Goodbye September!

Good evening everyone! For all of you early-to-bed folk, here is a treat for you as I am finished pretty much everything that I need to do this weekend and therefore, I can write earlier than midnight. It was a fairly average week here in Lennoxville, with my Japanese students leaving and the school work starting to pile up but I was still pretty busy. For example, I did have my first practicum! On another note, time is flying by! I cannot believe that October starts in two days (scary thought, as October means midterms!!) But it also means Thanksgiving and Halloween so I can't wait! So without further adieu, here is a look back on my first Japanese-less week at school!

As I said last week, last weekend was homecoming which I unfortunately missed. However, my housemates wanted to ensure that I was not forgotten about, so similar to last year when we brought our picture of Elizabeth to Jocelyn's birthday, my housemates brought a cardboard representation of me to all the homecoming events. Sweethearts, aren't they? So even though I was not able to be here showing my purple pride, they made sure that I didn't entirely miss out!

On Monday, nothing too exciting happened, as I spent most of the day in class. However, it was again my night to make dinner so I whipped up some chicken fajitas which were well received by the housemates. On Tuesday, I had my first day of my practicum so I woke up bright and early to go to Princess Elizabeth Elementary School in Magog, Quebec. I met my associate teacher, Mme. Doheny and her grade six students. Mme Dohney also teaches English to a grade three class on Tuesday mornings so I will essentially have two classes. It was Pink Shirt Day at PEES so I was given a shirt to wear, got to go to the assembly and be in the group photo. I did not do any actual teaching but I got to meet all of the students and introduce myself and I helped the grade threes with developing characters for the stories that they are writing. My practicum was definitely the highlight of my week! I cannot wait for this Tuesday!

Me on the first day of my practicum!

Wednesday was an exciting day because....(wait for it).......OUR TABLE WAS FIXED!!! (In case I didn't mention, it was broken at Elizabeth's birthday party a few weeks ago). I had emailed our contractor at the beginning of the week and asked if he could come take a look at it and two days later he fixed it for us!! I never realized how essential a table is as a household item until we didn't have one but I have not stopped raving about our table since it was fixed! Honestly, I have been using statements such as "Let's eat dinner...at our table" or "yeah, when we get home we can eat lunch...at out table." So thank you times one million to Terry for fixing our table for us! Following dinner (at our table), I went to my friend Vicki's rez event. She was hosting a popcorn bar for her residents at which she popped a lot of popcorn and then had a table with different toppings and different candies to add to the popcorn. I used just about everything available. Then we enjoyed our popcorn while watching the always classic Mean Girls. It was also another RA's birthday, so lucky for those of us watching the movie, she had leftover cake and shared it with us. So happy birthday Amanda and thank you for the cake! 

Our fixed table!

A few weeks ago, I got an email from a teacher at the local elementary school looking for volunteers for their Outdoors Club. I responded and asked if I could help out, so Thursday was my first day volunteering with them. There were about 40 kids, two teachers and 4 volunteers. We played soccer and with a parachute, hula hoops and skipping ropes. It was a lot of fun! Next week, we are going on a hike to practice for their two upcoming mountain climbs! I really hope that I will get to go with them! I guess I did a good job as a volunteer because the teachers asked me if I wanted to come back next week and of course I said yes! I then came home to Jocelyn's cranberry themed dinner of cranberry glazed pork tenderloin, greek salad and carrots with cranberries (I was surprised she didn't have cranberry juice to drink)! Following that, we had a house showing of The Perfect Man and then went to bed. 

This week, there was a campus initiative for sustainability aka we were all given free bus passes valid from Wednesday until Friday. So, being broke students always looking for free rides, we used our pass to go to the mall. Elizabeth, Jocelyn and I went down around noon, and brought a Subway picnic on the bus with us and Sarah came down to meet us a little later. I am happy to report that I only bought items that were on my list of things to get and/or were essential for our house! Right before Sarah and I left, we stopped in at David's Tea and, lucky us, got a free cup of tea (flavour=Mom's apple pie). Later that night, Jocelyn and I went to our friend Gaby's house for dinner. She made us Sweet Potato and Ground Chicken Shepard's Pie (http://www.gabycooks.blogspot.ca/2013/09/companys-coming.html) with scones and ice cream for dessert! #delicious! 

