Almost Home

I’m now sitting in my hostel room in San Francisco with only 2 sleeps to go until I get on the plane to come home! The last few weeks have been great, but I am really looking forward to coming home, which is good!
Mexico was once again amazing and I can’t wait until I get to go back (who knows when…). I managed to meet up with the group from Sydney at the airport, and they were a great group of people ranging in age from 8 to about 70, with a really great group of people my age that I really enjoyed meeting! It was the 4th time that Paula and Niall Reid had organised this trip, so they pretty much had everything worked out, and you could see how much they, and their sons (who were about my age) loved it simply because they all came back time after time (about every 2 years). There were 47 of us in the group, so instead of us building one house like I did last time, we were in 3 different teams all building a house, and it was great because 2 of the teams were right next door to each other, and the other team was right down the street which meant that we could go and visit the other teams in breaks, or help them out if they were a little behind and needed a few extra hands! Amor chooses families to get houses in areas, and these were the last 3 houses that were going to be built in that area. It wasn’t that all families get houses; they must go through an application process with their pastors to be chosen.
The family that we were building for had 3 children; Miguel (7), Alondra (8), and Simi (5 months). It was obviously a more wealthy and safe area than the last one that I had been building with, which in some ways made it less powerful, but at the same time it was far from what we would call a good neighbourhood, and the families joy and excitement at getting the house was still the same. With more people around my age, it also totally changed the dynamic of the group and the work, and it was fun to be around so many Australians again, although definitely made me look forward to going home as I was constantly being reminded of people from home! One of the really positive differences at the building sight for me was how much more confident I was in the building process and understanding what had to be done and how, and being able to help and instruct other people on what needed to be done! Knowing what we were working towards and the steps that needed to be taken really helped me to enjoy the building even more.
We also went to a service at one of the local churches which was rather fun although we filled more than half of their church and couldn’t understand each other. We did some translation though and they sang some songs in Spanish and we sang some of our songs and it was just a really nice time to spend with people and represent Amor in the community. There had also been some donations made to the trip for the families, so we took each family shopping in the market with a certain amount of money to spend on whatever they wanted, and it was really fun to see the Mexican street market and try and remember Spanish numbers when they tell you prices!
After we had built the houses, we headed off to Rosarito, which is a coastal town on the Baja Peninsula. It’s a bit touristy, and obviously a favourite for Americans to visit, but it was absolutely beautiful on the beach, and again there were lots of Markets, although these were more permanent and had lots of things like jewellery and ponchos and blankets etc. And of course, there was lots of haggling over prices as you seemed to be able to get everything at half the price they initially told you. I didn’t particularly enjoy the haggleing, as I really just wanted them to tell me the reasonable price first off, and I would have been happy to pay that! We also took day trips from Rosarito to Puerto Nuevo, a small fishing port specialising in lobster and homemade tequila, and Enselada, a very touristy town where a lot of the cruise ships stop. Again, lots of shopping and lots of demanding shop keepers trying to convince you to buy their things by any means possible! In the evening though we got to have fireworks on the beach right outside of the villas we were staying in and watch the sunset over the ocean, which was lots of fun! It was definitely a completely different Mexico from where we were building in Tijuana though, and I’m really glad that I got to see both the real Mexico, and the Mexico that is set up for Americans, and is all most Americans would see. We then drove back over the border at the worlds busiest border crossing, looking at all of the vendors set up by the road for people to shop as they are crossing the border, did a bit of shopping in outlets south of San Diego, and then up to the hotel in Anaheim, just near Disneyland. The group my age had all decided to go to 6 flags magic mountain instead of Disneyland, so I went off with them although I didn’t join them on some of the biggest rollercoaster’s, as they were crazy! It was a really fun day though.
The final morning before everyone left we went and visited the Crystal Cathedral, which was a very different experience. It was a very large beautiful building but the most exquisite part was the female bathrooms, which cost over $700,000, built with money donated by a lady who thought women deserved to be comfortable! They seemed a little over the top to me, and the church seemed to be very much about presentation, and very formally done, with only 2 songs! Most of us found a 2 hour service with only 2 songs a bit long to just be listening for…
One of my favourite things about this trip was the diversity. Although it was UCA synod run, there were Baptists, Salvos and Anglicans on the trip too, and it didn’t matter. We discussed some of the differences, but most of the time we were just working together and doing the work; not caring about the little differences that we had in our religious rituals.
After everyone headed off to the airport I went back to my hostel in Santa Monica for a night before heading out to Las Vegas for 2 nights, just for the experience! It is certainly an interesting town and I did have lots of fun, although I thought the theme parks and game arcades were far more interesting than then casinos! It was interesting to see though that there was such a difference in feel between each of the casinos and some of them had some really interesting things in them… did anyone know that the MGM Grand has a Lion enclosure in it?
And now I’m in San Francisco enjoying my last few days. It’s been really good finishing where I started because it has given me a real chance to see the differences in how I see the city… and how much more confident I feel in my ability to jump on a bus or go and explore different area. I really do like this city, and it’s nice just to have a few days of me time before I head home, which I am so excited about! I can’t wait to see everyone!
This is going to be my last blog, mainly because although I could continue posting about my experiences and thoughts, I’m really hoping that we can have these conversations in person more often, rather than just me writing about it and not getting to listen as well. So I really hope that anyone who has enjoyed reading this will take the time to not only talk to me about the little things, but everyone around them and not just listen but also talk equally as much!
Thank you to all who have read this and all who have posted, I have really enjoyed writing these, although it has been challenging at times! I will see you all very soon!
Laura

