Once more, I take a moment to update my blog when I should be doing Spanish. This time it's because the prof is still setting up for class, which began 10 minutes ago.

I only need two words for yesterday:

STUPID POLITICS.

I did politics work for 12 hours yesterday, and still am even close to having completed my major assignment which is due Thursday. I know that most of the class is in the same boat though. It's so frustrating! It's not like I'm behind because I've been procrastinating, or because I was busy doing other work. I'm behind because the project wasn't explained on time. And because we are expected to know so much more than I do.

Arg!

Class is starting...

bye.

What a weekend!

Well, it's obvious that my posting everyday is not going to last long! But I'll do my best to post as often as I can.

On Friday I had a grammar quiz in English, which I did alright on, even though it was a bunch of stuff that I really could care less about. For instance, we had to read a quote and then state what the predicate nominative, or a subjective completion is. Definitely got that one wrong.

I was supposed to have French right after English, but our prof was sick so he assigned a reading and then sent us out to buy our textbooks, which I did on Thursday. $125 for a soft cover book that makes the French Texts as EMCS look phenomenal. Too bad I needed it right away, or I could have found one on the internet for way less.

I met up with Amber when class was done, we made chicken fajitas for dinner and then went to the Campus for Christ meeting. No free kleenex this time though. We both really enjoyed it, and afterwards joined the group to head off to a pub. Yes, a pub. I thought that was a rather strange place to meet up after church, but apparently not. We had some good food and great conversation...and some reminiscing about Adventures in Odyssey and Veggie Tales.

When I got back at about 10:30 the party had begun in rez. I joined for a little while, and then went back to my room to do some skyping when it got too out of hand. Around 2:30 everyone on my floor went out to Shwarma (I might be spelling that wrong...) which is a Lebanese wrap thing. I didn't have any though, eating unidentifiable food at 2:30 doesn't appeal to me much.

After Shwarma, Taylor and I just went to bed...despite the party which continued all night. There were some very tired people on Saturday!

For those of you who do not yet know what I did on Saturday, you should check out my photo album on facebook. Try copy/pasting this address:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=124331&id=538346974&l=320c5b6113

And in case you don't have time to waste on looking at all of my beautiful pictures, I'll explain that Amber and I went to Parliament Hill, and then explored the Byward Market a bit. We went to a tea shop which everyone suggests when I speak about silk road. Silk Road is still my tea store. On the way back I found a hubcap which was plastic, so it's light enough that I can hang it with a removable hook. I'm going to paint something on it, and put it on my wall. Suggestions?

Taylor was out with a friend, and everyone else on the floor went to Hull for Cadeem's (I spelled his name wrong last time) Birthday, so when I got back I did some homework and some cleaning up before going to bed. Taylor ended up spending the night at her friend's place, and it was actually really strange having the room to myself. I didn't like it!

That brings us to today. It's cloudy and drizzling outside, the type of day to curl up with a cup of tea or hot chocolate on a comfy chair and watch a movie. Too bad I'm doing homework instead. I went to church with Amber this morning, we decided to try All Nations, which is the church that runs Church on Campus. It was a little too contemporary for me, and so the quest for a church continues.

Just before I end this post, I'd like to warn you that there likely wont be much posted this week, I have a major assignment due on Thursday for Politics. On top of that, next weekend is Thanksgiving, so please don't be too concerned if when I do post, I'm rather down, as I'm expecting to get hit with a wave of homesickness. Amber and Veronica are both going home for Thanksgiving, and I don't really connect that well with the other people from my floor who are staying here.

Revising

Fear? Is that you?

Looking like my professor whose

Voice booms through the speaker,

It feels like he’s preaching about doomsday.

Maybe it’s the suit

Or the stories of kings and research papers

And phone calls to Brussels.

You look more human when you wear

A T-shirt and shorts and speak about the

Little person at home who eats mangoes.

Is that you?

Creeping through agonizing hours

Learning to be, which in French il faut que you sois,

In Spanish many of you are sois.

In English I just am or am not.

Did you know that in Istanbul Can is pronounced Jean

But like the Prime Minister, not like half a pair of pants?

Maybe if I write about you in a paper,

Not an essay, because after all in University

We learn to be mores specific. So on a paper

(Maybe I actually have to write, not type)

I can circle you round in red,

Preserving the mistake, so said another prof.

And then the squiggly red line that leads away from the words

And looks like a cartoon bumble bee’s motion

Kicks you off the page, and you roll away.

You’ve been revised.

I learned something today.

Sunshine, Lollipops and Rainbows

First,

Thank you everyone for your outpouring of support after my some-what discouraged post on Wednesday! Phone calls, mail, email, and facebook messages: I didn't have a chance to be down on Thursday!

And now...

Directly after blogging on Wednesday I went to Veronica's room to invite her over for tea, a plan which we'd made earlier that day. Taylor was out somewhere, maybe she had a class, I don't remember. Anyway, I went to get Veronica and some how ended up with half the floor in my room again, having tea and a scone and killing ourselves laughing. Definitely not what I'd expected when I went to get Veronica, but certainly what I needed.

Taylor and I both find it strange that our room, or just outside our door always seems to be the gathering place. We don't have a fridge full of beer, we don't offer candy or junk food, or blast loud music, and it's not like we're the party type. But everyone is always here, and strangely enough, I like it...though perhaps we should start getting people to leave earlier...11:45 when we have class in the morning is a tad bit late. Luckily I dont have any early

morning classes.