Gaby's Shepard's Pie!

Saturday was absolutely gorgeous so I sat outside to do my homework (making an online Scavenger Hunt about the affects of space travel on astronaut's bodies) and then Jocelyn and I went for a two hour walk to Sherbrooke. We walked along a path beside a river for most of it and then along the road to come back. While on the path, we saw our landlord's house or should I say our landlord's castle! It is right in the middle of a huge piece of property and it is on top of a hill so it towers over everything (the forest) around it. Our one housemate Sarah has been there so we will have to see if she can get us in one day. Later that night, Hannah, who had gone to Kingston to visit her friend at RMC, came home and then all 5 of us went to our friend Kirsten's 20th birthday. To celebrate  our first night of all going out together we cracked open my bottle of champagne (thank you Trevor)! At the party, there was a table of cups with everyone's name on it and you had to write anonymous compliments and put them in the appropriate cup. My comments included "I love your short hair" and "You will make a great teacher one day." Thank you anonymous complimenters! 

Today, I meant to get up early to go meet up with the Running Club who was going to run with the local Running Room group but I chose to sleep in instead. I had been really productive on Thursday and Friday, so I did not have any homework to do except for a bit of research for an astronomy project. So instead, I did a quick craft and podged a Nutella jar to make a piggy bank (see below). Maybe I was trying to pretend that I was at Camp Wenonah for the fall camp reunion weekend. I went for a run, a swim and then went to a meeting for Big Buddies because I got picked to one this year! Yay!!! I found out who my little buddy is and was given the dates for our events. My little buddy is named Hannah and she is 5 years old and she loves to skate! I will meet her on Saturday. I then had to make an emergency run to Provigo for Hannah who needed garlic to make her ratatouille that will hopefully be ready soon! I also just discovered some readings that I need to do for tomorrow so I know what I will be doing after I eat. 

Shoe-inspired piggy bank!

So I guess for a fairly average week, I still ended up doing quite a bit. As for the week to come, the weather is supposed to be gorgeous here, I have practicum on  Tuesday and Big Buddies on Saturday! And in just under two weeks from now, I will be home for Thanksgiving! Right now, the smells of dinner are drifting up to my room so I am going to go sit at our table and wait to be fed! 

All my love, Erica xoxoxox

PS As I mentioned, this weekend was the camp reunion at the summer camp that I worked at so here is a picture of the place I was wishing I could be at! 

A Goodbye, a Road Trip and a Party!

So I really should not be writing this and should be going to bed but I couldn't resist. Writing a Sunday night blog post has become my way of reflecting on the week that has passed and mentally preparing myself for the week to come (that's what EDU 216 Reflective Practicum will do to you!). I may have to sleep in tomorrow but I have a lot to do so we will see. Oh and I should mention that this post is being written on my brand new MacBook Pro!! 

As per usual, my week was jammed packed and I still have a lot to do, despite it being Sunday night, almost Monday. It was my final week with my Yamaguchi students and in addition, my classes are starting to increase in work load, with assignments, readings and tests so I honestly felt as though I had no free time this past week. But it was well worth it! Monday, I had a full day of classes, so like always, I did not get to hang out with my Japanese students much. I did however make dinner for  my housemates successfully again - turkey burgers and delicious mashed maple sweet potatoes! Later that night, I got asked to be a part of the BU Student Alumni Association, meaning I would get to help with alumni events. Unfortunately, they wanted me to start right away last week but my schedule didn't allow for it. Hopefully, I will have a chance to help out in the future! On Tuesday, I had my interview for the Big Buddies club, where us university students are paired up with a buddy from the local elementary school. I didn't get a little buddy last year, but apparently the club's numbers have increased this year so my chances are looking good! I will find out this week who my little buddy is/if I got a buddy, so wish me luck!