Goodbye Toronto!

That’s right! I’ve now officially left Toronto, at least for some time, and am on my way home, with a bit of a detour along the way! I’m back in LA, in the same hostel I was in before, and although it all looks pretty much the same, I am amazed by how much more comfortable I am now that I recognise many of the stores from Toronto, and actually have a liking for many of them!
Anyway, the last few weeks in Toronto seemed to fly by. As it became apparent that the strike was not going to finish before I left, I suddenly had lots of work to do in contacting lecturers and doing the work for the rest of the semester! It is now all done (I hope!) and sent in, so hopefully it will all work out and the entire semester won’t have been a waste of time! At the same time as doing these assignments I was trying to sort through some of the stuff in my room and find homes for many of my things, and do all the final Toronto things that I had been wanting to do! Luckily I got most of this done before I headed off to Christmas Camp!
The camp was put on by the group of people who ran my Friday night group for international students. As such, there were always a few English lessons happening at the same time of other activities! It was lots of fun though, and we had LOTS of snow and so I got to spend some time tubing, cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, snowman building and of course throwing snow! Many of the other campers weren’t as keen to fully immerse themselves in the snow as I was, but I managed to find some people! There were also lots of Christmas carols and sharing of cultures and foods; I got everyone singing ‘Christmas in the Scrub’ and eating Vegemite, but most of the other cultures had slightly more serious and authentic things to share which was great. There was also some basic introduction of the Christmas story which was fun, and also came with the always fun questions like ‘but why did he have to die?’ Overall, a really fun few days and I was very sad to leave!
Once I got back to my room however, I only had 24 hours to pack up my room and head to the airport! There was almost noone left on campus, as they had all gone home for either Christmas or the strike, but I got my room all packed up into 2 bags (one of which weighed 58 pounds, and the other 42!) After spending way too long standing in lines with my bags I finally got through the airport and made it to LA, with lots of aches and pains from not being used to carrying a heavy back pack and dragging the suitcase! Tomorrow I will meet up with the group flying in from Sydney and we will drive down to San Diego, before heading into Mexico on Tuesday! The full itinerary for the trip is:
Monday 29 December:
• Meet at Sydney airport at 12:30 at/near Air NZ departures for 15:30 departure on Air NZ 718. Arrive Auckland 20:35 and depart Auckland 22:45 on Air NZ 2; arrive LA 14:00.
• On arrival in LA, transfer by coach to San Ysidro (USA – on Mexican border).
• Overnight San Ysidro staying at Americana Inn & Suites, 815 W San Ysidro Blvd, San Ysidro ph.0011-1-619-428-5521
• Group dinner at Coco’s next to motel

