So, its no surprise that this blog (if you can even call it that) collects far too much dust. There are two honest reasons for it: Procrastination, and laziness. Unfortunately, I suffer extremely from both. However, I have a friend by the name of Marci who is from South Africa and studying here at Bishops, and she is in the same situation as me. She decided that she would update her blog every day for 48 days. I decided to turn it into a challenge with her, and match it. And for any day one of us don't update it, we have to wear thongs and shorts the next day. Its getting very cold very quickly, and could soon turn uncomfortable. So, my inspiration is there, and we'll see how this goes.
Its currently 2am on a Friday morning as I type this, and I am going to make it short. Tomorrow (actually in just over 5hrs) I'll be waking up to go on a roadtrip with some good friends of mine that I haven't yet had the opportunity to go on a trip with yet - Jerome (Jezza), Flora, and Elodie. We are heading just under 500km north to the Saguenay region, in particular L'Anse-Saint-Jean, where we have booked a hostel that describes itself as 'small' and 'off the beaten track'. Its beautiful out that way - I've done a roadtrip to a place nearby with another group of friends (which I'm sure I'll tell you about soon - I've got to find something to talk about every day!), and the weather should be good, so we plan to do some hiking, mountain biking, and exploring of the parks around the area, as well any other touristy thing we can think of. I just don't know how I'm gonna update this blog tomorrow or Saturday or even Sunday, which means I could be in for some cold days when I get back. Maybe I'll be able to negotiate with Marci so that if I type the daily updates up and have them ready to post, I'm allowed to post them as soon as I have access to the internet without consequence.
So anyway, I just realised that its taken me 8 minutes to get this far in an update... why on earth have I been so lazy?!? I'm gonna finish this post by telling you what I have planned for subsequent posts:
- I'm going to post 5 things each day on stuff I've noticed that is different between Canada and Australia, whether it be a cultural thing, physical thing or something different, for as long as I can.
- I'll hopefully do a few larger posts to start with that update you on some of the trips I've done, as well as many other events (Halloween, intermural soccer, meteor shower, etc), including any photos I may have.
- To go with these events, I may even put together some videos of it using iMovie on my Mac (I just learnt how to use it for an assignment!), which I will embed into the post.
Ok, we're 13minutes in, and I think this is a good enough first effort for a post. As much as I don't deserve it, I'd love to see you come back often to check what I've been up to, and even add a comment (with your name) down the bottom just to say hi, and suggest what I could write about the next day.
Hopefully you'll see an update this weekend!
Much love
Jono.
Friday, November 20, 2009
Saturday, September 26, 2009
Finally!!! An update!!!
Well, here I am, finally typing an update to my blog. Sitting on a Greyhound bus, on my way to Toronto. Updating this regularly has already failed as a plan, but hopefully now that I’ve half settled down into a schedule at uni, I will be able to update you more frequently. Note that after having typed this, I realise it is very long. Please take the time to read it; I promise it wont be as long in the future, but 3 weeks have passed since I've been here, so I didn't want to leave out all the good stuff!
So, where do I start? Well my flight to LA was great - took 12 hours, and really enjoyed the services of V Australia. At LAX (arrived at 6am local time) we got through customs within 15-20 mins, which was a real
nice surprise. The 12.30pm Air Canada flight to Montreal was just as trouble-free, except for Montreal’s customs, where I had to wait in three separate lines that took over 2 hours all up (see photo). By this time it was now 11pm local time, so I finally picked up my abandoned luggage that went around the carousel god-knows-how-many-times, and caught a cab to the HI Hostel, where I fell asleep in exhaustion. I might note that during the cab ride, i’m surprised to say that it didn’t feel very weird that we were driving on the wrong side of the road. Sitting on the bus now, I’m completely used to it. Except at intersections.
So at the hostel I met all the other international students, and the next day we all got the bus to our new home, Bishops University (about 2hrs from Montreal). What can I say? Its awesome!!! The campus is even more stunning than I expected it to be, with classic buildings, heaps of green grass and massive trees, and plenty of squirrels too!
I was quite worried about how good my room was actually going to be, but was pleasantly surprised by its size (about the same as my one back at home). And the shower is AWESOME - The pressure can actually hurt!!
