Getting My Head around it All

I've been in Toronto a week now, seven days and the world I knew seems so far away. I don't mean that as a bad thing, just the way it is. The culture shock I have begun to experience isn't the difference between the US and Canada but between living a life of separate "places" – work, church, and home – and now living in the world of Christian Academia where I live, study (okay, the actual studying won't start for another day or two), worship, and work in the same place with the same group of people. A life completely different from what I've ever experienced and a life I already know that I am blessed to be a part of.

I spent the week getting to know fellow students and professors, finding my away around campus and the part of Toronto immediately adjacent to the University, and adjusting to community living and I can say it has been a very good week. I have my student ID, my schedule, and my books. I've begun to refer to the college building as home and the three flights of stairs to my rooms isn't near as difficult to climb as it was seven days ago (no elevator!). I can now sleep with the traffic noise outside my window (no air conditioning and it is still warm enough to need the window open). I've figured out getting all my stuff back and forth to the washroom (not the bathroom but the washroom) every morning and found the athletic facilities for my daily cardio workout. I'm using Canadian currency and have figured out that I can only run my debit card as a credit card here. When people say the temperature in Celsius, I'm not looking at them near as cross-eyed as I was (25 is comfortable). We pray for the Queen at chapel and I just whisper "and for the President" immediately after. People here really do use "eh" quite often in conversation and they laugh when I use "Y'all". We've gone for a pint at the pub and I've eaten sweet potato fries.

Classes begin on Tuesday and I'm excited but a little overwhelmed when I think about all that will need to get done each week. Yet, I know that somehow it will all get done … breathe deep the breath of God.

God's Peace my friends!

Nancy