Halloween in the Library

Well it's my last day here at LCC!
I just can't believe how quickly the time has gone, but that's always the way when you're having a great time.
The exchange has been everything I wanted it to be and more and it'll be interesting to go back to my own College to see what has changed and also what I want to change in light of my experiences here.
It's fun that it's Halloween on my last day here as there's a slightly different atmosphere at the College. Lots of people arrived in costume this morning (eveyone dresses up here, it's really different to England and all the kids go to school in costumes and have a fun day with different activities and movies, etc). The nursery children came round trick or treating and sang Halloween songs - they looked adorable as little ghosts, witches, fairies and even Wonderwoman!
All of the library staff are in their pyjamas, you can see me modelling mine by the book display. I have several layers of clothes on as it's freezing (literally) outside. The snow-scene picture is from the window of my office. I wanted to see Lethbridge in the snow, but it's so cold I'm bored of it now!
For my final day, the library staff treated me to pizza which we had delivered in. I also got an LCC t-shirt and have been stuffing myself with Halloween goodies. Everyone here has made this experience extra special and I'll be sorry to leave as I'll miss them all.

The Wedding

The Wedding day itself was really relaxed. It was at 2pm & we had the whole morning to get ready so even Megan didn't start until about 10am.
The weather was perfect - quite a change for me with it being about 23c that day (especially compared to the -11c and several inches of snow that greeted me in Calgary on my return home yesterday).
Megan & Tyler were married in the Las Vegas temple of our church which is a beautiful building at the foot of the mountains on the edge of the city. It's really modern looking and very different to the Cardston one. The photos are in the grounds which are lovely with the palm trees and cacti. Tyler's Grandad was able to perform the ceremony which was extra special.
Afterwards was the Hawaiian themed reception (they're heading there on their honeymoon). The food was all delicious and, unlike many wedding cakes, this one was very popular being all chocolate with raspberries and raspberry and chocolate filling on the inside. As you can see, the bride & groom really enjoyed it!

Viva Las Vegas!

Making the most of it being only a 3 hour flight from Calgary to Vegas, I was able to attend the wedding of Megan & Tyler (Megan & I went to University together when she was an exchange student for a year and have been close friends ever since).
Having worked extra hours for all the evening events at the Library, I was able to go out there Friday morning and go to the bachelorette party (or hen night as us English folks say) which Megan had delayed so we could all go.
However, to start the day off well, Megan picked me up at the airport and we went straight to the Ethel M factory for a chocolate fix - these are great, my second favourite American chocolates after Ghirardelli. We're demonstrating their new line in the top picture!
For the evening we went to the Rio which is just off the Strip (middle picture). It's a really fun hotel with a carnival atmosphere. The last part of the night was spent at the Voodoo lounge right at the top of the Rio (very high) which gives amazing views across the whole of the Strip. The dancefloor is on a series of outside patios on different levels from the very top and down the side of the Rio so it's quite an experience!
If you think my jewellery looks interesting in the 3rd picture, it's because I got it from the people in the carnival who throw down dice beads! You can just about make them out in the middle picture on the steamboat, flying horse and balloon that are dangling from the ceiling.
Megan is wearing a veil (of course) and a t-shirt with sweets pinned to it that could be exchanged for dollar bills to wish her well on her wedding - she made $17 and probably caused at least one divorce as all the guys were telling her not to go through with it ... in front of their wives!!!!

Golf in the Library

Based on the library Murder Mysteries that we did at the beginning of term, the latest orientation we tried was for the Professional Golf Management students - so of course we adapted it to a golf tournament!
Students proceeded through 9 holes:
4 library-related questions,
4 putting holes (see pictures) and
a refreshment hole (pizza & bottled water).
In order to protect the library from damage, the students were 'handicapped' by having to use foam balls and a variety of 'golf clubs' that included a hockey stick, yardstick and wooden spoons.