Then there is the campus dining hall, a mere 1 minute walk from my residence. I must say, it is one of my favourite parts of Bishops. Unlimited food, from 7am till 11pm. Their specific breakfast/lunch/dinner menu however is offered at designated times only, but it has a 4 week rotation, meaning we’re always getting new varieties of hot food (that is of very decent quality). Always on offer there is a breakfast bar, toast, a salad bar including fruit, a dessert bar (ice-cream, cakes, biscuits), hot chips, pasta, soup, and my favourite, FRESHLY MADE PIZZA!!! They literally make the dough and everything - they always taste great, especially after my Monday night lecture which finishes at 10pm.
Speaking of classes, I have mostly enjoyed them so far. The professors (not lecturers thank you very much) all have a deep knowledge of what they are talking about, whether it be for marketing, or for business law, where the professor is actually a practicing lawyer. French 1 is quite hard, with the prof already teaching 3/4 of it in French - I get exited when he says a number or tells the time, coz thats about all I understand of him. But generally I think I have a harder job to learn it then most of my peers, who seem to have already taken French at high school. Business law is the tough subject, and is much more serious than what i’d get in Law & Ethics back at QUT. For the first time ever I have been forced to actually read my textbook, which we have to write weekly assessment on. My favourite two classes however are the Marketing ones. I mean, how awesome is it that my level 3 Marketing Communication subject is exactly the same as IMC, which I did last semester?!? And even better, the 1st year Consumer Behaviour subject (which I somehow got approval for), is exactly the same as the MARKETING CORE UNIT I did when I started at QUT. So its super easy stuff :D
All of the actual classrooms are on the same floor for me, so I can only speak for my building, but they have cushioned swivel chairs, fit about 30-35 students, and have full multimedia facilities. However, they use chalkboards!!!! And all of my professors use them - it reminds me so much of primary school...
Ummm, what else is there to talk about? Oh yeah, if I arrived to Bishops on the Friday (2nd), and didn’t start classes till Wednesday, what on earth was I doing??? FROSH WEEK!!! Now, watch any of the American Pie movies. There you go, you’ve just seen what I was up to. In short, it was where everyone gets to know each other break the awkwardness barrier, through lots of cheering, rallies, field days, campus tours, and parties. The theme for Frosh Week was the Olympics, with 2nd year Canadians as Frosh Leaders for their desired countries, leaving us Froshies to decide which we wanted to join.
Being the patriotic man that I am, I joined Australia, along with a few Aussies, a Pommie, some other international students, as well as Canadians. What a great bunch. We didn’t win any competitions, but we definitely had heaps of fun. It must be said though, that by the 4th or 5th day, Frosh Week seemed to be getting a little too long, and there was less participation by some towards the end. But on Saturday, the last night, everyone went for one last final celebration, and it was a fantastic end to the week!
So, since that finished and classes began, I went to Montreal last weekend with a large group of international students, and we all ticked off the last tourist sights we hadn’t been to. And, as I continue to type this (almost done!) on the bus, I am (as said before), on my way to Toronto, where myself and five other friends are spending three nights to visit Niagara falls and explore the city. If all goes to plan, I’ll be able to update the blog on my way back, or shortly afterwards, and it shouldn’t be anywhere near as long.
Oh, and here are some other random things that you may wish to know:
- Bishops is beyond comparison with anything in Australia when it comes to school spirit. Whether it be at pep rallies, Frosh Week or the Gaiters football games, almost everyone will turn up, and chant their hearts out. It is quite unlike anything I have experienced before, and you’re uncool if you don’t join in.
- Speaking of football (the American one that is), I still don’t understand it; They have four quarters of 15 minutes, yeah there are so many gaps between them actually doing something that they play music, and the game ends up being 4 hrs long. But i’m keen to understand why they prefer it to the NRL :P
- We ride in old-school (literally) American buses! (see photo)
- Whenever I describe something like football or buses, I call it American, because I know that people understand this stereotype, even though it is the same in Canada. Canadians hate it.
- The toilets: Yes, you do want to know about this. Yes, they do indeed flush the other way. And no, they are anything but water efficient: Apparently they use 15L per flush!
