Judy Anne

Let me paint you a picture:

**Facetime ringing
**"J-Anne connecting"

"HOLZY!"
"Hi mom"
"How's it going?!"
"Good how are you?"
"Good, so how's school? How's work? How's Macomb? Did you go out last night? Have you been to Chicks lately, god I love that place! Can't wait for May. How's Tee? You heard about so and so eh?
I'm so glad you're feeling better. I thought I was going to have to jump on a plane! Oh, I'm going to Vegas again, did I tell you that? Yah, so I'm going. Dad's okay with it. He always says "does my answer really matter? He's such a bugger boy!"

**Takes breath
**Repeat

This is the woman who is my built in best friend. This is the woman who will ask me 18 questions before I finish processing the first one. This is the woman who feels my every joy, my every sadness no matter how far away I am. This is the woman who taught me everything I know about retail therapy. This is the woman who will put my needs before hers, every time. This is Judy Anne, my mom.

Today is her birthday, but let's be real, this party animal finds a reason to celebrate every day. Since I didn't make it to the post office on time to send her a heart felt, handmade card, this will have to suffice.

J-Anne,

For being able to laugh at yourself (and letting us laugh too),
For keeping life interesting (usually through redecorating every 3 months),
For being able to connect with people at the drop of a hat (and dropping them just as quickly, if need be),
For showing me how to love with your whole heart (no matter how much I fight the hugs, kisses and leg slapping- "THOSE GAMS"),
For pushing me to apply to UBC,
For being my biggest supporter with every decision I make (even though you may not always understand),
For googling every school I have applied to,
For knowing me better than I know myself (you somehow always know when something has happened),
For being my shopping partner (always down for some retail therapy),
For being my drinking partner ("life's too short, eh holz?!"),
For being excited about bar hopping around Macomb with me (and getting hit on at every stop),
For never holding back (honesty is not lost on you),
For being the first to like and comment on my photos (even if you comment on it on Facebook, and Instagram and then text me about it right after),
For embracing my life abroad over the past 2 years,
For bringing fun into absolutely everything you do,
For being so special, I gave you a nick name,

**Takes breath
**Repeat

Cheers to you, Sassy-J.

Celebrating Red and White....and no I don't mean wine.

For those of you who don't know, today is Canada Day. You may be thinking "what does that even mean?" It means that 3 days before July 4th, there is another holiday that your neighbours celebrate (although in a much lesser fashion, I assure you.) July 1st commemorates this day in 1867 when three colonies (Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and the United Province of Canada) united to become a single country called "Canada".  For those of you now asking "What is Canada?", I am judging you and here is a link where you can figure it out.

Many of you have heard me mutter "being Canadian is hard sometimes". This has usually been because of some paperwork malfunction or other frustrations that have made being an International student living in the United States an eye-opening experience. I claim that all the stereotypes are real, which many of them are. (Specifically that we say "eh". And by we, I mean my mom. Texting with her is a unique experience where half of the time I'm wondering if she's being serious when she says "so you saw so and so is getting married, eh?". But she is indeed serious and, when asked about it, states she doesn't even know she's doing it). I go along with the jokes and entertain the questions like "so how cold is it up there right now", "what kind of money do you use" and "do you know Jim in Toronto?" (don't even get me started on that last question, Toronto is not Vancouver and Vancouver is life).

But seriously, through all the issues, financial and otherwise, I would not trade this experience for the world. Living in the United States has made me extremely aware and proud of my Canadian roots, something I didn't have a year ago. I have always respected Americans for the patriotism. And many of my Canadian friends and family will talk about how much Americans' love their country and how much bigger the 4th of July is than July 1st. Being a resident of the U.S.A has reinforced how patriotic many are about this country but it has also helped me realize my own pride for my motherland.

One of the other questions people ask me is "what do you miss most about home?". For some reason, it still catches me off guard. I usually go real cliché and basic, saying my family or the mountains, or the ocean. But that's not really unique and it doesn't really get to the foundation of being Canadian. So, in honour (check the spelling y'all...:)) of Canada's 148th birthday, I have made a list of a few things I miss most about my beautiful, true North.

