ottawa, ottawa, ottawa, ottawa!!!

So this past Sunday I took a school trip to Ottawa and it was incredible. It is a really beautiful city. We went to the parliament building and got a tour which was pretty cool because I learned a lot. Ex.) Queen Victoria chose Ottawa to be the capital because Montreal and Kingston were the forerunners (in terms of candidates for capital) and they had a big rivalry going on for it. So, to avoid fueling the rivalry she choose Ottawa. Interesting, eh?

Then we had a few hours to wander around. I ended up going out to lunch with two Germans, a Spaniard and a girl from Mexico City. Between us we spoke five languages, each at least three. So the entire afternoon we jumped from English to Spanish to French and then to German and then we'd throw in a little Italian. It was so fun but by the end of the day my mind was spinning with words! They were all really into taking pictures (thankfully) so that was a big part of our day which, of course, was great. Even though we spent two hours of the day going and then two and a half coming back, it still felt like such a full day. I'm really glad that I went because I got to know everyone really well and I think that I'm going to do some traveling with Natalie (Germany) and Pamela (Mexico) at the end of November which is so exciting! They are both really nice girls and it's just so funny being with them because our senses of humor are all so different which just makes it even funnier to interact with them. Great fun though:)
I know that there was a lot more that I wanted to say but I can't remember now, so this will have to do.

Today though was pretty good. I had class and went home and cleaned up a bit in preparation for the dinner party we were having. Then I went and met up with some friends for coffee. Then I came back to the apartment and met the girls and we went to a flash mob. Apparently, it's where people get together and do the same thing for a short time (via secret invites, etc.). For this one we all went and made really loud noises to call attention to global warming. The prime minister of Canada, stephen harper, was the main target for the flash mob because Canada signed the Kyoto Protocol but it has failed to meet the requirements. This was supposed to be a reminder that the people want Canada to make a change and they hold the government responsible for shortfall. It wasn't super big but it was really, really cool.

Afterwards we came home and started cooking dinner for the girl's friend Sean and then Claire's old roommate Jenna. I made Vodka Penne. Liz made a salad adorned with fresh cooked beets, carmelized onions and almonds, yummy dressing, etc. Then Claire made garlic bread. It was absolutely delicious. Now we're all sitting in the living room doing homework (well sort of) and mostly just talking. It's so lovely living with people I like. During French today one of the conversation questions we had was "What is your favorite trip you've ever been on?" and all I could think was- this one! I seriously am so lucky that I get to take a year off and move to Montreal just to have fun. I almost feel guilty at how great it's been. Literally every day is either fun, charming, thought provocking, exciting, exhausting, or some combination of all of those things. Thankfully these girls are hilarious, we laugh out loud constantly. Even though I want you all to know how my life is going, I almost feel bad telling you this because when I reread it, it sounds like perfection, because it is!!

I'm sure this has lots of errors/ runon sentences but I hope you can understand and enjoy.
Much love!