China

So we are a bit closer to going to China. It is no longer just words and plans, but has started to move to the realm of action!

After Chelsey got her passport, we put in our application with this program that we are planning to use. We are using a program because they will help get us interviews with the schools, and will also provide support for while we are there. Chinese schools like to get as much as they can out of English teachers for as little as possible. Using a program will mean that they can fight those kind of battles for us, which means that we get a better contract with the school. Programs also often have a lot of teaching materials available to use, which helps out in the lesson planning.

Our tentative date to go is May 1. We are looking at plane tickets, and flying out of Vancouver BC will cost about $1100 for both of us. Flight to Vancouver from Calgary is another is about another 200 dollars. So we got some really cheap flights, and we will be booking those soon. We plan to fly into Vancouver a few days early, and spend some time there. I have never been to Vancouver, and the last time Chelsey went she was really young. We will get into Shanghai early afternoon on May 2, and have a five hour layover. We figure that gives us enough time to go get something to eat and such in Shanghai. However, because of that, we would not get into Beijing until 11:30pm. We will probably stay at a hostel for a few days, as we won't have an appartment until we sign on with a school.

We are getting excited for this trip!

snow snow snow

So far winter in Lethbridge has been VERY SNOWY! From mid-December till now, we have had a few storms that left 10-15 cm each (for my American friends, that amounts to 1/3 to 1/2 of a foot), plus a bunch of small ones that have left less. Today, we are supposed to get another 10-15 cm of snow with a new storm moving rapidly in. The piles of snow from the plows are getting high - not quite as high as I remember them being in Winnipeg, but very high for Lethbridge. With the snow has come a long cold snap. In Lethbridge, we normally get Chinooks - a warm movement of air that comes down from the mountains. So far not so much. Temperatures have stayed in the -20 to 30's including windchill.
So here are a few tips for the snow and cold:
1) get good shoes! I hate having to go through a drift and end up with a shoe full of snow!
2) plan to take more time to get to places, as lots of ice and snow will slow down driving all over.
3) be prepared for circumstances - such as always have a pair of jumper cables in your car (and know how to use them)

That being said, I actually really like the snow when it is first fallen. It looks pretty and peaceful. And there are somethings that you can only really do in the snow.

Have fun, and keep warm (and unburied!)

Mikey

Food

Chelsey and I like to eat out, so I thought that we would give a rundown of some of our favorite places




1) Cheesecake Cafe


904 - 2nd Avenue




Probably our favorite place to eat in Lethbridge. Even though they specialize in cheesecake - offering about 10 different flavours any given day, such as White Chocolate Raspberry, Oreo, Triple Berry, and After Eight - their whole menu is really tasty. Sometimes a restaurant will have a large menu, but only have a few good dishes. Cheesecake Cafe offers over 160 items on their menu, doing all very well. Every thing that we have tried has been tasty. Some things to try include their Tuscan flatbread, Southwest Sandwich, Beef Dip Sandwich, Barbeque Burger, Sweet Chili Chicken, Orange Peel Shrimp, BBQ Chicken Calzone, Shrimp and Chicken Penne, Ravioli, Quiche Lorraine and Chicken Pot Pie. If cheesecake is not your thing for dessert, then try out their cakes that are three layers high. YUMMMMMM!!!


2) Two Guys and a Pizza Place


1281 3 Ave S



Our now favorite pizza place. Their prices are really reasonable for pizza - about $23 for a large, and anytime you buy 2 pizza's you get a discount. They also offer a huge selection of original pizza flavours. They are winning pizza awards all the time, and actually was voted best pizza in 2008 by Canada Pizza Magazine. Some of their offerings include: Lazio Lasagna Pizza (which includes lasagna noodles - have yet to try this one, but I think it would be tasty... I put my pasta on garlic bread all the time ;) Chicken Monterey; Honey Almond Chicken (good but very sweet); Chicken Jambalaya; and Creamy Philly Cheesesteak. You can go to their site and read what is one each pizza.
If you are craving pizza, defiantly give this place a try!

3) El Comal Mexican Restaurant

1020 Mayor Magrath Drive South

If you are looking for authentic Mexican dishes, then take a stop by this place run by a little lady from Mexico. It offers everything from very authentic dishes like chicken mole (a spicy sauce made with dried chilies, Mexican chocolate, sesame seeds, and a bunch of other stuff) to more Tex-Mex stuff. We have only gone a few times here, but every time has been very tasty.

So these three places are our favorites, but other notable eateries in Lethbridge include Osho's (Great Japanese food); Mongolie Grill; Boston Pizza; and Tony Roma's. I used to really like East Side Mario's, but lately I have been disappointed by it.

Chelsey and I also really like to travel, so give us some suggestions on where to eat in your area. Who knows - perhaps one day we will get there!

Christmas and New Years

Christmas has come, New Years has passed, and all of a sudden its 2009! We are getting closer to our goal of going over to China. It is planned for late April or early May, depending on what happens. We still need to save some money up, but we already have about $1500 of the $4000 that we have as a goal.

Christmas was good to us. We spent Christmas eve with Chelsey's parents, as well as part of Christmas morning. Between the two of us we got Simpsons Season 10 (mine), a Massage chair (mine), a Santa shaped cookie Jar (ours), 2 mandolines (Chelsey's - not the instrument, but the kitchen cutting tool), a hair strightener (chelsey's), an ice cream maker (mine), $50 (ours), $75 to spend at Sierria Trading Post and a few other fun things. One fun thing that we got was a CD from a friend from a group called The Postal Service - an indie pop group, with the lead singer from Death Cab For Cutie. Really intresting sound, and we both enjoy it.

After spending time at Chelsey's parents, we headed into Cardston on Christmas day and had dinner with my family. lots of fun and food! We also played Rail Baron, and even though I did ok, I made a mistake early on in the game which allowed Amy to win it all.

New Years was fairly calm. We did not do much, but Chelsey made a huge mexican meal to share with her family - build your own burrito type deal. Very tasty! Then we just watched movies and played games and did the whole countdown thing.

I took today off, as it was one of the last days that I could take time off with out having to make it hard for everyone else - they are all students, and school starts back up on Monday. It is nice to have a day off here and there.

Have fun, and a great year! 2009 will bring many exciting adventures!