Waste Not

I want to try and live waste free. Seriously. What does that even mean? It hit me midweek when someone asked me where you take your trash from your cabin. I explained that there is a big trash container on the dock and you just throw it there. But where does it go from there? Into someone's backyard or an animal's home. Then I started using the internet to research this thought process. Turns out there are other people who hate garbage as well (perhaps even more than I do at this moment). I feel like I saw a link with this young lady on it but I can't remember where. Maybe it came from these ladies. Anyway, trashisfortossers was the first site I explored and thought "I could do that... maybe". Then there is this lady who has made her living being a "zero waste guru". This is really cool. So why I am sharing this with you? I have two reasons. One of them is not that I have run away from the ship and intend to live in the wilderness of Madagascar for the remainder of my life.
1. I am going to start a 30 day challenge to reduce my waste and I want to be accountable to you
2. I thought if you knew you might try it too (yes, I know that rhymes)
So, every plan has to have actionable steps to be successful. Here it goes. In considering the type of trash I usual have, I think that my biggest culprit is food wrappers. That should be pretty easy to reduce; stop buying anything from the ship shop. Check. Thankfully the ship already has a composting program in place so organic matter is done. On to plastic and paper products. Grrr. Unfortunately, Madagascar doesn't have a recycling program in place. However, I can certainly try and reuse plastic bags and bottles where I can and not buy them going forward. I can also choose to use my glass container to save food instead of using a plate with cling wrap over it. Small steps. I can't do much about the products I have already purchased such as spare shampoo, conditioner, body wash, and toothbrushes. Once I get home I intend to leave some of those things behind and embrace more environmentally friendly alternatives. No, I am not becoming a hippie just in time to attempt to reintegrate into Canadian society. There are so many fantastic products available, why not take advantage? Yes, I know, it can be more expensive but in the end you might see that it is worth it.

That is my plan and here is my jar:

I would encourage you to join in and see where you can make some changes to reduce your waste. Sunday we start. Thank you for reading. Really, thank you.

Comfort Food

So I had this can of pumpkin...

No, this is not the beginning of a bad joke. I had this one can of pumpkin that I got on the container months ago but I wanted to make a very specific recipe. Unfortunately, I did not have any maple syrup, so I held off until now. What's most convenient is that I got the cutest little bottle of syrup while I was home, as a wedding favour (thank you Teresa and Dan). It was especially perfect because it was small and plastic (excellent for transportation from Canada to Madagascar).

 

 With the aforementioned syrup I successfully made the muffins. During the course of my muffin making another crew member came up to the crew galley and was walking around as though they were looking for something. The second time this person walked around I asked what they were looking for. When I heard it was parchment paper that they were after, I knew they wouldn't find any in there but I did have an extra box in my cabin. So we walked downstairs and solved the problem. Easy. Later on the evening I come to my cabin door and saw something sitting outside. I rarely have anything waiting for me but my cabin mates often have notes and other things so I assumed it was for one of them. But wait! It had my name on it. When I unwrapped it I found this perfect little loaf of bread with a note saying I had saved the day! It made me so happy! It also looked so similar to my Nonna's Easter bread that I couldn't help but smile.

What may seem like a small gesture can end up providing so much comfort. Thank you!

After the muffin making, I was left over with quite a bit of pumpkin but I wasn't prepared to stay in the crew galley any longer so I put off making pumpkin pancakes until today. They turned out fantastic! Now my box in the freezer is full of delicious breakfast options! I really love breakfast food but I don't look forward to breakfast on the ship, so having some exciting options might give me some more incentive to get out of bed in the morning. 

My weekend was very quiet, so other than cooking/baking and going to the market I have nothing to report. Oh, that is untrue. When I was walking to the store to buy pasta on Friday (it was bratwurst night) a man with terrible English skills was trying to talk to me, and eventually asked if I was celibate. Of all the English words he could know, why is celibate one of them? Oh dear. That pasta was delicious by the way. I had Nonna's sauce to put on it and some chickpeas to mix in. Yum! 

So now that I have made you read about food for 5 minutes, you now know it's importance in my life, especially on the ship. 

Happy Sunday! My niece is being Christened today. Good thing I will be home soon, so I don't have too many more milestones.