Tuesday 30 December:
• Last minute shopping before checking in with Amor at 1pm to cross the border. (For emergency contact: Amor office: 1664 Precision Park Lane, San Diego ph.0011-1-619-662-1200)
• Travel in convoy across Otay border crossing and to campsite, unload, settle in.
• Dinner at campsite

Wednesday 31 December:
• House building day 1 – dinner at campsite

Thursday 1 January:
• House building day 2 – dinner at campsite

Friday 2 January:
• House building day 3 – dinner at campsite

Saturday 3 January:
• House building day 4 – dinner at campsite

Sunday 4 January:
• Attend church service in morning
• Lunch/afternoon – activity TBA; dinner at campsite

Monday 5 January:
• House building day 5 – dinner at campsite

Tuesday 6 January:
• Breakfast at campsite, pack up, visit/bless houses, say goodbyes to families
• Travel to Rosarito, Baja California Coast (15 miles (approx 28 k) south of Tijuana)
• Staying at Quinta Pacifica, Blvd Benito Juarez #25500, Baja Cal ph.0011-52-661-612-1145 or 0011-52-661-612215
• Time for clothes washing at local Laundromat
• Group dinner

Wednesday 7 January:
• Sightseeing/free time – TBA; Group dinner; overnight Quinta Pacifica

Thursday 8 January:
• Sightseeing/free time – TBA; Group Dinner; overnight Quinta Pacifica

Friday 9 January:
• Check out and load luggage on van.
• 10:00am: leave for LA via factory outlets at San Ysidro
• Lunch at San Ysidro before continuing to LA
• Staying at Super 8, 415 West Katella Avenue, Anaheim, ph.0011-1-714-778-6900

Saturday 10 January:
• Free day – eg Disneyland/California Park; overnight Super 8

Sunday 11 January:
• Check out and load van
• Attend 11am service at Crystal Cathedral
• Lunch in the park followed by final group reflection.
• 3:20pm – leave Anaheim for LAX
• Arrive LAX 4:30pm for 7:30pm departure on Air NZ 5 for Auckland. (except me of course!)

I hope you have all had an excellent Christmas and that all of those involved in NCYC have a great time and get to really enjoy in and not just spend all their time making it enjoyable for others! I’ll be thinking of you all!
Not long till I’m home now… see you all on January 20th!
Laura

Less than 2 weeks left in Toronto!

Isn't it amazing- barely 2 weeks later and I've already updated again! I think I'm starting to realise how little time I have left here now, so I'm trying to fit everything in! The strike is still carrying on here with no signs of ending any time soon, so I'm now trying to madly do assignments and make agreements with lecturers about what I can do to make up for the exams and tests that I now won't be here for! Seems to be working out pretty well though, so hopefully it will all fall together in the end. Amidst that, I'm also trying to fit in everything I've been wanting to do in Toronto! Last night I went to see the National Ballet perform the Nutcracker, which was absolutely beautiful and I really enjoyed! Also very reminiscent of the video that we used watch of the Nutcracker every christmas at my grandparent house! Bringing back a bit of the old christmas tradition seeing as this christmas is certainly going to be very different to all of my other christmas'!
Went to Montreal last week, which was a really nice place, although very bizarre seeing as everyone around you was talking in French! I went with a friend that I met here at uni (who lives very near me at home!) so we stuck together and also adopted 2 other Australians that we met in our hostel room! It was a really social room, with 5 Aussies and 2 british girls! Definately one of my best hostel experiences (especially when I bought breakfast on the last morning and the server said bon apetite! I felt like I was in a very fancy french restaurant, rather than the basement of a hostel). It was a beautiful city though, and we got to see some fun stuff, including going into their biodome (a very big indoor ecosystem) where you were right there with the animals, and going up the lookout tower from the Montreal Olympics! I even found a Kombi and met his owner (only my third Kombi sighting since coming to Canada)!

