One Month Gone!

Sorry, I'm not good at updates and such.  So many distracting things...cafes, TamTams, farmers markets, those things called classes and I guess some studying too.  Those are my excuses.  Let's see, two weekends ago was the first home football game of the season against Concordia.  There are two francophone universities and two anglophone universities in Montreal. Concordia is the other anglophone school.  Hearing the Canadian anthem before the game was one of those moments in which I realized I really am in a different country.  It happens fairly rarely here - though I'm reminded everytime I hear the temperature in celcius. Anyway, apparently the McGill team isn't that great (they won one game last year-the first in three years), so it was a surprise when they scored a TD within the first minute of the game.  Everyone that came was decked out in red (the McGill Redman - which is an eagle-looking bird is the mascot).  There were exactly two cheers everyone chanted, the lack of creativity was slightly amusing but then became annoying.  So that was a fun friday, though I didn't stay the whole game and went to chill at someones apartment at half-time.  Apparently McGill lost in the last minute, so their reputation is unchanged.

On Sunday I went back up to TamTams.  I don't remember if I described it before, but it is this mass drum playing/chilling/dancing event that occurs in Mont Royal parc.  The musicians are from all different backgrounds and walks of life, but play together really well. One way to illustrate the general attitude: while you are browsing the vendors who layout their stuff on the sidewalk or moving to the beat of the drum in the crowd, you will smell the occasional waft of smoke  from the surrounding lawn that is that interesting combination of cigarette smoke and weed.  It is a great atmosphere and an awesome way to spend Sunday afternoon. 

This past weekend was fun too.  I had a date Saturday.  We went to see Inception - which is an incredible movie for all 5 people who haven't seen it yet. and then dinner.  It was nice and fun.  Sunday was super chill, I just went to a dance class at the rec, and tried to do some homework.

This week I also went to the New International Students' Reception held in a very nice building on campus (akin to Alumni House at WM).  There I met many Americans - one was a PhD Neuroscience student from Chartiers Valley, Pittsburgh, PA.  So that was a weird coincidence.  But I also met a really nice girl from Malaysia, so we talked about a whole lot of stuff.  Actually talking to her gave me the most international experience thus far.  I described how Christmas is my favorite time of year with all the decorations and festive mood, and she asked if it was similar to Chinese New Year, because it is not a big cultural holiday in Asia.  That was interesting and it was really fun talking to her. 

Tonight I just got back from "People's Liberated Knitting Front" which sounds a lot more radical/activist than it is.  They're just a group of really chill knitters who meet at a cafe near campus and knit/socialize.  It may sound lame to some, but it was really fun and ironically I met more people from the US than from Canada.   But a Habs game was on at the same time so got on the subject of hockey and we were talking about the Olympics game (which I am ashamed to admit I didn't watch). They talked about how it was a huge moment, and there was so much national pride, etc.  Which was fine by me, Sidney Crosby scored the winning goal so in some ways it's still a win for Pittsburgh.

Classes are going well, though the material is starting to pile up, and I have my first midterm next week!  I can't believe the first month is basically over, it went by so quickly!  Here are a few pictures covering this and the previous post.

Mont Royal during International Students' Day

Taken from the F1 race track on Ile-Notre Dame, the dome is from the 1967 Expo in Montreal, on Ile St-Helene

Vieux-Montreal

Vieux-Montreal

Pub Night

View from Mont Royal on a beautiful day

TamTams in Mont Royal

Nicole from Malyasia

2 weeks later she remembers that she has a blog

So much has happened since my last post!  Let's see, the week after orientation classes started, on the wednesday.  But on Monday I went on a bus tour (that surprisingly didn't feel too touristy) through the international office.  So I met a bunch of people from around the world: a few from Singapore, Mexico, Norway, and a few from the US.  One of the girls I hung-out with was from Ohio and took two years off after high school to travel the world with Disney on ice.  Yeah, I know, I thought the same thing: how cool is that!  I wish I had the skills and guts to do that, but anyway.  That was fun and we went up Mont Royal and the Olympic stadium so I got some gorgeous views of Montreal.  We also ate at a very nice restaurant in Old Montreal (though apparently it is actually a chain).  But the day was a lot of fun.  Then classes...and they are the same as classes anywhere, though on a bigger scale.  And the really really nice thing is that almost all my professors record every lecture.  I was surprised, but other students expected it and were surprised when profs didn't record the lectures.  I guess it goes along with bigger classes. 
The first weekend of Spetember we had a 3-day weekend (one of the two for the WHOLE SEMESTER). But that's another story.  Anyway, I explored some more of Montreal including Ile St-Helene and Ile-Notre Dame.  Both are basically big parks (Ile-Notre Dame is man-made and has the race track on it).  So I had fun just meandering around and getting semi-lost before taking the metro back.
That weekend I also went to the Marche Jean-Talon, which is a big permanent farmer's market. It is so much fun!  The hustle-and-bustle and all the good smells, and fresh but cheap produce combine to form a great atmosphere.  It is also cool to hear all the bargaining in French.  I'm definitely going back soon.  Of course then that means I will have to start eating more vegetables and actually making meals.  But it is a sacrifice I am willing to make just so I can shop there.  I also went over and explored Vieux-Montreal for a bit.  It's fun just to walk around the cobblestoned, narrow streets, but it has a definitive tourist-y feel.
This past weekend I went to a pub with some friends (it's fun just to say that). They suggested I try the Screaming Orgasm: Vodka, Baileys, Amaretto, and Kahlua.  But I opted for something tamer.  That was actually probably one of the most fun nights I've had so far since Frosh.  Also this weekend I (literally) climbed Mont Royal.  It was fun getting lost on the random semi-trails, though the mosquitos were out enjoying the mild weather as well.  I feel like there is so much more that's happened, but I can't think of it now. 
I'm still alive and well. And the Steelers won on Sunday :)