- The people here are all super friendly, and even in the local towns or Montreal, French people seem quite able and willing to speak in English, which is fortunate for the moment (until I can hold a basic conversation).
- Canada actually has 4 proper seasons, not like the virtual 2 in Australia. As I look outside the bus window, the trees have shades of green, yellow, orange, red, and everything in-between. It is truly beautiful
- The weather has been absolutely beautiful so far. The first week and a half was nothing but sunshine, and in 3 weeks we’ve only had two half-days of rain, and yesterday we had a full day of it. But today, its brilliant sunshine again! Its quite warm too, I’m currently just in a t-shirt, and I don’t usually wear more then a jumper, even at night.
- It is really annoying buying stuff here; while the initial purchase price may look good, I have to remember to add two separate taxes onto the product, as well as a 10-15% tip for anywhere that has provided a service for you. It ends up not being as cheap as I’d have hoped... But hey, thats what i’ve saved money for!
Well, thats all I can think of for now. Everything else will come in future blog posts, so even though I’ve let you down so far, I promise to do my best to keep you coming back! It makes it so worth it too if you leave comments down below :) If you want more photos or something, just give me a shout.
Till next time, Au Revoir!
P.S. Postcards coming soon! If you want one, let me know! Email me your address to aussie_jono@hotmail.com
P.P.S. More photos coming soon as well. These ones aren't the best, but its all i could find, because most of them are on my external hard drive, which I don't have with me at the moment. I'll probably make a separate post just with more photos!
So, where do I start? Well my flight to LA was great - took 12 hours, and really enjoyed the services of V Australia. At LAX (arrived at 6am local time) we got through customs within 15-20 mins, which was a real
nice surprise. The 12.30pm Air Canada flight to Montreal was just as trouble-free, except for Montreal’s customs, where I had to wait in three separate lines that took over 2 hours all up (see photo). By this time it was now 11pm local time, so I finally picked up my abandoned luggage that went around the carousel god-knows-how-many-times, and caught a cab to the HI Hostel, where I fell asleep in exhaustion. I might note that during the cab ride, i’m surprised to say that it didn’t feel very weird that we were driving on the wrong side of the road. Sitting on the bus now, I’m completely used to it. Except at intersections.So at the hostel I met all the other international students, and the next day we all got the bus to our new home, Bishops University (about 2hrs from Montreal). What can I say? Its awesome!!! The campus is even more stunning than I expected it to be, with classic buildings, heaps of green grass and massive trees, and plenty of squirrels too!
I was quite worried about how good my room was actually going to be, but was pleasantly surprised by its size (about the same as my one back at home). And the shower is AWESOME - The pressure can actually hurt!!Then there is the campus dining hall, a mere 1 minute walk from my residence. I must say, it is one of my favourite parts of Bishops. Unlimited food, from 7am till 11pm. Their specific breakfast/lunch/dinner menu however is offered at designated times only, but it has a 4 week rotation, meaning we’re always getting new varieties of hot food (that is of very decent quality). Always on offer there is a breakfast bar, toast, a salad bar including fruit, a dessert bar (ice-cream, cakes, biscuits), hot chips, pasta, soup, and my favourite, FRESHLY MADE PIZZA!!! They literally make the dough and everything - they always taste great, especially after my Monday night lecture which finishes at 10pm.
Speaking of classes, I have mostly enjoyed them so far. The professors (not lecturers thank you very much) all have a deep knowledge of what they are talking about, whether it be for marketing, or for business law, where the professor is actually a practicing lawyer. French 1 is quite hard, with the prof already teaching 3/4 of it in French - I get exited when he says a number or tells the time, coz thats about all I understand of him. But generally I think I have a harder job to learn it then most of my peers, who seem to have already taken French at high school. Business law is the tough subject, and is much more serious than what i’d get in Law & Ethics back at QUT. For the first time ever I have been forced to actually read my textbook, which we have to write weekly assessment on. My favourite two classes however are the Marketing ones. I mean, how awesome is it that my level 3 Marketing Communication subject is exactly the same as IMC, which I did last semester?!? And even better, the 1st year Consumer Behaviour subject (which I somehow got approval for), is exactly the same as the MARKETING CORE UNIT I did when I started at QUT. So its super easy stuff :D
All of the actual classrooms are on the same floor for me, so I can only speak for my building, but they have cushioned swivel chairs, fit about 30-35 students, and have full multimedia facilities. However, they use chalkboards!!!! And all of my professors use them - it reminds me so much of primary school...
