Man On The Move: September 2012

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Day 1 (Sept. 5th):

I arrived to Victoria, B.C., safely! I would love to express my gratitude to God for carrying me across the air, and oceans. When I arrived to the ferry terminal in Victoria, I was questioned by immigration officials of Canada because they wanted to verify and ascertain the authentication of my travel documents. Also, they wanted to verify that I have enough finances to support myself, while away from America. Due to the numerous amount of people in the immigration office, it took me over five hours to go through with the entire process. But, by God's grace, I was able to finish-up at the immigration office and head over to my residence, for the next few months of my life.The entire day was tiring, so therefore I decided to spend the rest of the evening resting and recuperating from the long journey.

2 (Sept. 6th):

After a long immigration process, yesterday, I had to sleep-in to regain myself - my circadian clock was totally off! Just like any college student, I decided to take half of the morning, off, to myself. I woke up at about 11:30am and decided to head over to the University of Victoria campus to get a complete tour of the school campus, in order to get myself familiarized with the locations of my classes, labs, and other sites on campus. During the tour, i got the shock of my life when i went into what i thought was the Men's Restroom (they call it "washroom" here), but it was a 'gender neutral' restroom! I was EXTREMELY SHOCKED when i saw a female come out of the bathroom stall right next to mine - i thought to myself, "oh, boy! What was i thinking, going into the ladies restroom?" I didn't feel like that anymore when i saw two guys walk in as well. At this point, i didn't know what to think anymore; i just washed my hands, ran out of there and vowed to tell everybody back in America about what just happened. Gender neutral? Oh, c'mon! Well, the tour ended at about 4pm with me having lunch with someone very dear to me and catching up on old times :). At the end of the campus tour, i rode the bus back home, using my. Student identification card - which made it fast and easy to ride the bus. This bus ride was about 5-minutes bus, to my apartment. I got home, rested for a bit and then I went to Walmart for a little grocery shopping. Afterwards, i went back home and called it a night (after all, most things close after 9pm, on this island).

Day 3 (Sept. 7th):

I should tell you, one of the main means of transportation, for students in Victoria, BC, are bicycles. Bicycle riding is a BIG DEAL here! There are separate lanes on the main road for bicycle riders (i know there are bicycle lanes in America, but not on every major highway) and it's against the law to ride a bicycle on the sidewalk (this made me miss America, a bit). Another very illegal thing to do and will land you fines over over $200, by the police, is riding a bicycle without a helmet. I never knew that i'd ever be obligated to ride a bicycle with a helmet on; i guess all these laws are set-in place to keep everyone safe and secure from harms-way. Well, i rode my bicycle to school today, with my helmet on, ofcourse. It felt weird and very uncomfortable, but i know i will get used to it very soon. I live less than 15 minutes bicycle-ride from campus, so therefore the ride this morning was relaxing - thanks to the sea breeze from the Ocean.

My first class of senior year was Physics. Coming from a relatively small university, i was shocked to walk into a class of almost 50 students (a "full" classroom at my university is about 20 - 22 students). My professor seems really laid-back and cool, but his handwriting is very difficult to understand - i will have to go see him during office hours, for more explanations. The class went by very quickly (50 minutes felt like 30 minutes). Afterwards, i headed over to my 3-hour long physics lab, but to my amazement, it was canceled and postponed to next week Friday. That cancellation of lab made my day and weekend because to be honest, i was dreading a 3-hour long lab on the first week of school.

Finally, i biked back home, took a chill afternoon shower and kicked back for the rest of the afternoon/early evening. Later in the evening, i was invited to the beach, to hang-out with friends. One of the perks of living on this island is that you could look North, East, South or West and nature salutes you like a general of an army! Chilling at the beach this evening helped me to unwind and get in-tune with my new surrounding and new friends. If the weather continues to be nice, i would love to go to the beach/lake some more. Some time this weekend, i intend on going mountain climbing with a very special friend of mine, i know that it's going to be a blast of a lifetime. I am very much looking forward to standing on one of the highest peaks of Victoria and marveling at the wonder and beauty of God's creation, nature. Look-out for photos of my mountain climbing and many more others.

All in all, my first week of classes, outside America, went very well. Thanks to my AMAZING support team who made it possible and has continued to do so, for me to experience this life's adventure. I am loving my experience, so far. Stay tuned for many more accounts of how the next four months of my life pans-out, on this island. Never forget, God is great and the wonders of his creation surround us, everywhere. Cheers, World :)