1. Growers Cider
This, my friends, is a wonderful adult beverage brewed locally in the Okanagan region of British Columbia. For $7.00 (Canadian), you can get a whole 2L. Or, you can opt for the six pack of bottles and they come in a variety of flavours from apple to raspberry to glacier berry (although I'm not confident as to what that tastes like).

2. Poutine
I know, I know, you've heard this one too many times. But seriously, poutine is delicious. Fries, gravy (brown gravy not that other stuff that is put on biscuits and deemed a breakfast food), and squeaky cheese curds. While I have been able to enjoy it a few times in San Diego, it's just not the same.

3. Ham
So, I don't actually miss ham. There is ham here in the U.S. and it is pretty much the same as ham in Canada. What I do miss is people actually calling it ham. Canadian Bacon is not a thing, it does not exist. It is ham. Bacon is bacon and ham is ham.

4. The spelling
Adding extra u's and using "qu" instead of "ck" just seems classier. That's all.

5. Hearing the National Anthem at sporting events
This was a surprise, but I really do miss hearing that anthem. I think it's something Canadians take for granted but my new found pride has made me wish I could hear it again.

6.Hockey
WEIRD, I know, but let me explain. I am a bandwagonner, through and through. When the Canucks got knocked out in the first round of the playoffs, I quickly moved onto the next closest team, the Blackhawks (calm down, Canuck die-hards). I don't keep up with the players or what's happening but I miss the family get togethers where the hockey game was a background noise. I miss "Hockey Night in Canada". I think it is the one thing that Canadian's are truly proud of and that passion is a powerful thing to be around. When I'm sitting in Sports Corner enjoying a bevy and the Vancouver vs. Chicago game comes on, I get really excited (ask around, it's true).

7. Alcohol percentages
"We've got stronger beer" .......even if it costs twice the price.

8.Caesars
I have learned to love me a Bloody Mary (extra spicy, of course) but there is nothing like the good ol' double Caesar, extra spicy to make hollyd feel warm and fuzzy. If you are completely confuse, I encourage you to Google it, because I'm definitely not talking about a salad.

'Murica, you're truly fantastic and I love living here. It is been one hell of a year and I can't wait to see what else you have in store for me. But most of all, thanks for helping me connect with my roots and develop a sense of pride for my Red and White. I am Canadian, and I have come to love announcing that, anytime, anywhere.

With that, I'm off to enjoy some Canada Day festivities with the folks. You can find us enjoying beverages (maybe even a Molson Canadian) on Pacific Beach, wearing red and white and sporting temporary tattoos. Canada came to me in the form of two hilarious, supportive, wonderful parents and I couldn't be happier to be spending the day with them. We might even start bellowing out the anthem at some point, look out for us on the 5 o'clock news.

GGLI,
hollyd

Life Moves Pretty Fast, and This Time it Brought Me to San Diego

If you didn't sense the shift in the earth's atmosphere, then I'm sure you've seen my recent posts on the FACEbook, 'gram etc. That's right y'all, #hollyd is back on the West Coast. It felt like May would never come and when it did, I didn't know if I was quite ready for it but here we are.

The "second years", as they were affectionately called, in the College Student Personnel (CSP, hence my hashtag #csplife) program have graduated, which means my two persons are moving on from WIU. They say friends are the family we choose, but I disagree. I think Jervic, Tee and me are a love story of friendship for the ages that none of us saw coming. I am not an outwardly emotional person but felt I needed to put in writing my sentiments about the two people without whom my life in Macomb would have been a lot more challenging and contained a lot less crazy, fun, spontaneous adventures. Thanks to everyone, especially but not only those two, who helped me through this past semester. You all have embraced every annoyingly charming thing about me, in fact you encourage it, and that is what will have me looking forward to return to Macomb. This semester has been mentally and emotionally demanding in many ways but we survived and have come out more fabulous than ever. That's all the mush I can muster but for those of you who are soon to be in the Mac or are already there, the mission begins #findhollyfriends2015 (kidding, sort of). 

