Winding Down

Praise the Lord a small sore throat is all that's caught up to me as far as poor health for the trip! And I've just noticed it now. Hopefully a good night of sleep will do the trick.

The trip to Vancouver today was productive and relaxing. We (myself, Kristen, Seth, and Lee Clements) caught the 8am bus to take us down, and we headed straight for the aquarium (where we also got into free of charge with our media credentials)!

There, we saw all sorts of interesting creatures from sea otters to dolphins to beluga whales - all just in time for their little shows! We also walked through a tropical portion where they cranked up the heat and added humidity to make it a more realistic climate for the animals. Many were not caged - butterflies and birds were free to fly as we walked through the exhibit, which was really cool. We concluded our visit by watching a segment from Planet Earth in 4D in the theater. The seats rumbled, water sprayed on us, gusts of wind blew, little crawlies were running around our ankles, and we were even poked in the back by eels!

Afterward, we met one of our professors for lunch (sushi, our last hurrah) and shared stories and experiences. While there, we saw the epic finale to the Canada/US hockey game and showed no favor toward either team. When Canada won, people in the restaurant stood up, cheered, and hugged one another. It wasn't long before we saw cars and people clad in red and white filling the streets honking horns and cheering loudly. If NBC covered the celebrations at all, we were right there on Robson street where a huge crowd was beginning to gather.

We headed back to the bus so we could have some time to pack our things and get ready for the trip back home, but on the way, we had one more stop we needed to make. We weaved through the crowds, giving high-fives to total strangers as we entered a store offering Bubble Tea. They were open! I chose a blueberry/strawberry bubble tea and it was... interesting. I have to be honest and say that I did not eat every bubble. Maybe it was because I was full from lunch? I guess it's not for everyone. At least I was able to try it! :)

Today I learned how much of a national sport hockey is to Canada. I've never witnessed so many people joined in celebration for one thing. Most of the commercials here also show mother sending little 5-year-old daughter off in hockey gear to go play on the ice - something I would not imagine finding in the states. Everyone knew what they were celebrating, and everyone was together in it. I video taped as best I could while walking to the bus, and will try to edit it when I get back (time permitting).

I've begun sentences and thoughts with the words, "I can't believe...", but this time, it seems more true than ever. I honestly cannot believe that I am sitting here in my hotel room packing my bags, preparing to head back to Asbury, and will shoot the majority of my film at the end of this week. It's absurd! It's really not believable!

I guess it hit me when I left Kristen and Seth at the bobsled (our typical rendezvous location) to go to my hotel. As I walked alone, I realized that the rest of the trip, I would be traveling by myself. I also realized that my roommate had already checked out of the hotel, so I would be coming back to an empty hotel room as well. But it is nice to have some time to reflect in solitude on what this trip has meant to me.

Well, I must get on to packing! For those interested, you can find me in this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-RM6x-LjQnU start at 00:30 and you'll see me on the left side of the stage behind the drummer holding red cable. Too cool!