So, having taken a prep course for the
PMI (Project Management Institution) CAPM (Certified Assistant Project Manager) test, a heap of us wanted to go and take the test. The issue was that the nearest test centre was south of the border in the United States. That was fine for me, but for my Chinese colleagues that became a big Visa fiasco. The next nearest test centre was in Halifax. That sounded fine to me.
Since my colleagues cannot drive in Canada they relied on myself and my somewhat better half to be the drivers of a convoy that would take us from mediocrity, to awesomeness. We rented a car the night before, filled up both and then went to sleep for a few hours rest...
Day 1
Up. EEEeeeeaarrrrrrrllllyyyyy. When I booked all of our exams we could not all get in on the same day, that meant that one of our comrades was forced to write the test on Thursday at noon. Starting in Saint John that meant that we had 4-5 hours of driving (depending on the driver) to get us to Halifax, all before the noontime test.
6 am we picked up most of the convoy. 6:15 am we swung by the University to grab the last. 6:20 am and Esmeralda (called Jesus by some), Jerusalem, and the eight of us were on the road to Halifax.
Driving. Driving. Lost in Moncton (don't ask). Driving. Driving.
Break?
We were now in Nova Scotia and decided we needed a break. Our crackberry communication between cars concluded that both cars could use a break, well, both drivers could since most of our passengers were sleeping (with the exception of my exceptional navigator, thank you so much Dahlia). We saw a sign for Springhill and pulled off of the highway. 5 km in and we truly had reached, the middle of nowhere, Nova Scotia.
Middle of Nowhere, NS
After the break we continued on our way. Some many miles of highway, one toll road, and one toll bridge later and we were in the core of Halifax. Again, I cannot express how thankful I was to have a fantastic navigator with us. I tried not to hit anyone, and she got us to where we went. With Jerusalem in the front and Esmeralda (called Jesus by some) in the rear we made it through downtown Halifax and to Dalhousie University.
Some lost time later and we were checked in and good to go. Our first test taker was studying as we took a look around and then we hopped into Jerusalem and took him to the test centre. This was followed by a wonderfully tasting, terrible for you, meal from McDonalds. And this, was followed by a lovely nap.
Upon waking my better half headed off to meet some family whilst I crammed for my test (to be taken the following day). At the appropriate time I returned to the test centre in Jerusalem to pick up our comrade - he passed! Back. Studying. Then... group supper. I should note that in this time I did a practice test, and did not pass. I was not the only one. A few of my other colleagues did not pass... oops... on the bright side, we had twelve hours to get better before the real thing!
Anyways, we ordered Chinese food, which actually seemed to be the only thing that my Chinese colleagues were eating, and then enjoyed it in the great dining room of the residence.
After supper I studied a little more and headed to bed.
Day 2
Awake. Barely...
TEST TEST TEST TEST TEST...
Awake...
AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH...
AWAKE!
Test time. Our heat of test takers were up, ready, in Esmeralda, and then at the test centre. My better half was off to have her nails done while the rest of us faced the gauntlet. Oh juxtaposition.
Grab a number, said they. So we did. Separated by the numbers we choose, one by one they marched us into the abyss. The abyss was a little room with baby sized cubicles and computers ready for us testers. I was marched in second, plopped down in a computer chair, and then left to do my worst (or best, as I hoped the case would be).
Those of you who have been reading for a while know that my eyes are well... failing on me. Taking a 3 hours computerized test was well, not good. I was there, plowing through questions in the beginning, but as time went on I found myself reading slower. And re-reading. And then... re-reading slower... after a while it was just painful, but I trudged on.
Ichiban was sitting beside me and she finished her test. I started a few minutes after her so I thought it could not be long now. It wasn't. I finished the test and faced the dreaded finishing screen. We had been told of the progress bar as it marked your test. Longest two minutes of your life! Well, it wasn't quite like that. There was a little survey thing and then... nothing. The blank screen. May as well have been a progress bar. I mean, the night before I failed the practice test. My eyes were barely functioning. My brain felt like it was going to explode. Don't get me wrong, I have a degree in Project Management, I was feeling pretty confident, but at that moment I just wanted it to end... and...
