Initial impressions.
The Good:
– Good big basement suite with a private beach.
– Well organized orientation and I’m slightly jealous of the undergrads who are going through a very entertaining Frosh experience….something that was totally absent at UVic when I did my first degree there.
– Compact campus which is essentially adjacent to a very good downtown. Apparently Kingston has the most restaurants per capita in Canada. Yum Yum.
– New notebook. Just a basic windows vista machine – but rather powerful nonetheless for the price I paid. I was seriously looking at a Mac for the photo software but most of the stores are out of stock and I needed a computer ASAP. Furthermore, the Macbooks and the Macbook pros are ending their life cycle with new editions due out ‘sometime’ in the next month…or maybe 2 months. No one really knows. I don’t want to buy an old edition notebook.
– Awesome courses lined up this semester including the following:
– I’m located in the Policy Studies Building which is home to former MP’s, Senators and other Canadian political heavyweights…not that I’ll be seeing much of them.
The Bad:
– I currently have a 9pm curfew because there isn’t an alarm key-pad installed on my door. This particularly sucks because I can’t attend any of the parties this week. My landlord is an elderly woman and I can’t be pounding on the door at 1am asking for an alarm disarm. I place blame squarely upon the company which was suppose to have installed something yesterday, then today, and now tomorrow, but probably not till next week.
– The School of Urban Planning is somewhat isolated from the rest of the university which may make socializing outside the school circles a little more challenging. Technically, we never have to leave the 5th floor of the Policy Studies building. I have my own office space, net connection and mail box, all classes are here as well as all required readings…I was told I would never use the library! I avoid drama and social politics like the plague. Luckily there seems to be a good ultimate frisbee intramural.
– My stuff from China hasn’t arrived. That means no music, no movies, no photos and no clothing until ‘sometime’ next week.
– Canada has the worst mobile phone networks and fees in the world. It should be a national disgrace. Supposedly Canada is a G-8 nation…..
– I’m going to get my ass totally and utterly kicked by this program.
*SURP is technical planning-type talk for School of Urban and Regional Planning
didnt really notice till i read ur post, already september now…
sounds good to be a student again, enjoy ur SURP
: )
Well, I think the “idea” of being a student sounds good – but you’ll have to ask me that again in a few months.