Tuesday afternoon, I took my Japanese students into Sherbrooke to an international grocery store. We had to take the city bus so picture me, the most directionally challenged person in the world, leading ten foreigners around the city. But have no fear, we made it there and back with no trouble and my students got what they needed for their special event! I then took the Japanese professor to the student ministry dinner so that he would not have to eat alone; the students were teasing me about taking their "sensai" on a dinner date. Haha!  Later, in my astronomy class, we got to go up to the Observatory and look at the moon through the giant telescope! After looking at the moon, we were going to try to look at a nebula, but it was getting late and I needed to head home. 

On Wednesday, the Japanese students hosted the annual "Japan Night" in which they shared a little bit of their culture with me, my boss, their teachers and host families. They made okonomayaki, which is a Japanese style pizza, made with special Japanese flour, eggs, cheese and water, I think. You combine the ingredients and then fry it up! You can add in veggies and meat and then you put a special Japanese barbecue sauce on top. It was delicious! They gave me some of the flour and sauce so that I can try to make it one day, but they didn't give me a recipe.... They also made a traditional dessert, taught us some origami (cranes and ninja stars) and shared a Japanese children's song with us. I kept a copy of the lyrics to use at camp next summer! It was a wonderful night, and I left with glossy eyes as it was one of my last nights with them. 

Okonomayaki!

Origami!

On a side note, on Wednesday, I got an invitation in my mailbox to join the Bishop's University Golden Key Honour Society. It is a group for people who are in the top 15% of their program academically. I am not quite sure what membership entails yet, but I do know that it is an international society, with groups at schools in 8 different countries. Members get access to Golden Key scholarships, are invited to networking events and do things together at a local, national and international level. I have to go meet with the BU group sometime this week, so more on this soon. :)

On Thursday, I had my last Dewies lunch (tear, tear) with my students and then we had our final banquet dinner. We got to eat in the Adam's Dining Room and had a traditional Quebec dinner, tortiere aka meat pie and cheesecake. I made a slideshow of photos that I shared with everyone and then there was a ceremony to hand out their program completion certificates. They all received a certificate, a Bishop's bag and a Bishop's t-shirt. We took a lot of fun photos and then shed a lot of tears as it was the last time they would see me, and I them. It was a great night, but very sad. I had a great experience as the language monitor and I would not trade it for the world. I really hope that I will be able to do it again next year! They made me promise to try to come to Japan one day, and I suggested in 2020 for the Tokyo Olympics. Here's hoping that I will be able to make it work!

I was up late Thursday night trying to finish some work and watching a movie while packing my suitcase. It was time to head home for my Grandpa's Semi-Surprise 75th Birthday Party! Now, I say Semi-Surprise because my grandpa knew that my grandma was having a party for him but he did not know that my cousin Duncan, who is on coop in Ottawa and me were coming home! I spent Friday on the road, taking a total of 4 buses, 1 plane, 1 ferry, 1 train and 1 car to get to Ancaster but the travel was well worth it to see my family. My grandpa was so surprised! 

Saturday, I went to my brother's hockey game, which his team won (YAY), to the mall to get a dress and then to the Mississauga Golf and Curling Club for the party. All of my cousins (except one) were able to make it and all of my aunts and uncles on my mom's side of the family. It was a lot of fun to get dressed up and have a classy evening at the golf course. My grandma made me the official photographer so I got lots of photos, some posed, some action, some just plain ridiculous. The food was delicious and the cake was so tasty that I had a piece for lunch today (no other food, just cake)! The party was a lot of fun, as my family is hilarious. A few of us made speeches for my grandpa, and my mom and I showed that we are definitely related as we both finished our speeches in tears! On another note, my uncle Bruce had a secret mission that night - he was trying to steal his World's curling banner but after much debate, decided that he needed to do it another night as it would too obvious that it was him since there was no one else at the club with us. So after a really fun night, we left the club (mostly) intact and all headed our separate ways home. 

