Draggin' my ass to the finish line...

Sitting here on a cool Sunday night, the last night in November actually, wondering where the last year has disappeared to. It's hard to believe that in three short days all of our classes are going to be finished for the fall term. Even though it's the end and my work load has decreased significantly I am still feeling the lack of motivation to have that final push to have it all completed. With all the hustle and bustle of this time of year I can understand how other people have their minds on other things besides school. Everyone is attempting to prepare for the holidays, whether that is making final travel arrangements or whatever one needs to do. I have pretty well finished all my shopping already so I will not have to worry about that later on and it's not what's taking my attention away from my work. I unfortunately have been making plans for all the things that I want to do during the break; in turn it has led me making plans during the time that I should be working. For example, Friday night I had planned to stay home and work but friends decided to have people over to their place so off I went for a few hours. When I went I thought to myself "I can do a bit of work when I get home if I am not out too late" but unfortunately this past week I had been sick so by 10 p.m. I was tired and ready for bed. I did manage to accomplish some work on Saturday after finished my shopping. I am always amazed when I can buckle down and work on a Saturday.
Today when I woke up I planned on doing some work but I slept late instead. My Judaism class was taking a tour of the Synagogue this afternoon so that took away from my working on projects but I really wanted the opportunity to see what the Synagogue here is like on the inside. I met up with my classmates and professor outside the MtA chapel mid-afternoon and we headed to Moncton. The tour was given to us by another MtA professor, Dr. Cohen. He gave us the background of the Jewish community and the Synagogue along with showing us all the different aspects of the building and explaining the worship customs to us. I had been in this Synagogue once before in my life, when I was probably eight or nine years old, but as you can imagine the experience today was quite different. So now I should get back to working on my presentation. It won't be finished tonight but I know I will be able to get it all finished tomorrow and it will be great when it's completed.
I will have more with my end of the term excitement soon!
Ciao :)

Moustache Make Happy Party Time

With the first huge snowfall of the year over and done with you can feel the change that's in the air. The anticipation of the end of the term is now setting in; the final workload is coming to its end and the excitement for the holidays is starting to grow. I've already had my Christmas tree set up for a week now (and if you think that I'm a little crazy for having it set up that early you're not the only one). Having the tree set up is a great way for me to keep my spirits up during this stressful and often hectic time of the term.
There are other ways to relieve the end of the term stress as well. What's a good way to have fun and de-stress with your friends? PARTY! That's right-we had a fantastic extravaganza to celebrate the passing of another year of my age (i.e. my birthday). So we ventured out into the snowy weather to our friend's house, who graciously hosted the event, since putting more than five people in my place starts to become a crowded party. We had a blast! There was a lot of food, drinks, games and of course cake. This was a great time for us to catch up on what's going on in each other's lives. I don't think I have laughed so hard in a long time. Why all the laughter you ask? Because of all the moustaches of course! That was the theme of this party, "everyone wear a moustache" party; so everyone, guys and girls, had on some kind of funny moustache (some real, but mostly fake). We even had a game of "pin the 'stache on Borat" where the winners received fabulous prizes, such as a framed picture of Pamela Anderson. The birthday cake even had a picture of Borat on it. Could you ask for anything funnier? I think I had the most fun watching the friendly competition of people playing on the Nintendo Wii. Someone got so into the game that an ornament that was on my friend's Christmas tree ended up flying across the room and bouncing off my head - ouch! I haven't had so much fun in a long time.
But sadly today the party's over and it's back to the real world and finishing up my work for the end of the term. I am determined to have a great end to this term so now with the party having relaxed and rejuvenating me, I can make it through the next week and a half of classes knowing I can get through the end with ease.
The countdown in on: 8 days of classes, one paper and presentation and 4 exams until the end of the term and the Christmas holidays are here. Keep checking in, I'll have lots more to day before then.

The Journey of a Lifetime

Morning. Time to get in the car and make the drive. I know it so well that I could probably make it with my eyes closed if I need to. Ah, the life of commuting to school; it’s a strange journey with great rewards at the end of the trip. This is just part of what makes my MtA experience my own. There are other people who make this same trip everyday, but everyone gets something different out of it.

If you’re planning on joining me on this journey I suppose that we need to get the formalities out of the way. My name is Victoria Stroud (that sounds like proud) and I am a fourth year double major finishing degrees in Psychology and Religious Studies, as well as being one of the mature students here at Mount A. What does mature student mean? Well, I am not your typical student even though I may blend right in with the rest of the population; I am 27 and made the decision to finish my degree in order to open doors for myself in the future.

My university experience actually started almost 10 years ago when I decided to go to university right out of high school just like all my friends; but that was not the right time for me to take in everything that it means to be a university student. So, with the push of a very close friend I made the jump and applied to Mount A, a decision that I have never regretted. Even though I came here with a plan things changed and I have decided to go down another path, hence the double major. Its one of the things that I love about Mount A; that they want to create well rounded individuals, so creating degrees that are all your own is easy.

The life of a mature student is not the same as the rest of the student body. I have all the everyday adult responsibilities that I need to balance, like working and paying the bills, along with all the work that comes from my classes. It was hard at first but as time went on I found my groove which allowed me the freedom to feel like I was part of the Mount A community without neglecting everything else in my life. I decided that I wanted to make the most of my final year so I’ve taken on the role of Vice-President of ALOMA (Adult Learners Association of Mount Allison), became a peer tutor and joined the Psychology and Religious Studies societies. I am also writing this blog to help you (yes, you!) find out what its like to be a student here at Mount A.

So what else can I say? I could go on and on, but I think that I’ll leave that for another time. So check back later and I’ll have more stories of the comings and goings of life here at Mount A.

Ciao!

Victoria