Of Falls and Class and Touchdowns (Day 31)

WORK IS GOOD

PROVIDED YOU DO NOT FORGET

TO LIVE

Bantu Proverb


Good gracious has it really been a week already didn't that time just fly HAHAHAHAHA!

....

*crickets*

Okay so I may not have gotten back to my post, but to be fair Monday did see the formal begginings of class, so the time that I had grown to enjoy over the first month here had suddenly dissapeared. Now with that excuse for inactivity out of the way, let me head back into the rundown of whats been happening to me.

So after the week of parties and welcoming I was shipped off on the Thursday to my first class, now rather than just explain how each class went, let me tell you what I thought each would be and what it actually was:

Government and Politics in Europe

What I thought it would be:    Just a very bacis introduction to European Politics through the lens of the EU.

What is was:   Just a very bacis introduction to European Politics through the lens of France, Germany and The UK 

Government and Politics of the US

What I thought it would be: A somewhat preachy Canadian looking at America as it has slowly fallen apart

What it was:  A somewhat preachy Canadian explaining why America thins it is, and is, better than everyone else.

Environmental Policy and Politics

What I thought it would be:     A clone of Bob Brown, explaining why the entire human race is evil and that we should all just love the environment.

What it was:      A fair an balanced look at the differing opinions on the Environment (You could not believe how supprised I was)

Conflict in the Middle East

What I thought it would be:                           A look at the conflict between the Isralies and the Palistinians

What it was:             A look at the conflict between the Isralies and the Palistinians (Yhea no real supprises)

Law and Social Order

What I thought it would be:   A class disecting the major ideas that under pin the creation for law and social structures.

What it was:                                     ... I don;t know we've only had a 20 minute intro thing-a-majig so far. 

And those were / are my classes. I am honestly enjoying them all so far an I'm looking forward to seeing how the ideas I've been presented with thus far will adapt nd evolve over the rest of my course... wow that sounded far to pretentious for my liking.. here is a video of someone slamming into a wall to even it out.

So after the fun that was classes, the weekend offered a new and exciting experience as we headed off to Niagra Falls. Now the falls at Niagra are actually two seperate falls with America one, a very standard falls, anf the Canadian Horseshoe falls, the monster falls (and as every single Canadian points out the horseshoe falls are BIGGER than the American ones).  Aside from the actual falls themselves the town is very touristy, with a whole bunch of well nown brand stores (such as Hersheys, Coke and a Hard Rock Cafe). If I had to give a recommendation to people wanting to visit the area I would say definently ddo it as a day thing, as the beauty of the falls is something to behold, but I wouldn't recommend staying a long time as there are limited things to do.

Following The Niagra Trip was the second week of class (which was pretty much covered in that expectations run down so I'll move on). So finally after a fun week of classes (Sarcasm?) it becam Saturday and after some fun homework (now that was definently sarcasm) I was treated to an American Football game.

Alright, let me try and explain to all the non-North Americans out there how (I believe) this game works, So at the start of a game one team has to try and run the ball off the green grass and onto the blue grass, and everytime someone gets brought 'down' (I.e. when ever the other team tries to do unspeakable things to them on the ground) then they get a down (as in first down, second down and so on) the way the referee calls this is by saying advantage whomever, first (as in down) and then they proceed to make up some random number (usualy between 10 and 1). That was all I could penertrate from watching an ENTIRE GAME!!! But otherwise it was rather enjoyable.

And that is me up to date, HOORAY!!!!! And thats it for this evening so I shall be off to the FOO FIGHTERS tomorrow and then... well who knows.

Jackson!

The Video Footage of:

- The America Falls

- The Horseshoe Falls

- The Football Game

Welcome to the welcome week at the Windsor Welcome Week (Day 24)

CHANGE IS INEVITABLE -

EXCEPT FROM A VENDING MACHINE

Robert Gallagher

Hello all!

Well here we are again, and as I sit here with a sausage in bread (not a hotdog) in one hand and a can of sprite in the other, I feel an overwhelming sense of how did I get here? Well sit back and let me fill you in.

So on Friday I dragged my self out of bed at 6 am to head out to the airport, which as you may have guessed is never a fun time to be heading to an airport, but I did meet a random Canadian fellow who told me a trick to getting prompt service at clubs (when the barkeeps aren't looking, rattle their tip jars and they think you are giving them tips). But I got the plane acorss to Toronto without any problem, but then I moved to my flight to Windsor.. and to say this new plane was a canoe with wings would insult canoes everywhere. However it did fly and I was soon in windsor, the only problem was that the same couldn't be said for my bags.