Birthday boy!

Little lady #3

 Sunday I woke up bright and early to go to a dentist appointment (perks of having your dad as your dentist) and then went to the gym with my mom. I should not have done so because the new Ancaster gym makes the Bishop's gym look very, very sad. I then packed my suitcase back up, Macky included and began my long trip back to Bishop's. However, I did get a ride right to the airport and got picked up by my saint of a friend in Sherbrooke, so the trip home was much quicker! It was nice to come home to my housemates, especially as they had dinner ready and lots of stories to tell me as it was homecoming at Bishop's this weekend. They had a "great" weekend and even though I am sad that I missed it, I am so glad that I went home for the party. It was great to see my family and it was a good way to take my mind off the lack of Japanese students in my life. It will be weird (and disappointing) to not be going to Dewies for lunch tomorrow! But with the end of one great thing comes the start of another and that is certainly true for this week. On Tuesday, I start my first practicum! 

Announced last Wednesday, starting this week, I will be going to an elementary school in Magog on Tuesday mornings to be the student teacher in a grade six classroom. I am beyond excited!! I am also going to be volunteering with the LES Outdoor Club which starts on Thursday afternoon so if you were worried about me not having anything to do without being the language monitor, you do not need to worry anymore! Wish me luck as I take on new challenges! 

So I must head off to bed now as I have a lot to do tomorrow - two assignments, a quiz, and who knows what else! Wishing you a wonderful week!

All my love, 

Erica 

Yamaguchi Week 2!

“There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though you are a miracle.”

Sorry, that's an obnoxious quote I just found on the Thought Catalog website and I thought it was funny and worth sharing. On the other hand, my job as the Yamaguchi language monitor has certainly been somewhat of a miracle and I have been loving every minute with my students. I am already starting to feel sad that they are only here for one more week! That being said, we had a great week together and I am sure their last one will be the best yet!

On Monday, I had a day full of classes and nothing too exciting happened to me. Being in class all afternoon prevented me from doing any activities with my Japanese students that day, which is unfortunate as they got to go to a local museum for tea and scones. But it was my turn to cook dinner for my housemates so I made them some delicious sour cream and ritz cracker chicken. Sounds strange but it was fantastic! (Recipe: http://www.makedinnereasy.com/heavenly-chicken.html). On Tuesday, I had one class and then got to play English Grammar Jeopardy with my students. It was slightly embarrassing for me as I didn't even know all the answers (but I do now know what a gerund is). After that, we had a homework and Hunger Games party, following which, I invited them all to come to the Student Ministry dinner with my housemates and me. They had a lot of fun, especially the professor as he usually spends his nights alone at the motel. They all tried chili for the first time as well, but had a hard time grasping understanding how chili got its name as we use the same word to describe cold weather! After dinner, I had to leave to go to my first astronomy class and they had a night at the observatory. My class was not too exciting and very, very hot and then it rained while I was walking home - rough night!

 

The clip I showed to explain how Jeopardy works!

 

Wednesday was packed with classes as well so I missed out on their chapel tour. I did challenge a few of them to hangman at lunch which they seemed to like and we also did some gum wrapper Origami. Their paper cranes certainly showed up my paper airplane!  I will have to pull out some more games at lunch this week! It was a pretty uneventful night as well but I did catch up on a few missed episodes of MasterChef in preparation for the finale! Thursday, I went to North Hatley with my students for the afternoon and took the two male students and the professor to a local bar, the Pilsner! After finishing their drinks, they wanted to order beer to bring back to Japan! After getting home, I watched the MC Finale (Congrats Chef Luca!) while preparing for Elizabeth's birthday which was the next day. I got her a fancy little jar scraper spoon for use in our new kitchen (and a Tim's donut and smoothie for breakfast) and made some decorations for her bedroom door. In the afternoon on Friday, the Japanese students and I went to the Capelton Mines, which, I learned on the tour, used to be one of the largest mining complexes in the world! The tour was fantastic and in the end, we were challenged to get out of the mines without any light! Luckily, there were glow in the dark arrows to guide the way out! 

