Culture Analysis

I am going to start this post by admitting something potentially controversial: Canada is seriously behind. For my Canadian readers, you are probably not familiar with Chick-fil-a, a fast food joint that is, shockingly (she pronounced sarcastically), by Christians, hires Christians employees, and plays Christian music in the background. That is something unheard of in Canada; Canadians are naturally apathetic and indifferent and it's nice to see that Christianity is not diminishing. It may be heavily scrutinized and under severe belittling--viewing and uttering Christianity in a disparaging fashion. While many public faces and politicians see no use for Christianity, this is actually on the rise. King's Dominion, an amusement park in northern Virginia is a Christian-based park. Well. Isn't that something? Just when I thought that no one was willing to speak up for their beliefs and were willing to compromise for friendship, social status, and relative affluence, there is quite certainly a passion on Regent's campus and in its students. It is incontrovertibly sure that many people are unwilling to settle in terms of their faith. There are stores dedicated to proclaiming the Truth, amusement parks, fast food restaurants (in which everyone dines), and popular music festivals. Oh, it's good to be inVirginia...

In terms of college life, the workload is tolerable, people come in and out of dorm rooms, hang out every night, and have movie festivals. I do suspect, however, that workload will burgeon and will have less time to converse with my fellow peers and more time studying. Maybe, maybe not. We'll see.

Summary: First Week of College

Let's start with the most obvious: classes. May I be blunt and confess that I don't really feel like it's anything different that what I've done in home schooled? I learn, I take notes, I study them for quizzes/tests/exams, and get graded on them. I don't feel extremely overwhelmed; then again, I may have been privileged in that department. So far, it has been pretty chill, lax, easy. However, soon, I have an extremely important and laboring paper due in English 101so that might take more of my time. But for the most part, I don't sense a tremendous different in regards to academic than my homeschooling program (again, might I add that I did the hardest homeschooling program and it was actually university level-based). For example, in English, there is an assignment due highlighting the most common grammar errors in English and not only have I studied them over and over and over and over again for SAT's but I have also took 3 grammar courses in high school, so I'm totally set! At first, I did not want to be home schooled; now, I am so glad that I obeyed God's plan for my life 'cause being at Regent is worth for all those days in which I cried over submitting to God's plan, wanting to be like my peers, and etcetera.

On more important matters, my university welcomed the new school year in a big way: the beach! The Saturday prior to classes beginning, the entire freshman class of Regent's graduating class of 2015 went down to Sandbridge Beach and it was pretty boss. I also went surfing for the very first time in my life! It was such an exhilarating experience and I am certain that I will go countless times after (I even signed up for Regent's surf club!). Only bad thing, I got bitten by something at the beach that day (I'm all good now, but during....that was horrible. It was just plain bad.). Then the school was struck by the earthquake. Surprisingly, Regent was hit very little; there was a little swaying, but other than that, it was fine. Considering that the epicentre is Richmond, which is 2 hours north, it was the hand of God upon the school. People at the Pentagon were evacuated; shopping sprees in other locations spread across VA beach was hit mildly and people all the way to Toronto felt the tremor. Next, I'm prepared to experience Hurricane Irene. Never have I experienced a hurricane before. I've read the stories, felt sympathy, but that's it. Now it's the real deal. Great first week of classes, eh?

My Thoughts Are On You

Thankfully, orientation activities have halted considerably, thus allowing many students to sleep in and especially for those who stayed up until 2:00 AM, eating at Waffle House at midnight, and playing truth or dare at 1 in the morning (ahem), it was an especially good thing. However, with nothing in the morning, that gave a tremendous amount to think. I thought about home, my family, the familiarity of everything, and how much I miss them. I miss my baby sister's baby talk (as she is beginning to formulate her speech), my little sister's annoyingly sweet ways (because I know what she says and does is for my own good even if I fail to realize it at the moment), and my parents. I miss them. It still hasn't registered in my mind that I living for 4+ years in Virginia and somehow, thinking of them hopefully induces that feeling but it hasn't. I miss them and I keep thinking that in the near future, I'm going back home. But I'm not. I'm missing my mother's delicious homemade food, my father's jests and jokes, my sisters' shrieking, and my room. (I wish that I had requested for a quad 'cause they are awesome). Perhaps with the imminent workload that will arrive with classes commencing on Monday, that feeling will soon arise...Until then, thinking of my family continuously...

College Fashion

With school around the corner (literally!), fall fashion thus beings to emerge slowly as the leaves begin to change colors and the temperature steadily drops, I begin to mature my college vogue. 

reality with a Capital R

Well, ladies and gentleman, this will be the last time I address you before I begin college. Tomorrow morning, I fly back to Virginia Beach and I will soon commence in orientation activities, awkward meetings with people that will soon be my fellow peers, and professors with whom I will associate. Let me tell you, coming back to Canada was such a surreal experience just because I've seen the difference from America to Canada. Barrie is...dead. That is the only term I can adequately describe my hometown. In comparison with Virginia Beach, Barrie is boring, lax, and dead-end. There are very little job opportunities, post-secondary options, and same scenery, same people, same things, same drama, same everything. For example, literally, and I do mean literally, every 5 miles, there is a church. People in VA are unabashed about their religious affiliations and I find that noble considering that people in my home town are timid to admit that they actually--gasp!--attend church. For shopping (yes, I am a shopper), there is waaaay more options and there is more options in every department. And tomorrow, I will officially start my pre-school activities and reality will soon settle in. I cannot promise you that I will post as often as I had but I do guarantee that this blog will not die. Perhaps it will not be as alive as it was in its heyday but I will still blog. Hopefully.