I quickly met my exchange co-ordinator Michelle and was shuttled back to my new home, the infamous Clark Hall, room 6C. Now dear readers let me put those minds of yours that may be picturing a dank and squalid hole as my new home at ease. Clark hall is easily one o the best residences I have ever seen, not only does it come with a quaint kitchen, decent dining space and nice airy corridors it also has a huge room for me to now call home.

The next day was spent emptying bags and learning the campus, I was still realtivly alone at this point since I was one of the first people to arrive at residence. This feeling of loneliness quicly departed however once Sunday rolled arounf, as thousands of students from all over Canada, America and some from either further abroad, decended uppon Windsor from all sides. This was also the first official night of the 'welcome week' so I headed off to the first event 'GRAFITI NIGHT'

The idea behind the Grafiti night is simple, everyone who turns upgets a white shirt and a marker, you then go around and write all over other peoples shirts and vice-versa, an then by the end of the night you have a whole bunch of new friends. It was a lovely evening.

The rest of my week became about readying my new living space and attending formal events, that is until Thursday. However since this is beginning to run long I shall cut off this post hear and continue tomorrow... in a whole new format!

Till then... well who knows.

Jackson

The Way the World Turns (Day 14)

IF YOU AREN'T IN OVER YOUR HEAD,

HOW DO YOU KNOW HOW TALL YOU ARE?

T.S. Elliot

Hello all, I'M BACK! Yes and what a happening two weeks it has been.

So you may have some questions, such as where have I been? Am I back to writing for good now? Did I really kill that bear? And how is the weather in Canada. To answer those in order, Sunny, No, Yes and I've been on my Contiki tour which was quite hectic and left very little time for writing... actually I may have that order backwards... no matter!

Remember that Bear I talked About?

For now lets forget the time gone (A.K.A the Contiki tour, I will come back and write about those wild days, but for now I shall leave it be) and focus on the times just gone. 2 days ago I left the comforts of the Sandman Hotel on Georgia Street in Downtown Vancouver and moved into the Samesun Backpackers in uptown Vancouver. To say that the room move was a bit of a downgrade would offend grades everywhere, infact the backpackers I've moved into very much looks like the quaters people have warned me colleges are like, but whether that is true remains to be seen.

Despite that these past 2 days have been rather relaxing, Ive not really done much, I've just been drinking in the larger sights of this magnificent city, such as the gastown, so named because it rests on a natural gas line (In fact there is a clock here which is entirly powered by this natural line).

The Gastown Clock

Chinatown as well, Vancouver's Chinatown is much like Melbourne's Chinatown, in that rather than just being a Jazzy area that trendy hispters can go to so they can claim they are "multi-cultural", it is more mirrors a traditional chinese urban town.

The Chinatown Garden

The other place I visited was Granville Island which has a lovely couple of markets as well as a great port on which you can buy an ice-cream and watch the world trek by. In town I also caught up with an old friend I met 3 years ago whilst attending the Global Young Leaders Conference (GYLC) in America, she lives and goes to college locally, so she knew all about the town.

The Grandville Island Bridge

And.. umm.. thats all of my adventures for the moment, normally I would end here however I will delve into one more topic for a moment, reccently Melbounre (my home town) over took Vancouver(my current location) as the most livable city in the world. Now whilst many Melbournians may be thinking that this woud be obvious and there is no way some town of funny-taling folks who say 'aboot' (Current 'aboot' count=8 )could possibly be better than the fun loving town of Melbourne. Well to that I say.. yes, we are a much better place to live, most notably in three points, these are arcitecture, public transport and clubs, and lets look at them now:

ARCITECTURE

Vancouver's arcitecture are comparedly very different to Melbourne's, I mean where Melbourne has such wonderful buildings as Federation Square and the eyeso- umm I mean Lovely to look at Age building on Spencer Street, Vancouver has the revolting looking Vancouver Conevention Centre, with it's sails and the disgusting Vancouver Public Library which is built like the collusem of rome but with big red stones! I mean really how these things are practical or hold any sort of cultural signifgance one does have to wonder.

