2 years in Alberta

I lived 2 years in Calgary, Alberta. I did my kindergarten and my first year of primary school. I don't remember the first school's name, but the second one was Ecole Marguerite-Bourgeois (not sure about the spelling). It was a French catholic school. The first school I went to was a French school as well, but I don't remember if it had a religious vocation.

I don't remember much interesting stories from that time, but I do remember many details that have left an impression on me.

I remember seeing the Rockies in the skyline - they were all pointy and blue and they stretched out forever. They looked like shark teeth to me. I never saw such a skyline afterwards.

Except for these ones, and the hill on which we lived, I remember seeing no mountains and no hills - everything seemed flat.

I remember big fields.

I remember each morning class we stood up and sang Canada's national anthem.

I remember the dry wind, the cold during the winter and the big storms in the summer.

I remember fancy shopping malls with many stories. I remember there was many fountains and big trees inside.  I remember that everything seemed very clean.

I remember the pointy tower of downtown Calgary. At the top there was sort of a cylinder that rotated on itself. I don't remember it's name, but my parents told me there was a restaurant on top.

I wished I remembered more when we went to Banff. I don't really remember Lake Louise, but I do remember a small moment when we were walking very high in the sky, and it was snowing and there was snow everywhere and everything seemed so white and big.

I remember a small cave with a natural spring inside. They made a hole on top to the outside, and I thought it was a crater of a volcano. I was so happy to be inside a volcano. I remembered it smelled a lot like rotten eggs.

I remember a little blue boiling pond that smelled the same in the open air.

I remember quite vaguely the Stampede Festival - I think there where many pictures of bulls.

I remember that delicious gingerbeef that was my favorite meal at the time.

I remember catching insects at school and near my house.

I remember my kindergarten teacher only because I remember the time he scolded me and I thought he smelled like cheese and he had a lump on his nose and I thought that lump was made of cheese.

I remember having friends that I liked.

I remember the water park on top of the hill of our house.

I remember our front tree being invaded by red spiky caterpillars. It was one of the most exciting moments of my childhood. I catched them all in a jar with my brother. During the night there was a storm, and the next morning the jar had disappeared. I was devastated. My parents told me the jar was blown away by the wind. But a decade later they told me they had actually thrown it away themselves (my mother hates caterpillars).

I remember losing my first teeth - I was a real pussy about that (sorry for the expression).

I remember going to Edmonton to celebrate my brother's birthday. We went to that huge mall, the biggest in Canada, they told me. I remember the infiniteness of it, I remember the big pirate ship on the lake with the waterfalls in a mall court. I remember taking a submarine ride in an interior aquarium with tropical fish under the mall. I remember the mouth of a whale that we could go inside and see gravings of schrimp inside. I remember the attraction park with the rides inside the mall. I remember the delicious orange juice that we loved to drink. I remember a golf court inside the mall.

I remember the zoo with the prehistoric section - there where big sculptures of dinosaurs and a fake volcano - I loved that volcano.

I remember a huge theme park and that huge storm that made us go back home once.

I remember a beautiful giant and very dark blue cloud and dandelions.