That brings me to yesterday. I woke up feeling much better, the sun was shining into my room, the first thing I saw when I went to turn off my alarm was my giant lollipop: how could I not be in a good mood? I listened to some music, made some breakfast, read the news online, talked to my dad on the phone, and eventually I went to class: history back to back with Politics. In politics we watched a documentary about coffee. BUY FAIR TRADE. (If you dont take my word for it, I can direct you to a 50 page report, or a 40 minute BBC broadcast, or the documentary that we watched yesterday, but believing me would save lots of time!)

I went out to buy my french textbook, which I was told would cost me 50 dollars and was actually 120. I wasn't impressed. Then I bought some groceries and all my favourite foods were on sale! How often could that possibly happen? Too bad they weren't on sale enough to make up for my ridiculously overpriced text book. It's not even a hard cover book!

After Mango curry for dinner, and then more homework, I finished my day having tea with Veronica, and then of course hanging out with everyone who had gathered just outside my door.

¡¿Arg?!

My eyes are stinging from staring at my computer screen, trying in vain to find answers to questions that I hope are the ones I'm supposed to be asking. I am so frustrated with all the unknowns right now. In a week my first major assignment is due. A six page essay about a "daily activity" that answers what the problem is, how it's global, what the politics are, who has the power, and what can be done about it. I also have to include two pages about my research process, and my sources have to be from scholarly journals that have been peer reviewed.

So one soul who managed to find their bearings in this crazy world of university, researched and wrote a paper about something. And then that paper was read by a group of other people who found similar directions and studied similar things. And then those people agree that this paper is true. And then it is added to billions of other papers which have been read by billions of other people and are accumulated in some giant collection which is stored in some dimension which I can't see or understand....and somehow blind, deaf, and unable to feel my way around I have to find just the "papers" I'm looking for.

Wouldn't it be nice if I at least was sure of what I'm trying to find.

Yesterday I had a reasonably good day. I hung out with new friends, got mail at my new address, gave someone my new phone number, went to a new building for a new class. But I felt happy...and then some how when I was trying to fall asleep it all came crashing down around me and I'm questioning if I can actually do this, if I'm actually in the right place. Is it ok that when I come back to my dorm room and dump my things on the floor and flop on to the bed, that it feels like my bed? Is it ok that these people who I know nothing about are suddenly my "best" friends, and that we are already having to talk about living together next year? Am I actually going to enjoy and be able to use the degree I've chosen? Will I wake up one morning and understand what my Spanish profs are teaching me, or remember the dates and names from my history class, or be able to carry out an entire conversation en français?

I'm flying, and very soon am going to run out of fuel. I guess the next big question is will I find a field to land in, or will I be sucked into the unknown of wild open waters.

Monday, Sept 21

My Spanish prof is having us do work which I did for homework yesterday(the 21)...so I'm taking a moment to update my blog, which I didn't do yesterday because I was doing Spanish.

Well, after the hours of boring preparation for politics, we didn't even discuss what we were supposed to discuss, instead, we were told about our assignment. I'm now more confused about it than I was to begin with. When politics was done, so was my school day. I went home, made some lunch, and then went shopping, since the clothes I had will not do for Autumn here. After a reasonably successful trip I came home, made dinner, and did homework until 10:00. Our floor ended the day together, all crammed in the lounge, on uncomfortable "couches" watching CSI Miami, and eating popcorn out of a melting plastic bag.

What a (rez) life!

Today I spent basically my whole day on politics, and coffee. YUCK. I literally was reading required text for politics, or watching extremely stupid online videos for politics, or listening to very boring broadcasts for politics from 11:30 to 6:00, with only a break to make a sandwich and fold my clean towels. Then, on top of not liking coffee, I had to read a 50 page OXFAM report, and listen to a 40 minute BBC broadcast about it FOR POLITICS...double yuck.

Around 4:30 when I was thinking about how excited I was to be going to church and not doing politics, I remembered that there was no church service tonight, because Church on Campus was putting on a free Spaghetti dinner instead. Taylor, Veronica and I went to it. It was absolutely wonderful... real food, with fresh buns and vegetables, and home made cookies for dessert. We were so full afterwards! I can't decide which was best - the cookies, or the fact that it was free. Both were quite amazing. Maybe that there were free cookies? That reminds me of grocery shopping with mom and dad when I was little...

We hung out and talked for a while when we'd finished dinner, then took a short break to do some homework, and ended our day with tea and conversation.

Magnifque.

Salt and Pepper

So, yesterday my blogging routine was cancelled, because there were people in my room until 2:30 am, at which point I went to bed...but here it is for the last two days!

When I was lying in my bed on Thursday night, I was listening to the traffic. And some times, if it was just right the whooosh of cars passing my window kind of sounded like the ocean. Maybe I'm going through withdrawal? Maybe I was hallucinating? Or maybe I just really needed to go to bed.

Friday morning I made my self a sunny-side up egg, toasted my bread in the toaster oven (which I've never done before) and had some delicious breakfast, except that it needed salt and pepper.

Friday noon-time I put together an Ikea pot with a bobby pin, because I dont have a screw driver yet. Then I made soup, which might have been more delicious if it had salt and pepper.

Friday afternoon I went downstairs and checked the mail, found a little pink slip, and picked up a parcel from Grandma Helen, Grandpa Merv, and Auntie Karen...I opened the package, which I was expecting to bevery nice, but it was AMAZING because it included salt and pepper! (And shakers for each!)