Look Up; Love has a Face

Woohoo! Happy 100th post! (I feel very special writing that when, in fact, it bears no earth-shattering significance.)

In less than two weeks, I am starting university. Saying that, reading that, and believing it makes it difficult to convey how I'm truly feeling but nonetheless, it's true. Now, I am also attending a Christian university and while many are criticizing my decision to attend a Christian post-secondary education institution and may give me a sense of what people will call--quote--a "sheltered" milieu--unquote--college is much more than just having a party life, studying, and having options open. Nay, for me, it's about have a strong community behind my back, a rigid foundation--a family. Being at Regent is not just a place for me to learn and venture in the job world, searching for whatever comes my way. On the contrary, it's preparing me, equipping me with the necessary tools so that when I go to find my career, I will be successful at it. Besides, that makes it easier when I have people with similar goal-orienated mentality around me.

Here is a preview of my room (or what I've organized thus far)...

To Taste Nostalgia's Acrid Flavor...

I am officially moved in to university and might I just say, it is the strangest feeling known to man. First of all, I was feeling extremely homesick as it has only been 27 hours since leaving home and already I'm craving my mother's homemade cooking, my (crazy) sister's antics, and my baby sister's beautiful and excruciatingly cute face and well, aggravating shrieks. So far, it has only been my father and me and while it has been an adventure (eating at Cracker Barrel, eating Doritos, having Haagen Dazs, and drooling in the car), I miss my family. It's all their fault; they have created the perfect environment that I never want to leave home, the comfort of my own bed, and the notion that my family is all downstairs. Now, I have to get used to the fact that I'm alone in my room (for now) and that my parents are 1030 km away. Why do I miss my parents so much? Why must they have created a Mommy's and a Daddy's girl that I never want to leave their side? This sucks. I do not regret that I left Barrie--in fact, I am so glad I left that opportunity barren desert--but I miss my family too much to admit.

I am getting to get teased for this.

Here Comes the Feeling You Thought You've Forgotten

Days left: 1

It's so strange to think that I've arrived at that pivotal moment in my life where I am, metaphorically of course, leaving the nest. For years I've wondered what that must feel like, what emotion it plucks, and what must be flowing through my mind when that moment arrives. When I first graduated elementary school, I thought, "Wow, in 4 years, I'll be able to say that I'm graduating high school and going off to university" and that I have and I am, I must say, ambivalence is an understatement. I've watched countless films in which the protagonist packs and leaves for college, embarking what life throws her way and the new things she'll discover about herself. Now that I am going down to Virginia tomorrow and move in to university, there is a plethora of things that suddenly rushes to evoke the many things that I loathed several months ago...

What I'm suddenly missing...

-staying up late every night and waking up at 11 in the morning
-eating my mother's deliciously homemade food
-having my sister annoy the freaking crap out of me by talking way too much
-seeing my peers and wondering what it will be of them 5, 10, 20 years from now
-having the desire to do certain things differently had I been given the chance or alter certain reactions with the knowledge I've thus accumulated
-thinking in metric
-giving Barrie a bad reputation and how much I'll miss bastardizing the town
-seeing my parents' faces every day
-watching Esther grow
-seeing my childhood whisk by fleetingly
-grateful that I've arrived at this moment (almost) unscathed
-struck by the overwhelming feeling that I am eighteen years old--a legal adult--and I am moving to university, starting my own life, going my own way, and looking forward to Thanksgiving, Easter, Christmas, and many other family gatherings in which I will visit and realize just how wonderful it is that I am going this way but how nostalgic I'll be before I arrive
-how much I'll miss my parents

Trans-Atlantic Traveler

Days left: 5

I was just ready to accept that in a few short days, I will be hauling my stuff half a country away to my new home. I was prepared to shed some tears and tearful goodbyes, but now that's it's actually happening...saying I'm ambivalent is a grandiose understatement. I want to leave Barrie, but I'm not quite ready to leave my family just yet...

Okay, so, exciting news! I have an awesome guest staying with my family for a month or so and she is so cool, calling her Antarctica would not be enough to thoroughly describe her coolness. (I hope you caught my blatant attempt at a futile comic hyperbole.) For the next few days (that I'm here with her), we are going to do everything and be the embarrassing tourist everyone scorns, lugging cameras around, speaking foreignly, and looking at every nook and cranny, as if that is the most fascinating thing we've ever seen. Oh, yes, it is going to be a fabulous time, filled with going to Wonderland (again), shopping in Toronto, seeing a movie (how exciting it must be for her to go to a movie theatre in North America), eat at disgusting fast food joints, go to the beach, swim in my pool, jump on the trampoline, see what driving in North America is like (far too easy is my personal opinion, as most of the drivers in North America would not even approach a car in Europe, never mind actually drive it). People should be very jealous as I have a young European lady following me around and what do you have? Cats, maybe dogs. Humans are much cooler. If I am tardy with my posts, don't be surprised--I'll be having too much trying to learn a foreign language or attempting to adopt their mannerisms.