But seriously, San Diego has been the perfect distraction for me to focus on. After all, I'm nothing if not extremely fantastic at avoiding situations that are happening right in front of me. It's kind of like, a superpower, always looking for the next adventure while the other one just hasn't quite finished up. 

Alright so, tonight marks my fifth night here, with only two shorts months until I, myself, become a "second year" CSP'er. Tonight also marks five nights and four days of the most sleep and relaxation I have known since winter break. This brings me to my main point. All semester, as the work piled on and my mental state wavered, I longed for a day where I did not have any expectations of me. A day where I had nothing in my schedule and did not have to think about what homework or deadlines were coming up the next week. I had break downs of exhaustion waiting for this day to come. But, there is a major element I forgot, I don't know how to do nothing. 

Let me inform you on the exciting series of events and realizations this weekend has brought me. After a brief tour of the housing office at SDSU (which, by the way, is an amazing campus) on Friday, I was free to have the weekend to myself. This meant 3.5 days of absolute freedom with no expectation at all. I caught up on some Netflix Friday night, binging on popcorn before falling asleep, a lot like Sleeping Beauty with more drool. Saturday morning I awoke in cold sweats wondering why my alarm had not gone off and wondering how late I was. And then I realized, I was not late and there was no alarm. There was simply a full day of whatever I wanted to do, but I didn't know how to do that. I struggled for a couple hours, drinking coffee and texting anyone who would respond (mainly Tee) before I decided to head out and explore the city. This brought to a shopping mall, a wonderful place called Fashion Valley. I will be returning there. 

Now, I am someone who considers themselves to be introverted at times but for the most part, I am extremely social. I like people, well most of them, okay some of them. This weekend, I went two full days without speaking verbally to anyone. Sorry, I'm lying. I did say "Can I get a Grande Pike with cold soy milk" to the barista this morning. But for the most part, it has been me, hollyd, alone with her thoughts. It has been oddly freeing, terrifying and extremely boring all at once. 

Though I have not stayed in my apartment all weekend because, after all, San Diego needs to know that I'm here, it has felt like I have been in my own little bubble of a world. Today I woke up frustrated with how bored I was. This is when I started to reflect on a few things. First of all, I am in a field where people is a large part of my job, so I have that going for me. Secondly, isn't it funny that this freedom was all I wanted and now that I have it, I have no idea how to handle it? Who would have thought that having nothing to do would be more challenging than having a three page to-do list? Thirdly, and this is a big one, I am finally homesick. I have not felt this way once in ten months but here it is, this odd, prickling feeling creeping up on me. Now, check yourselves, because I am not homesick for Vancouver, but for Macomb. I miss my routine (gasp, I'm as shocked as you), I miss my people, and (oh my god I'm about to say it) I miss the small town feel. It could be my superpower of avoidance that didn't allow me to get closure on the year quite in the way I should have. But, as much as I miss those things, I know that many of them (with the exception of the beloved second years) will be there waiting for me in nine short weeks. I think this weekend, as much as it was difficult, helped me to prepare for this adventure on my own. I needed to adjust to things and being alone to do it was what I needed to gear up for what is ahead. 

I love being back in a city, I love being close to the ocean again and I love the feeling of the unknown that lies ahead of me. So San Diego, SDSU, bring it, I'm ready. 

GGLI,

hollyd

Vancouver, I'm comin' home.

Back by popular demand, I know you’ve missed me.

Well folks, it’s really happened, I survived my first semester of graduate school and living abroad in the wonderful US of A. As I sit in the Quad Cities airport, looking around at the hustle and bustle, or more accurately, the 5 men crowded around a football game and the elderly couple sitting behind me wearing matching red, reindeer sweatshirts with the words “fa-la-la-la-la-la-la-la” on them (not that I’m judging), I can’t help but think about everything that has happened over the last 5 months.

The minutes seem to pass like hours and my anticipation has been growing for the last week. I have loved so much of the last few months, but Vancouver is calling my name and I am reminded of how amazing it is and how much about it I have missed. Not only has this made it impossible to get a good night’s sleep, but it has created an expectation that actual fireworks should be going off when I land at YVR in just a few short hours. Of course, by short, I mean long, painful, agonizing and probably uncomfortable. The waiting means that I have time to finally sit down and write own some of my current thoughts and let you all in on what’s new in HollyLand, which I know you’ve been missing.