And then...I went to class, which didn't need salt or pepper, but did need me to stop over- thinking. For English we had to read a 60 pages about essay writing, which was about choosing a topic, writing a thesis, and description. Then we had two read two descriptive essays in preparation for Friday's class, where we'd do a "homework quiz." Now, Professor Sacks (that is actually his name) said that the questions would be about the basic things in the essay, and the things that were really important. SO, I was expecting the questions to be comparing the rhetorical devices used, and discussing theme. That's what I prepared for. Instead, the questions were about specific silly things from the essays. "What is an Esker?" "What lesson does the author say people learn when going up north?" "Where was the author born?"

...good thing that wasn't my midterm, or I'd be losing my scholarship for next year. After English I had French, after French Amber and I had dinner at the cafeteria Yes, it needed salt and pepper, but I wasn't going back to get it.

Amber and I went to a Campus for Christ meeting when we'd finished dinner. Near the beginning of the meeting they asked for four volunteers to play a game, so we volunteered and ended up playing the price is right. I won some Kleenex and Purell...but no extra bonus prize for being only 13 cents away from the actual price. The rest of the meeting was really nice, there was some good worship time, which was such a wonderful way to finish off the week. At the end of the meeting, Amber and I spent 5-10 minutes lost in three buildings, as they are all connected on the level we were on. When we finally figured how to get out, it was nice and dark outside. I walked Amber home, because the walk was along the Rideau Canal, which I hadn't walked along yet. It was definitely not as nice as the boardwalk, or Whiffen Spit, or the breakwater. But in a few short months I'll be able to skate on it, which I can't do at any of those other incredibly-breathtakingly-beautiful places. When I got home...it's weird calling my room home...Taylor came to get me and take me over to Kathleen's room, where she and Veronica (both our floor mates) had been hanging out. They'd been drinking, but they weren't too drunk. I had half a drink, and then helped them make popcorn. Somehow the popcorn turned into a junk-food feast for just about the entire floor, which then led to Veronica, Taylor, Kathleen and I playing Apples to Apples in our room. Than Kadim, one of the guys on the floor came in an joined us, then Geoff, Kadim's room mate, and his girlfriend joined us, but by then we were just hanging out. Geoff and his girlfriend left shortly before midnight, Kathleen also left at midnight (after a colouring session with Mr. Sketch markers!). After Kathleen left we were pretty much just hanging out and watching funny videos online. We had such a good time! When Kadim left he gave us all hugs, which though it was strange, since we'd just met, it was the first hug I've had since coming to Ottawa, and it felt really good. Veronica, Taylor, and I had a pretty intense laugh after Kadim left, just about how weird it was to meet such a huggy-guy, and about how awkward their hugs at been (Kadim is really tall, and they were sitting down. Veronica had a backwards hug, and Taylor got hugged from like 3 feet away.) When we could breathe again, Veronica left. It was shortly after 2:30, and I was sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

tired.

I slept until 11, which I'm not that proud of, but I really needed it! I did some work, and spent some time relaxing, and then went to the Byward Market with Kathleen, Veronica, and Laryssa (Veronica's room mate). I bought a toque and a giant lollipop, which I dont intend to eat, but looking at it makes me happy! We spent the day exploring, tried on the most ridiculous sunglasses I've ever seen, Veronica and Kathleen got piercings (V=Belly-button, K=upper ear) We went for dinner, came home, and talked for a while before parting for bed.

In the pictures:

Rideau at Night,

Amber and I (and my new sweater!)

Leaving the Byward market

My morning consisted of: waking up early-ish, reading news online, and having breakfast. Upon completion of those exciting tasks, I decided it was time to try something new: scanning my notes, so that I dont have to bring my notebook to class. Yes, this means that I take notes on my computer, and then write down what matters with some additional study notes into my notebook, and then put them back on to the computer. After only a minor amount of frusteration, I had completed the task, made a sandwich for lunch, and left for class!

History was disappointing, I found it difficult to pay attention the lecture, because he wasn't telling us anything that I hadn't just read in the textbook. The urge to go online and do something more exciting was very high, but I stayed facebook-free for the whole class.

Next I had politics. I'm a bit concerned that I am not understanding what's happening in this course. Most of what the prof talks about I understand, but I dont see connections between the things that he is talking about, and I can't apply them to my life. Maybe once we actually start studying one of our 10 "problems" (coffee being the first) I'll be able to connect the dots. I hope so...because my first assignment is due in two weeks, and I really dont know what exactly I'm supposed to do for it! Oh, and it's worth 15% of my grade....YUCK! My room mate and I were just discussing how huge the gap is between grade 12 and first year university: this is something that shouldn't be that hard to fix! Expect a little bit more in grade 12, and a little bit less in first year...but apparently that is impossible?

When politics was finished I took the time to read our student newspaper, The Fulcrum. Other than a few more very politically correct yet "heartfelt" statments about the "tragic incident" that occured on Saturday (which I also recieved another email and a phone message about) there wasn't very much in it. But, my room mate was sleeping, and I felt like sleeping...so at least it was a little more productive.

