On a scale of 1 to 10 you are an 11.1...officer.

After NYC we spent another couple weeks in New York and New Jersey. Fairly low key weeks...amazing host families....we saw the Lake George area and the Adirondecs (sp?) in New York - a really beautiful area. I got pulled over by a New York State Police Officer...interesting fella - told me basically right off the bat that he wasn't going to give me ticket (probably largely due to Zuly's beautiful eyes and impeccable blinking skills) for going 70 in a 65. he then proceeded to ask a host of questions about SOUL, and where the singers were from, and when I would be in the state next since I was from Michigan...blah blah blah, AND THEN he tells me to wait one more moment and comes back to the car with an "equipment malfunction form". Huh? Apparently you can't pull people over in New York without giving them some sort of citation. So he fills out a form for me that basically says my speedometer was broken and I was unable to tell how fast I was going - and he also filled out the bottom part which is meant to be filled out at a dealership to say that I have had the faulty equipment repaired. He hands me the form and says all I have to do is mail it in and then everything will be fine since he already filled it out...oy vey, tons of sense that makes, eh? ooo! Wait....not in Canada quite yet.

OH CAAAANADAAAAAAA....oh border crossing time eh?

I don't think I have been this nervous in a long time even though I was doing absolutely nothing wrong...I have just heard so many order stories about border crossing including some that came from previous SOUL tours...I'm not smuggling immigrants officer I swear! Annnnnd of course I had myself all worked up for nothing - piece of cake...took about 15 minutes total. Passports please. So, one from the US and none of the others? That's correct. Ohhhh...my family is originally from Estonia!...okay I'll need you guys to pull over to the side and check in with immigration to make sure the Visa's are all in order. In and out of the line...no problemo, phew! I am really happy there were no problems...but on the other hand, that certainly didn't provide for a very interesting story eh? Anywho, off to Niagara Falls! A beautiful site at night although it was a bit chilly for us. It had been SUCH a long time since we had a chance to go out that after Zuly and Steve decided to head back to the hotel...Teele and I decided to discover Niagara Falls nightlife...which is not bad I tell you, not bad at all! We danced I would say for at least three hours straight at a really cool nightclub. We met a group of guys outside after the club closed who were out for their friend's bachelor party...they provided some the best laughs I have had in a while! One told us that on a scale of 1 to 10 we were definitely 11.1's...which somehow wasn't quite as flattering as it should be...why can't we be 20's, huh? anywayyyyy entertainment at its finest...guys at a bachelor party. I also experienced a little culture shock of my own: I ordered a medium coffee from Tim Hortons and then proceeded to argue with the lady that it was not my order when it was ready..."Um, I ordered a medium..." - "That is a medium" - "THAT is a medium??" The medium was so tiny!!! I'm sorry if it sounds ignorant or what have you...but I say, you definitely get more for your money in the states. Niagara Falls was just a one night stand though...a break in a long drive...so after returning to our hotel room around 5:30am we woke up at 8:30 to drive the rest of the way to Toronto and grab some lunch before meeting our new hosts. The singers performed at a coffee house event and a church service and then today we had a chance to be tourists downtown Toronto which is a very nice big city! The one thing that stood out the most to me was how clean it was! We did some shopping and watched some great street performers including an artists who creates masterpieces on the sidewalk with chalk...and I mean amazing!! Steve and I also saw a guy who was quite possibly the most intoxicated person I have ever seen...walking around in the middle of the day....on a Monday. Oh dear. We did a lot of Subway riding again...I just have to say again how much I love love love public transportation!! It's just so convenient, and easy, and cheap not to mention better for the environment and probably much safer because not so many people are on the roads!...Hey Obama Administration - maybe now since everyone is really angry with the oil industry, particularly BP for spewing oil into the Gulf of Mexico - it would be a good time to focus on mass public transportation and an infrastructure to support battery powered vehicles! Oh wait, I forgot...government officials usually don't make changes...they just like to talk about it a lot.

Tomorrow we move on to Waterloo, ON for a performance at a university and then...drum roll please!...We are driving back across the border into Michigan!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! This is crazy to me. There have been times where the tour seemed to drag But for the most part it seems like we all met as team for the first time yesterday..and now we are going to be back in our home state with just under two weeks left. Honestly...I am dreading it ....saying goodbye to my new family is going to be one of the hardest things I have ever had to do. But I also am really looking forward to seeing my original family and friends that I haven't seen for five months!!! I think the next couple weeks will surely prove to be an emotional roller coaster.

Countdown to The Netherlands: 26 days!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Peace, Love, and Maple Leaves. <3 Jackie