Journey of the Trilateral MBA

A Foreigner in my Native Land

2009-08-31T10:01:00.001-07:00

So, you know in my last entry I asked if its too weird to cry because I'm so happy? Well, my feelings have changed. I'm now asking myself if its too weird to cry because I'm missing everyone. And I know the answer is no.

Saturday, everyone parted and went our separate ways. No two paths are going to be the same. And it was a very emotional day. Happy that we finished our masters degree after traveling and living in three different countries. Yet having that feeling of unknowingness. Unfamiliarity. And uncertainty. Not one of us has a job lined up yet. And we were so used to leaning on each other and knowing that there was someone in the room next door that we could go talk to. And now they are not there. We are all hours upon hours apart. Hundreds of miles separate us. And I miss my girls. Terribly. I feel almost foreign. I feel like I'm missing a part of me.

So please know that I miss you. Girls, life is not the same without you here.

It. Is. Finished.

2009-08-26T14:23:00.000-07:00

So, its official...I just took my very last final of my MBA!!!! Its over. Done. Completed. It is finished! And the feeling is FABULOUS!!!! Is it weird that I'm so happy I feel like crying? Yeah, maybe.

Its amazing how fast one year goes by. And even after all this post-graduate studying, I still have such a deep love for school! =) (yes, my boyfriend thinks I'm weird for this! haha!)

This picture is of Julie burning our notes from one of our NOT SO FAVORITE classes!

As one of our last activities with our International Management course, we went to tour the Nestle Mexico plant this morning. It was amazing how high-tech this facility was! They do a lot of the testing of products at this facility (mainly coffee, chili powder, and chocolate powder NesQuik mix). I was kind of hoping that they made candies there so I could be the tester! But, they let me down.

Julie and me acting silly at Nestle Laboratories in our super fabulous outfits!

Things I Find Funny...The Mexico Edition

2009-08-24T20:14:00.000-07:00

Today has been a particularly trying day. But I'm still going to post since I know that there are some readers out there that might hold me to my last post's promise of writing at least once a day this week.

This post is dedicated to the country of Mexico..and its idiosyncrasies. =) As some of my avid readers (*probably maybe just my mom) know, I made a list of Things I Find Weird while I was in Canada last fall. Well, its that time to call out Mexico. So here goes...

Things I Find Funny. The Mexico Edition.

It is not uncommon to see donkeys hanging out on the side of the road. And I now have developed a fascination with seeing donkeys in the "wild." There are blonde donkeys, grey donkeys, and black donkeys, too. Some even look like they've escaped from the zoo. Donkeys with blankets on their backs, donkeys carring sacks, and donkeys that look like they need a snack or two. (Pardon my Dr. Seuss mood. I just bought my mom "Horton Hears A Who.")

You can find almost ANYTHING at the Mercada de la Cruz (the market...or maybe it should be know as the underground black market). They have every single DVD or CD ever made. They have brand name clothes with generic tags in the collar. They have food, clothes, sunglasses, eyeglasses, purses, headphones, shoes, jewelry, flowers, etc, etc, ETC! Man, I'm gonna miss that place. Brings a whole new meaning to "one-stop-shop!"

The bakeries here open only at 5pm...and that is the absolute earliest!!!

Although there are probably hundreds of taco stands on the street (selling a taco for around 40 cents), the stand owners still earn more than an engineer! (side note...there's this one taco stand that we go to where we've heard the people in front of us order 30 tacos to-go!)

While we're on the subject of tacos, I find the meat here, not so much funny, but weird. The first time I tried a taco from a stand I was told that the meat was from the rib of the pork. I later found out it was the stomach! (Except for a few minor exceptions, I have pretty much deemed myself a vegetarian down here. Minor exceptions meaning "the days I feel brave")

The streets are amazingly clean here! There are orange-suit workers out 24/7 keeping the streets of Queretaro safe from slime.

A lot of houses here have an open area in the middle...open to the sky, sun, moon, stars...and dust. (Our house is built this way.)