When Taylor got up from her nap and went to class, I decided to get some work done, and I did. I've discovered that the only way I can get through these very tedious readings is to sit down and commit to working for a specific amount of time, and having some sort of reward (candy, free time, walk, done-for-the-day) afterwards. I managed to read 30 pages telling me about how to choose a topic for an English Essay, which I dont get to choose the topic for, and also finish the French article that we began in class Tuesday. AND I did my bible study, all in an hour and a half! I felt pretty good about myself.

This evening after dinner Taylor and I went out to get some groceries. My love of grocery shopping has officially ended. It is so expensive shopping for one person, buying everything in the smallest quantities possible, choosing things that can be prepared in the least amount of time without many basic ingredients, choosing the smallest head of lettuce so I can put it in a ziploc bag to keep it a bit fresher, since we of course have no crisper. The good thing is that Taylor knows a lot more about instant food than I do, so she knows which things are worth buying, and which are not. That being said, I'm pretty sure that "Szechwan Kraft Dinner Cups" wouldn't ever tempt me.

We'd just finished putting our groceries away when the fire alarm went off. Angry, we put on our sweaters and shoes, grabbed our keys, and joined the mob of students heading down the stairs. After waiting outside for 30 minutes (and taking two photos, above) we were allowed back into the building...and I thought fire drills at EMCS were bad!

There was something else that I wanted to mention...but I've definitely forgotten what it was. Maybe I should have been blogging when I was thinking about it during history!

A few minor accomplishments today:

1. I completed and hung, or rather, mounted with sticky-tac the masterpiece that my friends painted for me!

(See Pics!)

2. I completed my first assignment

3. I did not fall asleep in a VERY boring English class!

4. I chose between several different designs and bought my Université d'Ottawa sweater! (Amber and I had lots of fun being indecisive together. The problem was that when we finally found one we liked, it was the same one, and we are the same size, and there was only one left. But, I am happy with the one I bought anyway, and it's warmer so I can wear it longer!)

and...I am falling asleep, so that's it for today.

Oh, the other pics are from FedStock on Saturday. A picture of my sweater is coming soon!

I je yo speak parle hablo English anglais inglis

Today I had my first Spanish Lecture...it was alright, I at least know what the discussion group prof was talking about last week! And, as you may have noticed in my title, I know at least three more words than I did before.

When Spanish finished I had a break for lunch, and then it was time for History. I'm fairly certain that History will be the class that keeps me sane this semester. It seems to involve the least amount of foreign language or death-by-analyzing. Politics counts as foreign language. After history I had a quick walk cross campus pour ma classe de français. I don't know if I mentioned this before, but on Saturday a student took their own life, I believe by jumping out the window of another rez building. Today in French we were talking about the stresses of first year University, and about suicide. Suicide is one topic that I just can not handle talking about. I dont like that the University hasn't flat out admitted it was suicide (the official email stated "a tragic incident involving loss of life." I dont like that with the exception of rumors, life goes on as if nothing happened - we are a community that hasn't come together yet. And we are a community that is so much on the move, focussed on what we have to do that these sort of "tragic incidents" don't seem to matter. I was so much disturbed by the topic of conversation that I was having difficulties paying attention to the prof, I felt physically sick, and I wasn't able to think clearly in English, let alone en français. Thankfully the teacher cancelled the discussion group that we were supposed to have right afterwards, I dont know how I would have handled it. As I was leaving the building, one of the guys I met at Lianne's on Sunday, I think his name is Andrew, (who strangely enough I have now seen three days in a row, even though we aren't studying the same things, aren't in the same year, and dont really have mutual friends) said hi to me three times before I even noticed he was a) there, and b) speaking. I dont know if my prof saw how upset I was, but Andrew definitely did. He made me tell him what was going on, which was good, except that I probably looked like a 12 year old who couldn't hold herself together. I escaped with a tiny bit of dignity, thankful for the crowded hallway in which it wasn't really a good idea to stop. Since it was my last class I went back to my dorm. I took the stairs up, stomping on every step, imagining myself squishing my negative thoughts each time my flip flop smacked against the floor. Finally a use for 10 flights of stairs. When I got back to my room, I had mostly recovered...but I was very out of breath!

Since then I've just been doing homework! Nothing else tremendously exciting to report. Tomorrow I have English with Amber, I'm looking forward to seeing her again. Hopefully we'll have some time to just talk.

Perhaps it's because I slept, or received emails from home, or just finally expressed a bunch of things that I needed to express...but today was much better than yesterday, although nothing incredibly great happened! Oh, except that I deposited my Millenium cheque. 5000 dollars addressed to me, and I don't owe all of it to some one else. THAT felt amazing.

Going backwards a few hours (lets start at the very beginning, a very good place to start...when you read you begin with...)

A) I woke up, did some homework, had my new 'routine breakfast' which sounds horrible, but is good. Oatmeal, yogurt, and fruit in one bowl. yum. Then I did some homework or errands or something that was productive but I dont remember...

B) I had Politics - and when I went outside I was pleasantly surprised...it was actually cool enough out to wear jeans! After politics I had a cheese and tomato sandwich for lunch, and then went out to go the bank, buy my french textbook, and get some groceries.

C) I went to the bank, did not buy my french book because the line up went out the door and stretched a block, and got groceries, except that I bought the wrong milk and forgot chic peas.

No singing, though you can if you'd like.

The rest of my day? I read very exciting textbooks, took very useful notes, and began some planning for very amazing assignments. At least i actually made my self some very good dinner - curry! It was lovely and spicy, I no longer feel like I have a cold, and I bet the rest of my floor doesn't either!

