rushedMoving has been wracked with difficulties – it’s been lots of work, toting everything around, and confronting the inevitable problems with a loosely-organized program. It’s kind of like a micro Canada World Youth.
In some ways I confounded things; I left my things out in front of Bellefontaine for when Danielle would arrive with Luc’s car. Unfortunately, when she drove in I was going to fetch more things, and so she didn’t see my things, and she backed into my computer case. The computer seems OK (although the leather of the case is quite scuffed up), but the mouse got a little scrunched, so I’m ordering a new one. I was lucky Jared was also in the car – he may have said something like, “Gee, I think we’re backing over Will’s stuff.”
The apartment doesn’t really smell as bad as I made it out to be (Devin’s old place was way way worse, as he’d readily say), and with the windows open for a bit here and there, it’s not a problem at all.
We had a great party Saturday night. We meant to have the great party Sunday night, for Canada Day, but we ended up just blowing everything on Saturday, including jello shooters and fun games not unlike what went on back at Brittany’s, if anyone still remembers that. ;-)
Here’s a tip: If you’re chasing someone into a room (in this case you’re chasing them because they just got you with a water pistol and you’re determined to squirt them back), and you need to keep them from being able to close the door on you, don’t try to stop the door with your left foot. Ouch.
Since it’s Canada Day, I have a 2L Canada Cooler. I’m running out of beer, so I hope it’ll do the trick. I had enough partying last night anyway. Tonight will be more of a celebration.
* * *
(July 2nd)
Today was a gorgeous day!
Doug came back last night and we played pool at the Chateau and had lots of fun meeting new people all over the place. I got his bar fridge into Beaulieu from Bellefontaine on Saturday afternoon with the help of a security guard and a wheelbarrow. At Beaulieu, we met Tariza, who is one of the most interesting people I’ve ever met. She had her first beer* with us in Doug’s room, and we stayed up chatting until nearly 1:00!
Yes, first.
Today I was going back to Beaulieu… ostensibly to see if Amanda was ready to return my USB key – she wasn’t home – and Tariza and I walked down to the beach and chatted while she painted. It all went quite well for her – she painted a representative yet organic depiction of the sea and sky (it was sometimes frustrating for her because the sky and water were constantly changing), despite difficulties with her painting paraphernalia. I also didn’t help things when we were packing her things up and I knocked her painting upside down with the paint still wet! (The damage was only superficial and easily remedied with her fingers.)
Tariza has really sold me on the idea of going to Montréal – she says she can set me up there with two different jobs! I could also practise my French there (although I’d have to find people who don’t speak English in order to do so, I hear), and I could also study at Québec’s somewhat reduced tuition, and if I was there long enough to become a resident, it would be at Québec’s greatly reduced tuition, which is the lowest in Canada (but only for Québec residents). But I’m still waiting to hear from UBC. Actually, I’m kind of hoping I’ll get rejected, because moving on to that would be too expensive right now.
Apparently when Lee comes here, he’ll bring his internet with him! So that means that I can continue to use Facebook and continue to blog in English (technically I might be able to get away with doing that on campus, but it wouldn’t be respectful to the new immersion students), and I won’t have to carry my computer all the way over to the campus and back. Score!
[I just ate an entire frozen pizza for the first time. I was that hungry, even though I didn’t really realize it. Now that we’re not eating in the cafeteria anymore, I’ve just gotten used to being a little bit hungry all the time.]
Tonight is the wine-and-cheese – it’s being at 9:30 means that I couldn’t have made supper out of it, and that wouldn’t be fair to the other students anyway – and it will be a lot of fun to have to meet all the new people again in French. I’m half tempted to go over to campus right now and get a few last licks of English in, but that will just make me sadder when the changeover occurs. I’ll just go over at 9:30 and get all the shock over with at once. I’m glad I won’t run the risk of an avertissment if something slips out, but we must be considerate of the new students at all times and not get them into trouble.
I’ve already decided that my apartment will most certainly not be a French-only space (French-friendly, yes, but definitely not French-only, or anything-only for that matter), because here my rules override the program rules. (Please don’t remind me that the program is actually responsible for putting me here.) Of course, if an animateur/trice or professor is here at the same time as a student, then we’d have to speak French. I also doubt this situation will actually come up, as I’m so busy with work during the day, and the campus hosts all sorts of interesting activities in the evenings, but it’s nice to have a tentative plan for how things will go.
Now, how do I get this off my computer tonight without a USB key? ;-)