Well, folks, I'm in Ottawa now-- my home for the next two years (minus summers, god willing). What I have come to realize is the following:

1) The Parliament buildings are spectacularly beautiful
2) There are many museums I look forward to attending (portrait gallery!!!)
3) That is all. The rest of Ottawa is a tiny little rundown shacktown.
4) Except for the residential areas.

My house and the surrounding area are... gor-geous. Like, wow gorgeous. I am paying very reasonable Toronto-rate rent, but getting a place that befits a double-income young professional couple (which is what my neighbours downstairs are). My apartment is gigantic and beautiful and impeccably maintained and clean, and there is an apple tree outside of it. Whoah!

However, as soon as you turn onto any major street you run into tonnes of abandoned storefronts, sketchy convenience stores, and office buildings. Okay, so I'm exaggerating a little bit. It's not squalor-town or anything, but it does tend to be either corporate buildings or a little bit run-down-ish places. As I had anticipated, but not really truly REALIZED, Ottawa is not Toronto.

All the same, I am having a ton of fun decorating my room (George Clooney themed! New magenta comforter!), and fixing my television to get free cable. My mom is still hanging out with me until tomorrow afternoon, at which point I will be left to my own devices. I think Maria and I are going to rent a movie, as I anticipate the majority of my free time will be spent during the year.

I'm quite excited to start school, though, since that's what I'm really here for... I think school will make up for the strangeness of the city. I have orientation starting informally on Monday, and formally on Tuesday morning bright and early. Classes start for me on Thursday-- wooot! So pumped!

You know that fabulous feeling you get from smelling a freshly-purchased binder, and cracking open a new batch of pens... well, it's that times about a hundred, because I'm getting training that will actually lead me to a paying job of my dreams!

So just know that my neon-green Converse hi-tops are getting ready to hit the Carleton pavement, and that all is well in my area of the country.