After that I did more homework, had a shower, and ate some very yummy reeces pieces.

And for my dad:

Nous devons lire Ezek. 34-36

Goodnight!

PS. In my very difficult English reading today the "Critical Thinking" questions were about finding repetition. I think you'll have to think harder than I had to in my reading to find repetition in my blog tonight.

A man walks along the beach. It's bright and sunny, with a refreshing breeze. The waves roll smoothly and rhythmically onto the shore, reaching just a little bit farther each time, and then the water trickles back into itself, pulling along granules of sand and fragments of kelp. He stares out at the vast open water. He soaks in the sunbeams that warm his back as he treads along rocks which tumble one over the other. One side hits another side and whether black or white, gray or brown they bounce off one another, knock off the grit that lies on the surface, and slowly shape and are shaped by each other. A cacophony of change, to the man, part of the harmony of recreation. He stops, picks up a small, speckled stone. He holds it in his hand. He feels the smooth and the rough. He caresses it's imperfections. Gently, he swings his arm, opens his fingers and watches the rock soar out over the water. One bounce, and a ripple. Two, and more ripples, and then it silently sinks down through unknown waters, landing on unseen rocks beneath the surface of the sea.

I came to Ottawa because I honestly believe that it is where God wants me. But the world where I've landed is completely unfamiliar. I know that I'm going to be recreated here. I'm going to learn, grow, and meet new people. I'm going to discover more of what God wants me to do. I know that God is with me, that he hears me, and is here for me. But at the same time, I need someone who I can touch and see. I am so excited to be experiencing a new life: but it hurts to leave the old behind. This evening I went to a church service on campus. I needed so much to praise my creator. As much as I truly believed every word I was singing, each one was painful. God has picked me up and taken me away from everything I know: everything except him. It's terrifying. My emotions are so jumbled, and it's hard to find my centre.

What else happened today?

- I managed to read what I needed to read for my politics class, and I sort of understand it.

- I conquered my first bus trip, with a score of 95%. I took two buses to get to Orleans, but then got off at the wrong end of a Princess Louise, and therefor took the scenic route to visit Lianne/Jim/Lane/Neil. It was Neil's birthday and there were a bunch of other University students there. It was good to eat real food and to chat with them, but I just didn't feel quite right being there.

- I thought about literally every person I know who isn't in Ottawa.

Wow, weekends are definitely party time in rez! By nine last night at least half of the people on our floor were wasted. But, I guess it provided me with cheap entertainment. Taylor and I hung out with Michael, who lives next door, and chatted about life for two hours. Or, perhaps 1 hour, including the time we spend "talking" to our drunk floormates Becca and Jane. It reminded me of watching the Victoria Day parade on TV. After the first few minutes of the parade, the commercials are more exciting than the parade itself. They are funny because they are stupid, and because you cant believe why any grown man would be willing to walk around a furniture store dressed like Tarzan proclaiming that he "wont be undersold.". They are funny because people actually want to broadcast themselves performing an outrageous embarassing-to-watch dance and singing about diarrhea. Most importantly, they are funny the first time only. Once you've seen each commercial six times all you want to do is turn the TV off. Too bad there are no batteries for the remote, and both the mute and power button on the TV have minds of their own.

At about 11:45 Michael decided he was hungry, so I went along with him and another girl to find some food. We ended up going to Shwarma, which is some sort of Indian style Pita thing, which smells really good but is full of unidentifiable veggies, and a neon green (but apparently tasty) sauce. I didnt have one, but it was because I honestly wasn't hungry, not because I was being unadventurous. The moral of this story, is that while there is no food available on campus (on weekends or after 9 it seems), one can choose a variety of interesting ethnic foods at any time of the night just a few minutes away!

Today I woke up at 10, and did my first load of laundry since I left home. It was 3.50, and my jeans/socks came out of the dryer wet. My new white towel somehow came out blue (thankfully I didn't wash my sheets!) my red t-shirt lost a significant amount of colour, and at the end of it I discovered that two different socks were left in my bag and did not get washed. It was also very strange to be folding laundry in a different way than usual. (No loud music, no laundry basket upside down on my bed, no lid-to-my-"laundry box" to fold with. Yet another routine that I've come to rely on which will have to be replaced.

In between waiting for laundry and going out to find a text book, I managed to do some of my English homework. My university English text book spent 3 pages teaching me how to brainstorm. "Put a word phrase, or sentence in a circle in the centre of a blank page. Then, put every new idea that comes to you in another circle and show its relationship to a previous thought by drawing a line to the circle containing the previous idea. " I didn't think it was possible to find any reading more boring than "RoadSense for Drivers" this is about 100 times worse. It was a very looooooong 40 pages!

This afternoon I went to FedStock, which is a giant concert arranged by the student FEDeration....hence the name. It goes from 3 -12, but I only stayed until 7. My room mate and I, the hard core partiers that we are, had to come back to get some studying done. I began reading my politics book, which is smaller than a grade 2 novel. I have to read 40 pages of "Globalization: A Very Short Introduction" by Monday, which I didn't think would be a problem...until I opened the book. I got through the first paragraph, and shelved it for tomorrow. And so, I'll leave you with the last sentence I intend to read tonight.

"As a result of this regid dichotomy that pitted the universal against the particular and the global against the local, many people had trouble recognizing the myriad ties binding religious-traditionalist fundamentalisms to the secular postmodernity of the global age."

