Week 1 Edmonton

Things I have learned since moving to Alberta/en route to Alberta

- I have such desirable employability skills that I can get promoted in the first five minutes of starting a new job
- Throwing up at the side of the 401 is no fun
- Sleeping on the floor is also no fun
- Beware of air mattresses that promise mattress like quality- they will only end up lowering you gradually more and more to the ground.
- Dumpster diving is beneficial to everyone!
- If I follow the yellow painted footprints, they lead me to work
- There is one other Ashton at the university and he is the president of Beta Alpha Chi
- I have food issues that don’t even make sense to me
- The best samosas in Ottawa are at the Middle Eastern Bakery on Somerset and we couldn’t hold out long enough to smuggle them across the Alberta border
- Edmonton Bus transit chooses to ignore whole parts of the city, therefore a vehicle is essential.
- Coconut milk to chocolate chip cookies makes them that much yummier
- When bed shopping, try not to pass out on the floor models
- Moving in the rain across the country with all your belongings strapped into the back of a pick-up is a true test of a relationship
- Albertans do indeed say, ‘hey’ at the end of every sentence, and for that matter have very country accents
- Vegans can eat out every day, though
- The best sushi in Canada can be found in a suburb of Oshawa
- Pinning my address and telephone number to me makes getting around that much easier
- Milk crates = couch!
- If interested in finding out who my bosses are, please turn to the front cover of this magazine and this newspaper spread, and this website and this radio interview and this…
- Chips for 830 students is a LOT of chips
- 20,000 people come through my building everyday
- Security guards at pearson need to be nicer
- A bouquet of hand-picked flowers makes up for silliness

So my first week in Edmonton is almost over. I’m sitting on my brand new bed relieved to have at least one piece of furniture, though truth be told, Ashton and I have been so tired it wouldn’t matter what we slept on.

Today is labour day. It’s weird to think that this will be my first three-day weekend in quite a while- probably til Christmas? I like my job so far, though have actually been getting trained in reception until they find a new front office administrator. What I do know is that I’m rather important ;) I’m in charge of the schedules of all of the Student Union VPs, except the president who has his own assistant. Tomorrow I’ll find out more.

Our apartment is awesome! I’ve never moved into a place where I didn’t want to immediately scrub down the walls. It’s quite large with a dining room, living room plus our bedroom. We don’t have anything in furniture yet aside from the bed and some dumpster dive finds (2 coffee tables, one desk, a box full of kitchenware (!), and a chair. Oh yes, and some brand new mirrors that the university was for some reason throwing out. There are some things we’re obviously not going to dive in for, and we’ve both got money to purchase new items but not having a car seems to be a curse. Future visitors let this be known: we will have a futon!

I’ve been overwhelmed with what we need to get. It’s terrible how we NEED things to be happy. First thing on my list was a tea kettle. Ashton countered this by getting me the biggest box of Twinings Tea I’ve ever seen. I also left a lot of clothes behind and the climate is very different from Ottawa so I’m pained to realize I need to go clothes shopping. (What I REALLY want is a dresser to put away my clothes, but that will come) . I’m quite proud of everything we’ve accomplished so far. Our kitchen is set up now, we’ve everything we need and so much cupboard space. Ashton’s really excited because he can wander around and eat everything (as a vegan it’s a first). I’m now worried that he WILL eat everything ;)

What else to say… I’d like to say I’ve been thinking of all of you but I’ve been so tired that when I’m not running around I’m sleeping and making lists of things to do in my dreams.