Oh Canada.

Oh Canada.

As some of you may know last weekend was Canadian Thanksgiving. Living in such a place as YWAM, where we have people from everywhere (including this great land) we celebrate!

So we had Canadian Thanksgiving, which is pretty much the same as American Thanksgiving (I’m pretty sure they stole the idea from us- but hey, if they want to be grateful too, I guess we’ll let them). Honestly, it was wonderful, especially as I will not be in the States this year to celebrate my country’s day of giving thanks.

Here they are singing their national anthem:

 

Over the last 5 weeks and for the next 15, I have gotten and get the privilege of living with a bunch of these wonderful people.

Here are a few things I have learned about Canadians:

-They don’t look like Eskimos and they don’t live in igloos (don’t let your children’s picture books lie to you).

-A bunch of them speak French
-They have things called “ketchup chips” (Yeah, I don’t know… but I’m gonna get to try some real soon!)
-Our “smarties” (like the candy) are their “rockets”
-They don’t say “eh” as much as you think (though they will say “hey” quite a bit)
-Did you know that just as we have Captain America, they have Captain Canada?

-In school, they learn American geography (bonus points if my American readers can name two Canadian provinces)
-They can be pretty patriotic (at least the ones I have met)
-Canadians are treated better than Americans in other countries (hmm… makes me wonder how I can acquire Canadian citizenship)
-They really are a lot like Americans. Or maybe we’re like them.

Either way, I like this country I have never been to, but I really like (emphasis on the really) its people and hope I can go there soon!

Road Trip Canada 2014?

 

 

 

 

What do you get when...

What do you get when you put:

7 Canadians

 

1 Korean

Newlyweds from Norway

12 kids

A Malaysian who’s lived in the UK for the last 20 years

1 Costa Rican

A bunch of Americans

All adding up to 37 people (emphasis on the 37)

 

 

In a house, all together? Yes, I said all together.

 

Well, let me tell you.

Music- with half the group being musically inclined and the other half loving the music, beautiful noises can usually be heard. Whether it’s in its raw or packaged form, music, and thus, worship happens. It is a wonderful thing.

 

Mess- There is always a mess to be found no matter if you cleaned the entire house just 3.5 minutes before.

Food- People like to eat, we are no exception. The great thing about living with a diverse group of people is that there is a plethora of new foods to try and learn about. I ate octopus for the first time during one of our “Asian nights.”

 

Conflict- You don’t think that we all sit around, holding hands, singing Kumbaya, everyday, all day, do you? As much as I’d like to think we do, we don’t.

Conversation- with 37 people, there is always someone to talk to.

Prayer- While we may not hold hands and sing Kumbaya, we do like to pray. So, if you need prayer, this is the place to go. ;)

Creativity- Whether it be deciding on the most effective spot for the garbage can, editing photos, creating newsletters, or coming up with fund-raising ideas, creative things happen here.

Laughter- If laughter extends your life, I think we can all add a few more days to ours. We laugh at (I mean with) each other, we laugh at something funny the kids say, we laugh at our cultural differences, and whatever else there is to laugh about. This crew is pretty hilarious and we know how to laugh at ourselves.

Family- and I thought living in a family of 10 was large… but seriously, though we may not be blood-related, we are learning to relate to each other as family would. We even got our “mamas” and our “little brothers” and just last night I even heard someone say, “Goodnight black dad.” Yeah, we’re family.

 

 

This is just a little taste of what I’m experiencing and the loveliness that surrounds my daily life. And you know, I like these people.

 

I like them a whole lot. :)