Organized Chaos

Today I...

1. Woke up before my alarm clock went off, even though I was looking forward to sleeping in

2. Had bread and cheese and yogurt for breakfast, on my fishy plate.

3. Checked my email

4. Began reading my very boring, redundant, pile-of-crap English textbook in the sun on Tabaret Lawn

5. When to a Campus for Christ BBQ

6. Decided I'm going to go Dog Sledding/Snow Shoeing with Amber

7. Did a "diagnostic writing test" in English, which probably didn't go so well. It's not for marks though, thankfully.

8. Had my first french class - and it went WAY better than Spanish. My prof went to each of us (there's less than 30 in the class) and had a brief conversation in french for the whole class to hear. (What we're studying, where we're from) He could tell I was nervous about speaking though, he actually told me to chill out. The good news is, I understood just about every word he said, and it seems like it's at the right level for me. We'll be "learning" most of the stuff I did in French 12, so hopefully it wont be too hard, and I can just focus on my speaking ability (and confidence level!)

9. Worked on the painting that I had my friends help with! It's almost ready for the wall.

10. Bought a laundry card

11. Put something in the mail for someone!

12. Had lemon-oregano chicken and rice from the caf for dinner

13. Wrote this blog

I'm feeling unorganized right now, there's just so much going on and I haven't figured out how to approach all of the things I need to do, or how to keep track of all of them. I cant wait to be a little more settled in to this life! And, I can't wait to be healthy again. That's right, I've been here a week, and I'm already sick. UG!

Just an ordinary day (10.09.09)

Today has gone (so far) with out any major catastrophes. I woke up, and ate my own food from my own room! Finally something healthy...it was great, although the yogurt I had was an interesting colour. I did some dishes, and left for class (with my keys!)

I had some minor difficulties finding my history class which began at 11:30, but I still managed to get there on time, and to have a good seat. The building is being renovated, so you can only go in some of the doors, but none of them are marked, and also the name of the building is not on it anywhere (all the other buildings have their names on the sides). When I finally got in I met another guy who was looking for the class. I dont remember when I met him the first time, and I dont remember his name, which was a problem, because he remembered mine...oh well. Maybe I'll learn it again next time I see him. And maybe by that point he'll have forgotten mine too. I can hope. We eventually found the class after finding an office and asking for directions. Navigational problems aside, I think it is going to be a great class! The prof seemed really nice, and genuinely passionate about his job. There are 200 of us in the class, and he really is committed to trying to get to know us. Our first assignment? Write a one page piece about ourselves. He gave a very though provoking lecture...I am quite excited for the rest of the course!

When History ended at 12:50 I had to bolt across campus to my politics and globalization class, which started at 1:00. I made it, but with no time to spare. The prof is SO funny! I've heard from some people that he'll either be the best or worst prof you ever have...reminds me of some other teachers I know. It was another very full class, but at least there are enough seats. During the class, I ate my lunch, which is worth mentioning because it was a sandwich that I made and put tomatoes on, instead of putting them in an extra bag. Yes, that's right. I put my tomatoes on my sandwich. It wasn't too bad, but I think only because I made sure they weren't touching the bread, and the bread was a little dry in the first place. At the beginning of his lecture he made us stand up, and say in Unison "I (state name here) will never use the word globalization again in this class." Upon further explanation, we just aren't allowed to use it without another word (like, economic globalization) because it's too big of a subject. The course will have a pretty large work load, but the material looks really interesting. We have 10 subjects or problems which we are going to study according to their politics and try and find solutions to them. For example: coffee, bees, and water. We also will create the final exam as a class, so there wont be any surprises on it. Yay for less stress!

My room mate and I went to the cafeteria for dinner, which was 8 dollars for a small meal. Oh well, it was food. After my tomato adventure at lunch, if any of you are concerned that University is making me more normal - take heart, it hasn't got to me yet! I took some milk along in a ziplock bag inside of a cup. I thought it was a logical thing to do. My room mate thinks I'm nuts. She must be getting to know me!

First Day

So yesterday (Wednesday) was my first day of classes....and I'm off to an interesting start.

I met up with Amber for lunch, we just talked about life: I think out of everyone I've met so far, she understands me the most. Did I already mention that she's a Christian?

After lunch I went to my first class: Spanish. Get this, my class room is in the Graduate Students building, and I am learning Spanish from a prof. who's first language is Farsi (sp?). He's actually from Iran. I dont know about you, but I find this so Canadian! I'm a bit anxious about Spanish, it is the easiest level the University offers, but he came in and wasn't speaking English for most of the class. He told us that starting next week, we cant speak English either. It will be an intensive class, that's for sure. I think I'm going to purchase one of those quick-learn books, like people buy for travelling, and study up before my next class.

When Spanish ended, I got a text message from my room mate, which arrived 3 hours after she sent it. I left my keys in the room....for the second time in 2 days. By that point she was in class, and when her class ended my next class began, so I ended up meeting her at 6:30. Meanwhile, I hung out with Amber again, as the two of us shared an English class from 4-5:30. With the exception of the fact that the prof. is from New Jersey, and mispronounces lots of words, I think that English will be reasonably easy...but perhaps my opinion will change after I get my first paper back. That gives me a month to enjoy it.

After English I had dinner, met my room mate, and then we went grocery shopping. FINALLY I have some food! I know for sure that I'll be making a lot of my own meals: I had 2 meals on campus Wednesday, and only one with a drink....both meals were pretty small, and it cost me $20.00.