Familiar Winter

I made it back to the ship after my Air Madagascar flight got cancelled again. Thankfully I found out it was cancelled when I was still at home. That airlines kills me. Serves me right for trusting them. Anyway, I was already able to visit the Logos Hope, and spend the day at the beach. The Logos Hope seems so familiar to the Africa Mercy but their ministry is very different. Today I was able to go to the beach with some of my On Boarding group, which was amazing because it got me off the ship and into the sun. It was a wonderful day but the sun has me completely exhausted. So instead of painfully making my way through a full post I thought I would share some photos from my trip home!

Abbey: "Let's Play!" Kiko: "Maybe if I ignore her she will go away."

WHAT?

Baby taken care of and free hands to open present= win!

I never thought any member of my family would be happy to have their dog wear a sweater but she did look really cute!

I burnt my finger Christmas morning making scones for my mother. I mean, if that isn't love I don't know what is. It was not cute at all.

FINALLY! Some snow showed up on December 28th.

Wedding time!

Friendship forged in 2003

Can you see the resemblance?

Raptors game. The Air Canada Centre is now equipped with metal detectors. Good call; you never know when a Texan might show up.

This is more like winter! Lake of Bays; Baysville, Ontario

Yes, it is hot in here and no, I cannot move my arms to get this bonnet out of my eyes.

This picture is free but I'm going to have start charging you. Posing is taxing.

I Made It

After a mild hiccough in my travel plans I managed to make it home 3 days after leaving the ship. The most traumatizing part of the whole experience was arriving home Wednesday night and realizing I hadn't showered since Sunday. It was bad.

I saw this sign in Amsterdam and had to take a picture because it was so relevant!

Then I saw this in the paper and was a little distraught at the fact that the sun goes down at 4:42. That just seems wrong. Thankfully I don't have to worry about security on Beach Rd. after dark. I went for a run at 6:30 last night. No worries at all.

Once I got home I started doing things right off the bat: I went with my mom and a couple of family friends to see Cinderella on stage that same night. I am sure I would have enjoyed it far more if I hadn't been so tired and my feet hadn't been so itchy that my whole body was having spasms (mosquito bites).

 

Then the next night I got to meet my niece! It seemed to odd to have a baby around and to see my sister as a mother, but that is the new reality of my family. 

I also met my brother's child:

Her name is Abbey and she is a cane corso. She is so energetic she was literally jumping on my parents' dog, and we was not impressed. He was very patient with her though and didn't get mad or anything. He just looked annoyed at her craziness (typical old man). 

It has been unseasonable warm, but last night the snow was falling as I ran. As long as I am dressed for it, I don't mind the cold at all; I am thrilled not to sweat everytime I step outside. 

That is all for now. Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

Winter Wonderland

You might remember this post from last year about Winter Wonderland. This year I decided I want to sell something and have my own table. I stick with what I know, so cupcakes it was.

 

Due to the fact that I am little crazy I decided I needed to bake alone-ish. I say alone-ish because you are almost never alone on the ship. Like I said last week, that means I would need to do it late night or early morning. I did both. I went to the crew galley at 9:30pm and there were a bunch of people in there so I turned right around. I went back at 10:45ish and the same people were still there. I knew I had to get started because I was too amped up to go to sleep so I wouldn't be able to get up really early. I started at around 11:00pm and finished decorating and cleaning at 4:30am.  It was very nice and peaceful. The only downfall was the headache I woke up with on Saturday after sleeping for 5 hours, and I didn't get rid of it until today. Oh well. 

The actual event was quite fun. It was just challenging when people started selling out and packing up. It was mildly reminiscent of the circle incident. I felt like I was standing there, with a million cupcakes leftover and a piece of me was dying. Dramatic? Perhaps, but I take things personally, because I put my heart into everything I do. I think the issue was less about the product itself and more about the amount of other people who had a similar product. Also, my price point was a bit higher than the other options because everything was from scratch and there was lots of butter in the icing, which is expensive. Unfortunately, not everyone understands that. I did get some really positive feedback though, which was really nice to hear. 

 In other news, I will hopefully be leaving for home tomorrow; if Air Madagascar cooperates and I get my passport back today. It went to Tana to get a visa put in it, and it should be on the bus right now. Here's to hoping.

