A world to discover/ Un monde à découvrir

Chapter 2

Even if she did not hear from The YMCA for a long time, it all concluded in less than three weeks. She first received an email from Connor Blue, the Toronto East coordinator. They set up a meeting so he could interview her and her family.

The YMCA, she found out, had a way to make sure the kids do not end up in crazy families : they interview the kids, the families plus they ask for three references for the teenagers (not a familiy member, so teachers or employers or somebody else who knows them) and three for the family in general. To them, they ask if there is any violence in the family, any drugs or weapons. Also, they make sure if anyone has criminal records in the family and if the teens themselves have any by doing a background check.

Donna, Kelsey's mother, was relieved to hear that. It was one of her many questions she asked and to which Kelsey did not have the answer. Connor told them there was 20 kids who had submitten for the exchange, and that he could only pick 10. He said it was the part of his job that he disliked the most : having to call everyone to tell them if they were not chosen. To let him the time to meet everyone, he told Kelsey she would have the answer soon.

Exactly two weeks after the meeting, Kelsey had a phone call from Connor. Since she was in class, and therefor did not answer, he let a voice mail that she got only at the end of her school day.

''Hi Kelsey! It's Connor. The Toronto Esat coordinator for the YMCA? Remember me? Anyway, I have good news for you : you've been picked to participate to the exchange! Isn't that wonderful! I am sending all the documents you have to fill before you go : they are legal documents such as taxe papers and stuff. If you have ANY questions about ANYTHING, and it is not just a way of speaking, you can call me, you already hace my cell phone number. Have a good day!''

Laughing, Kelsey pressed the restart button on her phone, she wanted to hear it again. She was going to travel and to work this summer! She was so excited, she couldn't stop smiling. As soon as she opened her house door, she yelled :

''I've been chosen!''

The only answer she got was from Max, because nobody else was not home yet, and it was :

''For what? The Hunger Games?''

'' You are such a joy killer, it is unbelievable...'' she yelled back.

"Hahaha!  Always happy to make you angry!"

She had been so excited, and now she was angry and it was all Max's fault, she thought. It is going to be such a nice summer away from both of the primitive men.

At supper, around the kitchen table, while Andy was right in the middle of eating spoonful of mashed potatoes, Kelsey let announced her big news she had been holding on to :

''Guys, I've been chosen!''

While Andy was choking because he make a jump and Donna was helping him by patting his back, Kelsey's dad, Alfred, looks at her, eyebrows raised, wondering what she was talking about.

"The exchange! I can't believe you forgot!"

"What exchange?" managed to ask Andy, who was recovering.

"I signed up for a summer work student exchange. They called me back, I am going!"

"Going where?" asked Max, lookinf concerned for once.

"I don't know yet, I have to call Connor back. Dad, I have to fill up some paperwork about taxes, could you help me out for that?"

"Sure"

Around 8 PM, Kelsey called Connor to find out where she was going. She really wanted to go to Québec, to see the Chateau Frontenac and the architecture. She heard it was beautiful and historical. Connor answered his phone at the third ring.

"Hey! How are you? Are you happy you were chosen?"

"Yes, I am, but I would really love to know where I am going."

"Of course! Let me just check in my file.  You are going to... Drum roll, please! Blainville!"

Blainville? She did not know what to think about that. First of all, where is it? she asked herself. Is it even in Quebec city? Probably, because it has a french name. Is it closer to Montréal, or to Québec, where she wanted to go. She thanked him and hung up. She had to do some researches, she decided, before she went.

"I don't understand anything about that stuff! Is it supposed to be in english?"

"Yes, it is, and you already knew it since you filled up your name and your address on every paper Connor sent us."

"It is after that part that it gets complicated!"

The next morning, Kelsey and her dad decided to start fill up the paperwork. Kelsey did the medical form all by herself, but needed a parent signature. She just asked her dad to stay with her since it was the only thing she could understand. They were currently trying to make sense of a french taxe report.

"I have no idea what that means!"

"Calm down, we are going to get through!"

"You sure? Because I think I might die before that happens..."

It was a laborious work, but like Alfred said, they managed to finish it. Kelsey's mood has been dark and choleric for the rest of the day. Paperwork, she discovered, was so not something she appreciated to do and hoped the job she would have during the summer would not have any.