Monday, April 11, 2011

Oh Canada! Feeling like a girl…

Being in Canada was very different from everything I was used too! (And yes If you haven’t read “Oh Canada, part one, I would recommend you do that now…)

The first day I arrived I got a bit of a culture shock but Mavis, Chris and Wendy were so sweet that I didn’t feel completely as an alien, and yes the hundred horses and the beautiful landscape helped too! With me arriving there were 3 students on the farm and one girl’s was there a week, and she did not look happy, i thought.


Oh my, my heels...







Within another week she decided to go home. This was pretty eye opening to me, because I still had a hard time with the loneliness of the country and the lack of other people besides the family and us, but I was determined I wouldn’t fly half across the world and then wimp out because I felt home sick!

And of course there was Fox Trim Classic, the MOST BEAUTIFUL stallion in the world (how a girl get’s a horse), even prettier than the horse in the movie the “Black Stallion”, and Kate (the other student) and the family. Our days were pretty full and long. On breeding days we would start with “finding” the horses out in the pastures. Try to locate the head mare and lead them back. We had to do this on foot, and it was always a long, long walk to find them and a long but little shorter RUN back to keep up with all these mares and fillies. Yes, at that age I had really good stamina…


The Mares going back to their pasture






One of us would start helping Chris with the breeding and the other girl together with barn manager Barb, would start cleaning out the stalls, after we were done with chores and breeding we would ride the horses that needed training. This could be anywhere from 5 to 10 horses a day. And as a cherry on the cake I got to ride Fox Trim Classic. After two weeks I started to feel pretty happy being here; Great people, great animals, I got lot’s and lot’s of mail (hehe, the good old days) from home and in the evenings I had time to relax and think about my life (which is very good for the inner self).

Kate and I got along really well and on Saturdays we would get Chris’s truck and we would drive 20 miles to the closest town and eat at the local hamburger joint. NO, they did not have a Mac Donald’s so you can imagine how “big” that town was… Being from the Netherlands I still had the need to dress up every now and then, and with dress up I mean, put on my short skirt and my high heels…


Yes, THE truck....









Kate would tell me I was nuts, but I felt it was important to feel like a girl every now and then to keep centered. This was my center piece, 13 cm or 5.1 inches, heels! And yes it would take some time to get in that huge truck (being used to all the "little" cars in Holland), but if Kate would give me a push it would work out great! It didn’t help I just got my drivers license a couple of weeks before and the truck would be popping out of its gear, like, every 10 minutes… So besides getting in, driving it was equally as hard…

Getting out was the easy part… you just slide out… but you had to make sure your skirt doesn’t ride all the way up over your buttocks…

So we would drive to town, slide out of the truck with as much grace as possible, eat a burger and watch cute Canadian boys in their trucks drive up and down Main Street….

We tried to enter a bar once but I can’t remember clearly how that went so I assume we didn’t get far (being only 19 and all…).

Those boys diving up and down Main street were! And I honestly think, they had never seen a crazy Dutch girl with crazy high heels in their town, and all I can say I NEVER seen teenagers driving UP AND DOWN the street ALL EVENING for fun!?! I asked Kate what was up with that and she explained that that was what the teens would do because it beat sitting at home and they were not allowed to go out to a pub, club or bar, like we did in Holland. I have to say it was pretty funny to see the same faces checking you and the rest of the town out, turn around at the end of the street and drive by again. And this would happen every 10 minutes for hours!?! Kate and I could not stop laughing and we had a really good time.



I know... I know...









We didn’t stay for hours but long enough to enjoy and after a little push and pull I was back in Chris’s truck, we would drive our assigned route, up and down Main street, and headed back to the safety of the farm and watched Austin Powers on the VCR with Chris, which by the way I did NOT get the first 2 times watching…

Life was good in Canada


...


31 comments:

Clint said...

I love your story! Good things can happen when we step out of our "comfort zones".

Lisa @ Two Bears Farm said...

My hometown had a 'strip' like that where kids would just drive up and down. Too funny.

TexWisGirl said...

I'm with Lisa - we had the "strip" too where folks just cruised up and down to see and be seen. :)

Out on the prairie said...

I drove a circle in a larger town. HA! what a interesting night. Good story.

Louise said...

We were in a little bigger town. We all hung out at the local malt shop -- The Kandy Kitchen. I enjoyed seeing that experience through your eyes.

LBB said...

I can just see you climbing into a truck with those heels on!!! Great story!!

MadSnapper said...

the driving up and down main street sounds like my teen years, many years before you were born. also, i would drive 20 miles for a burger any time. sounds like you had a lot of fun to me PLUS those beautiful horses

Unknown said...

Sounds like you had a lot of fun. Can't get enough of that along with great memories and good friends! Nice story!

Farm Girl said...

I am really enjoying your story of Canada. It makes me laugh about the driving up and down the street. That is so funny, where I lived we called it cruising Chester. It was off limits for me but sometimes I snuck out and did it. I love that picture of those high heeled shoes!