Ummm, what else is there to talk about? Oh yeah, if I arrived to Bishops on the Friday (2nd), and didn’t start classes till Wednesday, what on earth was I doing??? FROSH WEEK!!! Now, watch any of the American Pie movies. There you go, you’ve just seen what I was up to. In short, it was where everyone gets to know each other break the awkwardness barrier, through lots of cheering, rallies, field days, campus tours, and parties. The theme for Frosh Week was the Olympics, with 2nd year Canadians as Frosh Leaders for their desired countries, leaving us Froshies to decide which we wanted to join.
Being the patriotic man that I am, I joined Australia, along with a few Aussies, a Pommie, some other international students, as well as Canadians. What a great bunch. We didn’t win any competitions, but we definitely had heaps of fun. It must be said though, that by the 4th or 5th day, Frosh Week seemed to be getting a little too long, and there was less participation by some towards the end. But on Saturday, the last night, everyone went for one last final celebration, and it was a fantastic end to the week!
So, since that finished and classes began, I went to Montreal last weekend with a large group of international students, and we all ticked off the last tourist sights we hadn’t been to. And, as I continue to type this (almost done!) on the bus, I am (as said before), on my way to Toronto, where myself and five other friends are spending three nights to visit Niagara falls and explore the city. If all goes to plan, I’ll be able to update the blog on my way back, or shortly afterwards, and it shouldn’t be anywhere near as long.
Oh, and here are some other random things that you may wish to know:
- Bishops is beyond comparison with anything in Australia when it comes to school spirit. Whether it be at pep rallies, Frosh Week or the Gaiters football games, almost everyone will turn up, and chant their hearts out. It is quite unlike anything I have experienced before, and you’re uncool if you don’t join in.
- Speaking of football (the American one that is), I still don’t understand it; They have four quarters of 15 minutes, yeah there are so many gaps between them actually doing something that they play music, and the game ends up being 4 hrs long. But i’m keen to understand why they prefer it to the NRL :P
- We ride in old-school (literally) American buses! (see photo)
- Whenever I describe something like football or buses, I call it American, because I know that people understand this stereotype, even though it is the same in Canada. Canadians hate it.
- The toilets: Yes, you do want to know about this. Yes, they do indeed flush the other way. And no, they are anything but water efficient: Apparently they use 15L per flush!
- The people here are all super friendly, and even in the local towns or Montreal, French people seem quite able and willing to speak in English, which is fortunate for the moment (until I can hold a basic conversation).
- Canada actually has 4 proper seasons, not like the virtual 2 in Australia. As I look outside the bus window, the trees have shades of green, yellow, orange, red, and everything in-between. It is truly beautiful
- The weather has been absolutely beautiful so far. The first week and a half was nothing but sunshine, and in 3 weeks we’ve only had two half-days of rain, and yesterday we had a full day of it. But today, its brilliant sunshine again! Its quite warm too, I’m currently just in a t-shirt, and I don’t usually wear more then a jumper, even at night.
- It is really annoying buying stuff here; while the initial purchase price may look good, I have to remember to add two separate taxes onto the product, as well as a 10-15% tip for anywhere that has provided a service for you. It ends up not being as cheap as I’d have hoped... But hey, thats what i’ve saved money for!
Well, thats all I can think of for now. Everything else will come in future blog posts, so even though I’ve let you down so far, I promise to do my best to keep you coming back! It makes it so worth it too if you leave comments down below :) If you want more photos or something, just give me a shout.
Till next time, Au Revoir!
P.S. Postcards coming soon! If you want one, let me know! Email me your address to aussie_jono@hotmail.com
P.P.S. More photos coming soon as well. These ones aren't the best, but its all i could find, because most of them are on my external hard drive, which I don't have with me at the moment. I'll probably make a separate post just with more photos!
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
7 days left!