Let’s start with the list of things I will be doing when I get home

1    1.Hugging Dexter (famous for his appearance on my throw pillow). This statement will shock a lot of you, based on my loathing of physical affection; however- hugging a dog doesn’t count and Dexter is everything.
2.     Ordering a double Caesar extra spicy, extra olives.
3.     Eating ALL the sushi (I’m sorry but sushi and the Midwest just doesn’t sit well with me).
4.     Probably eating poutine, and lots of it. If you haven’t had the pleasure of hearing about my favourite Canadian dish, be sure to Google it.
5.     Hopefully making my way to Whistler, my all time favourite getaway place where I will avoid any kind of snow activity (keep in mind it is a ski resort), walk the village with baileys in my coffee and shop with all the money I am not making and do not have.
6.     Watching hockey. I never thought this would be something I miss but the amount of passion for football down here has made me miss the hockey culture from my motherland. So…Go Canucks, I hear they are doing well this year, not that I would understand it if they weren’t.
7.     Spending time with all of the people I have neglected since July because it is simply not in my make-up to know how to keep in touch with people. Sorry, sorry, sorry.
8.     Educating my family and friends on the new words I have picked up, and probably receiving some flack for the accent I’ve acquired and haven’t noticed yet. Don’t worry though, process (said process, not prawcess, and sorry not sawrry are still very much a part of my vocabulary). These new words include but are not limited to:

a.     “finna” to replace I am going to or gonna

b.     “Turn up” to mean I am going to go dance and have a groovy time

c.      “Right” to validate everything that is happening even when unnecessary

d.     “Git it” to say you go ahead and do your thing

e.     “Ratchet” to mean…well I’m not even entirely sure but I know it’s not a good thing

f.      “Boogie” to mean bourgeoisie or you think you are better than you are, to which I say “git it”

g.     “STOP” or “I can’t”- to be said when something is extremely funny or just amazing in general. Both should be yelled.

I am not even sure if I comprehend how much I have grown or how this experience has already enhanced and affected my life in every way possible. Academically, I finally feel like I have found what it means to enjoy learning again. Personally, besides acquiring a new vocabulary, I have made connections with some fabulous people who I now cannot picture life without. I have learned things about myself that has given me a whole new perspective on things.  Small town America has shown me that perhaps I’m better suited for city life. Macomb is still quaint, still adorns a hidden, misunderstood charm but I will never be able to go without buying a new pair of shoes once a month. So, online shopping, I thank you for that. 

I picture more of this experience sinking in after I finish sobbing and rolling around on Canadian ground (which will occur promptly upon picking up my bag from baggage claim and walking through the doors to see the hundreds of fans there to greet me). It could be tomorrow, or the next day, or perhaps even the next one after that when I have had time to let everything sink in properly. I do know that this has been the toughest, most mentally and emotionally gruelling 5 months of my adult life. It has also been the most rewarding, hilarious, motivating and fun semester I have ever had. I call this a win.

Well, my plane is boarding and my journey home is once again moving along. See you soon, Vancouver. And Macomb, I finna miss ya.

Lincoln and Homecoming-this is real life.

It’s been a while since I’ve been able to sit down and write down about some of the excitements of life at Western. The last few weeks have been full of new experiences for me. A lot of them were amazing, a couple of them life changing and some of them reminding me that life is precious and fragile. I have been looking forward to writing this blog because it always brings me back to the positive parts of my experience here in Macomb. As always, I hope it brings a smile to your faces and throws some positive vibes out into the universe. After all, we could all use a little bit more sass and a lot more laughter.

In typical fashion, my objective of this blog is to share with my Canadian peeps (read: fan base) some of the hidden gems of Illinois. By the end of these next 2 years, the Illinois tourism board will be paying me for bringing in so many Canuck tourists. The beginning of fall has shown me what it means to live in the Land of Lincoln and that Homecoming is not a joke, it’s real life. 

