So it has been five weeks since my last update. First, the fact five weeks have flown by is crazy enough. This semester is disappearing. After tomorrow it is five Mondays until I come home for Christmas. November is phenomenally hectic too, so I can't see that taking too long to whiz by . . .
As a general rule, life is just busy beyond belief. I'm still sitting Midterms, and when exams emerge in Canada, the rest of your workload doesn't deplete. Y'all who know me will be far too aware of what a perfectionist I am, so the style of learning here - that is to say continuous assessment - means that my desk and I have become as one.
That's not to say however that I'm not having the best time. It is a hard one to express to family sometimes, because your year abroad is so amazing, but all the boring bits of life still go on. I've got poorly grandparents to Skype and washing to do, I've got bills to pay and - yep - essays to write.
If you work hard then you can make the time to play hard, too. Casing point: I'M OFF TO BOSTON IN A FORTNIGHT! There's been lots of niceness going on these last few weeks and I'm really getting to establish myself in the city as much as in class. I've met my new buddy Paul as part of the McGill Best Buddies programme and have been tutoring two seven year old sweethearts from an elementary school in the suburbs. Doing bits like this have got me out of the Downtown bubble, which I'm really loving to do. Speaking of, I've been back to Jean-Talon market for brunch with some class friends - I bought a spaghetti squash there. Okay, this isn't very exciting so I won't keep you long. Basically the squash roasts down so that the flesh forms spaghetti-like strands. SO TASTY. I swear North America is squash-central. (Although *not very* fun fact - squash as in the drink doesn't exist here, people are plain baffled by the concept!)
Finally, HALLOWEEN HAPPENED. I put that in caps because oh my goodness is it a big deal here. Students at 10am were rocking up to class in costumes, and this wasn't just a university thing. Adults a-plenty were wandering the mall in their regalia, too! Montreal also had a zombie walk last weekend - not for any cause in particular, just for the sake of dressing up spookily. And what did I wear? My costume wasn't really a costume at all. Having said this, I spent just short of three hours making up a lot of pals ready for Stu's 21st/Halloween party hybrid. We had The Joker on dress down Friday, we had a zombie, a pretty/scary Snow White, Hermione and a spidery man. I love doing costume make-up so was in my element and the party was a good time, too.
Right, I have to go. Exam in the morning. Baah.
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