Hey Guys
Well, at this time, in just 7 days, I will (hopefully!) be on a plane to the other side of the world! And with this excitement, I thought I would update you on what is happening with my preparations for the trip...
Firstly, to my own amazement, I've already started packing! Unsure on how best to pack everything in, I've rolled up some clothes, and tightly folded some others... so far, I've filled like 40% of the case, and it only weighs 11kg - plenty of room left! I'm still thinking it may be best to bring a second suitcase...
Also, I'm planning later today to finally get some foreign currency to last me until I join a bank over in Canada. The exchange rate is AU$1 = CA$0.907, which isn't too bad I must say.. I've also recently purchased a new external hard drive for my Mac, which has coincided almost perfectly with the release of Mac's latest operating system, so I'll upgrade to that and have a fresh system to go!
Oh yeah, and I've been given an official mail address if any one feels like going old-school and sending me a letter while I'm over there:
Bishop's University
Box #: 143
2600 College St.
Sherbrooke, QC J1M 1Z7
Canada
Alright, take care guys!
Jono
Well, at this time, in just 7 days, I will (hopefully!) be on a plane to the other side of the world! And with this excitement, I thought I would update you on what is happening with my preparations for the trip...
Firstly, to my own amazement, I've already started packing! Unsure on how best to pack everything in, I've rolled up some clothes, and tightly folded some others... so far, I've filled like 40% of the case, and it only weighs 11kg - plenty of room left! I'm still thinking it may be best to bring a second suitcase...
Also, I'm planning later today to finally get some foreign currency to last me until I join a bank over in Canada. The exchange rate is AU$1 = CA$0.907, which isn't too bad I must say.. I've also recently purchased a new external hard drive for my Mac, which has coincided almost perfectly with the release of Mac's latest operating system, so I'll upgrade to that and have a fresh system to go!
Oh yeah, and I've been given an official mail address if any one feels like going old-school and sending me a letter while I'm over there:
Bishop's University
Box #: 143
2600 College St.
Sherbrooke, QC J1M 1Z7
Canada
Alright, take care guys!
Jono
Monday, August 24, 2009
Testing 123, Testing.....
Hey Guys,
Well, this first post isn't going to be very interesting to read, but I've just created this blog for all of you who are lucky enough to have avoided the Facebook addiction, and I'm testing it out!
So, I'll start by saying that I officially have 8 days left in Australia, before jetting off directly to LA on the 2nd of September. From there, I will fly to Montreal, where I will stay in a hostel for 2 nights, before being picked up by Bishops University and taken to my on-campus residence.
In the lead up to this awesome adventure, which will last for around 10 months, I have been busy getting everything ready so that it runs smoothly. This includes endless hours on Facebook, more on Mario Kart Wii, and the occasional days out buying souvenirs and taking photos of my lovely hometown.
Below are some of the better photos I managed to take (still practicing!):
Photo 3: Me doing one of those thinking poses on a log, deep in the forests of beautiful Mt Tamborine
Oh, and here is a link to a video from my going away party... (just a test):
Feel free to add comments to any of my posts! Hope you enjoy it!
Jono
Well, this first post isn't going to be very interesting to read, but I've just created this blog for all of you who are lucky enough to have avoided the Facebook addiction, and I'm testing it out!
So, I'll start by saying that I officially have 8 days left in Australia, before jetting off directly to LA on the 2nd of September. From there, I will fly to Montreal, where I will stay in a hostel for 2 nights, before being picked up by Bishops University and taken to my on-campus residence.
In the lead up to this awesome adventure, which will last for around 10 months, I have been busy getting everything ready so that it runs smoothly. This includes endless hours on Facebook, more on Mario Kart Wii, and the occasional days out buying souvenirs and taking photos of my lovely hometown.
Below are some of the better photos I managed to take (still practicing!):
Photo 1: Kangaroos lazing around at Dreamworld
Photo 2: The view outside level 9 of Z Block at QUT, overlooking the Brisbane River
Photo 3: Me doing one of those thinking poses on a log, deep in the forests of beautiful Mt TamborineOh, and here is a link to a video from my going away party... (just a test):
Feel free to add comments to any of my posts! Hope you enjoy it!
Jono
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