 

Vancouver Convention Centre



Vancouver Public Library

PUBLIC TRANSPORT

In Vancouver there is a very practical and efficinat method that is used for the public transport, you see they have a rather interesteing system in that they have buses that are connected to powerliness so they run on a constant flow of electricity rather than a more expensive gas (or petrol). The trains are also interesting in that they are either underground or on a momorail, in order to avoid blocking up cars in the city centre. So as you can see... This is a totally farcial system, the Melbourne system is far more practical, with buses and trams blocking up street and trains blocking off outer roads. Melbourne cars can be brought to a total stand still, just as any sensical system would intend.


CLUBS

The ratio of clubs in Melbourne and Vancouver are pretty much the same number. HOWEVER whilst most Melbourne clubs will be packed 7 days a week and open till all hours of the morning, Vancouver clubs will usually be filled only one or two nights a week and every evening they are forced to close at 2 am! How ridiculious is that? Having people only go out couple of evenings a week, as though they don't need to go out and get completly hammered every evening just to forget their lives, and a 2am closing? It's almost as thought they don't want drunken brawls plauging their streets, which is just silly.

This is the kind of Crazed Lunatic you can find in Vancouver Clubs

Despite these obvious deficits, there are still some people who live here who claim it was some silly brawl that knocked them off the top, but I mean really does this look like an unlivable city?

I thought not. Well I am off to bed before I head to Windsor, my soon to be home for the next 3 and a half  months, after that... well who knows.

Taking Flight (Day 1)

TWENTY YEARS FROM NOW YOU WILL BE MORE DISAPPOINTED

BY THE THINGS THAT YOU DIDN'T DO THAN THE ONES YOU DID DO.

SO THROW OFF THE BOWLINESS. SAIL AWAY FROM SAFE HARBOUR.

CATCH THE TRADE WINDS IN YOUR SAILS.

EXPLORE.

DREAM.

DISCOVER.

Mark Twain


12 pm - Thanks Mark, Well here we are folks back on the road to adventure. As I write this I am sitting inside the Vancouver Public Library, a large beige brick building that sits in the centre of this sprawling Canadian metropolis, a tranquil little corner filled with refference and fiction... But I'm getting ahead of myself, let me go from the start.

4 am - GAH!! Why am I up so early? I mean if you really want a domestic light who in their right mind puts it on at 6am? Well apparently Qantas do ... but I guess that isn't too bad, the sooner I leave the sooner I arrive and the sooner I get back to sleep.

6:30 am - Okay I'm on the flight now, still rather tired but getting better. Before I began typing this I was sitting reading the paper with 2 business people on either side doing the same thing. For a moment I began to feel almost like an adult, as though I had risen past my teenage mindset and into the realms of manhood.. That feeling quicly deflated when I not only saw they were reading the business section whilst I was reading the funny pages... baby steps I guess.

8 am - Arrived in Sydney and I've had everything done and I'm just waiting for my flight... so tired.

11 am - I'm on the flight and on the way, Air Canada is turning out to be pretty good, whilst they dont have much of a menu for lunch or snacks (pretzles being the best option), they do give a free bottle of wine to all the flighers, I now have a bottle of Merlot 2010, I am dead serious.

4 pm - Okay so its been 5 hours and how tired I am is becoming unberable, so I'm going to sleep. Nighty night.

5 pm - For the first 5 hours of the trip the plane flew like a breeze and then, as it always is, the pilot in his infinate wisdom leans over and nudges his mate saying "oy, why don't we fly through that terbulance over there", so now I'm up and grumpy.

9 pm - 5 hours... I have 5 more hours on this plane.... SOMEONE GET ME OFF THIS THING!!!

2 am - I'm just about to touch down, thank goodness. My computer clock tells me it is 2 am, so hopeully I can get to my accomidation quickly.

3  10 am - So apparently I may have not counted on the time difference, and as such with only 3 hours sleep over the past 24 hours I now have to keep my self awake (in order to beat jet lag) for at least another 10 .. AAHHHHH!!!!!!

12 pm - And thats how I ended up here. After leaving the airport I caught the monorail into the city centre and found my way to my hotel. After dropping off my things I headed here to fix up my emails and alike. I was planning on posting this, now but I rather think I'm going to read Game o Thrnes for a tad.

7 pm - Have you ever fallen asleep in a public library? Cause I have now.. whoops. Bu the final update for today is that I leave you with this helpful piece of advice, Never upsize anything unless you are majorly hungry, even a restaraunt meal, they are seriosuly huge. And now tomorrow I head off on the Contiki tour an then... well who knows?