Rainy day in North Hatley!

Underground in the Capelton Mines!

 

Friday night, we had a birthday party for Elizabeth and a bunch of our friends came over and saw our house for the first time! It was really fun to see them all again, and the night was really fun...until I wanted to go to bed in preparation for my 6:00am wake up! But oh well, the birthday girl had a good time, even if she didn't make it to her own bed until after 4:00am!

Why did I have to wake up so early, you ask? Well, Saturday was the Yamaguchi day trip to Ottawa! We left bright and early and arrived in our nation's capital around 11:30 and started the day at the Canadian Museum of Civilization. It was only the second time I had been there and obviously the first for all of my students. We did not have a guided tour but had three hours to wander the museum. The special exhibits included one on the history of Vodou (which I now know is waaayyyy more than putting pins in dolls) and one on famous Canadians and their quirks. I had a lot of fun at the museum and could easily have spent a lot longer there but I don't think it was as much fun for my students. We walked around downtown for a bit, visiting the Rideau Canal and the locks and the Parliament Buildings. We then stopped at the Rideau Centre for some shopping, where I met up with my friend Andrea who goes to OttawaU and then we went to the Byward Market, where I ran into my cousins while my students were shopping! We boarded the bus around 7pm to head home and when asked, my students' favourite part of the day was eating dinner at McDonalds!! They then passed out for the entire ride home, which I am hoping was a sign of a successful day! I wish that they could have gotten a tour of Ottawa, like our tour in Quebec City, but I will suggest that for the program next year! 

Canadian Museum of Civilization!

With Natsumi and Naomi on Parliament Hill!

Parliament Hill!

Andrea and me in Byward Market!

Family Reunion (après dinner at FatBoys) in Byward Market!

Today was a relaxing day, with time for homework, running, swimming, laundry and catching up with my housemates. I grabbed tea with a friend and then went for a swim with Jocelyn before heading home for an Italian dinner cooked by Elizabeth (with some lovely Italian music to set the atmosphere). And now, here I am, ready to go to bed and gear up for my final week with my students. 

So here`s hoping that your week was as wonderful as mine and that your coming week will be lovely! Miss and love you all!

All my love, Erica xoxoxoxo 

PS I saw this video on YouTube this week and have now watched it 7 times. It makes me cry tears of happiness every time! So no pressure on my future fiancé, but my expectations are now very high! 

 

Hello! Bonjour! Konnichiwa!

Hello again friends, family and all those who stumbled upon this page by accident! I hope you had a fantastic week and a great first few days of school! Student life is now in full swing here in Lennoxville and it is starting to get a lot calmer now that Frosh Week is over. So first off, congrats to all of you that survived your own Frosh Weeks. Now the real challenge (aka studying) can begin! 

Jocelyn and me modeling our new BU shirts!

My week was absolutely wonderful as I was kept busy with the Japanese Exchange Students. On Tuesday, they started their classes so I had to be up early in the morning to walk them from the front of campus to the library (it's a 30 second walk). Then, I ate lunch with them in the cafeteria after giving a full breakdown of how Dewies works. Let me tell you, they took full advantage of the all you can eat buffet! At one point, one of the boys had 4 full plates in front of him!! After lunch, they had a Scavenger Hunt around campus and following that I gave them a tour of campus. After ensuring they all got home safely, my housemates and I went to a free dinner put on by the BU Student Ministry. It was a BBQ, which was fitting for me as every Tuesday at camp was a BBQ during the summer. There was an 8 year old girl handing out popsicles and the inner camp counselor/skating coach/future teacher in me quickly struck up a conversation with her. I can now tell you everything about her, from how many siblings she has to what she wants to do when she grows up. Who says all your friends at university have to be adults?

