Welcome New Year!

Christmas was an absolute blast, we all had so much fun, got loads of food and even more to drink. When Jagermeister hits the table, it's always a good night ! Was very nice to be with all the orphans (this is apparently the name given to whoever does not spend xmas at home). Truly a Christmas to remember.
My new year will start even better: I have signed my contract as Housekeeping Supervisor and I have no words to tell how happy I am. Happy for lots of reasons: 1- one of my goals when in Canada was to get into management, so the sense of achievement feels great. 2 are my main goals while here, not going to tell the other before I achieve it. 2- I got to do 1 housekeeping shift because one girl was sick, and as the old supervisor left, they asked me if I wanted the position. I was chosen over people that has been here over 4 months! That kind of tells a lot about others. 3- I get paid more with a little less hours. Feels good! 
4- I still get to keep my 2 front desk shifts per week, which I love. So I get to mix my work a lot and does not get boring.
And it gets better! the hostel offer daily activity to our guests so we have some designated people who brings guest to do rock climbing, hike Tunnel Mountain , go the the hots rings and so on. I am now the person who brings guests to yoga every second tuesday and go the the movie theater every other second tuesday, and I get paid to do it! best…..gig….ever!!
Happy new years to me! I did not want to do the hot springs cause then I have to shave my legs...
I miss working nights sometimes, there is always a good story to tell when being a night owl but this is way better :)

I would like to share with whoever is interested a few observations about cultures and nationalities. I did the same thing in one of my very old posts when I was in NZ, meeting so many germans and south americans. The crowd here is different. I find this to be very interesting and for sure one of the best learning parts about traveling. Lots are observations I made, or have been told by others, and as always, I don't mean to offend any nationality.
Also lots of it is generalized , I know.

Canadians: canadians are divided into 2 categories- english speaking Canadians and Frencies.
The Frencies are from Quebec. Weird people. A Francie can be recognized by the dirty look (and occasionally by their smell), still rocking the hippy style, typically with dreadlocks and ugly clothes and home made tattoos . Rude and always on drugs. No one likes them. Not even Aussies. They hate them. When a french canadian checks in, 95 % sure we will have problems. Their french is the most annoying language ever invented.

The other canadians are the english speaking ones. Not too many of them around here. Once in a while I meet someone from Vancouver, but canadians living in Banff are from Ontario. Ontario people hate frencies and the other way around. According to Ontarios (let me call them like that) Ontario is " a shit hole". So they all come to the rockies. All of them are or have been on drugs, and have or have had a rough time growing up. Nice people, really funny generally speaking.

Aussies: 80% of Banff population is Australian. I have talked about them a lot in past posts. Nice enough people, always drunk or on drugs as well. ( still amazed by the amount of drugs here). Australian boys resembles cave man: the longer the hair and the beard, the better. Baggy clothes and possibly dirty. Always with a beanie or a baseball cap. How any girl can find that attractive, remains one unsolved mystery.

Kiwis ( or New Zealenders) a bit like Aussies, lots of them. One brit girl was telling me of how if you are kiwi in the UK, you are seen as the lowest class possible , cause you are from such a small island from so far away you have not caught up with 2015 yet! so very "behind". This was told to me after a kiwi boy was saying he is superior because he is a white man. Someone then told him how he is seen in the UK. He went quiet.

Brits: good humor and always drunk. Good entertainers.

Americans: no one really cares about them.

Scandies ( the name for Scandinavians … never heard that before) and germans: are seen as the hardest and most efficient workers, and of course great drinkers.

Asians: strange people. They sleep with their clothes on. Don't like to socialize very much with non asians.

Philipinos: there is a big community here. They all work at MacDonalds, Starbucks and Tim Hortons (a bit like starbucks). Never seen one out of their workplace, only hang out with each other, not even sure if they hang out. They all live in the same house.

I have met 2 iranian guys, in 2 different occasions, that were telling me how fantastic a country Denmark is, they heard so much and really want to go and had to shake my hand and congratulate me, as if I won the lottery.

A phew Czeks and Slovakians, no south americans. Europeans around here as said, are germans for the most, couple of danes, some swedes and thats about it.

Can't think of other nationality , will make sure to include some more in my next post if I think of any.

And now the usual photos for you all to wish you were here. Happy new year to all!

F***ks in the air

It's been a while since my last update, I know :)

This is supposed to be my last week working nights and I cannot wait to star working days and feel like a normal person again.