We're now getting snow every few days, although it tends to melt in between snows. At the moment it is just really icy, so I'm waiting for my first fall over (that doesn't happen while sledding down hills). I'm sure it's going to happen any day now. I love the snow, but would love for it to get above 0 for more than 1 day! It's especially annoying as we have to walk off campus to catch the bus because of the strike, so it makes if a bit hard (and cold!) to get anywhere!
As I was walking through the city I was struck by the number of people around my looking for support. Within 200m there was a homeless man holding up a coffee cup and saying 'merry Christmas', a man selling a homeless and unemployed newspaper (sort of like the big issue magazine in Melbourne), a man busking with his guitar, a man handing out information onblack history and another homeless man who was not asking for anything, simply staring into space. How do we choose which of these people is worthy or deserving of our help or support? It is not possible to give each of these causes and people the help that they deserve, so what is our criteria for choosing what we think is worthy? Is it how clean they look, whether they are trying to help themselves, whether they have talent or represent a cause we can identify with?
When I was at the waiters union in Brisbane,we did a bit of an experiment. First, we got one of the older guys in the group to sit on the pavement on a Saturday night in the main entertainment area, with his shirt untucked and a garbage bag next to him, asking for money, and noone even looked at him. Then i went and started asking for money for the payphone and got $1.50 straight away. Then the other guys tucked in his shirt and started fiddling with his phone and asked a guy for some money to get home cause his wallet was stolen and that guy gave him about 4 bucks in change straight away!
I don't think that I have a point in all this, but if I do it would be that we actually think about what our criteria is, and if we are making the decisions we want to make. Is it just natural to go with the people who look like us and so who's choices for spending money we agree with, and who are just having a rough day? Is this who needs it most? None of these causes are wrong and if I was genuinely stranded somewhere I hope someone would give me change to call someone, or if I was in a tough place they would be willing to help me. We all ask for support for both ourselves and for other causes at different times. It just got me thinking about why we make these choices, and I think the thinking is a good thing. So put up a post if you can just sharing what might make your choices! If you don't have an account, just send me an email and I'm happy to post it!

So Many Things!!!

