swordBeatsPaper

This past weekend, I went on a photography spree around campus with a couple friends, and our first stop was Wreck Beach, a clothing-optional beach just a short walk from my dorm. While we didn’t experience it “fully,” when I neared the bottom of the 500-stair trail, I was struck by the smell of the sea. I was nearly moved to tears. I’d realized I hadn’t been to the ocean in quite a while, and I was overcome with a strange powerful emotion.

It brought me back to a day at a beach/park in Washington, when I was there with my parents. I was sitting against a log of driftwood, sand in my toes, staring at the grey sea meeting the grey sky in the distance. I took deep breaths of the delicious salty air. I never wanted to leave. I can’t explain it. I can’t ever explain it to people, it feels like they’d never understand the depth of this emotion. I feel like I have a deep connection with the sea, with the salty water. Maybe a past life, I don’t know. And a grey day at the beach is even more alluring than a sunny one, to me. Is it just from growing up in Washington, or is it something more?

Photo: One of the shots I took at Wreck Beach. It was such a gorgeous day!

I arrived in Vancouver two nights ago. It’s been incredibly busy, so much so that I haven’t had much time to just sit and gather my thoughts. Finally, I have a fairly free evening when I don’t feel dead tired.

The first night, we had an amazing thunderstorm. I woke up at about 3AM to loud rumbles and bright flashes and heavy rain. At first, when I was still half asleep, the thunder was an annoyance. Then, I woke up enough that I could rest my head on my pillow and look out the window, appreciating the storm with quiet excitement. I’m not sure how long the storm went on, since I was too sleepy to stay up and watch much.

Tonight, I had dinner with my parents, and had to let my mom go. We went out to a great restaurant on Granville Island, I had salmon and amazing white cheddar mashed potatoes. Afterward, we saw a heron try to steal his dinner from a man preparing his fish down at the marina, from a view outside the restaurant. It was sad to see my mom go. It probably hasn’t hit me fully yet; there is too much excitement to feel as sad as I thought I would. Dad will stay a couple more days to help me settle in and tie up loose ends.

Between the first night and tonight, I’ve been busy doing GALA International Student orientation workshops and other events. I was put in a group with about 7 other Computer Science students, and it’s been good to meet people that way. I hope to get a little more spare time to myself, because I haven’t really unpacked yet!

Not many people have moved into my dorm yet, but tomorrow is the official move-in day. I hope to meet lots of cool people! Tonight I stepped into my hallway, hearing laughter and talking. I went to the room where it was coming from; the door was open, so I mustered up my courage and went to say hello. It was a group of four second-year students, who had apparently all been friends last year. They asked me a couple questions, for example where I was from, what faculty I was in, etc. Nice people, I hope I will see more of them!

Photo: View of downtown Vancouver tonight, from the parking lot on Granville Island. My cell phone camera isn’t amazing in difficult lighting, but it captures enough of the beauty that you’ll get the idea.

Two. The number of days until I leave. Things are moving at a fast clip now. My mom sold our extra car just a few hours ago. I’m glad I didn’t name it and get too attached. This morning I also finished all the quilting I wanted to do with my machine before I left. The only thing left on my to-do list is packing.

Yesterday was my Farewell Ceremony and Party. It was great to see everyone one last time (not that I’ll never see them again!) and remember the great support I have here at home if I ever get discouraged. They’re all only a call, text, or IM away.

Good news: A week or two ago I sent in a few job applications, and recently one of them–incidentally, the one I was most interested in–emailed me back and asked me to come in for an interview! We set the time and date to be the morning after I move in. The job title is “Technical/Help Desk Support” and I’ll basically be fixing computers. For the interview, he told me there will be a 15-minute technical aptitude test. I’m going to be crazy busy the next few days… but it’ll be great, I know it.

This is likely the last blog before I leave. Next time, it’ll be all about UBC Vancouver! I’ll miss home, I know, but I’m ready for a new adventure. Be well, do good work, and keep in touch.