I am going to miss the crazy drunk people and their stories (NOT). Anyway, here are a couple of my favorite encounters:

Lady in her 50s, gets in to my dorm room, introducing herself , immediately followed by " I just left my abusive husband"… I thought it was a bit weird to introduce yourself like that, but I welcomed her to our dorm nonetheless.
I start my night shifts and as hours go, she gets more and more drunk. She then passes out in another room where she has been drinking with some australian girls. She gets kicked out of there, stumbles down the stairs and comes to the front desk. I then help her go to bed (I did not manage to get her shoes off) hoping that would be the end of it. I then go to bed around 8 in the morning, she goes to the toilet and notices me sleeping. She then thought I might have a cigarette and starts shouting "HELLOOOOO, do you have a cigarette???". I was dead annoyed by that but my irritation got worst when I told her that no, I don't smoke, she starts singing really loud. She then finally passes out but she did not wake up for check out at 11. We decide to let her sleep it off. At 3pm, after several half failed attempts to wake her up (she would wake up, open a can of beer and me telling her it's not a good idea to drink), the only thing we could do was to call police, that came and brought her out in handcuffs. Not a nice sight! Still completely drunk.

One night at midnight, an 18 year old canadian guy comes to look for a bed for the night. I was a bit suspicious cause I thought it was very late to come and look for a bed and he had no luggage. He then tells me his wallet got stolen, I tell him that if  he has no ID and no credit card I cannot check him in. He manages to find some sort of picture ID he had on his phone , I accepted it as valid, and he called his dad for CC details. The process took 2 hours so finally I check him in and wish him good night. After 15 min, he comes out to front desk and walks back and forth all night. He was creeping me out but he said he could not sleep so I just let him be. At 6 am he is still awake, now telling me that he is freaked out, and that he is seeing ghosts! looking out the window all suspicious absolutely paranoid. I then tell him that he is freaking me out too!
With the last bit of sanity he has left, he calls the cops, telling them he had way too much cocaine and could simply not handle it. Police shows up, and takes him away. 

Police in Banff acts a bit like they are the kings of the universe, no messing around with them and they never even crack a smile. They see you walking the street with a can of beer, they stop you, treating people like the worst criminals and then charge them a huge fine. No public drinking! This did not happen to me, but I have seen it happen.

A couple of nights ago, I refused to let this australian guy up to our common room because last time I let him go up, he was having a fight and destroying things. He got so pissed off, telling me that he has been here longer then me (he used to be a guest, but not while I have been here ) and that I am only a fucking receptionist and bla bla bla. I then said that he cannot behave like a decent person so therefor I am not letting him in the common room. Then asks "who the fuck are you?" and I say " who the FUCK are YOU??? get the fuck out of here!!". He then threatened to get me fired cause he is a friend of the GM and stuff. My answer: " I don't give a FUCK"! Lots of fucks in the air that night. He then left like a whiny little kid. Madness…. I told the GM about this and she said that no true friend of her would ever say such thing and that I should absolutely not worry. (I do not know his name so I could not tell her who he was).

We also just had our Xmas staff party, we all got completely hammered so that was nice for a change. Our GM rented a small hostel for the night, out in the woods, all for us. So much fun!

Our Hostel/cabin in the woods

Boys….

Hangover morning

Ugly sweaters are really ugly. And popular. What an eyesore!

Nice to get back to my room. The fireplace is just the best thing ever :)

Outdoor ice skating opening soon! I am actually getting OK at skating

Good news on the job front. Only 2 more weeks of working nights - I have to train 2 new night desk guys - then I am going to work days only. And I might get a new position as well, but I'll tell when I am sure I get it. So fingers crossed everyone!!

I love Christmas but I hate the pre Christmas fuss and the shopping and the stress and the damned Christmas songs. As I will not be home for this joyful event this year, I can only cheer looking around me: I am feeling the magic just being here in the mountains with snow and all the beautiful light. I am sorry I am missing my favorite holiday at home this year, but I can't have it all.

My new favorite activity is now ice skating. I don't sky or snowboard so the next best thing is skating. A season ski pass for the mountains, with discount, is 1600 Canadian dollars. That is around 8000 DKK. That is way too much money to spend on an activity I am not really interested in, not to mention the price of: board/skis, jacket, pants, boots, helmet, goggles and so on. A season pass for the ice skate ring is 80 bucks and additional 50 dollars for a pair of skates. And I can take the skates home with me and continue back home.
I currently suck at it, but like all things, practice makes perfect.

Other than that, all good!

Winter wonderland

Curling is just one of those sport when I go… Wtf??

From Calgary getting to the mountains

Brand new skates