Wow, it really has been ages since I last posted! So much has been happening it's been hard to know when to do it! SO, I guess I will start sometime after October 7!
Even though American Thanksgiving is only just happening now, Canadian Thanksgiving actually happened on the second Monday in October. That weekend, I had 2 turkey dinners and one potluck dinner, so I certainly got my share of thanksgiving meals! Our Friday night bible study group (which has a very high percentage of asian students, and which tends to switch between engish lessons and faith discussion) served a turkey dinner, which was great. Because it was mainly international students, they talked about the history behind thanksgiving and what current traditions are, and for probably 80% of the people there, it was their first time eating Turkey! The couple (and their team) who organise these sessions are great and really went all out on that night. On the Monday following (actually Thanksgiving day) the organised a hike in the country along with another Turkey dinner. A retired couple who lived about an hour out of Toronto, just near a park, had contacted the organisers and said that because all of their children had left home, they wanted to cook for us! So 40 international students who they'd never met showed up at their house and they took us for a walk through the limestone park, told us all about how everything worked, and cooked as a huge thanksgiving meal- including a 20 pound (about 9kg) Turkey. They were so amazingly welcoming and just really opened up their house to us. It turned out they had also lived in Australia about 30 years ago, so that also gave us something to talk about. I just thought that what they did was amazing- they did not even take any money for feeding all 40 of us.
The following Monday, as many of you know, my parents arrived, which was great. After a bit of confusion about where to meet them in the airport, we finally found each other and managed to make it back to my room at York for a quick cup of tea (and an attempt to wake them up) before they headed off to Donna and Jim Robinsons house, which is about an hour west of where I am. I had 2 exams the next day and so I didn't see them until Wednesday when I gave them a little tour of Toronto, including going up the CN tower, which is a big lookout tour in Toronto (147 stories high, or 447m). I then spend the weekend at the Robisons with them, spending time seeing a bit of the country and learning a little bit about the Menonites. They are similar to the Amish, christians who live very simply and avoid the use of technology which may interfere with their community. Some of the families near Waterloo have no electricity on their farms and it is quite common to see horses and buggies on the road. All of this is to try and be more focused on God and community, and live as simply as possible. I found it really entertaining that what many now call the emerging church- living simply in community and caring for neighbours, is what these people have been doing for hundreds of years.
Mum and Dad then left to go and see friends in Ohio, and two days later Kaye arrived, just in time for Halloween and pumpkin carving! We had a fun but very busy weekend in Toronto, but my argument was that I was just helping her adjust to Canadian time by keeping her awake during the days! One of the things that we did that weekend was go to an event called Heavens Rehearsal, which was a worship service put on by all the churches in Toronto. It is apparently an annual event, and was in the Baseball Stadium, and had about 25000 come. The name came from the idea of just getting all of the nations together to worship, and they did a really great job of incorporating a variety of cultures, largely through some awesome dances and songs. They even had a group of Maoris there! There seems to be a great connection between the churches in Toronto, and they seem to organise lots of events like this, together, which I think is awesome.
On the following Tuesday Mum and Dad arrived back (election day in the US) and we headed off doing a big curcuit through Ontario up to Algonquin Park (looking very different now that all the leaves were on the ground), over to Ottawa and down past the 1000 islands. It was really great to get out of the city a bit and see some more countryside!
We arrived back at Waterloo on the Saturday, just in time for Donna to have 32 people over on Sunday for a Turkey Dinner (a bit of a late thanksgiving). SO good to have a bit of a break from my takeout diet here at campus and get some homecooked meals! About this time, the teaching assistants at York decided that they were going to go on Strike, so York cancelled all classes. This worked really well because it meant that I could continue to spend time with family while they were here, rather than making trips back to York everytime I had class!We made a little expedition out the the Robinsons Maple farm (run by Jims brother) which was really fun to see how the make it, and we also got to play with some very cute barn kittens and got a decent amount of snow! That following week we travelled down to Niagara Falls, which were beautiful, although I don't think I could take living near them simply because it is always raining! We stayed in a great hotel with a view right over the falls, and between 4 cameras we managed to take 700 photos on those 2 days! A little scary, but it was just so pretty! We got back to York on Thursday night and I made a final attempt to show Kaye some Canadian wildlife on campus, but all we could find was a cat, so she had to be content with that! You can often find ground hogs and racoons on campus, but they seemed to be hiding that night! So she headed off the next morning and then we spent Mum and Dads final weekend here driving with Donna and Jim up to see some of the great lakes and lots of different kinds of power plants and farms, which Dad and Jim got very excited about! Then Mum and Dad headed over to England, and I came back to York! 4 weeks after the strike started, it is still continueing, although the university is actually meant to meet with the union today, which is a positive step! Until this point they have been communicating through a mediator, so we will see how it goes! If it continues much longer I will need to start doing alternative work because i won't be here for tests and exams at the end of semester! All the lecturers have been really helpful though, so hopefully I will be able to work something out!

So lifes pretty relaxed at the moment... no work, no class, very few obligations! It's giving us more time to see Toronto though, and possibly travel, as well as say goodbye to people as many are leaving now! It's snowing every few days, which we gegt excited about, but it only snowed enough to stay on the ground once, although we had some good snowball fights that night! Campus is very deserted and about 70% of the people who live here have actually gone home! It's a bit rough on the restaurant owners cause they're loosing so much money, and a lot of them are immigrants who have started a family restaurant, and they all work there. The most frustrating part is having no idea when the strike will end and hence what work I should be doing, and if I can leave and go somewhere! It's nice to have time to explore here though, and start on my scrapbooking!
Hard to believe I am leaving York in about 4 weeks and will be home in less than 2 months! Love to hear updates from you all!
Laura