Recently my cohort and I took a field trip to Springfield, the capital of Illinois. We went to hear speeches from the Illinois Board of Education and to learn a bit more about current topics in higher education for the State. So that was fun, and we spent the morning doing that, followed by a tour of the parliament building. Both were interesting and beneficial, but neither compared to the excitement of eating Chipotle for lunch. Neighbouring cities of Macomb be warned: if you have a Starbucks, a Chipotle or any other chain fast-food other than Taco Bell or McDonalds, Western students will swarm. I have recently been exposed to Panera, a Tim Hortons-esc comfort food restaurant as well as Portillos, where they serve poppy seed muffins as a side dish to your salad (out of fairness, they’re famous for hotdogs).

I digress, so after stuffing our faces with burrito bowls and guacamole, we headed to the Lincoln Museum. For those of you who don’t know, Lincoln was born in Illinois and is nothing if not a National Treasure. I will admit that I was a bit sceptical about the museum since history has never really been my thing and all that food had made me sleepy. Not to mention my first experience was trying to get through the revolving door (I don't do revolving doors). I was completely surprised to see that this museum is what can only be described as a mini-version of Disneyland for President Lincoln fans. This place is complete with shows, interactive Lincoln trivia, wax-figures, recreations of the white house and Lincoln’s childhood home and memorabilia from the President’s life (..and that's not even half of it). This place was seriously extravagant. I learned a lot, mostly reinforcing that Americans continue to be far and away more patriotic than Canadians. Could you imagine anyone ever building a museum about a great Prime Minister? What would that even consist of? These questions are still running through my head and it makes me laugh just thinking about a wax figure of Stephen Harper. Land of Lincoln, love your style.

Homecoming: not just a football game. This is a serious, week-long competition between campus organizations. This year, the theme was "A Hero’s Homecoming: Who’s Your Hero?. A glimpse into the week: there were a lot of tights and capes, camouflage and fire fighter costumes. For those of you, like me, who were not familiar with homecoming except for what Hollywood has shown us, here is a list of the events:

·      -Paint the Paws: Paint giant yellow paws on the roadways around campus.

·      -Spirit Game: Wear purple and go support the WIU Women’s Volleyball Team.

·     - Paint the Town: Paint the window of a business in the square, representing your group and the theme.

·      -Rocky’s Boat Regatta: Build a cardboard boat that can support 2 people across a lake, twice.

·      -Dec the Campus: Paint the window of a building on campus, representing your group and the theme.

·      -Variety Show: Essentially a talent show

·      -Yell Like Hell: Come up with a cheerleading routine, and yell like hell.

·      -Homecoming Parade: Build a float, work it out

·      -Homecoming Football Game: This is what I’m used to.

Yup. This is real life. Students put hours and hundreds of dollars into this week, organizers and participants alike. 

It was an amazing week for me that demonstrated so much student pride for the institution. I should also mention that  at every event there was a philanthropy project happening called Rocky’s Jail Break. You could pay to put people in jail in order to raise money for a charity called Fallen Heroes-supporting families of those who have fallen in the line of duty. If you paid extra, you could also have people wear costumes, such as a taco, a hot dog and a princess. I was put in jail twice, the first time for being Canadian. I apologized repeatedly for this and they let me out early for good behaviour. Both times I had to wear a princess costume, luckily I obviously came prepared and was already wearing my ball gown so I didn't need a costume. Story of my life.

A special shout out to J-Anne who came to visit 2 weeks ago and experienced the Macomb nightlife first hand. She also cooked a delicious thanksgiving dinner. For everyone who doesn’t know what Canadian thanksgiving is for, because I didn’t- it is simply because we are thankful for veterans, for each other and the blessings of life in Canada. This day wasn’t actually fixed until 1957, either. Yup. I’m learning more about Canada than I have in years. Who would have thought. J-Anne, thanks for always being ready for anything and embracing all life has to offer. Macomb misses you already.

