“We don’t see things as they are-we see them as we are” (Anaïs Nin)
Hello there.
I have not written a “Five- Things” post in quite a while and it is overdue. Plus, I have a bunch of things to share. Winding down after a full day of lectures, library for three hours (I find, the best place to study is on the 3rd “silent” floor of the library so far!), running around to meet with professors and finally picking up Petit Joel from preschool was in a way tiring. At 3 pm, my brain felt like it is in desperate need for a break, so my little guy and I went to our favorite cake/cookie place “Life of Pie” in Ottawa so far. We made this sort of “our thing” on Fridays to eat chocolate cake there and I have a much needed wake-me-up-cup of coffee. Then we went home, got our bicycles and went to the park. We stayed there until sunset. A beautiful day indeed. I really focus on him and the time we are together now since he is in preschool until 3pm. He is doing such a great job there. He fell asleep within ten minutes tonight and I am back to studying in a bit. First though, here are my Friday Five’s. Enjoy!
Reading: I always find time to read. No matter what! Even though, the readings for the three lectures I am attending a week are pretty intense at the Masters level. For pleasure, I am reading Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale which kept me up late every other night. It is so good! The other book that is fantastic is Susannah Cahalan’s Brain on Fire. Watch this interesting TED Conversation of her and her disease she had here. If you love memoirs, the human body and psychology, this book is for you. It amazes me every time, how fast life can change and makes me realize how special it is to be on this earth and that I should not take anything for granted. This article from The New York Times is also a great read.
Watching/Listening: I stumbled upon Jenny Mustard’s videos on healthy eating, minimalism and so much more on YouTube, subscribed to her channel and watch her videos ever since. Clean, simple videos without a lot of fuss but with tons of great information. This is how I like it. I am very fortunate to be able to attend lectures by the linguist Dr. Marie-Odile Junker at my University. Just watch her video here if you interested in linguistics.
Learning/Discovering: Since living in Canada, I am interested in anything First Nation; especially the Innu and East Cree people. Dr. Junker has a specialization in aboriginal languages and works on language preservation, lexicographies and so much more. “It is about the East Cree language, spoken in Northern Quebec, Canada, in the James Bay area. The East Cree language is a Native American language of North America and belongs to the Algonquian language family.” Click here for the website.
I am a huge tea-lover. DavidsTea is an amazing place where I purchase most of my tea or drink a cup and relax when Petit Joel and I explore the neighborhood. This morning in class, a classmate told me about The Tea Party Café at the “market” which is known by everybody here as The Byward Market. Tomorrow it is supposed to rain, so museum and café it is. Also, I mentioned that I wanted to work out again and I did indeed. No excuses and time to get back in shape. I went to the gym at University and it was very good. However, I will not sign up for any gym membership anymore. I prefer to be outside in fresh air, park and such. Sticky, sweaty, crowded gym – not really my thing but it is included in the university package, so why not. They have a sauna and a huge pool too. Yay!
Thinking About: I was overwhelmed initially with the plethora of possibilities that are out there within the Linguistic field. Research is awesome. What Dr. Junker does blows my mind. But honestly, I am mostly interested in Forensics Linguistics these days. Maybe it is because of my background – who knows. However, don’t quote me on it. I might change directions throughout the program but it sounds good for now.
Looking Forward to: Seeing le husband again. I miss him so much. Everything is smooth here these days, but it is just so so much better when he is around. We have a solid marriage and talk every single day via Skype (sometimes even more often) which I think is very important for a long-distance relationship like ours. It does work. But, I am literally scratching days of on my calendar until we see each other again. Unconditional! What we have is special and I treasure it. Even though we cannot be together every day, we still are always. Same goes for my family in Germany. I miss them too but we talk a lot on Skype as well. My grandma (82!) is about to get an iPad so we will be able to talk and SEE each other. So special. Thank you Skype creators! <3
Have a great weekend. Love Always.