It did.
Congratulations!!! You have BARELY passed!!!
Ok, ok, ok... so it didn't say barely... but it might as well have! The test doesn't give you an actual score, but it does give you proficiency levels. I won't go into the details but when I read it this is what I saw:
Congratulations!!! You have barely PASSED!!!
Aww. Yea.
Now, it was time to enjoy Halifax. One more of us had to take the test still, but for most of us this trip had now turned from hella stressful, to vacation. We headed back to the residence and settled in for a short nap to compensate for our issue with the uh... studying the night before...
We woke ready to conquer the town. The Chinese contingent split off earlier while the rest of us slept, and when we woke, Ichiban, my better half, and myself headed into town. Dalhousie University is not actually that far from Downtown so we decided to hoof it.
Cafe
We had not eaten and were in a word, famished, so we stopped at a cafe along the way. Her menu was limited since she was closing down for the day, it was 4:00 pm after all, but we did find some things to enjoy. I had a grilled cheese, and it definitely hit the spot. The ladies had some weird veggie burgers that I dare not describe (for the churning of mine stomach) but they said they were good (bleaugh).
St. Mary's Basilica
A little more fed we continued on our way. Passed a gentleman giving away free Sprite (thank you very much) and into the downtown core. The road we were on passed right by St. Mary's Basilica, which was well, gorgeous. We took some photos and continued on our way.
St. Matthew's United Church
Through a rather intricate group of text messages we managed to meet up with another of our cohort and we joined forces as we continued through Halifax. After a brief, and somewhat productive stop at MEC (Mountain Equipment Co0op), we passed a St. Matthew's United Church, of which I took photos on the basis of its namesake, and then we passed a very old grave yard.
Aslan Guarding the Cemetery
A Masonic Tribute
There were some amazing things there, one of which was the grave of a Mason. I took some photos, and this spurned a long conversation about the Masons and their involvement with... ruling the world.
Pier 21
We continued on our way to Pier 21 which was one of the great immigration sheds into Canada, and then headed up the boardwalk. Ichiban needed some minutes for her phone so we checked into the information centre to see if they could give us directions. They did, and they also helped us with another issue: was there a way we could get onto the water to see the harbour? There was. The woman at the information booth told us of a number of boat tours and of a Sunset Tour leaving that night. We called to inquire and they said that no one had yet signed up for the tour, but if we wanted to go we would need six people to commit. We had four already, so we called the other group to see if they were interested. They were not. Bummer. We had until six o'clock to decide, but it seemed pretty clear. We thanked the information lady and were on our way.
Blown Around the Bend
Phone minutes could be found inside Scotia Square, so, that is where we went. We found the minutes and... well... something else...
OMG
Not the strangest thing I have ever seen, but well... Let's not get into the ranking.
We were pretty close so we decided to go to the casino. We were there for only a few moments when we got a call from the other group, they had reconsidered their "Carona Party Cruise" and decided that "Sunset Cruise" seemed better. The time 5:45 pm... 15 minutes before the commit time. We hurried to a pay phone in the casino, and in a few attempts we had booked ourselves into the cruise.
The Halifax-Dartmouth Ferry
That was great, but the issue was that the cruise left from the Dartmouth side, and we were on the Halifax side, so, we needed to get onto the ferry. Simple enough, except that the ferry was leaving very very soon. We frantically speed-walked through the casino to find Ichiban and my better half gambling with quarters. Ichiban hurriedly lost the rest of her $5 (which was surprisingly easy... stupid casinos) and we were on our way.
Things fell into place as they seem to do when I go travelling. We made it to the ferry terminal and were on the ferry only a moment before it took off. We crossed over the harbour and made it to the Dartmouth side. We found our Sunset Cruise, boarded, and were off...
