Day 43

In the neighborhood around Commercial Drive there are a lot of people from many different countries and they decided celebrating a party between everybody. For a few hours, the traffic is stopped in that street and people can leave the promenade to take the road. It's called "Parade of the Lost Souls".

I went with some of my friends. There were a lof of people (some of them wearing costumes) and a very big differences with this kind of parties in Spain: you could see almost nobody sluring, because they didn't sell alcohol (I think that drinking in the street is outlawed here, even in this kind of events).

I liked very much this party. There were different performances at the same time: brazilian bands playing samba, people playing malabars with fire, a shadow teatre... And also they decorated the zone. They were some charity advocates too, collecting donations.

I think it's a very nice idea share different music, perfomances and life ways in the same party. I hope that they would continue organizing it for many years.

Day 42

Friday in CSLI means "special activities". This week, as I told you yesterday, I went to buy stuffs for my costume. I decided be "the front desk of CSLI", so I'm gonna wear a cardboard box, with the CSLI's logo and some decoration.

Also I bought a halloween tie and something to make me up. I don't want to dare to do it on my own, so possibly I'll ask for help for the make up. The teachers in CSLI are true blue and I think that they'll be able to help me.

After the lunch we saw a movie. We could choose between "The Strangers" (a scary movie) or "Monsters House" (animation movie), and I chose the first one. It was ok, but not really good.

This weekend (and also next week) there are a lot of activities relationed with Halloween in Vancouver: Fright Nights in PNI, haunting houses, the train in Stanley Park, a Parade in Commercial Drive... Definitively, this week is not time to be glum.

Day 41

Yesterday was the first day of the "writing club" in CSLI. I am very glad, because we were seven people and Christine gave us a very interesting begining for the story. I think it's gonna be funny.

Alvin got free tickets for a movie pre-opening again, and gave us them. I took 4 tickets, to invite some of my friends. I went with Vanessa, Jannie and Marcelo. The movie was ok, but it was British (with british accent, british vocabulary and people gabbing very fast), so actually I didn't understand some dialogues.

Next Friday is the CSLI Halloween Party and we are obliged to wear a costume, so today I'm signed in an activity for prepare my costume. I'm not sure what costume I'm gonna wear yet, but I think it's not gonna be very scaring, so people aren't gonna shoo from me when they would see me.

Day 40

I have just finished my "quarantine".

Actually I think that nothing uncanny happened today. I was very tired after my birthday shindig, so it was a very quiet day.

The most interesting thing was that I participed in a Grammar Contest in CSLI. It was preatty difficult, even some people was stressed, but you that my nerves aren't shot easily. However, I still have to improve my grammar skill, and I only answered correctly 18 of the 30 questions (enough to pass, but not really good).

Also Erika (one of the workers in the front desk) told me that finally I can sign up for the TESOL program, but I'm gonna have to make extra-homeworks to compensate the last week (when I'm not gonna be here yet).

Day 39 (My birthday)

Yesterday was my birthday, so the writing was in the wall: I had to celebrate it.

I brought a couple of portions from my birthday's cake to the school. They didn't believe that I made it, so I want to think that it was because the taste was very good ;)

After school I went to dinner to "Cafe Crêpe" with some of my friends. I don't want badmouth that restaurant, but there was a couple of things that I disliked:
- They have a new rule that says that you have to spent, at least, 7 dollars if you want to sit down. Actually is not very hard (one crepe or sandwich and one drink is more than $7), but I don't like that kind of rules.
- When we arrived we were 11 people and the waiter set a table for us, but later came 4 more people and the waiter told us that he couldn't give us more chairs because that table was only for 8 people. So we had to seat in two different tables (and the second one wasn't near from the first one).

With our stomachs already full, we left the restaurant and took a bus to go to Granville Island. There we drank a couple of beers each one (very cheap, only $3 each beer) and we spoke and laughed a lot. Don't worry, I didn't get hammered.

I wanted to go dancing too, but when we went arrived downtown again it was 10 p.m. and we decided to go home. Whatever, thank you very much to all of my friends for come, and thank you very much for the presents that you gave me. It was a very nice birthday.

Day 38

I was a "host student" in my school today. I arrived the school one hour earlier to explain to new students how everything works in CSLI, and help then in their first day. Actually it's a cushy job. I met Artem, from Russia. He was a little shy in the morning, but in the afternoon I could talk more with him, and he looks friendly.

In the afternoon I went to all classrooms in CSLI to talk students about the "writing club". Some of them were nodding while I was talking, so I hope that, at least, a few people will join in this activity.

I celebrated my birthday home. I thought they liked the food carried out by me, so it wasn't so bad. They also put some candles in the cake I cooked and they sang me "Happy Birthday". It was a very nice dinner.

Day 37

I continued relaxing today. In the morning I was designing some thing with "photoshop", and in the afternoon I cooked the dinner for tomorrow.

First I had to go to buy the ingredients. It wasn't easy, because I go to a chinese supermarket (it's cheaper than others) and a lot of things have the description in chinese.

Actually it was a hard evening. I had a problem preparing the "gazpacho"; I don't know why, but the liquid started to escape from the blender's jarret. For one moment I was crippled by the fear, because I thought that I had broken it, but fortunately I could fix it later. While I was cooking, the kitchen sink get blocked and I had to claw into to take off the left-overs that didn't let pass the water. Also I had to improvise with the "meat bowls", because I didn't find grated bread in the supermarket and I had to do it on my own. I had problems even with the cake.

At least everything has good aspect, so there is still a silver lining to suceed with the dinner.