It was with great expectations that we arrived in Quebec City, but it was with an aching disappointment that we left.
Plain and simple, the block beat us. Or rather, the ice in the block beat us. We knew going in that the block would be harder than most as they use artificial snow to make the blocks at Carnival. We didn’t expect that the block was as saturated with water and ice as it was. It was full of ice from the outside crust through to the inside. We did happen upon the odd few soft spots, but as soon as they were exposed to the extreme cold, these soft spots became as hard as concrete.
Please don’t think that we were completely unhappy with our experience. That is far from the truth. We renewed old friendships and started new ones. The hospitality of the people of Quebec was wonderful. From the servers who took the time to explain the menu items at the Bamboo restaurant to the store clerks who treated us with warmth while I stumbled through my attempts at speaking French, we were made to feel welcome. The volunteers, for the most part, were also great.
It is now a few days since we finished carving on Sunday morning and my body is still feeling the effects. My hands aren’t as sore and my shoulders are coming around. However, the one thing that has not wavered is the respect that I have for my teammates for the effort that we put forth. We worked steady for 24 hours on the last day, except for a 2-hour break to recharge our bodies. After this break we returned to the block with gusto and gave the block everything we had, so that we would have a front and sides that we could be proud of.
I know that I walked away from the block knowing that I didn’t leave anything in the gas tank.
Terry Ouellette
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