Photo: A bench overlooking the Wallace Falls river. It was a great hike, and I’ll miss hiking with my parents. It might be too cold the next time I come down to see them, so maybe next year…

This past week I’ve been continuing preparations for college, gathering things I’ll need and finishing up paperwork. Today I bought a printer, since the school charges for printing and who knows when their printers will be broken down or not available. This one was fairly inexpensive, and small enough that I’m sure I can find a good spot for it on my desk in my dorm room. Going over my list of things to buy, I’m amazed at all the things I have to think of, from dish soap to rechargeable batteries to a hot water maker. Can’t go without my tea!

I have two more weeks to buy things and pack. Right now, I think it’s plenty of time, almost too much. I’m so ready to go–emotionally, if not physically. I went to an informal get-together with UBC alumni and other students who are going up there, all from around where I live. It was fun and informative, and great to meet other kids and parents who are going through similar situations, dealing with all the red tape and other complexities that come with going to school in Canada. It was like an appetizer to my orientations. I can’t wait.

Photo: Chicken Pho that I ate for lunch when I did some tourist things in the city. I’ve gotta know more about my own backyard before I go exploring elsewhere! This dish made me think of all the great asian food I know they have in Vancouver. I’ve gone up there a couple times, and already have a favorite Japanese restaurant. Make sure to check out Kitsilano Sushi if you ever visit.

It has been quite a while. My life has certainly changed since I posted something… wow, nearly a year ago? In just about three weeks, I’ll be leaving for UBC Vancouver. I’m super excited. This blog may be a good way to keep people updated about what I’m up to in the coming months, and be an outlet for my writing when I’m not up to working on my novel. That in itself is overwhelming, and a slow process. But like I’ve said before, I’m not giving up on it.

I am in an odd space of being very ready to leave home, yet terribly sad I have to leave all my friends. Leaving and saying goodbye to people I’ve come to know and love seems to be a theme in my life. I’ve never stayed at one school for more than two years, and I’ve moved quite a few times. This time is different, though: I’m going to a whole other country. Sure, it’s only a few hours away, but it’s farther than I’ve ever moved, and my parents aren’t coming with me this time. I will be even more of a “stranger in a strange land.” It’s my own adventure. Bring it on.

Expect more from me in the coming weeks!

Photo: A gorgeous lily in my front yard. It smells amazing. There are three of these plants and they’re just starting to bloom, so in no time our whole little garden will smell heavenly.

The wedding went well–but on my mind at the moment is our trip into Boston today. We traveled along part of the Freedom Trail to see sights like Paul Revere’s house, the site of the Boston Massacre (though there wasn’t much to see, except in a nearby museum), Faneuil Hall and its nearby market, Boston Common, and the Old North Church, among other places. We also visited three different graveyards, where the graves were at least 300-400 years old, buried in the 1600s-1700s. Many of the slate gravestones had been chipped and weathered with age, some sunk into the ground from unstable soil. The people buried in these graveyards ranged from the revolutionaries such as Samuel Adams and John Hancock, to African Americans and a few of their leaders, such as Prince Hall. There was also everyone inbetween–6 month old children, 90 year old men (which was an unheard of age back then), couples buried side by side, various important masons, etc. Many of the graves seemed to be sized by the age and importance of the person; the babies had tiny gravestones, and the older and more important people had larger gravestones. It was amazing to realize that so many of these people had died from diseases that we can cure easily today.

Photos: Above: Custom House Tower from a side street. It was a great day, and if it hadn’t for the moderate wind leftover from Hurricane Ike, we would have been sweltering.

Right: Gravestones at the Copp’s Hill Burying Ground. As you can see, some of the slate slabs have shifted position or been broken from age and weather.

