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Tuesday, September 2, 2008
I’d like to know who came up with the word, “Frosh.” Maybe I’ll look it up when everything is set up and the Internet is plugged in. Dad is working on it right now.
One of Mom’s friends has a son who is taking engineering at the University of Toronto. Most of the universities have a whole Frosh Week. She told me that her was going to be painting himself purple this week with all the other engineering students. That is just plain weird.
Not sure what else the university students will have to do this week. During the last week of high school, everyone was going on about the kinds of things they would have to do, especially if they wanted to join a fraternity or something. Do they even those in this country? Fraternities always seemed like more of an American thing.
Frosh here had its own share of silliness, but it was only for today, sadly. Tomorrow I’ll have regular classes. There was this big garbage bin full of goop and coloured gold balls. What you had to do was stick your arm in the goop and pull out a golf ball. Each colour meant a different prize. I wasn’t brave enough to try. Didn’t ask what was in the goop either. At dinner, I heard one guy, Greg, paid a paramedic student ten dollars to go in head first. And he has the pictures on his digital camera to prove it.
That was all after lunch. Before lunch was orientation with the professors. The term they used to describe how this week would feel for us was “information over load.” Overloaded was definitely how I felt. We even share a lot of our classes with the social service workers (SSW). Who knew there was so much to being an EA?
9:00 p.m.
Just came down from watching TV. It’s amazing that the college managed to get such a nice flat screen. The DVD player is built in! I might had stayed up there longer, but one of the guys (I think his name is Peter) got out a game system and hooked it up. The games they started were about twenty years old. Okay, I admit, it is a little cute seeing them play those games, but it gets old fast. Besides, I’m certain that someone who came in a few minutes before I left was very drunk. That’s not something I’m interested in seeing.
Better take my contacts out. My eyes are starting to feel a little sore.
Well, I’ll be starting my regular classes tomorrow. Wonder what it will be like.
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
I just thought of something. With only two buildings and rez being inside one of them, we are really going to abuse it. I didn’t have to be in class until 10:30, so I went to have breakfast in the common room. At 8:15, there was someone there, in the clothes he slept in, eating breakfast. And his first class was at 8:30!
Two other people in there were still wearing their pyjamas. With only a few minutes before class. Said they didn’t feel like getting dressed, so they went to class just as they were. One of them was hung over, I’m sure. Her eyes were all red. Every day, I hear bottles clinking.
Anyway, today could not have been easier for my first day of regular classes. I was done before lunch. It could not have been more pointless, either. The professor seems a little clueless. She kept pronouncing names incorrectly, even after we told her how to pronounce it. I know Ciara isn’t as common as Amanda or Stephanie, but I didn’t think it was that unusual. My other professors have got to be better than this Penelope.
Thursday, September 4, 2008
Class was definitely better today, but it was also a very long day! I actually took a nap during the two hours between my morning and afternoon classes. There was an hour of developmental psychology, two hours of sociology, and then two hours on the professional standards of practice as an EA or SSW.
Who knows why that woman who teaches Wellness (my class yesterday) teaches long with the others in this program? All the teachers I had today have really worked in social services and education. Heck, my sociology professor says he still has a private counseling practice. He’s French, and very cute.
I did have a close call this morning, though. Internet games can really make you lose track of time, so I went to sleep later than I should have. Didn’t get out of bed until 8:10 and psych started at 8:30. There almost wasn’t enough time to put my lenses in.
I’m making friends here, real friends who I think I can trust. With most things, at least. Today I had lunch with a few of the other EA’s, and I eat most of my other meals in the common room with the other residents. It’s only been a few days, but I can’t think of a time when I’ve been happier. There is no way my life can stay this way if they see my real eyes. It’s too much of a risk. Being accepted feels too good.
Friday, September 5, 2008
Today was almost as easy as Wednesday, but not nearly as pointless. In a normal week, I would have a one-hour seminar and then two hours of communications, but since it’s only our first week, there wasn’t much to have a seminar on. We’ll do one next week, though. Communications is just about the types of writing we’ll have to do as a job. Shouldn’t be too hard, but it’s important stuff. I know I can write.
There is one thing, though. I’m starting to feel bad about lying to everyone. For the most part, I’m an honest person. It’s just that there are things about myself that I don’t want people to know about me. The problem is, how can I really get close to anyone if I’m not honest with them?
Saturday, September 6, 2008
By the end of the day, I’ll have spent a full week away from Toronto. It’s always amazed me how much can happen in such a short period of time, or how quickly things can change. Even though it’s only been a week, I really feel at home here in a lot of ways.
It’s not easy, though. Tuesday was only the beginning of the information overload. Every day, I’ve had new classes to go to. In each of them, the professors had so many hand-outs that my binders are bursting. The course outlines are more like novels than outlines. Not to mention the class notes that I had to buy today. It’s a good thing most of the textbooks aren’t mandatory. Heck, the profs for soc and pysch said we couls just do the reading for each topic on line.
At least Penelope is the only clueless one. The other four are fantastic! They really know what they’re doing, which is why they don’t just teach out of a textbook. Some of the second year EA’s had lunch with us first years yesterday. They don’t know why she still has a job in the program.
Someone is at the door. Damn it. I haven’t put my contacts in yet.
Later
The person at the door was someone who has a room on the second floor. Her name is Diana. She came to invite me to a movie tonight. She already has a big group going. Of course I said yes. They don’t know I different, so there’s no reason for them to not want me around. As unbelievable as it would have been a few months ago, maybe I really can stick to life on the human side of things.
Time for supper. Afterwards, we’re all meeting in the common room to walk to the theatre. It’s only a few blocks away.
Sunday, September 7, 2008
Movie last night was great. I think I’ve decided that my favourite part about being on my own is that Mom isn’t around to watch my every move. All though high school, Mom always expected me to come home right after the movie. I had no real curfew because movies always start and end at different times. Last night, though, we all went to get coffee when the movie let out.
There’s a twenty-four hour coffee shop across the street from the theatre, so we could stay out as long as we wanted. I wonder if the people who work the night shift normally see such a large group at one time. They did look just a little flustered when fifteen of us came in at once.
Not having my mom tell me when to come home is fine, but I’m realizing that it also means not having her around to help me either. Today was the first time I had to do the grocery shopping by myself! And Mom can’t help me do the laundry anymore either. That basket is heavy! I’ll have to start collecting quarters and loonies to make sure I always have what I need, too.
I know it’s hard, living without parents and only being around normal humans. When I finished high school, though, I swore I would stay on the human side of things. I’m not going back to that other place.
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