Iranian Yalda night

Iranians celebrate the winter solstice, the longest night of the year, by eating, singing and being together. I was honoured to be invited to this celebration last night.

From here

The music was amazing. I did not know any of the instruments before, but I did recognize the sound of the music. It reminded me of the music in the movie 'Incendies'. It also made me think of 'Aladdin' and being in the desert with camels under a tent, though I think these are some stereotypes I need to get rid of. The man who was singing had an incredible voice, and though I don't understand Persian, I could tell the songs were all about love. They also read from the poet 'Hafez', who writes about love and existence and the meaning of life, as my friends told me.

From here

The food was good too. There was watermelon, pomegranate and oranges. There was also cake, nuts and chips.

I thoroughly enjoyed immersing myself in a different culture. I felt as though I was travelling, although I was still in Montreal. It definitely made me want to visit Iran though. Maybe one day I will go with my friends!

Christmas parties

Chronological order of work Christmas parties I've attended:

2008: In Puebla, Mexico. No wine or alcohol served. Bad food (I decided not to take the vegetarian option, thinking they'd serve traditional Mexican food, but unfortunately it was steak - I only ate the vegetables and was hungry). There was great entertainment though, singing, dancing, and circus-type dancers on stilts!

2009: In Puebla, Mexico. No wine or alcohol served. OK food (learning from my previous mistake, I opted for the vegetarian option. It was a vegetarian lasagna that left me hungry, whereas my friends got turkey and all the fixings). There were most likely prizes. I know there was a bit of line dancing, but overall, this party does not stand out in my memory. My friends and I most likely did something more fun together afterwards.

2010: Montreal. Lots of wine, great food, the school gym was decorated and the entertainment was awesome. Teachers had dressed up and made us laugh. Dancing was great and a good time was had by all.

2011: Montreal. Incredible decorations including a champagne pyramid, an ice sculpture, carved fruit. The food was also incredible: cheese, shrimp, escargots, foie gras, fruit, salads, deserts! No singing or dancing. Prizes were also amazing: we all received gift certificates and there were more individual draw prizes. Crazy prizes like trips, watches, etc. were given!

Family Christmas parties are different in that they usually involve carolling or singing and musical instruments, traditional Québecois food (tourtières, cassoulet, fèves aux lard, etc.), decorating gingerbread houses, and children running, screaming and playing.

My own Christmas parties I hosted in Mexico included decorating, deserts, music, and Home Alone.

Why am I telling you all this? I don't know, but I feel like each of the parties I attended give an impression of the values the school upheld. If this same statement applies, what does that say about me?

The weather

Yes, I will be talking about the weather. If I wanted to live in London or Vancouver, I would. I have often said I hate winter, but I take it back. I just hate being cold. Winter I actually enjoy now that I know how to dress appropriately and am not worried about looking like a fool with a gazillion layers on. I love the snow, I love seeing my students play, I love building snowmen, making snow angels, skiing, skating, or just walking around. The snow makes everything look pretty. Especially when it's sunny and the flakes are glittery. Ahhh...

Now this winter has to be the worst of the worst. I know technically it hasn't arrived yet (December 21st is the 'official' day as I understand), but usually around Halloween time, we start to get snow in Montreal. We got a bit of snow on November 17th, but it has now melted. What we've had lately is grey, drizzle, grey, rain, and more grey weather. I reiterate, if I wanted to live in London or Vancouver, I would. But I don't. I may have a tad of SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder) because this grey dreariness makes me want to sleep and just be lazy all day, every day. It's not even that cold, it's just annoying.

Canadians will know that Canada withdrew from the Kyoto protocol this week. I don't know of anyone who can argue that global warning doesn't exist and that we shouldn't do our part to eliminate harmful emissions. I feel like I do my part, as much as I can, by buying locally, recycling, composting, and doing countless little things, but it is horribly depressing when the big guys don't do anything. It makes me feel like the small things I'm doing are just worthless. Now I feel like winter is on strike. It's like it's trying to prove that global warming does exist. I wonder if the big shots hate winter so much they're doing this on purpose and trying to make winter disappear? I could totally make a game out of this with my students: 'Ways to save winter'. Here's hoping for a white Christmas, wiser politicians and for future winters of snow for my students to enjoy!

Winter 2009