Wednesday, I walked the Japanese students to class and then had my own first day of classes. This semester I have Advanced French Grammar, Orientation to Teaching, Reflective Practicum, Integrating Technology into the Classroom and Intro to Astronomy. I had the first three on Wednesday and during Reflective Practicum, I filled out my form to be assigned to a teaching placement for the rest of the year! I am super excited to actually be in the classroom and teaching this year! I will find out by the end of the month where I am placed and who my associate teacher is. Unfortunately, due to my own classes, I couldn't go for ice cream with the Japanese students but I met them at the end of the day to send them off. 

Thursday, I only had one class, Ed. Tech, which seems like it will be interesting. According to the outline, each week we will learn about different technologies and software that we can use in a classroom one day. I really hope we learn all about SMART Boards! I can't wait to have one of my own (that would be the inner teacher in me talking again). After class, the Japanese students and I went to Le Gros Pierre, an apple orchard in Compton, Quebec. While there, we had a tour of the orchard, got to pick a small bag of apples and had homemade apple pie and apple cider. My students had never been to an apple orchard before so it was neat to see them experience being there for the first time. The apple pie was so delicious that I couldn't resist joining in with them when they were taking pictures of it to show their friends back home. 

(Try not to be too jealous)

Friday, we went to the Coaticook Gorge, the same place I went right around this time last year with the Leadership Floor. This time, we had a tour guide who took us on a hike through the hemlock forest, into a cave and across the second longest suspension bridge in the world. When the guide told my students that the Coaticook bridge was the longest suspension bridge in the world until a longer one was built in Japan, they all started apologizing! We also met some Italian tourists at the gorge and we saw them again when we went out for homemade Coaticook ice cream. After a great day at the gorge, Jocelyn, Elizabeth and I went into Sherbrooke to see the One Direction movie, This is Us. It was AMAZING!! I felt like I was at the concert! We had to leave a few minutes early to catch our bus home but we spent the rest of the night listening to the 1D album! 

On the second longest suspension bridge in the world!

Saturday morning I was up bright and early (6am) to leave to go to Quebec City with the Japanese students. When we got there, we had a walking tour of Old Quebec with, luckily, an English speaking tour guide. Quebec City is such a beautiful place! I think that I had more fun on the tour than my students did! We went to the Chateau Frontenac, a seminary, several churches (including the one where the Bishop that founded BU went) and a lot of other places. The guide's wife works at Laval University and he was trying to convince me to transfer throughout the entire tour. We then took a ferry trip across the St. Lawrence river and back, followed by a long afternoon of shopping. I sat in front of one of the churches for a bit and watched two weddings take place! Following shopping, we went out for dinner at the Cafe du Paris where we were entertained by a French Canadian folk singer. We then shopped (in the rain) for another hour before heading back home to Lennoxville. All of the Japanese students fell asleep but I spent the bus ride practicing my French with the bus driver's wife. I hope I didn't bore her too badly!

Le Chateau Frontenac!

Downtown Quebec!

 

Two of my students pretending to be on the Titanic!

Today, I rested and did some readings for my classes this week. I also caught up with one of my housemates, Hannah as her week as a frosh leader is officially over. She had a great week though and I bet her froshies are missing her already. I chatted with both my parents on the phone, and got to hear all about my mother's wild birthday weekend at Camp Wenonah! (Sorry Jeff, for any damages she may have caused). And now I am off to bed to rest up for another busy week! 

Sending all my love to wherever you are! 

Erica xoxoxo

PS Here is a picture of one of the presents that my lovely students have given me! It is a Yamaguchi dish towel!

S-S-S-S-Second Year!!

Happy Labour Day and happy back to school! This post today comes to you from my new room in my new house which I moved into on Friday. And as of last night, all of my housemates are here now as well. Second year is off to a great start so far and I know that I have an exciting year ahead of me!