Algonquin Park

Well, I’m currently staying in a small cabin in Algonquin Park, a National Park a few hours North of Toronto. Although, by the time I have internet to post this, I will be back in my room. But before returning to the cabin this evening, I spent about half an hour lying in a hammock, looking through the pine trees at the stars. It’s beautiful country up here, we are just by a lake (with unlimited use of canoes and kayaks!) and we are just coming into Fall, so all of the leaves are beginning to change colour and it all looks beautiful. We had a little drama earlier this evening when one of the other cabins decided that it would be a smart idea to leave some wood drying on top of a wood fire heater in their room, while they all had dinner in our cabin. Just in time, one of the other girls went out to grab a jumper and saw that there was a strange light on in the other cabin. By the time we got there, there was so much smoke you couldn’t see a metre in front of you, and couldn’t stay in there for more than a few moments. Fortunately the fire was still on top of the stove, but was pretty close to the roof, so a few more minutes and it may have taken us more than a bucket of water to get it out! It was way too much drama, especially when some of the girls decided they needed to run in and get their stuff, so I just ended up blocking the doorway, cause they wouldn’t have been able to make it through the smoke! It was a close call, but way too much drama, and the retelling of it didn’t stop for the rest of the weekend!
As some of you know, looking at the stars is one of my favourite activities, and I often find that I connect with God far more through this than most church services. I watched a dvd last week called ‘Finger of God’, and one of the lines in it that really stood out to me was “your god is only as big as your head”. I really liked that idea, as I’ve recently been thinking about all of the different interpretations of God that we have, and how one God can be treated in so many different ways. And it struck me tonight that all of the people I encountered while I was travelling had put up walls in their head, or boxed god into what they could imagine, perceive, or fit into their lives. We try and come up with reasons and arguments and explanations for things, whether it be evolution and creation, miracles, or satan and hell, and often spend time trying to convince others that our theories are the correct ones. But lying, looking at the stars tonight, that didn’t seem to work for me because the thing that I love about these kind of situations is that there are no walls in the sky. Even the trees that were around us, you could still see through them to the stars, and those stars are so infinite, that I can’t begin to grasp them. So maybe there are no answers. Maybe our explanations are simply what we use to justify the walls in our mind, simplify our lives by eliminating the questions, and maybe that’s why I’m here- to stretch my mind and learn that even if I am better at or more comfortable with one particular area, God still exists outside of that spot and it is only through stretching our minds that we can begin to grasp the magnitude and complexity of God. I don’t know.

Life in Toronto

Well, after many weeks of being slack, I am finally writing another blog entry! I don't really know where to start, but I think it's safe to say that I am now loving my room, and pretty much know my way around campus (or at least how to get to my classes), and am starting to work out my way around Toronto. I only have classes on 3 days, so I have plenty of time for exploration and adventures! There seems to be lots of little cultural areas in Toronto, my favourite definitely being Kensington Market, which described as 'bohemian', but is full of little stores of local designers, many of whom use all recycled materials or fair trade resources. And the best part is that there is a whole street dedicated to Vintage Clothing stores- so basically the best of op shops! So many amazing things, although it makes me miss my sewing machine, cause there are just so many fun projects there!
Having said that, I think I probably have enough projects happening at the moment... I've started my scrapbook of my travelling, got back into my knitting, and decided that it is time for me to work on my hand-sewing ability! Fortunately I don't seem to have a heavy load of work for my classes, but I am really enjoying the classes here, and the lecturers are all great. So that is all lots of lots of fun.
You'll be pleased to know that I've also finally found a spectator sport that I love- Baseball! So in the last week I've been twice, first to see the Toronto Blue Jays play the Red Sox, and then to see them play the Yankees! The first game I couldn't choose who to go for (how do i decide between Toronto and Boston?), but the Red Sox won in the last innings, and the I went for the Blue Jays and that was a great game because there were a lot more hits and getting on base (even a home run!) and the Bue Jays won 8-2! But now the season is over, so I'll go back to not watching sport...
Also joined up with a couple of christian groups on campus that I like- one being a bible study/ discussion group, and one a 'coffee house' designed especially for international students. The bible study is a really relaxed group, and we will be working our way through John, but I really like the setup of the group. We get given the reading and spend some time going through it individually, coming up with any questions or significant parts to it, and then discuss the questions as a group and see what we can come up with. Just nice, logical exploration and trying to find the meanings. The other group meets at a local church to have dinner together and have some more general guided discussion, which is nice but occasionally frustrating as many in the group have limited english, and so the discussions often switch between english and chinese, which prevents very deep discussion. They are having a camp over christmas however, which could be really good fun.
My really exciting news is that I am now definitely going back to Mexico in January, before I come home! How? Well it was kind of crazy, but when I was leaving the Amor office at the end of my last trip, I got introduced to someone in the office as 'The Australian', and she got all excited because because they were having a group coming from Australia at christmas! So I enquired if she knew who they were, and she mentioned that she thought they were a Uniting Church? So I asked where from, and she thought it was the overall office for the Sydney area (I'm like, yep, know who that would be), and that it might be called the Moderators trip? So I looked it up, and sure enough, NSW Synod had organised an all age trip! I contacted them and it's all just worked amazingly from there. Even though they had already filled all of there places, they've made adjustments to fit me in, which is sooo exciting! So that will be from the 29th of December to the 11th of January (which includes 5 days building in Tijuana, 2 days in Rosarita, 2 days in LA (Disneyland!) and attending church services in LA and Tijuana), leaving me with a week to fill in LA area before I head home!
It's been great having Arwyn here, having lots of awesome conversations with her about different things, and keeping ourselves entertained, so that's good. Going away with some of the other international students next weekend to a national park, which will also be good. It's great here- they don't just have christian holidays, but also Jewish and other holidays at Uni, which I think is awesome. And not just cause I get days off.
Anyway, hope everyone's doing well, missing you all and loving when I get calls or emails, so keep them coming!
Laura

