Louissa Tabolt

i’m here, unpacked, and am feeling a bit settled.

the school is small but larger than i thought it would be – 93 students.  the majority are from Canada (no rude comments please), Germany, and the US.  but there is one from Kenya, Israel, the Philippines, Peru, and Northern Ireland.  it’s lovely to be around so many people from such different cultures.  as the principal said last night, “it’s so diverse and so rich because of it.”  it’s rather cool.

i’m in a room with three girls who i like lots.  nadine is from hanover, germany, has long hair and sparkily eyes.  she laughs lots and always thinks it’s funny when we use slang of any kind.  ashley is from colorado springs and is such a nice girl.  when i first arrived, she and nadine were already here and as we unpacked she asked question after question, eager to get to know each other well.  janel is from calgary, canada and we like each other lots.  she a pretty blonde, who dances, and loves to talk about boring details of life to God’s sovereignty.  it’s rather nice.

today i got to know the girl from israel a bit — don’t ask me to try to spell her name.  she speaks arabic, hebrew, and english.  her aunt and brother both came to this school before and she comes from a long line of born-again Christians.  we walked together to the store today and she told me that she has one brother and that’s enough.  she asked if i had any brothers or sisters and i laughed and said, “oh yes!”  so far, i come from the largest family and people find it quite intriguing.  they want to know all about my brothers and sisters, if we fight, and what kind of vehicle we drive.  it’s rather funny.

i’ve also met my twin — or that’s what we say.  i just met andrew last night so it’s not like i know him terribly well, but we’re both irish (he’s from northern ireland), we both laugh incredibly loud, and we both talk a lot.  he’s a funny boy… proud to be Irish and quite offended that on all his paperwork he’s a british citizen.  it’s rather interesting.

i didn’t know how quickly i would get to know people here.  most people came with others and i wasn’t sure if it would be hard to break into the cliques but it’s been the total opposite.  everyone is so excited about meeting other people and i’ve met so many people that it’s rather overwhelming.  there is no way i’ll ever remember all these names!  it’s rather crazy.

i’m the only new yorker and unfortunately, for the first half of yesterday when i woud meet someone they would always, always ask, “where are you from?”  when i’d respond with, “new york” they would be insanely crazy asking me all about the city.  i quickly started to say and emphasis, “UPSTATE new york” but even then some people would only hear the part that they’ve heard so much about.  pretty much, most people who haven’t actually sat next to me for every meal and meeting call me, “new york girl.”  it’s rather fun.

i don’t like these kind of posts — they aren’t very creative and it’s all just information… germany was supposed to inspire me but i find myself boring you with all the details of my life right now.

oh well.  later on perhaps.  after i hike the swiss alps and visit an old castle… next week.