International Students @ Concordia

Hiking Season: "Tally me Banana..."

A week ago a group of friends invited me to go camping and hicking with them to Mount Orford.

This Fall season is the perfect time to do it, as you can experience the change in colors of the trees =)

So what are you waiting for?

you can:

1. Chillax

2. Inhale the view

3. have Pasta and Veggies for dinner

4. have Banana Boats instead of S'mores!

5. sing "Day-o, day-ay-ay-o!"-as Harry Belafonte would!

6. experience a "Beautiful bunch of ripe banana..."

7. go hicking up towards Mount Orford

8. and at the top, top top... where the answers are, and the wind blows...the hills become alive when you sing along.

Baguette, Camemberts and Mini-Sarkos

I guess it is about time that I finally admit that I’m actually not spending this year at Concordia but abroad. I know, I’m writing this as an international student but during the last year something got me to apply for two semesters abroad. So, right now, I’m sitting in a small “chambre de bonne” in Paris. I choose to go to France in order to improve my French. Now, I know this sounds horrible coming from a Montrealer by choice but at home you can just get by too easily with only English.  

Since most students at Concordia have just recently finalized their course selection, I think the subject of this post might interest some people.

Over the last two years I have never bothered too much with the registration process at Concordia. Simply because it is quite easy, you click, you get the course you want ….maybe not at the perfect time, but oh, well though luck. You also have about three months or more (depending on when you chose them) to drop courses, which makes things really easy.

So, now, FRENCH administration on the other hand….oh, boy……they definitely didn’t invent that. I’m quite used to smooth procedures at Concordia. I’m not trying to make Concordia look super great here but for heaven’s sake…at least registration works!!! So far, I really wonder why Sciences Po (the place I signed up for) is considered such a good school because their administration is quite a mess.

So, back to registration…and this is from the exchange students perspective…there is ONE day of registration. No dropping after, no nothing, zip, finito!!!! Registration starts at 10:00 a.m., sharp, and you better have your fingers on the keyboard already because courses feel up with in five minutes. I got all the courses I wanted except for one. However, I saw people coming out of the help center almost crying because they couldn’t get any of the courses they needed. One person I talked to had to take history of fashion, instead of the businesses courses he needed because nothing else was available.

I seriously have to admit, I miss Concordia!!! If you have questions there, the standard answer is at least NOT “Oh, I don’t know. So, who would know? Oh, no idea.” Even if the person at Concordia doesn’t have the answer to your question, they will at least send you to somebody who will know.

Nike + The Human Race : Red Hot 10K!!!

Remember
#0067227
Red shirt,
Chip tied to my new Nike+ tennis shoes.

10k,
10k
Maybe just run for 1… 0k?

Got a call.
“Hey good luck! We’re doing it too!”
My brothers in Mexico city?!
Let’s see who gets there first…

Livestrong yellow band on.
Left side… STRONG side!
Remember: I run for
Ninemillion.org

Carl Lewis at the starting line!
Together, counting: 5…4…3…2…1…
Juuuuuuuust DO it!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Go, go, go, go go go gogogogogogogo

Tramonto...
Red-Hot shirts moving from Terme di Caracalla,
Past the FAO Headquarters,
Up the hill,
In, in, out.
In, in, out.

And around the Collosseo.
So many people that used to go inside…
And now we are running outside!
Goosebumps…

Runners passing by me
Right and left,
Behind and in front.
Moving along in groups,
Or alone,
Feet trying to find the space to run.

Keep the rhythm
In, in, out.
Keep YOUR rhythm!
Stay on the line.

Via dei Fori Imperiali
Hi Caesar! Hi Augustus!
Hey, today is the last day of “August…”

All the way up,
And all the way down
Via Cavour.

Runners on the way back
calling to the ones
Still running on the way up.
Singing, laughing, running.

Tourists clap, clap, clap.
Breathe……
Keep breathing…

Piazza Venezia,
Monumento a Vittorio Emanuele II
What kind of Ego….???
Anyways… Wow.

Away form “la Lupa,”
Just remember: 21/04/753 (B.C)
Towards via del Corso.
Negozi, negozi, negozi…

Via del Tritone!
About that fountain???
Piazza Barberini,
Via Venetto!

And then somehow back down,
Down, down…
Through streets I don’t recall their names…

I knew it was coming,
Piazza di Spagna
5k, 5k!!!!!!!!!!!!
why are we not going up those stairs?

Keep going straight,
Look up,
Forward.

Then to your left,
A group of older runners,
Sitting down with friends
Enjoying their mid-race gelato!!!

Younger runners passing by them
laughing,
complaining…and yet envious…

Piazza del Popolo.
Tables full of “Blue Gold”
Cups flying, splashing,
Tossed,
Stepping through a cardboard floor!

Via Tomacelli
Ferrari Store!
And then I got lost?
For a while,
I had to concentrate more,
More and more.

Runners were stopping.
Taking a break.
Slowing down.
Taking their time…

No, no, no, no no!
Keep reading those signs,
At the back of each runner’s t-shirt:
Just do it!
One, twice, thirty and four hundred times!
Slogans shining in yellow at night….
Left side… STRONG side!

Then an oval, long… O!
Piazza Navona!
Tourists staring all the time,
Smiling, taking pictures,
Showing those hands,
Giving me five!

Ouch, ouch… ouch.
Cramps, side-stomach cramps.
What did I eat before this race?

Pasta salad with buffala mozzarella cheese, tomatoes…
Salmon with potatoes…
And watermelon.
And perhaps too much water!

Don’t stop.
Always give +
Do it.

We are back in Piazza Venezia?
What is this? K7? K8?
When is this oveeeeeeeeeer???
You know what?
Might as well take a break…

“Daddy, daddy! Wait for me!”
Noooooo way!
If this kid is no more than eight,
Running faster, catching up to the beat…
I am pushing,
I’m not afraid!

Listen, listen…
Somewhere up the hill the music calls…
In, in, out.
In, in, out.
Aa, aa, aaaoooch…
Just, do, itttt….

Circo Massimo in the end!!!
Is this it?
Is this 10k?
No way!
I think I did ok?
Zero k to go!

Now I need water,
Cold bottle of fresh water…
“Thank you sir I’ll take two!”

and just as I began to gulp down the precious water,
cough, cough
cough cough cough…
It was AQUA FRIZZANTE!!!

Great.
Gimme a break!
Of all the places…
It had to be in Rome…

To find out my time:
http://nikeplus.nike.com/nikeplus/humanrace/leaderboard.jsp?locale=it_it

to check out more pictures:
http://inside.nike.com/blogs/humanrace-it_IT/2008/09/03/le-emozioni-continuano

5, 273, 108 kilometers run… divided by 10k per person….
Just run through the math…