At this time 6 years ago I believe I was on my flight from Frankfurt, Germany to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. This was after my 12 hours in the German airport. Good times. I've been doing what find myself doing quite often recently, looking through my pictures and emails from when I was in Kumasi. I was watching some of the videos I took while at the children's home, and apparently I have not watched them in a while cause I was killing myself laughing. My girls were the cutest girls around.
I can't believe it's been 6 years since I left after making the best decision of my life. I was thinking of this earlier and I honestly can't think of a bigger, better decision.
In other news, it's been 3 months since I broke my arm. I slipped on the ice in February and hyper extended my arm. I knew that something was wrong right away and sat in my office at work waiting for my dad to get there to take me to minor emergency. I kept telling the girls at work the I didn't think it was broken, but that was just wishful thinking. After many hours sitting and waiting in the hospital for the doctor, he walked and told me that I'd need surgery. So the next day had my first ever surgery and 2 weeks after that had my second surgery cause the screws from the first one didn't hold. But after a month in a cast and another month I am brace of have close to full movement in my arm. Just some more physio appointments to go.
It is funny how different people think. When ever I mentioned to someone I slipped on the ice in front of the credit union the first question of got was "Are you gonna sue them?" I just don't get that thinking, cause it's winter in Saskatchewan and there is likely going to be some ice. I just got unlucky and sh*t happens. At least is wasn't an old lady or someone pregnant.
But I really should say thanks to the doctors and nurses and anyone else who helped me out. Since I'd never been to the Victoria Hospital before I didn't know what to expect, but it was fine.
Also I should say thanks to my parents who let me live with them for a week after each of my surgeries while I was still a little drugged up. I got a lot of Netflix watching in.
Ok, this post kinda jumped around a bit, but it wouldn't be a post of mine without that.
That's all I got for you right now. Just over one month until my next holiday so I'll talk to you all then.
P.s. Blog title is just a really good song. Check out The Sound of Silence by Disturbed
Tuesday, May 10, 2016
Thursday, April 14, 2016
On the Road Again
Post title brought to you by my mom's favourite singer.
It's that time of year again. Yup, I started searching Expedia.ca for flights to... somewhere. I was thinking cheap this year, which rules out the US and basically anywhere else. So Canada it is. My first thought? Wow, flights are really expensive to go anywhere in Canada. So after a bit of time searching for cheap and interesting places to go (including Winnipeg, P.E.I. and Quebec City) I came up with Victoria. Ok, maybe it is because that's where my parents just came back from on their holidays. But I've also heard so many good things about the city. That, and the flights were not expensive at all.
So I booked my flights there for a week. Booked my hostel room for also a week. Luckily I booked the same week for both and so at the end of June I'm headed to Victoria. I'm pretty excited, but really shouldn't have booked it this early, cause man, I don't wanna wait for 2 months.
I've heard of a few good places to go while I'm there. The hostel I booked is within walking distance of what I want to see. Because when I stay somewhere, I really don't want to have to rent a car, so my "walking distance" is anything that is with an hour walk. It could also be more than an hour if you go by some of the walks my cousin and I did in Europe last year (there was a couple that were 1 1/2 to 2 hours with a 20 lb backpack).
The room I booked is just a single room, I could've gone with the dorm for a little cheaper but at the end of the day I really just want to sit a read a book. There is a little bar/cafe thing right in the hostel that I can go to if I want. Most importantly, there is a grocery store about a block away. So I can get cheaper food than just eating at a restaurant the whole week.
Not a thrilling post I know, but lets be honest, this is never anywhere close to thrilling. I strive for "slightly above boring". I'm probably not even there either.
It's that time of year again. Yup, I started searching Expedia.ca for flights to... somewhere. I was thinking cheap this year, which rules out the US and basically anywhere else. So Canada it is. My first thought? Wow, flights are really expensive to go anywhere in Canada. So after a bit of time searching for cheap and interesting places to go (including Winnipeg, P.E.I. and Quebec City) I came up with Victoria. Ok, maybe it is because that's where my parents just came back from on their holidays. But I've also heard so many good things about the city. That, and the flights were not expensive at all.