Sunset Cruise 1
The Port of Halifax
Sunset Cruise 2 (Warning: Windy AF, but the visuals are good)
New Horizons
A Patch of Light
Sailing through the Setting Sun
The Last Wink of Day
Sunset Cruise 3
Skipping Sunset
Good Night Dartmouth, Love Halifax
We did see some amazing things, and for $15 a person it was well, well worth it.
One group wanted Japanese food, my better half and I wanted, well, Halifaxian food, so the groups split up. We found a restaurant on the water and ordered. She had a lobster ravioli, and I had fish, scallops, shrimp and chips. This was all following a started of prosciutto wrapped scallops. I have never had scallops like that before. They were so perfectly cooked I cannot even describe. Like... eating awesome. You cut through the prosciutto or bread and the scallop just about fell in half. Cooked through, but only just. Flavourful. Exquisite. Amazing.
We wandered back to the dorm and fell in to a full and happy sleep.
Day 3
Up. Today was a full day of touristy sight seeing in Halifax. There is lots to see, more than can be seen in a few short days, but we sure gave it a good try.
First thing was the farmers' market. Evidently there are now two farmers' markets in Halifax but we just headed to the old one. My better half and I ate in a deli and then began to look around. We might have seen more, but I became quite ill quite quickly. Who knows what it was but it set on fast and I needed to be out in the fresh air. Having narrowly avoided vomiting in public we decided to sit on a bench to wait for our comrades to finish investigating the market. They met us at the benches and we decided to wait a little longer.
When I had the strength to stand, and not feel like passing our or vomiting, we headed towards the
Maritime Museum of the Atlantic. This was a fantastic place for me. I love museums. Though this same enthusiasm was not shared with us all, we at least got to see it. There was one section full of paintings about the war that was very very powerful. For my better half and I it meant something meaningful, but for the rest I think it was lost because they are not Canadian. The paintings were about Canadian ships and pilots in the great battles of the war. There was one where the ships were fighting at night and were using great flares to light up the battlefield. There was another one of a great Canadian hero whose plane had been too badly damaged in his fight against enemy ships, so instead of trying to flee he flew straight into the enemy. These were powerful images for me. Very powerful.
Outside of the museum are two different ships that people can board to take a look at. The CSS Acadia:
The Mast of the Acadia
CSS Acadia
And the HMSC Sackville:
HMCS Sackville
HMSC Sackville
Long Guns
Both the Acadia and Sackville are more or less retired and are used as great exhibits of the museum. They really do give you a better perspective of what it must have been like to be on a ship like that for a considerable amount of time.
Boats Asunder
Having had our fill of the museum we headed back to the Basilica. This time we wanted to head inside to try and grab a few photos. We did manage to get a few, but I did not want to intrude too much as the church is very active and people were coming to pray and go about their spiritual lives.
An aerial view of the Halifax Citadel
Leaving the Basilica we were very near to our next destination, the Halifax Citadel. We learned that the Citadel had never been attacked, but despite that it remained one of the key strategic positions, and as Halifax was traded between the French and the English its significance could not be forgotten. The Citadel is in great shape, and it maintained today. There are even people dressed in period uniforms to help you understand how it might have been used in its day.
The Clock Tower
Clock and Light
They say it has never been attacked, but even then, I wonder how the fate of the maritimes might have been different if the British had not locked themselves in that great star-shaped castle. Maybe Halifax would have been traded back to the French once more. Who knows.
The Citadel was amazing. I could say more, but the pictures probably speak better for me.
Amazing.
Inside the Citadel
Spire
No Way Up
Escape
Stone Sanctuary
As we were finishing up the Citadel we were beginning to lose steam. It was Ichiban, my better half, and myself again and in the heat, we were nearly... dead. We headed back to the University. There was one more stop along the way, the Public Gardens. We walked through, and as usual with pretty plants I stuck my face in camera first to take what photos I could. We passed a statue with a bird as a had and then were on our way back.
An Amazing Flower
Seagull Hat
All exhausted like we all settled in for another nap.
