The Sketchy City & The Emerald City

I made a claim to Reed today that we are having the best Spring Break that NNU has seen since we have been students there.  I think I actually meant it.

The day in Canada was one of the better days I've had in the past year.  We walked on sidewalks, drank coffee in coffee shops, read books in book stores, and ate real Canadian cuisine.  Vancouver is a huge city, and it is full of people.  Even though we were there on a Monday, the streets were absolutely packed with people.  And sure, being in large cities can be intimidating, and downright scary at times, but it was even more exaggerated in Vancouver.  Not only were we in a city we had never been to before, but we were in a different country, and we annoyed the Canadians with our American ignorance of their culture.  We left the main downtown area once during the day to go visit a bike shop, and it was definitely a scary experience.  I'm just glad that I wasn't alone, and that I was walking during the day.

Even though we were afraid to upset these people and the natural balance of their lives and city, one person surprised us.

We were looking for parking near the stadium when we first got into town so that we didn't have to walk far after the game, and we ended up pulling into a parking lot a couple blocks away.  To make a long story short, we discovered that they were using it as a lot for a film crew, but the parking attendant (Canadian), realized that we (American) were visiting, and she helped us out.  She gave us an awesome parking spot for free, and then we talked about the hockey game, and we laughed and had a great time.  At the end of the conversation, she said "See, Canadian's are nicer than you think."  It was awesome.

Turns out the movie they were filming was The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus, the last movie that Heath Ledger was filming, but now has Johnny Depp, Jude Law, and Colin Farrell.

Crazy.

Anyways, the hockey game was amazing, totally amazing, Ryan's house was amazing, this trip has been amazing.

Quick note also:  we spent a few hours in Seattle today with my cousins Sheena and Dawn, and it was a gorgeous day.  We had lunch at a sandwich shop called Specialties, and I loved it.  It was just nice to see my cousins and catch up.

I know this post has been long, but there was a lot to cover, and a lot I even left out.  Now we're in Portland, things should slow down, which is okay with me.  I'll keep you updated.