Finally at York!

Well, after a not so direct route that took 2 months, I have finally arrived at York University in Toronto, which is very exciting! I've now moved into my room and settled in, and am now capable of making it to a few key spots on campus without getting lost, and I believe I've found the shortest route. The challenge of finding classrooms starts tomorrow, so that will be a test!
My room is small but cosy, and I'm slowly making it change from a small white room with boring furniture to something that looks a little more me- esque, which has been lots of fun. My apartment is made up of 2 identical bedrooms, a bathroom, and a gigantic closet, but currently the other room is still empty, so I don't know if I will end up sharing or having it all to myself! My building is largely made up of young families or couples, so I'm definately lacking in some of the social life that some of the other buildings have, but I can at least get to sleep without having to worry about whether there is a party in my building! Arwyn (my friend from uni) and I have had several shopping outing to different places around, have fallen in love with Walmart, started to explore the city, and begun to make friends. There have been (and will continue to be) several outings arranged for international students, which has helped us get to know other students going through the same problems as us, and also let there be a few familiar faces around campus, which has been good fun.
It's definitely been a bit of a challenge changing pace as I settle in here. At first it was very hard to just spend an afternoon or an evening relaxing in my room, but I'm slowly getting used to the idea that I will be here more than 3 days and so I don't have to see it all straight away! The other thing that has been interesting is adjusting to being around the same people regularly, and knowing that I do actually need to make friends with these people! In the hostels, I was really kind of enjoying not having to worry about building substantial relationships, as one of us would most likely be leaving the next day! I'm sure that once we get to know each other more I will enjoy being around them much more, but the getting to know each other and awkward conversations are taking some getting used to! It's been great having Arwyn here though, to see someone who I know and be able to talk through some of the challenges of both my travels and settling in here!
It's good fun being on campus though, and being able to join up with different sports and groups (except there are so many! At least 8 different christian groups alone! eek!), so I'm really looking forward to them starting up and getting involved and meeting more people! Just in case people were wondering, I'm thinking I will continue to blog while I'm here, not just about what I'm doing here, but also some thoughts that I have as I try and work out what I think of my experiences so far, and where I may want to take them from here. I also have some phone numbers that people can (PLEASE) call me on, cause I'd love to chat to you all and it totally makes my day when someone calls cause I feel like I'm not forgotten yet! My room number (probably the best one to chat on cause it's cheaper for both of us and I'm more likely to be doing nothing) is 0011-1-416-650-4311, but if you really want to talk to me and I'm not picking up, call my mobile on 0011-1-647-377-4251! Just no 4 am calls please :P I'm 14 hours behind you!
Hope all are doing well, and I hope to be a little more contactable once I finally get my internet set up in my room!
Laura