A Mari Usque Ad Mare (from sea to sea)...

This first week at student residence has really opened my eyes to the student life of a Canadian, especially when it comes to food prices!

When I think of North America, obesity is one of the first thoughts that comes to my head, which made me wonder how it was even possible for people to become obese when food prices are so extortionately high.

Then I realised, the more chemicals that a food item is made up of, the cheaper the price. Pretty much the same as the UK.

When I was doing my food shop last week I was having to look for cheaper alternatives, for example, a 12 pack of Kraft Dinner (KD) was reduced to $5... for a a block of nice, non rubbery, cheddar cheese was $13, keeping in mind I'd still need to buy the butter, milk, pasta and flour to make macaroni cheese. Now given this ultimatum, the cash conscious student consumer will obviously go for the cheaper alternative, and I will admit that I did just that (sorry mum!).

For those of you who don't know what a Kraft Dinner is, its a macaroni cheese alternative, the box contains dried macaroni and a packet containing the most orange, chemical smelling powder I think I've ever laid eyes on. You mix the powder with butter and milk and voila!, rank macaroni cheese...

Having not read the packet instructions, I didn't realise that one box contained four portions... I NOW HAVE 48 PORTIONS OF THIS STUFF TO EAT... and I'm beginning to realise that the $13 dollar cheese would have been totally worth it.

It is with great thanks to the family I have in Dunnville for stocking my freezer with home made Scottish pies, which are ideal in this freezing cold weather we've recently been having.

So after procrastinating a  little bit longer, and having a rant about KD, its time to pop a pie in the oven and get on with some more exam revision!

Regan x

P.s.  sorry if anyone is easily offended by my remarks on Kraft dinners, but you know deep down my point is also extremely valid.

Seneca Sting...

View from SenecaRez... 

 So on January 4th it was time for me to embark on my next adventure.... back to student halls. Half of me was dreading it, the other half excited to meet lots of new faces and hopefully some life-long friendships were to be made... 

On moving in, the residence was dead, with most returning students not returning until the next day. Moving into my 'penthouse' room, I figured it could be nowhere near as bad as my room in Woolmanhill, but oh was I wrong, the cement walls and grimy carpet said it all. But after a bit of sprucing up, putting photos up and getting some colourful bedding on, the room didn't look as dreary as it did on first inspection. I later found out that my flatmate would not be moving in until the next day (like everyone else), so I had the two bedroom flat to myself.  I turned the cable TV on (to find there wasn't a remote) and settled in for the night. With no time to lose, I got the laptop on and Skyped my friends from home to get all the news that I'd missed the four days I'd been away.

On Sunday I went for a wander around campus to find EVERYTHING closed. I had been warned that the campus was big, with over 10,000 students going through its doors everyday, but to my surprise I walked through the ghost town of the Seneca corridors, only coming across a cleaner and a security guard. So I returned back to my room to consume a Subway and wonder what I'd gotten myself into. That night I met my flatmate, who seems to be really lovely and very helpful!

Today I decided it was time to find out what was happening about my classes, timetables and student ID. I wandered back across to the main building, to see hundreds of people piling down the corridors. After asking a young student helper about registering, she led me through the winding corridors of the Seneca Newnham Campus. Moving from the A zone, to B, to C, to D, I finally managed to get my student ID and online account organised. Meaning I now had access to the computers and my all important timetable. I then went to try and meet my course leader, who explained the procedures to me, and after amending my timetable I was back wandering around the campus, purposefully avoiding the tables full of 'help yourself' Timbits, knowing full well I would be struggling to leave. Going into the Seneca Store really opened my eyes to the amount of products you can get with the Seneca logo on them. Bears, Hats, USBs, Notepads... you name it, they have it! I came across this shirt and thought it was brilliant, especially when a fellow student from Aberdeen is studying at Humber College.

Back to the flat and after a food shop at the local grocery store (thanks to my flatmate and her boyfriend for the lift!), its time to settle in for the night, with the heating on full, background music and a lovely finance report waiting to be written, it's time for me to finish procrastinating and get on with my work!


Regan x

Oh Canada...

Snow from the Kitchen Window

On January 2nd, I made my trip from Glasgow, Scotland to Toronto, Canada to study at Seneca College. Before moving into student residence, I decided to spend a few days with family that I've never met before, which is where  I'm writing this post from. I'm planning to update my blog every couple of days about my adventure and experiences I gain from studying here...

So on Thursday morning, the adventure started bright and early with my alarm going off at 5am. After a good hearty Scottish breakfast at the hotel, it was time to check in for my 7 hour flight.

My parents walked me to security, where we then went our separate ways, with  only a few tears shed (quite surprising!).

The plane took off on time and everything was running smoothly, until an hour into the flight, a neighbouring passenger took seriously ill, resulting in the flight attendants focusing all of their attention on this one gentleman. Thankfully the plane was not forced to land, meaning we carried on our journey in a peaceful manner. Three movies later, two of which I thoroughly enjoyed, we began our descent into Toronto Pearson International airport.  As I was staring out the window to the perfectly white clouds, I soon realised that the clouds weren't clouds and I was actually being mesmerised by the snowy grounds of Ontario.

Landing in -18'c weather wasn't particularly enjoyable, but thankfully I was well prepared, wearing 3x shirts, 1x leather jacket and 1x duffle coat, as well as a hat, scarf and gloves.

My cousin Cameron collected me from the airport and drove me back to his home to meet his wife and kids, who were desperate to go play in the worst snow Toronto has had this year.

I was then picked up and taken to my place of stay for the next two nights with relatives Terri, Gail Nessie, and Bailey (the dog).  After speaking to my parents, I was given a very lovely dinner and got tucked up in bed for the night.

Today I went to the town of Dunville on the hunt for a pair of snow boots, but sadly there was nothing the slightest bit stylish for my outrageously big feet. But on much greater news, I had my first box of Timbits of the trip. It's safe to say I'm addicted to their amazingly tasty goodness, and will probably look like Timbit on my return back to scotland...

Tonight I'm going to visit some more people from the village and relax infront of the television ahead of tomorrow's big move to student residence!

Anyway, I'd better go and enjoy the rest of my Piña Colada (without getting caught in the rain) and shortbread!

Regan x