Unknown said...

You and your heels!! haha!! Great story...but how is it going to end..!?!?

It's me said...

Thanks for stopping by and following my blog !!..your blog is also wonderful !!...i try to folllow but it doesný work yet !...i will try it later........have a nice day.....love love Ria....xxx

It's me said...

Yes it works !! i follow you now too....xxx...

Gerreke said...

Gisteravond had ik al een stukje van van je blog gelezen, maar was te moe om verder te gaan. Zie ik ineens dat je bij mij hebt gereageerd.

Nu wilde ik je verhaal natuurlijk gauw even aflezen. Meid, wat schrijf je komisch. Ik lag helemaal in een deuk en ik zie het ook echt helemaal voor me!!! In en uit de truck stappen, auto rijden en dat die jongens de hele tijd heen en weer rijden!!! Hilarisch gewoon!

Houston A.W. Knight said...

I'm a city girl who has found herself stuck in a little town and ... well ... I guess I've got a frown like the first girl you saw on the farm who went home...I've been stuck here for over 15 years. :-(

I STILL miss the city. I'm thinking you have to be born in the country to really like it. I miss dressing up (heels and a DRESS) here getting dressed up means clean jeans. I miss the action of the city and always having something to do or somewhere to go...5 PM and the street here rolls up for the night. I miss the city people and the energy they have compared to the low profile country folks have.

Like you...I might stand out but I refuse to give up my eye lashes, heels, hair extentions, and fashion... guess the country folk here are getting use to me by now. But I think they will always refer to me as "that writer".

Enjoyed the post and come back to mine...go to the tab "contact me" click on that and send me your snail mail addie...you get a gift for being my 100th follower! (hugs)

Hawk

Katrientje vanalles said...

Wat een mooi leven heb je daar. bedankt om commentaartje bij mij te geven. ik ga je blog volgen hoewel het engels mij niet zo heel goed zit zal ik erg mijn best doen.
Groeten katrientje

Mary Bergfeld said...

It really is fun to read about your youthful misadventures :-). You right beautifully and tell your stories well. I hope you have a great day. Blessings...Mary

Anonymous said...

Hoi hoi bedankt voor je berichtje,ik zie dat ik NL kan tikken,weet zeker dat je dat liever hebt haha,want dat engelse schrijven gaat niet helemaal soepel,heb je blog een beetje gelezen over je ziekte en je leven daar en oh oh je paard is prachtig,ik heb een bonte pony van 33 jaar,je kunt bij jou wel heerlijk paardrijden,hier moet je uitkijken dat je niet op een auto duikt,dusse ehh wanneer kan ik komen met mijn koffers,haha wil ook wel zo`n droom,tot een volgende keer,fijne avond,lieve groet Joke.

Mimi Foxmorton said...

Thank you so much for visiting and saying such lovely things.

I'm really enjoying your blog and hope to visit often.

I have met so many wonderful, creative and like minded kindred spirits here.

Have a lovely Spring day!

~Mimi
The Goat Borrower

Unknown said...

All the times are good when you're young.
And even today the teens are still driving in circles!

anyaadores said...

Wonderful story - loved it. :O)
A xxx

~*~ saskia ~*~ said...

Je moet Nederlandse zijn, je naam is zo niet Canadees ;o)
Het is inderdaad een prachtig land, we zijn jaren geleden in Quebec en Toronto geweest, super.
Een happy day! xx

Nezzy (Cow Patty Surprise) said...

Loved your story and as every great farm gal knows ya just gotta step out and shake things up a bit. It let's ya know your alive!!! :O)

God bless and have a awesome day sweetie!!!

Madelief said...

Hoi Leontien,

Bedankt voor je gezellige berichtje op mijn blog. Wat heb jij een bijzonder leven! Dat is echt heel anders dan hier in Holland!

Een gezellige dag & groetjes,

Madelief

Kymberly Foster Seabolt said...

Great story and I LOVE the photo. I should have asked for it for my column! Perfect! (So you probably DO look like a fashion model at the Tractor Supply!)

Houston A.W. Knight said...

Sweetie,

come see me and send me your snail mail addie...so I can send you a gift for being my 100th follower.

Hawk

bon bon said...

ha! what adventures! you certainly did have stamina. just wearing those shoes while driving a clutch! ;o)

Houston A.W. Knight said...

Hey Hon,

saw your comment at my place. Found your addie (mailing address) and will get your gift in the mail asap!

Hugs
Hawk

Vær våken said...

Hi! What a beautiful horse picture! So much atmosphere in that last photo! Hope you're having a lovely day!

Kristin xoxo

Betty Manousos said...

Sounds like you did have a great time. The horse photo is so beautiful!

I love your blog content. Thanks for stopping by my place so I could follow you back her.

laughingwolf said...

welcome back to MY country, any time :)

DesertHen said...

Thank you for stopping by my blog last week and for the well wishes on the horse show. It was exciting and went very well!

Love your blog! =) I will be back to visit again.