Some time went by and the cohorts began to assemble. I was still feeling a bit under the weather so we held back a bit as the rest went for a night on the town. A little later my better half and I wandered around Dalhousie to get some photos. It is an old campus, and an impressive one, and while we were there I wanted the chance to take a look at some of the spectacular views. They were... well... spectacular.
Bureaucracy
Institution
Tree on Stone
Sun Sets
Tired of walking downtown all the time we asked the front desk if there was a bus we could. There was. In like 10 minutes we were downtown, and in like 15 we were at the restaurant of our choice. The night before we had Halifaxian food, but we had also heard of something amazing... and all you can eat Chinese Buffet. All you can eat!
Dragon King!
That was our destination.
Turns, out that I can't actually eat that much, but I sure did try. I had two rounds passed the buffet table, and then one for dessert. Satiated, we took the bus back to campus, watched a little
Planet Earth and settled in for a long rest.
Day 4
Suntime
The last day. We got up and then checked out. We snagged a few photos of Dalhousie under different light and then the horde of us loaded Esmerelda (called Jesus by some) and Jerusalem. We headed to McDonald's on the way out of town and then left Halifax. Our bearing was not towards Saint John, but to on more sight. Peggy's Cove.
Peggy's Cove
Nova Scotia
Dee Dee's
It did not take long, and with Ichiban again navigating we found our way without any issues. We parked the car and then began to explore Peggy's Cove on foot. This got very very interesting. Some of the people in our group live together in Saint John. Their landlord has a sister. That sister had an ice cream shop in Peggy's Cove called
Dee Dee's Gourmet Ice Cream. We were told that we should go there to get some ice cream and we might be able to get a deal, but... we had to know the password.
D and D!
Some people like passwords that are words, like, ya know, "Apple," or like, "Gibralter," but no, this was an interactive password.
We got to Dee Dee's right as she was opening up. At first when we inquired she said she would be open in a minute, and then she saw one of the students. She was very excited to see him and she was sort of expecting us. She did look at us with some hesitation though. She said that she was supposed to expect a group of Chinese Students. Most of us were Chinese, but there were two Canadians, and one Indian. She looked skeptical that we were all from the correct group.
This is when we said we knew the password. She looked at us expectantly. I must say, I wish I could have filmed this. We did not prepare this overly well except that we had all been told the password. At once, and in unison, all eight of us winked our right eyes, pointed to the sky, and said "Owwwwwwwwwww."
Dee Dee broke out laughing, as did we all. That was the password. Not "Apple," not "Gibralter," but, right wink, point, "Owwwwwwwwww."
With smiles all around we ordered some of the most amazing ice cream I have ever had. I ordered Nova Scotia Berry with Raspberry Chocolate on a homemade waffle cone. Dee Dee, you make absolutely amazing ice cream.
We took the ice creams and wandered towards the lighthouse at Peggy's Cove.
Peggy's Cove Lighthouse
Peggy's Cove 1
Peggy's Cove 2
Lots happened here, but it was all like this. Walk, see an amazing view, stop, take a photo, repeat steps one through five. This happened again and again. Front of the lighthouse - photo. Side - photo. Back - photo. Other side - photo. Further away - photo. Further - photo... Fuurrrtherr - photo.
Photographer on the Rock
We had been told that we could walk on the road to get to the lighthouse, and then walk on the rocks to get back, so, we continued this five step process onwards away from civilization and onto the granite wasteland of Peggy's Cove. This was good fun and all, but it proved to me a more challenging hike than we may have been prepared for.
A Lovely Pair?
Peggy's Cove 3
Peggy's Cove 4
Either way, it was a great experience, and though I was somewhat afraid, no cannibalization occurred... at all.
Eventually we broke free of the wilderness and made it to the car. We joined with the rest of the group and the great caravan of Esmeralda (called Jesus by some) and Jerusalem headed back to Saint John.
Passengers asleep again, it was a quiet ride home. Another perfect day on a perfect weekend.
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