Franglo

My weekly trek to Ottawa began this week; I was up early on Monday to make it to the office by 8 am. The commute really was not that bad, the roads were clear, and the sun came up around 7 am.

The weekend prep required to make this week easy, had me running around like a chicken with my head cut off all weekend. Friday night I tackled laundry. Saturday morning I got up early and trekked downtown for school. My other half took his son to the car show; they had a great day exploring cool cars. Saturday night, it was my mother in laws birthday, so we took her for dinner. So long busy day for both of us.

Sunday I had decided to take a winter driving class so I could become more relaxed in the snow and ice should Mother Nature not be kind during my commute. The course was a couple hours plus the commute time back and forth to Mirabel. The actual hands-on portion of the class was fantastic, but the presentation was in French. They did try to accommodate me by giving me an English presentation so I could follow along. This was kind of a disconnect because I registered for the class in English, the confirmation came in English so it did not even occur to me that it may not be taught in both languages. I know Mirabel is French; a man in the class made a nasty remark to that fact. My problem where do you find a version of this class in English in Quebec?

After class, I came home to do my meal prep for the week and finish packing what I would need for the week and the items necessary to set up my Gatineau apartment.

Monday night after work, I set up, cleaned the apartment, and procured my Gatineau bus pass, which can only be done at a few outlets in the city. I have rented a basement suite in Gatineau to keep my living expenses down and to allow me to continue to learn French. After a bit of cleaning and set up, the place started to feel like my hotel room away from home.

We got a dumping of snow Monday night along with another cold snap, which made my adventure to travel more fun on Tuesday. On the website, it looked like all the buses that go by the house go downtown, so I hoped on the bus the next bus to pass by. I ended up in the wrong part of Ottawa, a good three kilometres from downtown. I ducked into a bus shelter and figured out where I was and where I needed to go. I never have money on me, so luckily I found out my Toronto Presto Card can be used in Ottawa. Problem solved, hoped on the next bus and made my way downtown. Success! You can be sure I took the right bus home. Tuesday I forgot my lunch, Wednesday I left my gloves on the bus, luckily the person next to me noticed and gave them to the bus driver who pulled forward and gave them back to me.

Tuesday and Wednesday nights were uneventful, it was too cold and snowy to go out and explore the area. It is amazing how much extra time you have when all your meals have been cooked, and you only need to microwave them. My nutrition was on track this week. I hibernated in the basement and made a list of the things I need for next time. I think once I get a bit more settled, I am going to enjoy my three nights away from home but this time I did find myself missing my other half.

Tonight I head back to my Quebec home, where I believe I will have a grilled cheese waiting with some wine hopefully prepared by my wonderful hubby per my request.