Homework Load for two classes so far: Learn Spanish in a week, and read 65 pages for English. (Though I have until sept. 18th to do that)

Time to get ready for a new day!

A New Beginning! Sept. 4-10

So I've now moved into my residence, met my room mate, and gone on some interesting adventures. Here's the last few days:

Friday: I arrived in Ottawa at 12:17. I fought with a GPS machine, and successfully made it to the Johnston's place, where Dad and I were staying while I waited to move in. The family was super nice, I felt very welcome, and it was wonderful to get to know some inside info about the university. Lane, who is also going into first year, had some friends over watching a marathon of heroes(an entire season) as a way to say goodbye to Dave...guess where he is going? Victoria! The key numbers in Ottawa seem to be 4, 1, and 7. Any combination of those numbers should take you to where you want to go. Dad and I had fun with the GPS: "Take highway 417, take ramp, on right to 174..." oh hooray! (And dad: Princess Louise :P) We went to the University for the first time. I picked up my student card in the Tabaret Hall, which as BEAUTIFUL old building with gorgeous front steps, massive columns, and a very lovely inside too. Then I bought some text books, and we took the longest route possible to the Rideau Centre downtown. We couldn't do much though, since I'd somehow managed to leave without my class list or debit card...I was a tad bit tired!

Saturday: This was the big day! We got to the University at 9:15, and I joined the line up for keys. Probably an hour later I had my key, and got to join the line up for the one working elevator to the 10th floor. Dad took two suitcases up the stairs, and beat me by quite a while.

My first impression of the room was great! Yes, it's a tiny, ugly dorm room, but it's not as tiny or ugly as I had expected! I did some unpacking, met my room mate, and went out shopping with dad. Saturday was an alright day, but it was really stressful. I was so tired of spending money, and so tired of line-ups that shopping was just not the thing to be doing, but I didn't really have a choice. At the end of a long day I said good bye to Dad, and went upstairs to go to bed in my new "home."

Sunday: My room mate (her name is Taylor) and I woke up around 9:30, she had to go say good bye to her mom. When she got back at 11:00 we decided to go hunt down some food. WAY easier said than done. The food places didn't open until Tuesday, so we had basically no choices. We asked someone where we should go, and they said to the Tabaret Lawn for a free BBQ. I had a cold burger that shared more similarities with cardboard than meat, with nothing on it but ketchup, because that's all there was. But we did enjoy sitting on lush green grass and just hanging out together. After lunch we went to go and rent a fridge. Oh the adventure! By this point, there was a HUGE line up for the one working elevator, because people were still moving in. We bought the fridge, and yes, carried it up 10 flights of stairs to our room. After a brief moment to regain our breath, we had to head back down to our 101 week activities. My students association, which is called PIDSSA (Political, International, and Development Studies Student Association) was meeting on the Tabaret stairs. We learned a bunch of cheers, almost all of them were full of swear words and about getting laid...it was so not my thing! The biggest problem with Sunday was a lack or planning when it came to food. All of us had to go to a football game which was maybe a 5-10 minute drive from campus, and then we were going to Camp Fortune for a giant first year party. The game was scheduled from 2-8, the party from 8-2. At 2, we joined the line up for the bus. I got to the game just after 6. At the game, the food line ups were about 25 minutes long, so I didn't eat, foolishly thinking there'd be food at the party (since we'd been told something along those lines.) After waiting an hour for a bus, I got to the party and had to wait for another hour and 25 minutes for a burger about as good as the one I'd had earlier (except by this point I was so hungry that it was WONDERFUL). When I finally got my food, I was so cold, and so tired, and so unsatisfied that I joined the line up to get home. That line up was also over an hour.

Anyone else going to first year university, take food with you, dont buy it when you get there. However, I think this experience has made me become a better person: a line up that's only half an hour, is a dream.

Monday: Taylor and I slept in until about 9:30. The first exciting thing I did on Monday was set up my voicemail. It tells you what you are supposed to say in your message, has you record it, review, and save. Then it has you record your name. "If you are satisfied with your name, press 9 to keep it. If you are not satisfied, press 7 to record a new name....(I pressed 9.) From now on, I will call you Jennifer Emery" Does anyone else find this as ridiculous as I did??