We made it to Manchester, NH yesterday evening. Thankfully we quickly found our bags, and after renting a car, drove out to Newington. It’s such a peaceful place here; you can easily lose yourself in a large mug of peppermint tea and a good book. I love getting ideas for good books from my aunt, who we’re staying with. She has a huge dog, named Casey, who enjoys chasing wild turkeys and the neighbor’s cat when she gets loose. When we got here, they were redoing the fence out front; Casey had bust a hole in the old wood. Her other hobbies are lounging on the couch (when we’re not here… she’s not supposed to) or eating from her enormous dog dish, which usually contains two whole wet food cans topped with table scraps or cheese–otherwise she won’t touch it. As for what I’ve been up to, this morning, we ate at a great restaurant called The Friendly Toast. Their walls are covered in kitchy (60s) decor; some quite strange, but fun. Their french toast is amazing! After looking around a bit in Portsmouth, we went north into Maine and shopped at the outlet malls there, just over the border. Tonight it’s dinner with the extended family, and my half-sister’s wedding is set for Saturday!

Photos: Above: The North Church steeple in Portsmouth, NH. It was hit by lightning some time ago, and was recently redone. The brick buildings in this city are very picturesque, and I enjoy their historic beauty; it seems like the perfect example of a New England town.

Left: Casey, with her large Kong and some shoes to judge her size. I honestly think she gets bigger every time I come to see her.

I’ve kept going with that 500 word/day (excluding weekends) goal, and I’ve recently gone over 60,000 words and 200 pages. I’m also fairly close to the end of my storyline, as it is right now anyway. It sounds like a lot until you go to a bookstore and see those thick, juicy epic fantasy novels that are at least 300-400 pages. And I know this story will need a lot of revisions, certainly because of all its inconsistencies. But I’m going to keep plugging along… If I haven’t said this before, a common reason why people don’t get published is because they give up. So I’m not going to give up. We’ll see where it takes me. And by the way, starting this coming Wednesday for about a week, I’m going to the east coast to be at my half-sister’s wedding. I think I might try to blog a few times while I’m there, possibly take some pictures. Stay tuned!

Photo: The Eiffel Tower. Need I say more? Of course, this was when they were still battling to see who would host the 2012 summer olympic games, so you can see the colorful sign saying “Paris 2012” over the arch.

This summer I’m trying to write somewhere between 500 words and 3 pages a day, not including weekends. As of yesterday, I have about 140 pages in my manuscript (I just began chapter 13), and I’m guessing I’m about halfway done, but it’s hard to say. I’m glad I’m going to take a “plotting and scheming” class next week–I need a synopsis of my project and I can’t bring myself to write one on my own. Of course, it will all be up in the air until the first copy is printed, as I’ve heard. Other than writing, I’ve been reading a little and quilting a little, but mostly playing games like Zelda DS, Animal Crossing, and others. No matter how much I don’t want to, I will write… And as for blogging, I will try to do one or two per month, now. I think one per week was a little much. 🙂

Photo: View of the countryside from the cathedral in Assisi, Italy. I went to Portland when school was out and some of the views there reminded me of this picture. I think the fog is my favorite part of this picture! So quiet and mystical…

Coincidentally, I was in San Francisco when they were having a Saint Patrick’s Day Parade. Interestingly, though, the celebration was on the 15th rather than the 17th. My cousin said the Pope had changed the holiday because it interfered with holy week. Personally, and to show my love for Ireland, I wore my green on the 17th. Nothing against the Pope. This parade was interesting enough, filled with dancers and drummers and even a hurling team. No, it’s not what you think; hurling is an Irish sport involving an “axe-shaped stick,” like a long-handled paddle, and a small ball they toss between themselves using the stick. The show was complete with a row of police officers on horses decked out in their finest uniforms. I’ve probably seen better parades than this one, but it was enertaining.

Photo: As we walked around downtown San Francisco, we saw this float, possibly getting ready for the parade. Looking closely, though, I believe it was a tour bus/boat.