Okay, I did not take any photos at this activity and I am feeling a little bit of regret now! But I shall describe it to you.
Okay, so we went Aux Berges Dominique Savio yesterday evening and did a lot of activities. Berges Dominique Savio is a small lake about 20 mins from l’Universite de Sherbrooke. The weather report a few days before said that there would be thunder showers and you know what? It was a lie! All lies. It was sunny and like thirty-degrees! We had the option of paddle-boarding, kayaking, canoeing, swimming, or just lounging on the beach. On shore there was a tether-ball, beach volleyball, a swing set, horseshoes, and Frisbee.
So TONS of activities, right? 😀
I wanted to go paddle-boarding but there were only three paddle-boards (why -_-) and suddenly it was a mad-dash for the canoes (gone when I came out of the equipment shed) and kayaks, so I quickly got one of the last life jackets (they were super grungy! But I had to work with what I had), grabbed a one-person kayak and headed out onto the lake. I wore a bucket-full of sunscreen for this activity, and I am glad that I did XD. I paddled out to an island that was in the middle of the lake, where a guy from my class told me how to use the paddles properly (I had my hands too close together; it turns out holding them right actually makes it easier XD). Then I went to say hi to my friends who were in a canoe and almost ran into them with my kayak. Then we had a race (I lost, but there were three of them and one of me!) and then I went and paddled around the lake and then around the second island in the lake before going back to shore. It was very tranquil and refreshing.
After that, I went back to shore and went swimming for a bit. The water was PERFECT. I also found out that swimming is pretty difficult when you have not done it in a long time XP I went out a bit too far and then struggled a little to get back to shore. It was okay though, I huffed and puffed my way back to the dock XD. Then I sat on the dock with my friends and watched the sunset. After that, I went and got changed and swung on the swings (the right way to say that?) and then when it was dark (around 9PM) we left the beach and walked up into the woods to the bonfire. We ate marshmallows and cookies and listened to music (both English and French songs 🙂 ).
I saw these small flashes in the trees and at first I thought it was lights shining through the trees, but no, it was fireflies! It was the first time I had seen fireflies in action! The light they make does not look like that in the cartoons (like a soft, yellow glow), not at all! They looked like little sparks in the trees, some flashing brightly, others dim glimmers in the dark. It was exciting and beautiful. It made me think of the wisps from the Disney movie Brave.
It was nice but I was kind of done for the day by about 9:30PM. I was able to leave early because one of my friends was leaving for the weekend and so a group of us walked back to the parking lot together. We admired the fireflies along the way :). At the parking lot, we found out we could get a ride back to the residences (yay! :D). Otherwise, we would have had to wait until midnight for the yellow buses.
All in all, it was a good day.
Peace!