Monday 23 September 2013

Settled

I'm getting more in to the daily routine of Halifax and university life now which has meant i have been a busy bee the last few weeks! The workload is heavier than in the UK but the fact that i enjoy all of my modules makes it well worth it, never before have i actually enjoyed a 10-5.30 day of lectures!

So... what have i done since i last wrote? I went on a hike and met an amazing group of people and we walked the most beautiful route round a lake that is just a bus ride out of downtown Halifax. It was such a lovely day for it too!

The 'Across the pond' trivia team are now firm fixtures at trivia night, and also firm fixtures in the bottom half of the winners list! Give it a year though and we will be pro's at the trivia lark, i can see it now, 'Across the pond. No#1'

I ventured out as well to a karaoke night, in an underground sports bar, now what is not to love, sitting in a nice environment drinking a beer and eating a bowl of fries! I even got up and sang... with a group... stood furthest away from the microphone... but it is the participation that counts, right?

Then, i did actual work on a weekend! I had to follow some maps for one of my modules and take interesting pictures to write about. I did get to see a fair amount of the city that day, going down the historical streets, up to citidel hill, then stopping to eat a beavers tail, which is a bit like a doughnut, but flat, and shaped like a beavers tail (hence the name :P) and you can have all sorts on it! I have chocolate spread and banana on mine :P We then ventured on to the ferry bus over to Dartmouth, which is not all that interesting... But i did go there again this weekend and went to the mall there, and spent lots of money in H&M and bought my first Canadian piece of clothing and i think the only thing that is preparing myself for winter.

Then lots of work happened and business try outs so my time has been taken up very much so by assignment writing and reading, as well as going out for lots of coffee and tea... i blame my neighbour for this ;) This week though it is green week at the university and there are lots of free events around campus and in the city. I am also going apple picking this weekend, so i warn anyone that is around me, you may be in abundance of shoddily baked apple pies :P

Links
Mittens: http://www.thebay.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/en/thebay/hbc-/2014-red-mittens/snow-top-red-mittens

Friday 6 September 2013

First Week

I have been here just over a week now, but it feels like i have been here so much longer! I had my orientation and it was like people overload but it was lots of fun and i made a lot of new friends, admittedly all of the British seemed to migrate towards one another. It was then the university's freshers (or frosh as they call it here), i didn't get a band to that and only went to the free events, so i spent that time exploring the city, but mainly just getting lost! I went to some parks that seem to be scattered all over Halifax, and i did a lot of shopping! Not bringing a rain coat here was possibly the biggest mistake i have ever made, the weather here is a bit bi-polar and one minute you are being burnt in the sun, next minute the heavens have opened and you cant see for rain! I did go to one of the events though and that was a thing called meet the fam where you met the dean and all the importantpeople. And i can honestly say i have never been to something so peppy and cheery in my life! We sang O Canada, made a pledge and then there was impromptu chants, i guess at least i now know the university chants :P I did get a scarf given to me though, and it made me feel slightly like i was in Hogwarts with a school scarf.


Me and my neighbour (she is also an exchange student) have found an amazing place to escape the rain though and that is a place called 'Davids Tea'. It is a tea shop, which i am surprised we don't have in England, that has the most insane amount of tea flavours. The last one i had was Earl Gray infused with vanilla and using agarve as a sweetener. It was heaven! My new favourite place to hang out :P


Last night though i went to the first day of classes ball where a live covers band played, and they were awesome and i got in to drinking the local brew called 'Keiths'. When i was told it was ale i was sceptical but it was lovely, new favourite drink, but second to Davids Tea :P I then finished off the night with a portion of Poutine, which is a dish everyone should try at least once in their lives, it is the ultimate drunk person food, chips, gravy and cheese! What is not to love!

Today though i did do some actual learning. I started my classes, my first one being Halifax and the World, which i really liked, it is more of an exploration module so you get graded on mapping where you have explored and identifying the impact your daily routine has on the rest of the world. It is very different to any teaching style i have encountered in the UK.

Links
Davids Tea:http://www.davidstea.com/