It's hard to believe that just over a week ago, I was still on the shores of Clear Lake at camp and now I am in a different province. My summer was absolutely fantastic! Being a camp counselor is truly the best job ever. August was just as good, if not better than July Camp - the girls and boys switched sides of camp, so I was the counselor of the Beech cabin (youngest two week girls, Period 3) and the White Pine cabin (youngest Camp Kivita girls cabin, Period 4A) and then finished the summer living in Aspen for a week. Lauren was there, doing the POLARIS program for the month and Jamie came up for the last two weeks of August. I loved my Beech girls and I ran my favourite cabin choice of the summer for them - a Toilet Paper Bridal Shower (idea credit to Aunt Pearl). Camp Kivita was extremely fun - I got to co-counsel with my longtime camp friend Sydney and we had 8 girls who were all post organ transplants. It was a crazy week but definitely one of my favourites of the summer. On my day off during August, I brought Anna, a counselor from England, home to Ancaster and we spent a day at the Eaton Centre, went out for fro-yo and for sushi before heading back to camp for the final week of the summer. I didn't have any counseling responsibilities that week so I helped out in my friend's cabin. I also did the staff triathlon and finished 6th overall. On the final Saturday, I got to do bus duty so I took campers to Vaughan Mills and then dropped international campers off at Pearson Airport. Then I got to go on a road trip back to camp with 3 male staff for the Staff Banquet that night. There was great food, a long slideshow full of pictures and many awards given out to commemorate a fantastic summer. 

3 of my Beech Babes!

Sydney and me in front of White Pine!

2 of my Kivita campers!

Finishing the staff triathlon!

After returning from camp, I had a very busy week at home getting ready for school. On Tuesday, I got an email from school with a job opportunity for the first three weeks of September and applied for it later that night. So, after a phone interview, I am now the language monitor for the Yamaguchi English Exchange Program. The program consists of 10 Japanese university students who are at Bishop's to study English for three weeks. My job includes eating lunch with them, going on day trips with them and helping them find their way around campus.

On Wednesday, my mom and I picked up our U-Haul truck and with the help of my uncle and mom's boyfriend, we spent Thursday packing up the truck with all of my furniture to bring to school. On Friday, my mom and I left around 10 in the morning and after a 12 and a half hour trip, made it to my new house late that night. We spent Saturday unloading the truck and setting up my room and other furniture around the house. I met my new boss for the Yamaguchi program and at 4oclock, I boarded a bus to go pick up the exchange students at the Montreal airport. The pick up went smoothly and I got them all back to campus, fed and delivered to their host families by 10pm! 

Me with the U-Haul truck!

My housemates eating breakfast on the porch! (Pre-Kitchen Table Set Up)

Sunday was the first day of Orientation Week so my one housemate, Hannah, who is a frosh leader, was up bright and early to go recruit first year students to join her frosh team, the Trouser Snakes. Elizabeth, Jocelyn and I spent more time setting things up around the house (including a new paint coat in the bathroom). We also cooked our first dinner altogether which was pork tenderloin, stir fry veggies and quinoa (provided by our special guest Gaby). I am happy to report that we did not burn anything and our house is still standing! After dinner, our final housemate Sarah arrived and we tried to help her set up her bed but unfortunately it is very difficult to set a bed up without the necessary screws! After that, we went out to the Gaiter Gardens, the first big frosh event, at which there was a big tent and a DJ set up in our Quad. It was so much fun!! We met Hannah`s frosh group and saw a ton of our friends from last year and all in all had a great night! Tonight there is a concert but I have to be up early tomorrow to give the Japanese students a tour so I am going to stay in with my housemates and watch a movie I think. Plus, it`s pouring rain so leaving my house just does not seem desirable. 

Cooking in our new kitchen!

Bogmates reunited at Gaiter Gardens!

So good luck to everyone starting at school this week and to all my first year friends, have a great Orientation Week! Remember, make good decisions!! 

All my love, Erica xoxoxoxo