Week 1: 14- 24 April 2011

Hello Peeps!

So here it is...launched by global demand...
(OK, OK, just a couple of you mentioned it :)... the Bianca Log - aka BLOG!


You will have to be forgiving as it's quite possible my burblings will turn out to be something only a mother could love. And as you all know...


So Mr Bryson has nothing to fear! I will attempt to contain my chronic "anal retentive" tendencies and limit myself to one judicious edit per post, meaning there is a slight chance I might publish reasonably frequently and in a somewhat timely fashion. I welcome your comments, notes or heckles!


So here I am holed up in my tiny garret - albeit I am definitely not starving! Oh and for the record I have been allocated a very sweet little single bedroom, not a miserable little attic. All the usual home comforts, although I can't believe there isn't a Diet Coke fountain in my bedroom - is this Uhmerica, or what?


As some of you know, initially, I faced some "communications challenges", so I am very grateful to my hosts that they have helped me find a work-around.


My first week in the land of Stars and Stripes has been interesting, intriguing, entertaining and enlightening in equal parts.


You may recall that I treated myself to a "Club Class" flight from London to Montreal - and it was well worth the whopping £320. If only for the free ear-buds, socks and movies - you know I'm a sucker for a bargain! I landed at Montreal-Trudeau airport early in the morning and caught the downtown shuttle bus (appropriately named the "747" service).


Thus began my day of entertainment at the Montreal Greyhound bus station. Trust me - bus stations offer endless insight to human nature and if you're at all interested in the psychology of the human being, park yourself in a bus station - although I grant you downtown Slough bus station could probably never rise to this challenge!


Despite the fact that I had been eating since early doors (who CAN resist airline food presented so tastefully before one at regular intervals - remember dahlings, I was travelling CLUB - therefore I was one of the "trusted" ones with proper cutlery!  As soon as I spied an American-type (this being Canada) hamburger joint, I turned into one of Pavlov's dogs . The first challenge was that it felt like being in France. French spoken, written and eaten - "Croque 'Amburger" anyone? No sooner had I wrestled two suitcases, handluggage, laptop bag, burger and fries and Coke (Diet, obviously!) to a crowded bench, I was "set upon" by a Scottish documentary film maker who had overheard my dulcet tones at the till. Subject of the day? People's views on the Canadian government's "Nanny approach" to ensuring that the French language stays alive and is taught/used as the first language. Dear reader, you will not be surprised to learn we talked for over an hour. Coming soon to a deadly dull German Government paper near you, the slightly less than deadly dull views of BNL!


This was followed by several hours mooching around the bus station, most of which spent trying to find a loo into which I - and all my luggage - could fit at the same time. Eventually, I escaped the clutches of an over-amorous Romanian security guard (a rather unfortunate incident that we'll skate over at this point!) and boarded the "great Grey Dog" (AKA Greyhound bus) for the two hour bus ride to Burlington, Vermont. 45 minutes is allowed for the border formalities and I have to tell you, out of 25 people on the bus... 40 minutes were devoted to little old me! US border guards really couldn't get their heads around anyone wanting to actually come to USA as totally unpaid volunteer. After speaking to three different officers, I think I landed in the "too difficult" box and was reluctantly waved through.


Finally, around 1800 I land in Burlington which is a sweet little town (population 40K), would probably drive you nuts if you lived here permanently, but I find it quite a gentle pace of life. I love that the house is within ten minutes walk of the "town centre", which includes a bus station and an excellent library as well as a small shopping mall. 10 minutes further walk is the massive Lake Champlain. I walked down to it yesterday - it's looking a little unloved and "out of season" at the moment, but probably only needs the application of a little sunshine to be a lovely place to be. At the lake is the start of a four mile lake-side bike trail, which really does look fantastic (obviously I see myself as the next Lancette Armstrong :O).  On the downside - the winter weather is so harsh that the pavements are all broken up and higgledy piggledy, and yes - you've guessed it - Day 1, I went right royally A over T, nicely twisting my foot. Not a good look! Recovering nicely (it would have to be the "bunion" foot!) with nightly application of strapped-on-ice-pack. Equally not a good look, and hopefully none of my house mates have noticed me sneaking the frozen peas back into the freezer!
 

Ben and Jerry's in the snow

Me in the snow!