The "Normal" Days

What exciting things happened today? I can't give you big news every week, so this time around it will just be an ordinary post. Today I went to the market to grab a few last minute gifts and on my way out of the port a portly (ha ha I didn't notice that until I proofread it - port/portly) Malagasy man made a gesture to suggest that I was fat. Well, sir, I don't believe that is really going to help your cause, and don't you think that is a little bit of the pot calling the kettle black? I was confused. Moving forward. The market was fun, as always. During one transaction I was bargaining with a lady and then another vendor came over and gave his suggested price (half the price the lady gave in the first place), and then another man came over and completely took over. I ended up just walking away because the 3rd guy was insulting my other purchases in order to make his seem better. Inside the market building I am now careful not to walk down the aisle full of vendors selling raw meat. First of all it just smells unpleasant, and second of all it looks scary. Oh, I almost for get to tell you that on my way to the market I saw a little boy herding goats down the street. I kids you not, he probably had 20-30 goats.

That was my excitement for the day. Next weekend is Winter Wonderland, where crew members can sign up to sell whatever they choose (mostly crafts and food) and other crew members buy what they like. This year I am being brave and selling cupcakes. In order to avoid the chaos of the shared kitchen my plan is to wake up super early on Saturday morning (5 am) and get a good amount done before people start to wake up. The joy I get from baking is easily squashed by too many cooks in the kitchen. Also, I am kind of crazy about making everything as fresh as possible, so although I could bake the cupcakes ahead of time and freeze them, that would make it too easy for me. Sometime doing things the hard way is just better (and in this case, more delicious).

Have a wonderful Sunday!

Science Fair & Exciting News

I got to go to the science fair. When you have such a small school it makes it possible to have almost all of the students present their projects. What en excellent opportunity to practice public speaking! I was surprised that the majority of the kids seemed quite comfortable in front of a room full of people. I certainly felt for the kids who struggled, because that was me at that age; I absolutely dreaded public speaking. Thankfully I have grown out of it and into a place where I am a bit more comfortable, but the butterflies never seem to go away. Grades 1-3 had their projects on display at the back of the room and the rest of the grades did full presentations. I was asked to mark the presentations with a rubric the science teacher had developed. It was quite thorough. They had strict time parametres and criteria such as elocution and body language. The presentation topics ranged from electric circuits to forensic science and mummification. The mummified fish was a little smelly, but the dissection, and lengthy process to mummify the little fishy was pretty impressive. Poor dead fishy.

 

I also got some incredibly unexpected news that has me on a roller coaster of emotions. After studying for the LSAT in Durban and at sea, writing it in Madagascar, and completing the lengthy application process I got a response. I got into law school at the University of Ottawa. I got the e-mail on Friday after work and I was so excited I jumped up and down, and then I paused. I thought it was so early (just two weeks after getting the e-mail to confirm receipt of my application) so I got serious. I decided I need to double check before I told anyone, so I called the admissions office. The lady kind of laughed at me when I told her I just wanted to make sure it wasn't a mistake. She confirmed that I had been accepted and congratulated me. Then I got to call my mom. I am thankful I didn't see the e-mail until the end of the day here when everyone at home was already awake or I may have exploded. As I was talking to my mom on her cell phone my dad called her on the house phone so she got to tell him right away. Being my dad he wanted to know how soon I start (anything to get me home). The excitement lasted a few hours and then all the logistics started settling. Moving, going back to school, leaving the ship, leaving my family again. Then yesterday I realized that I would be starting school at 27 and wouldn't be done until I was 30. That seems really old right now. I started worrying about all the 21 year olds that would be my classmates. Kids with unlimited amounts of energy and 5 more years for neuroplasticity. Not fair. Luckily my family is keeping me excited. My brother is already getting ready to go apartment hunting and telling me that he is coming to visit. He has an excellent idea of where I shouldn't live (any of the buildings he lived in while he was in Ottawa). Funny, I am back to going to the school where my brother went, just like the old days. Well, I should say that I applied to one other school and am unsure whether to wait for an answer or just go with the offer from Ottawa. Once I get home for Christmas I can peruse the admissions package and decide. It seems like a no-brainer but I think that is partially because Ottawa is familiar to me. I have been there countless times, where I have never been to the other school or the city in which it sits. Thank you for all the prayers; they were answered. Have a wonderful week!