Just before heading to my 12:00 event, I stopped for a muffin and a yogurt. Good start...healthy-ish food! My event wasn't really an event, we mostly just hung out, did some more cheers, and split into small groups to plan Shinerama, which is a national fundraiser for Cystic Fibrosis. The university's goal this year is 100 000 dollars. "Shine Day? Tuesday! Tuesday? Shine Day!" The group that I was in started with 11 people, but somehow everyone disappeared, and it ended up being 5 of us and two guides. So when we finally had (drum-role please) a break for lunch (crazy Applause!) the 5 of us went downtown to find food together at the Rideau Centre. We had so much fun together! It took forever to find a table, so by the time we sat down our lunch break was over. We decided not to go to our next event, which was a 3 hour workshop put on by a sex shop called " Venus Envy." After lunch we (Nolan, Amber, Vanessa, Julie, and I) explored the Rideau Centre, because Julie wanted to buy a shirt, and then we went to the Byward Market, walked around, and came home. We were waiting to cross the street near the university when an elderly gentleman on a bike asked what our shirts were for. (We all had to wear our PIDSSA 101-week shirts). We answered, and he said "When I was in University, it was about Sex, Drugs, and Rock and Roll." We laughed. While we were talking to him, we were skipping out on on cheers about sex and drugs and a sex workshop. This week just about everyone gets drunk every night. And we've had two parties, and two concerts coming: rock and roll. We were chilling under the trees on the Tabaret Lawn when we were asked to participate in a free energizer session also happening on the lawn. There were only 2 other people there, so feeling bad for the leaders, Vanessa, Amber and I decided to join. WE LOOKED SOOOO RIDICULOUS! It was like standing in a circle doing some sort of bizarre tribal dance, but it was tons of fun, and actually quite energizing. We finished with a breathing exercise, which felt so good. I finally had a moment to sit down and focus myself. I breathed in and thanked God for all the wonderful experiences of that day. For a safe trip here. For a so-far-so-good room mate, for beautiful weather, and for the support of my friends/family back home. When we were finished, another girl joined our group, and we decided to go up to Nolan's place in 90U and make sidekicks for dinner. (90U is a suite-style residence). He didn't have enough dishes, so I went up to my room to get mine. My plan was to have dinner, then come back to my room and put the things I needed in my purse to go to the next event. When I got to Nolan's, the group had already chosen 3 packages from his gigantic tote full of instant food, and put the water/milk on to boil. One pot for Honey Garlic, one pot for creamy parmesian. Unfortunately, Nolan didn't know that you cant put milk on to boil at maximum and just ignore it. So we had burned milk. When the more kitchen savy of us took over, we turned the burner down right away, but then learned that every time you turn the burner down, the burner turns itself off. The hot plate was brand new!!! It shouldn't have been doing this! So needless to say, the milk didnt' boil down, and the creamy parmesan was more of milk and noodle soup. We ran out of time to finish cooking it, so all 6 of us shared the package of honey garlic. That meant 1 bite each, and we were off to another event.

After yet another ridiculous line up for a bus, we finally arrived at the Bronson Centre for a comedy night. It was very good, with two exceptions. First, I dont suggest ever going to one of these things on an empty stomach, as it really hurts to laugh, and when the group decides to give a standing ovation, standing up results in falling over. Second, it was at this point that I got hit with a huge wave of home sickness. One of the comedians was talking about his wife, and how she told him that when he goes away she hugs his pillow and thinks about him. It reminded me of one of the first times Justin was over, and we were working on DFZ stuff on my bed. We were exhausted, and while I was typing he'd been lying down on my pillow. That night when I was trying to fall asleep my pillow smelled like Justin....and I went crazy! The smell of Justin did not belong on my bed! (Justin, if you are reading this and haven't heard that story, attribute it to the fact that I was 15, immature, and embarrassed :P) All of a sudden I just wanted to cry. I was so tired, and so hungry, and so far away from everything that matters to me. I wanted to be coming home from our usual Labour Day weekend camp with the Martins. I wanted to be getting ready to stand on the stage and welcome all the grade nine's to EMCS. I wanted to be staying up late, talking to everyone, and know that in the morning when we all got to school for the first leadership event, there'd be a round of hugs for everyone. I'd left all my stuff at Nolan's (including all my money, my ID, my camera, and my phone, yes I realize how stupid that was) so I had to go back to his place when we got home at 11:30. Thankfully, he was on a bus before I was, so I didnt have to wait. I picked up my stuff, went to my room, set my alarm, and went to bed.

Tuesday (Shine Day!): Maybe not so shiny. I woke up at 5:30, because I was supposed to be going out fundraising at 6. I decided that I really needed some more time to sleep, and some time for myself, since I've been going non stop since....before leaving, and had not yet had a chance to finish organizing my things. I was also feeling like if I didn't have a moment to calm down, I'd have a minor break down, which would not be so great. So I stayed home, tidied my room, and just relaxed. At lunch time I went to the cafeteria which finally has opened. Lets just say I'll be doing a lot of my own cooking. After lunch I had an info session for my faculty, which came with a free pen and an apple, which I very much enjoyed (the apple, not the pen.) There was a building meeting at 5, then I had dinner at six, and went off to my 101 week event for 7. It was a boat cruise! I'm not sure what I'd expected, but it wasn't a party on a boat. Expectations aside, I had so much fun! Amber didn't come, and I couldn't find Vanessa or Julie. I hung out with Nikki, a girl that I met in line for keys on Saturday, and Jasmine, who I met on the boat. Nolan came around every 20 minutes or so. I had my first legal drink, but only one, I behaved. It was fun watching everyone else be drunk though. We saw Nolan about 6 times - once for every time he came up to get a beer. He wasn't drunk though, which was rather scary. By the end of the night, Nikki was a bit out of it, she had three drinks. Jasmine and I just had fun watching her be silly. The cruise was so beautiful, and everyone was dancing, I met some more people, and had a really great time. Even better, there was no line up for the bus home! I was shocked!

Today is Wednesday, I'm sitting at my desk, drinking orange juice for breakfast, and enjoying the semi-quiet moments to myself. Life in rez, now that there's food, is not too horrible. The lounge and washrooms are bad, and I find the traffic deafening at night, but I love how close I am to my classes, and to downtown. For those of you wondering when school starts, it's this afternoon for me. I have Spanish from 1-3:30, and English from 4-5:30. I'll be sending out my contact info either today or tomorrow, depending on when I can sit down again. Picture's are coming soon too.