So I booked my flights there for a week. Booked my hostel room for also a week. Luckily I booked the same week for both and so at the end of June I'm headed to Victoria. I'm pretty excited, but really shouldn't have booked it this early, cause man, I don't wanna wait for 2 months.
I've heard of a few good places to go while I'm there. The hostel I booked is within walking distance of what I want to see. Because when I stay somewhere, I really don't want to have to rent a car, so my "walking distance" is anything that is with an hour walk. It could also be more than an hour if you go by some of the walks my cousin and I did in Europe last year (there was a couple that were 1 1/2 to 2 hours with a 20 lb backpack).
The room I booked is just a single room, I could've gone with the dorm for a little cheaper but at the end of the day I really just want to sit a read a book. There is a little bar/cafe thing right in the hostel that I can go to if I want. Most importantly, there is a grocery store about a block away. So I can get cheaper food than just eating at a restaurant the whole week.
Not a thrilling post I know, but lets be honest, this is never anywhere close to thrilling. I strive for "slightly above boring". I'm probably not even there either.
Tuesday, March 29, 2016
Beasts of No Nation
I thought I'd tell you about a little movie. Well, not a little movie I suppose. The movie is called Beasts of No Nation and the cast of this movie includes Idris Elba who starred as Nelson Mandela in Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom. The movie, set in an unnamed West African country, is about a boy named Agu who eventually becomes a child soldier and it follows his story. The movie is really quite good, except for one thing... it's filmed in Ghana. Now you may think, really Lisa, you should think this is a good thing, you love the country and it would be good for the country. Which is totally true. It's a great thing for the country. But let me tell you what went on while I watched said movie.
Back on new years eve I was at mom and dad's place not doing anything as per usual, I just really don't care too much about new years eve. So mom and dad were out somewhere that evening so I was stealing their Nexflix to watch a movie or two. I had heard about this movie before and didn't realize it was filmed in Ghana but I searched for it and sat down ready to watch a good movie. About 1-2 minutes into the film I was sitting there going "why does this language sound so familiar?" and "does the city and scenery really look like Ghana?". I came to the conclusion that maybe it was filmed in Ghana and that maybe it was Twi they are speaking. I googled it and found out that I was correct and it was filmed in Ghana (Koforidua and Akwidaa to be exact). Finding this out was extremely exciting. I watched the next 15 minutes in absolute glee. I could understand a lot of the speaking even though it was not in English. I even thought at one point that what the subtitles said was not really what the character said, although it did get the point across (maybe I was just being picky). I must have had the biggest smile on my face while watching the beginning of the movie. It starts just with the Agu and his friends and family around town establishing the character. I was excited the a country and people that are so near and dear to my heart were on the big screen. Now, while this was fantastic and all that, it was during this first 15 minutes or so that I completely forgot this was a movie about a child soldier and war itself.
The fact that I forgot what the main story of this movie was was particularly jarring after the first 15-20 minutes were up. It was at this point that the government and the rebel forces start fighting in Agu's village. Which inevitably leads to more fighting, shooting and killing while Agu and his older brother try and flee to safety. This part in the film lasts for a while, and while it should have been expected for a film with this story line, I had forgotten what the movie was about in my excitement that the movie was filmed in Ghana and the language being Twi. So to say the fighting, shooting and killing were a shock is very much an understatement. I spent the next few minutes watching the movie in shock and in tears. It caught me of guard that this place that I love was being shown like this. Now, I know this is a movie, the plot of the movie states that this takes place in an unnamed West African country, it isn't happening now in Ghana either. But wow, did this movie affect me in an extremely strong way. It was crazy. I actually almost stopped the movie as I could not watch it any more.