The weather is...COLD!!!!!!!! Apparently it's been a hell of a winter up here, I walked by someone's drive the other day - they still have a SNOW person! It's been below freezing at night, it IS warming up a little in the day, but all this week it's been upper 30s/low 40s (5-10?? in real money) - not exactly sunbathing weather! Daffs looking a bit pale and tulips are not even out here! Kicking myself I didn't bring a wintry coat, but then again it should warm up pretty soon and I certainly won't need it when I go down to Austin in Sept (where it's already in the 80s!)

My "summer" home

So, to the house. It's a really lovely old "New England" typical clap-board house, literally made of wood. It's small by our expected US standards, but quite large by UK standards. Downstairs a kitchen, dining room, living room and bathroom as well as what would be a study, but which is used as a bedroom for two. Upstairs is another bathroom (the showers are FANTASTIC, of course) and five bedrooms. 3 twins and 2 singles (one of which mine).


There are approximately 10 of us in the house, split 7/3 men/women. Of course we have some houserules, which basically amount to common courtesy. As you would expect in a shared household there is a "chores roster" and those who "step up" and those who gently meander by.  Situation

Everyone shares two to a room, except me and one of the chaps who are lucky to have single rooms. Everyone works, so the house is relatively quiet by day (those who work at night are sleeping). The place livens up at dinner time, but pretty much by 2200 everyone's in their room watching TV or asleep and by midnight - the place is like a graveyard!


However, we're surrounded by houses rented out to Uni students (of the 40K population, 20 K are Uni students) - and boy, do they like to partay!!! A hint of sunshine and the girls are all hanging out of the windows and/or prostrating themselves on the flat roofs to catch a few rays. The boys tend to be quiet during the day but then give us a "little show" at night by dropping their pants and peeing over the edge of the balcony.  Bless!


I've made a couple of forays abroad... Day 2 one of my housemates kindly walked me a mile or so away to a charity shop. A great source of bargains - the $4 hairdryer which doesn't switch off, the $3 bedside lamp which uses obsolete bulbs and no shade will fit it and the "new handbag" of which the seam split all the way along it on first use. LOL - got to love a "bargain". Having helped me pick these treasures, my housemate rushed off to a meeting and distractedly waved me in the direction of home. Hmmm, that's a mile away with no obvious markers like pubs on street corners. Still, it was an interesting introduction to the back streets of Burlington!

OBVIOUSLY I've made a trip to Walmart (to buy my own "untouched by human hands" pillows and towels), a 30 minute / $1 bus ride away.


Burlington is a very "green" town by US standards. It has a large student pop (20K of the 40K pop are students), so there's lots of busses (so unlike most US cities) and most people use them - if they're not on their bikes! And very cleverly - the busses have bike racks on the front!


It's amazing how rich this country (and UK, actually) is. A housemate kindly showed me to a "food bank" - which sounds awful, but is actually very good. It's a medium size shop about 10 minutes walk. It receives daily deliveries from all the local supermarkets/food shops etc. It's open to anyone on a low income - you just walk in and help yourself. So this morning, I picked up two lovely crusty loaves of bread, a packet of bagels and a ten pack of freshly baked cinnamon rolls, all with an "eat by date" of today. It's exactly the same food as if last night I had bought the same items for about $10 last night in a supermarche - to eat today. And it's such a wealthy country, even the foodbank throws food away!


At the house every weekday evening a volunteer(s) cooks dinner for us all and eats with us. Quite interesting because you get all sorts of food - home cooked, usually delicious, a main and pudding. Plus you get to meet a different person every day. However - EVERYONE puts on WEIGHT in the house :O((( LUCKY I'm having to do so much walking then.


I am much enjoying all the different sights and sounds...some more than others. The pedestrian road crossings "cheep" at you like a little yellow fluffy Easter chick, of course I spent the whole of last week being so impressed... ONLY in Uhmerica would they sync the road crossings with the time of year... but no, turns out the cheep is permanent - very sweet though!


Of sounds...Americans - I forgot - are, thinking, articulate, loquacious, but OMG are they LOUD! It's almost as if they're born with an inbuilt volume knob set permanently to "multi-max". Still, for the aging among us, there's never a need to miss out any conversation... just don't blame me if I shout at you when next we meet.


A bean totty!


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