So Many Things to Say and So Little Time

So I'm in Newfoundland, and finally starting to settle in.  It feels almost like home now, especially since I've more or less set up my room.  To be honest, for the first couple of weeks I felt really out of place.  I always felt invisible at home so when people started to notice and talk to me here I felt very uncomfortable.  However, I've met a few people that I really feel comfortable with and I've even gone to watch a movie with them.  Here's an even more amazing thing, I've begun to wear make-up.  Of course, have a room mate, and multiple female friends on my floor, it was bound to happen eventually.

As for dorm life, it's not as bad as everyone says it is.  First of all I'm on the quiet floor so even if there are a few drunks who are making noise, they are sent away.  Also, I like all of the people who live on my floor, well there is that annoying guy, but aside from him I like everyone.  It's come to the point that I just leave my door open (except for when I'm in the middle of studying or sleeping) and my dorm mates just walk in make themselves at home and eat my food.  In return I am welcome to walk into their rooms and eat their food.  It works out very well, and I'm really beginning to enjoy my life here.

I've found a few shops that I like.  I took the wrong bus by accident and ended up going all around the downtown shopping area.  Since it was safer for me to just ride the loop I decided to look out the window and take note of some of the shops.  The two that really interested me were the Newfoundland Weavery and the Bead Addict.  For those of you who don't know, I love to make braclets and necklaces out of beads, and I also enjoy weaving, though I've only done some inkle weaving.  So I do believe that I will head out there some time.  I heard that the weavery even gives classes and sells everything you need to weave, looms, threads, shuttles, everything!

I get to wear this beautiful thing every Tuesday, nothing like 

showing house spirit!!

I have also decided to volunteer for several things.  The first thing I signed up for I'm really excited about!  The organization is called Beagle Paws and it takes in abandoned beagles so they can have new homes.  I have been put on office shifts.  Basically for 3-6 hours a week (depending on my schedule and the need) I will be in the office playing with the dogs, feeding them, cleaning up after them and giving them baths.  I also get to spend an extra hour each week walking a group of dogs.  It's a great way to get some exercise have fun and see more of the city.  I have also joined MUNhopes, which fundraises to help victims of natural disasters.  They also send off a group of students every year to another country and that group helps to install water purifiers, build houses and teach kids English.  I'm also a part of Burke Cares which is a house run charity that fundraises for the food bank and sets up bottle drives to help the community and students living in Burke house.  I'm also going to check out an overseas program.  I can't remember what it's called at the moment, but I can earn credits while teaching English, setting up fresh water supplies, or working on elephant conservation.  So I'm going to be very busy, but it's going to be fun!!

That brings me to church.  The church I am attending is filled with very kind people.  The minute I walked in there I felt welcomed and the pastor teaches about things that I agree with.  Even better than that though is the bus they send to pick me up and bring me back after.  The bus driver is very nice and tries to let me know about the places that we drive past.  There is also another great thing that she is willing to do.  Apparently every Sunday she works at the mall right after she drops me off so she told me that f I ever wanted to be dropped off there instead she would be happy to do so.  I think that I might just plan my shopping trips around that.  Of course I'd have to take the Metrobus back to the university, but that's not so bad, and if worse comes to worse I can walk back, it just takes a while.

Well that's all I have to say for now.  I'm starting to feel at home, my classes are going well, and I have a nice room mate.  Since I have nothing important to say, I'm going to leave it at that.  Thanks for reading and checking up on me, type to you later!