The Dorm

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I used to complain that I missed out on the "real" University experience because I lived at home or on my own during University and never lived in a dorm. Be careful what you wish for! Fast forward almost 10 years, and I live in a dorm. It's a dorm filled with those in their mid- to late-twenties, mind you, but do not be mistaken, it's a dorm. (I also finally included some more photos of the "dorm--yeah, it's kinda blah, but I'm doing my best to spruce it up without going broke!).

There are definite positive and negatives of living in this environment. The positives are that you are never lonely and there are always people to hang out with. This can also be a negative, as "me time" is hard to come by, especially when everyone keeps his/her apartment doors open and it is commonplace for people to do the knock and open before they are officially invited inside. Another negative: the rumour mill--it's ridiculous here! I think it originates from boredom, but, basically, there is no escaping the rumour mill. In fact, I fell victim to it before I even got here (there was a rumour that I dated one of the guys here who's from Edmonton even though we had only met once, and at a work event, I might add)! And since I'm not a gossip at all and hate hearing gossip 😉, I just don't know what to do with all of this information! Actually, it's quite humourous for now, but I can see it getting a bit trying later on. However, for the most part, I really enjoy the people I work with. When I took this position, my biggest fear was not moving across the world to the Middle East or taking on a new position, but the possibility of working with new people who may not prove to be as fabulous as the Incite crew! Luckily, the staff are a fun group of people who work hard and play hard.

This week, Koren and I had a dinner party for six on Tuesday, I went for dinner with a group of people on Wednesday at a very funky restaurant called "Mint", and 17 of us went to a DJ show last night. It's been a full week. I'm also still looking to get a membership at one of the hotels, so I've been busy getting tours (and facials 😉 to figure out which one I want to join. Funny story: We were touring the Intercontinental Hotel earlier this week and a guy from Sri Lanka was our tour guide. He asked us where we were from and we answered, "Canada". He asked if we were from Toronto (of course), and I responded that I was from the west--Alberta. He said he wasn't familiar with it. However, out of nowhere he said the funniest and most random thing: "My favourite place is Edmonton". You should have seen my face. How random is that? I guess he had read that Edmonton was voted the best place to live in some survey in the 90s, so decided that our city was his favourite place. It was quite funny.

So, anyway, that's my little ramble for this week. I guess another great thing about the dorm is that it's helping stave the homesickness. I miss you all tremendously, but I'm doing surprisingly well (much better than when I went to Scotland when I was 20). It makes me sad that, perchance, I'll be missing out on some big events this year, but I also have some exciting things planned, and I know Edmonton will be waiting for me when I get back. Actually, I do have exciting travel plans to share. There's talk of a few of us going on a one week African safari to Kenya. Nairobi is only a four hour flight from here. How cool is that? It's not cheap, but it is definitely cheaper than waiting until I move back to Canada to do it! Those should be some amazing photos!

Anyway, I hope everyone is doing well!

C.

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Photos

The Bedroom
Here is my bedroom with two beds...rather odd. Perfect for company, though (HINT, HINT!). I went out and bought new bedding because the regulation bedding here is sooo ugly.

The Bedroom 2
I also had to purchase a shoe rack because I somehow managed to fit 14 pairs of shoes into my two pieces of luggage!

Night out at the Mint
The cool decor at Mint.

Night out at the Mint 2
Here's Bailey and I at the Mint. What's that in our teeth? Why mint toothpicks, of course!

Night out at Mint 3
Some of the work crew: (Clockwise starting with me: me, Bailey, Brock, Megan, Dana, Abir, and Greg (Abir and Greg are friend's of Dana's and work for Georgetown University here))

The Rooftop
Here are some of the girls I work with. We were having a pre-party on the rooftop before heading out to the DJ show on Thursday night. (L to R: Ashley (my bosses' nanny), Lindsey (fellow Edmontonian), Koren (my roommate), Eva, me, Dana, Amy, and Asha)

And, of course, another Orry Statue
This is one of four at the City Centre mall...if you look to the right you can see the skating rink. Not quite equivalent to Dubai's indoor ski hill, but still funny nonetheless. Bailey and I now have 9/19 statues checked off--getting sick of it yet? ;)

Comments

[JK]

Orry!!!
Man, that is the coolest mascot I've ever seen. Maybe after you complete your travels and get all 19 statues on film you can post them, that would be awesome!