Day #1
Today I got to ride on an airplane for the first
time in 10 years! We left the Norfolk Airport then first stopped at Dallas then on to Vancouver. I sat next
to Hailee on both flights. I am so excited to get to Canada and can't wait to be a student ambassador for the first
time!
Day #2
Today we went whale watching and got to see a few
orcas (killer whales)! After that, we went to the largest Buddhist Temple in Canada! It was fancy and huge!
Then we went shopping at China Town!
Day #3
Today we rode on the bus a lot to get to Kelowna.
We stopped at Grouse Mountain and got to ride a huge gondola up and down it. The views were so pretty! When
we got up the mountain, we got to see two grizzly bears named Grinder and Coola. They were so cute!
Day #4
Today we first stopped at Wal-Mart because some
kids forgot a few things they needed. Right after that, we went rock wall climbing on very funny shaped walls!
I made it to the top on all the walls I climbed. We next got to go to Okanagan Lake and swim on Hot Sands beach!
It was very refreshing and fun. Then, after dinner, we were able to make arrow heads out of obsidian (volcanic glass).
Day #5
Today rode the bus for a long time to Banff.
On the way, we stopped at Roger's Pass Interpretive Centre in Glacier National Park and learned a lot about avalanches.
We then went to Northern Lights Wildlife Centre and got to learn a lot more about wolves and howl with them! Straight
from there we went to Sulphur Mountain. We got to ride another gondola up and down the mountain, only this time we rode
in a 4 person gondola instead of a gigantic one. It had beautiful views, too.
Day #6
Today was laundry day. After we finished getting
all of our clothes cleaned, we had lunch at Bow Falls. It was really pretty there and there was a Mountie! The
first one I had seen on the trip! I got a picture with him and everything. After lunch, we went hiking in Johnston
Canyon. It was so pretty and it had many waterfalls. To end this day we went to the hot springs! It was
very relaxing and very much like a public pool sized hot tub that you couldn't swim in.
Day #7
Today we went to the Athabasca Glacier near the
Columbia Icefields. Then we traveled to Bow Lake and saw many glaciers along the way. That ride was voted
on the top 10 most beautiful rides and it was beautiful! We even got to see a black bear along the way!
Day #8
Today was mostly a traveling day, but we finally
made it to Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump. We got to explore the museum some and learn about the Blackfoot people and
how they used to 'live off the land'. Next, we played a Blackfoot gambling game and the girls won! After that,
we were finally assigned our teepees to end our day.
Day #9
Today was Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump's 19th Birthday!
They had a big celebration and had different cultures dance (including there own culture). When the kids were allowed
to go up and dance too, I was up there and we all had a great time! Today was one of the most fun days yet!
Day #10
Today we traveled to see a Hutterite Colony.
They were originally from Germany. Hutterites and Amish people have similar lifestyles except they both
have different beliefs and Hutterites are a lot more modern and have some technology unlike the Amish. Then we arrived
at Drumheller. We visited the Atlas Coal Mine and attended a class at East Coulee School Museum where we got
to see what it was like to be a student from the 1930s. They were pretty strict back then. Finally, we saw some
hoodoos (sandstone shaped like a mushroom that is eroding from the inside).
Day #11
Today we went to the Royal Tyrrell Museum's day camp for most of the day. We got to learn a whole lot more about
dinosaurs, we got to make our own cast fossils, we got to dig up some cast fossils just like paleontologists would! Later,
at the end of the day, we had a talent show! It was fun to watch each other perform while eating Canadian s’mores.
Day #12
Today we went on the bridge of suspense and after that we went inside the largest model dinosaur in
the world! Next, we went on a hike to see a dinosaur graveyard and find fossils! I found about 6 and got to hold
1/12th of a duckbilled dinosaur's leg! It was cool! Then we got to explore the Royal Tyrrell Museum
some more.
Day #13
Today we went to Calgary! First off, we went to a Heritage Park and learned a whole bunch of
stuff and then we went to the Calgary Tower! It was kind of creepy standing on the glass floor way high up and looking
down. The glass was bullet proof so I felt a little reassured. After that, our delegation had an 'End of the Trip
Party' and we all got to get chips and have fun.
Day #14
Today was our last day in Canada so we had to say all of our good-byes. I'm going to miss Canada,
but I'm kind of anxious
to get home and be with my family. I had a great time in Canada and I will never forget all the experiences I got to have. Thank you People to People
Student Ambassador Program for giving me such a life changing opportunity!