But finally the killing stopped, it calmed down a bit and the story continued. They stopped speaking in Twi for the most part and it was mostly English. I started to calm down myself and quite enjoyed the rest of the movie. Idris Elba was really good. The young Ghanaian actor whose feature film debut was this film, Abraham Attah, actually presented an award the the Oscars. The film and both Elba and Attah have won a few awards and Elba became the first movie actor to win a Screen Actors Guild Award and not be nominated for an Oscar.
I don't really know where to take this story now, there really is no moral of the story or anything like that, this is me were talking about. I do think its interesting how some movies or tv shows can affect people so strongly and have people have such an emotional response to it. How you can get so into a movie that you forget that the actor is playing the character (ie; Heath Ledger in The Dark Knight) and just get immersed in the movie.
In the end, I highly recommend watching this movie. I really do need to go watch it again to see what I missed in the first half hour.
That's about it for now, I got nothing else for you at the moment....
P.S. Wow, a whole post without an obscure reference to a random movie! I don't know if I'm proud or disappointed in myself.
Back on new years eve I was at mom and dad's place not doing anything as per usual, I just really don't care too much about new years eve. So mom and dad were out somewhere that evening so I was stealing their Nexflix to watch a movie or two. I had heard about this movie before and didn't realize it was filmed in Ghana but I searched for it and sat down ready to watch a good movie. About 1-2 minutes into the film I was sitting there going "why does this language sound so familiar?" and "does the city and scenery really look like Ghana?". I came to the conclusion that maybe it was filmed in Ghana and that maybe it was Twi they are speaking. I googled it and found out that I was correct and it was filmed in Ghana (Koforidua and Akwidaa to be exact). Finding this out was extremely exciting. I watched the next 15 minutes in absolute glee. I could understand a lot of the speaking even though it was not in English. I even thought at one point that what the subtitles said was not really what the character said, although it did get the point across (maybe I was just being picky). I must have had the biggest smile on my face while watching the beginning of the movie. It starts just with the Agu and his friends and family around town establishing the character. I was excited the a country and people that are so near and dear to my heart were on the big screen. Now, while this was fantastic and all that, it was during this first 15 minutes or so that I completely forgot this was a movie about a child soldier and war itself.
The fact that I forgot what the main story of this movie was was particularly jarring after the first 15-20 minutes were up. It was at this point that the government and the rebel forces start fighting in Agu's village. Which inevitably leads to more fighting, shooting and killing while Agu and his older brother try and flee to safety. This part in the film lasts for a while, and while it should have been expected for a film with this story line, I had forgotten what the movie was about in my excitement that the movie was filmed in Ghana and the language being Twi. So to say the fighting, shooting and killing were a shock is very much an understatement. I spent the next few minutes watching the movie in shock and in tears. It caught me of guard that this place that I love was being shown like this. Now, I know this is a movie, the plot of the movie states that this takes place in an unnamed West African country, it isn't happening now in Ghana either. But wow, did this movie affect me in an extremely strong way. It was crazy. I actually almost stopped the movie as I could not watch it any more.
But finally the killing stopped, it calmed down a bit and the story continued. They stopped speaking in Twi for the most part and it was mostly English. I started to calm down myself and quite enjoyed the rest of the movie. Idris Elba was really good. The young Ghanaian actor whose feature film debut was this film, Abraham Attah, actually presented an award the the Oscars. The film and both Elba and Attah have won a few awards and Elba became the first movie actor to win a Screen Actors Guild Award and not be nominated for an Oscar.
I don't really know where to take this story now, there really is no moral of the story or anything like that, this is me were talking about. I do think its interesting how some movies or tv shows can affect people so strongly and have people have such an emotional response to it. How you can get so into a movie that you forget that the actor is playing the character (ie; Heath Ledger in The Dark Knight) and just get immersed in the movie.
In the end, I highly recommend watching this movie. I really do need to go watch it again to see what I missed in the first half hour.
That's about it for now, I got nothing else for you at the moment....
P.S. Wow, a whole post without an obscure reference to a random movie! I don't know if I'm proud or disappointed in myself.
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