back to you as soon as I get any info :).

Rest assured, it will be before the week's end!

-Ben

4 - End of the Holidays, Nothing New

Well, I got back from Sherbrooke just a couple of hours ago and I'm now in my bed with my cat, Berlioz, making a racket puring by my side.

I didn't post yesterday because I was with family and I didn't want to be rude. But infigures that it was better now than never, so now.

The holidays are going splendid, but I haven't once taken out the skis, but I hope to take advantage of the 10-20cm that have fallen in the last two days (and 10 more to come!).

I guess that, other than ranting and geeking out about the weather, I don't have much to share with you that concerns my trip...

So I'm going to get some shuteye ^__^

Oh, IMPORTANT: My next post willbe on Tuesday evening, when I'll get an answer from my school! Stay tuned!

Happy New Year,

- Ben, who is happy about the snow

3 - Christmas

Well, it's Christmas. It's funny that I don't really feel like it's Christmas... But then again, I am posting this from my bed (on my ZUNEHD) before 6!

I'll have to wait until half past 8 for opening my gifts, but I know that I have rather few gifts because I only asked for earphones (which I'm using right now :D) and a bit of financial support for my exchange.

But I still wonder what else they got me since even I don't know what else I want!

Oh, and by the way, I have nothing to say about my exchange this week, if you haven't already noticed.

This weekend, I went to see the film Avatar and it has just blown my mind. The effects are unnoticable, the story is solid and well-told and the 3D is amaizing without being obtrusive (things flying towards the audience and such)

I really encourage you to go and see it in thaters, then just watch it online a million times. I will get this on DVD and I never get movies on DVD. Never.

Weather-wise, it'll be one heck of a boxing day; snow and lots of freezing rain, but I just hope for snow since I don't want the river ruined since its soooooo perfect this year ( think black ice).

So that's basically all I really have to share with you!

Merry Christmas!

- Ben, who is excited

2 - Winter, Holidays and a Probable Yes.

I'm sorry that I haven't gotten back to you for... a loooong time, but I've been busy toughing the last days of school before the winter holidays! Woot! And, to make it better, Winter just blew in: around 40cm of snow here since I last wrote and it's now near -30C (-20F) outside! The kilometre-wide river in front of my house is now COMPLETELY frozen and I think I'll be skating before Christmas since it's basically going below -20C until then.

Oh, and by the way, I love Winter.

But I digress.

I went to go and see my PRINCIPAL (!!!) two weeks ago to talk to him about the program and told him about all the things that my exchange would imply. I gave him the document and he looked as if he though it was great, but he said that it would have to be discussed with the other members of administration to rule out things such as tuition (I go to a private school), grades and other such things. But I've talked to most of the other main members and they are all supportive of my endeavour, so I think that this equates a most probable yes.

:D <- that's my face right now.

So now I'm on hold. I really can't do anything until I get a definite answer from my school in January (around the 5-10th). So I'm just going to kick back, lace on my skates, skis and moccasin-boots (they look like moccasins), zip up my down-goose coat and enjoy my holidays!

HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO MY FANTASTIC READERS!

I'll update weekly on Fridays unless something big happens, in which case I'll tell you right away.

PS.: If you do read this, please comment. I'd like to know that my blog is being read!

Cheers,

-Ben, who is Winter-obsessed.

1 - Begin

Hi, I'm Ben. My full name, if you must know, is Benjamin Daniel Cool-Fergus.

Right now, I feel as if I'm sleeping in a field of white plumtree blossoms, but it's really just tissues. But it seems so much nicer when I think of it as blossoms!

Now that I got that random thought out of my system, I will begin my Blog:

On Monday, a friend told me about a program with the Québec Provincial Government that provided exchanges with either other Canadian provinces ... or Germany.

I already know a bit of German and I would love to learn a third language (French, English plus magic number 3!) so I jumped right on. Two days later, I have read every byte of information that there is on the program and here are the main bullet points:

- German courses are every Sunday over 10 Sundays from March to May or June, then 10 days straight in Montréal from the 27th of June to the 7th of July. $470! INEXPENSIVE!!!!

- $200 for the trip. Yeah! $200 for a return-trip to Germany for 3 months: September to December 2010!

- I stay at the German Student's home for that time and he/she will come in either January or February 2011 depending on the region.

It's AWESOME: Not only do I get to live in a different culture and language, but it won't make my parents remortgage the house! :D

So I have talked with teachers and all of them have agreed to give me letters of reference when the time comes and I will be meeting with the Principal on Monday at half past noon to get prepared. My parents and my friends are also supporting me in this, but maybe they just want to get rid of me for 3 months!

So I'm getting all the paperwork done as soon as I can so I can submit my candidacy for this exchange.

Since this will all be going rather slow at the beginning, I might not post anything for weeks on end, but bear with me! This will get more exciting!

In the meantime, I'll let you get back to your lives and I'll get back to emptying this bottle of Advil and lying down in my field of kleenex blossoms.

Cheers,

-Ben, who is sick, but happy.