GGLI,

hollyd

Right where I need to be

With everything from residence life, getting organized for classes, making sure I manage to do laundry on occasion and of course scheduling all of this around fun, which consumes my every waking thought, I have no idea how it is already the end of August. Where this month went, I have no idea but I will tell you one thing, I know I enjoyed every minute of it.

It has been about 6 weeks since I moved to Macomb and while things have been a whirlwind lately, I figure now is the perfect time for me to add a post (mainly to make sure Grams stays up to date- but actually).  This is mainly due to the events of the past week that have shown me definitively that I am in a completely new mindset as well as a new environment.

This past week has been challenging…to say the least. It has tested my patience and forced me to get creative in pretty much every aspect of my life. This is not due to the fact that I’m homesick. This is not due to the fact that I’m overwhelmed with classes and work. In fact, I’m feeling pretty solid in both those areas. It is however, because being Canadian is hard sometimes. Brace yourself for some slight whining, all with a comedic twist of course. 

This week I learned that sending mail requires secret added fees that one can never quite predict. This may also require you to borrow cheques from your supervisor. I learned that sometimes you simply cannot use Canadian credit cards to pay for things, like student fees. I learned that putting things into your tote bag at Walmart to avoid using plastic bags will get you called out by a security person who is accusing you of shoplifting (I promise that in this instance, I had a receipt and fully paid-for items).  I learned that metal seat belts are very hot in the sun and hitting on will result in spilling beverages all over your newly washed dress (of course these last two are more to do with being Holly and less to do with being Canadian- but then again the arctic tundra and my igloo never prepared me for hot seat belts so there’s that). Needless to say, it’s been quite a week. Some of you might be cringing as you picture me throwing one of my classic “diva dip” tantrums. I am proud to say, however, that I pretty much laughed my way through all of these. I owe a big part of this to the people in my life who have quickly become a support system for me. While they can’t always help, they are there to laugh along with me or listen to me vent before trying their best to come up with solutions. No matter how frustrating things got this week, I went to bed every night feeling happy about being in Macomb. Which brings me to my main point (because I’m over this whining business and I know you’re over hearing about it).

Something else that has been at the forefront of my mind lately is how comfortable I am at WIU. And by comfortable, I mean like hundy-p, I do not want to be anywhere else. Macomb and WIU has won me over, I was inclined to use the phrase “captured my heart” but that suits me as well as a tiara on Honey BooBoo so let’s not. Since I realized this last fact (about loving Macomb, not Honey BooBoo, that one was never a secret) I have been trying to figure out why this is the case. I have been thinking a lot about my experience at STARS College last year, when we were sitting listening to current and past graduate students talk about “finding your fit” at a graduate school. They claimed “you wouldn’t know it until you knew it”, which at the time I, maybe too obviously, rolled my eyes at because I wanted to be told where the best school was. I didn’t want to be responsible for picking a school where I was uncomfortable and homesick for the entire 2 years. When I returned from my interview at WIU, I had a good feeling about this, but I assumed my close attachment to my family and to Vancouver would bring me inevitable homesickness for my first semester in Illinois.

I have been asked a lot lately by different people in Macomb and from back home, how I’m doing about being so far from home. I think about this a lot because I feel like I should be missing it more. I feel like it’s almost wrong that I’m not missing Vancouver, even a little bit (sorry sorry sorry to those who just read this and are now contemplating deleting me forever). Don’t get me wrong, there are a lot of people I wish I could see everyday, a lot of things about BC that I am excited to one day see again, but I’m absolutely 100% content at WIU.  I am engrossed in the environment, the culture and in getting to know the people.

On some deeper level, I think I was yearning for an experience to have on my own. I owe a lot to UBC and the people I met there, but being so close to home I never really found my independence. That’s something I’m finding here, and I’m loving it. I literally can’t think of any other way to describe where I’m at except in “a really good place”. When people ask, that’s always my response and I have yet to be able to explain it in more depth. Despite my meagre attempt on this blog, there are still so many thoughts rushing through my mind about how unbelievable it is that I am not homesick at all. For me, Macomb is home right now. I’m right where I need to be, doing what I need to do, meeting who I need to meet and that feels amazing.

GGLI,

hollyd