::eurosolo::four::my issues::

Those of you who know me, know that I am generally pretty easy-going...it takes a lot to get a reaction out of me that I will outwardly express...There's just this one thing that happened to me that I really can NOT leave unmentioned.

Dear Judgmental Singer,

You do not know me. You have only heard my voice once. You are not in a position to discuss everything that is wrong about my technique...especially since I have had this technique and this voice for approximately 4 weeks. My voice type is not determined by "where it sounds high", particularly if it is in my passaggio--which you would have no way of knowing about unless you were sitting-in on my lessons---which you are not. My voice type is determined only by myself and my teacher, whom you have no right to criticize because she is not your teacher. I choose to study with my teacher because I believe there is something to be gained. You chose to study with yours for the same reasons. I do not consider your decision to study with him wrong. I know my weaknesses, and I am working on them. If you feel like you want to give me constructive criticism, I more than welcome it...but please, say it to me. If you are discussing my weaknesses with someone else it is not benefiting me at all. I am passionate about my craft and am dedicating my life to pursuing perfection in it. Unless you have already done this, I prefer you not discuss my singing with others.



Kindest Regards,

Candace--the girl who sang in your class last week

Hockey night in the Netherlands

Waking up at 1:30 am to watch the hockey game: 2 bags under my eyes

Watching a live stream of the hockey game whilst skyping with my parents so I can hear the commentary: considerable bandwith

Realizing just how important hockey is to my Canadian self-identity: priceless


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::eurosolo::three::on the road with abba::

I'm on a train heading to spend valentine's weekend in Germany. I look outside and see captain Jack sparrow, a woman dressed as a cow and a green alien with neon orange leg-warmers....so they DO have Halloween here!...they just call it Carnivale and it happens in Februrary!

Got me thinking of what else they have here:

Stroopwaffels: delicious cookie like things, basically two waffles with stroop (or syrup) in between to stick them together. You can buy them pre-packaged and when you make tea you put it on your tea-cup to melt the stroop in the middle...Soooo good!

Borrelnoten: these would be my dad's favourite...they're peanuts but with a crunchy flavoured outer shell. They're a lot like lays in that you can't possibly eat just one handful.

Bike lanes...everywhere: dutch people are all gorgeous and lean and tall....it's because they are always riding bikes stretching they're legs and getting rid of they hips cause they're on a bike! So I bought one too!


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::eurosolo::two...weeks::

So I have officially been in Rotterdam for 2 weeks...to summarize it in two short lists was surprisingly easy to do. I suppose it's indicative of a smooth transition. Can't be a bad thing, can it?

PROS:
- awesome roomies who have provided me support, homesickness prevention, translating and advice on which parts of town to avoid
- awesome teacher who has convinced me in one lesson that coming here was the right choice
- awesome apartment that is warm, clean, safe and isn't an hour-long bus ride to downtown
- a huge market with fresh fruits, vegetables, meat, cheese, various appliances, clothing and shoes outside my apartment every Tuesday and Saturday
- literally 50 strides (30 if you've got long legs) from the shopping district
- Winter in Rotterdam = Spring in Ottawa
- English TV with Dutch subtitles leading to exponential growth in Dutch vocabulary
- This whole place is flat and for the first time in my life I've enjoyed running outside


CONS:
- my luggage was overweight and I have about 10% of my clothes (no word of a lie, unfortunately)
- I am well suited for long distance relationships...but not suited for long distance friendships =(
- A girl at 24 can still miss her parents
- I've forgotten the sound of silence
- When I look up I see buildings, not stars
- Hockey doesn't exist here...nor does the concept "expansive"....the green-belt and living in Barrhaven really is a good thing