It made a nice change from the regular tours and we all had fun constructing the course from old library books, various folders, bins and crowd-control poles.
The students all appeared to have a great time and were forced into learning some library skills - as well as hopefully gaining a more positive view of the library!

Streatside

Two nights, two meals out - I was doing very well last Thursday & Friday!
Thursday was the long-service awards at the College. I think it's a really nice idea to celebrate in this way. It was held in the College's restaurant and consisted of a presentation of the awards followed by a buffet prepared by the catering students. About 300 people attended and awards were presented for 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30 and even 35 years of service!
The second was on Friday night when the library staff treated me to supper at the Streatside Eatery in downtown Lethbridge. It was fun as most of the library staff + significant others were able to come - apparently I should list that as one of my achievements while I've been here.
The food there was really good (I really have to go on a diet when I come home) and the dessert was especially good. In the picture you can see me witha huge slab of Turtles cheesecake, something that definitely needs exporting to England! I couldn't finish it all so had it boxed and enjoyed it for breakfast on Saturday (as I said, I really need to diet when I come home)!

Two Weeks Left :-(

How has the time gone by so quickly? I can't believe I've only got two more weeks left at LCC!What do I think I have gained from my time here in Lethbridge? (Some thoughts so far):

• New colleagues – I’ve enjoyed being part of the team here at the Buchanan Library. My colleagues at Burton are fantastic & I don’t want our team there to change, but it has been great for me to work with a new set of people with different ideas & experiences to learn from and with. Hopefully we'll remain in contact on my return home.
• New friends – who wouldn’t want more friends? I've met lots of new people & had lots of fun, it'll just be a challenge to stay in touch with everyone.
• New skills – working in a new library gave me new responsibilities from those at home and I’ll be able to apply the things that I’ve learnt & achieved there to my ‘old’ job.
• Confidence building - both personally & professionally this has been a great experience. Discovering that I do have the ability to bring my skills to a new job in a new country and enjoying living in a completely new place is certainly an achievement. I even count figuring out how to use the laundry with top-loading washing machines as a new skill these days!
• Cross-cultural growth – people from Canada aren’t all that different, but there are cultural differences to those at home and overcoming these has better equipped me to work with a wide variety of people at home. [Sorry to the girls who research I possibly spoiled with my lack of views on Japanese immigrants – “What Japanese immigrants?” - The Nikka Yuko Gardens here should’ve given me a clue].
• Networking & publicity – this has provided many opportunities for myself professionally as well as for the College to use as publicity.
• Assessment of “my” library – it’ll be very interesting to see changes Kathy has made and the suggestions she has for improvement.
• Travel opportunities – what more can I say!!! [See further into the blog if you really need more details].

Cardston

Cardston is a small town located south of Lethbridge, it takes just less than an hour to drive there. It's very small (as in really small - there doesn't seem to be a Tim Hortons if that's an indication for you) but interesting because of the temple there.
Cardston was founded by Mormon pioneers and one of the first things they did was build the temple (building began in 1913). The temple is right in the centre of the town and the rest of the town was built around it. It's impressive simply because it's just impossible to miss it - it's really big and up on a hill so when approaching Cardston from the highway it looks very picturesque with the Rockies in the background.
Being a church member, it's interesting for me to be close to somewhere with so much history and I also enjoy the fact that there are lots of members here in Lethbridge which made it easier for me to meet lots of new people.
The pictures show the temple during the day and how it's lit up at night (left) as well as the main entrance (right).

"Fall"

Just thought I'd post some pictures so everyone at home can see how pretty the campus is looking now it's Autumn - or Fall as they insist on calling it here. This week has seen a change in the weather from quite gloomy to sunshine just in time for the holiday weekend [another month = another public holiday, this time it's Thanksgiving].
The top picture is the view I have of the College from my front door (going back to commuting to work is going to be a killer for me).
The bottom picture is the back of the residences and beginning of the coulees - these haven't changed at all over the seasons, the yellow grass was the same throughout the summer as well!