The Experience Begins

Hey guys,

So, its been a few days since I last posted an entry. I’ve had a few things going on since then, most notably joining the Foot Patrol initiative at Carleton. The Foot Patrol provide assistance to students helping them walk to their destination If they don’t feel comfortable on their own, as well as patrolling campus to make sure nothing untoward is happening as well as providing assistance to whoever needs it. I’m looking forward to starting that in a few days! 

Also, The Super Bowl happened. Watched the game at a local sports bar with a few new friends. Was a great night overall filled with nachos, wings, poutine, beer, sport and great conversation. All these things made the night even better and truly felt like I was brought into the fold.

The game itself was kinda lackluster. Now, I can appreciate a good defense as much as the next guy. But, lets be honest, no one tunes in to the super bowl for all defense no offense; felt more like a strategic game, which is enjoyable but doesn’t make for good entertainment on Super Bowl Sunday. I was rooting for the Rams, but I gotta hand it to the Patriots, they played the better offense and just seemed to want it more. 

At least I didn’t bet a portion of wings on this game. 

Brady is still the GOAT. An old GOAT, but the GOAT nonetheless.

Still, fuck the Patriots

Now, after keeping you up to date with the current goings-on, lets jump back to the start of January. After the downer of an article I got out of the way last time, its about time for a more upbeat article methinks. 

So, after moving into residence at Carleton, the experience I was hoping for was finally taking shape. I met my new roommates, all of which made me feel very welcome and gradually made me forget about the days prior. Although my roommates had been here for a semester already, I felt welcome in joining the groups that already had been formed. 

Starting my studies was also a surprising upturn. Being able to sink my teeth into new topics and teaching methods provided an unexpectedly positive experience. Although I’m on here on exchange, the actual studying was actually the thing I was looking forward to the least in the build up to coming here. However, I have found I enjoy the teaching/assessment methods here more than those of my home university. In the UK, or at Hallam at least, often assessments are saved until the very end of the semester, at least in my experience.

Here, you often have a number of assignments, quizzes with a midterm and final, all amounting to your final grade. These are spread out over the course of the semester. As opposed to one or two large assessments wherein your entire grade is decided. I much prefer this as you constantly feel you are contributing to your grade week by week. 

UK universities, please take note.

Enough of the dumb nerd shit lol

 

Ice hockey, let’s talk about ice hockey

It’s no surprise to those who know me that I’ve become quite a fan of ice hockey in the past year. A fascination that started with a £5 ticket day to Sheffield Steelers in February 2018. So, it’s no stretch of the imagination that I would be dying to go to an NHL game during my stay in Canada. I gravitated to the Toronto Maple Leafs early on in my ice hockey watching career. Which is unfortunate considering I am in Ottawa and the local NHL team is the Ottawa Senators. 

A few weeks back now, I went to see the Ottawa Senators vs Colorado Avalanche at the Sens home stadium. And though I wasn’t seeing a particularly great team in the NHL (Sens are dead last) I still hugely enjoyed myself and just reveled in the fact I was actually watching an NHL game in Canada. 

Although, the journey and the price make seeing a Sens game a rather laborious affair, I have a renewed love for the sport and watch the University team most weekends and plan on watching Ottawa’s secondary team, The 67’s, in the near future. 

Thanks for taking the time to read this post, I’m just glad to be writing about happier tales. And I hope you enjoyed me rambling on about sport and dumb nerd shit. So, sorry if the post ran on a bit longer than usual.

Cheers,

Taylor