We must clean all our fruit with a certain "solution" that magically dissolves any and all bacteria that is residing on it. Shake a few drops in some water, let the fruit soak for 10 minutes, and it is pure! (This is done because fruit can be grown anywhere here...even near ponds that just might be mixed with potty water. But don't worry, the solution kills all!)

It is perfectly ok to eat fruit that has been covered in bees and insects right before you purchase it (even when its already peeled, and those pests are just thriving on your fruit). We've been told by the locals that this makes the fruit better. Ok...

It is not uncommon for our house to just all-of-a-sudden run out of water. Oh, and also for our toilets to just quit working and spew sewage from the drains of our shower when we try to flush the toilet. Oh, but don't worry...that has only happened 5 times.

So that's a rough Top 10 list...stay tuned, I might just have a sequel in store later this week.

Countdown: 5 days.

Changes

2009-08-23T22:47:00.001-07:00

In honor of it being our very last week of our MBA program here in Mexico, I have decided to try and post multiple entries (probably the max you will get out of me is one a day since its finals week! haha!).

This entry came about because Julie and I were talking the other day about how NONE of us look the same as we did when we first started the program in Canada just a little under a year ago! How things change in one year! I have brown hair and brown eyes (contacts. My attempt at "blending in down here in Mexico"). David's hair went from hippie-long to buzzed super short. Julie has blonder hair. We went from 9 people to 8 people...well, you get the picture. But if you don't, here's some comparison shots--from the beginning and end of the program! =)

CANADA (beginning!):

MEXICO (end!):

(I know I'm writing this an hour after midnight, but I'm still counting this as my Sunday post!!) SO.....6 DAYS!!!!!!!!

And so it begins...the beginning of the end

2009-08-22T21:09:00.000-07:00

And so it begins, or should I say "ends." Tomorrow marks the first day of the very last week of the 2008-2009 TMBA. In less than a week eight strangers-turned-friends will return to our homelands with a masters degree in hand! Its a week of mixed emotions. A lot of us are ready to get home to see our friends and families (and to start making money!), but its weird to think that we all won't be meeting up again in a couple of weeks to start a new semester with the program in a different place.

It will be over. Done. Finished.

And we will be MBA graduates.

7 days.

The Children of the Street

2009-08-17T20:42:00.001-07:00

If I'm in a writing kind of mood, maybe I should be working on one of the THREE projects that needs some attention! So, I'll keep this short. In one of my previous posts, I've made mention of how I love the kids down here. I really feel for them. I love them. And I just want to hug them, because they just might not get any type of love at home. They know only one life, and they are destined to probably live that life forever--and its the street life. So any form of attention you can give a little 5-year old that's forced by their family to sell can literally brighten up that kid's whole day! It doesn't take much, trust me! [I feel very strongly about this and wish so strongly that there was something more that I could do]

Make a difference in a child's life today! It might be their only glimpse of hope and love!

Teotihuacan--The Pyramids of Mexico!!

2009-08-17T19:30:00.000-07:00

Oops! I totally forgot to talk about the wonders of Teotihuacan--the Aztec pyramids! I had the pleasure of visiting this area with my dad before everyone else flew in to Mexico City. (As I had mentioned before, Dad had flown in a couple of days before everyone else because he had a business trip in Mexico City). Going to see the pyramids was something that I REALLY wanted to do...like, I was not going to leave Mexico without seeing this. I even wrote a book about the ancient civilizations in Mexico when I was in third grade (you didn't know I was an author, did you?). *Mom, you should look for this book so I can see it when I get back!* Dad really wanted to go here also! I think its more than safe to say that Dad and I are definitely the adventurous ones in the family who always look for new things to explore!

Hot air balloon above a pyramid

So the day after I took the bus (by myself) to Mexico City to meet him, we woke up at 5am to go see the pyramids (again, lots of logistics involved when you don't rent a car...taxis galore + two separate bus rides. But believe me, you don't want to drive in Mexico City!). The bus that we *thought* the girl told us was 15 minutes long ended up being 1hr15min! But it was incredibly worth it! As we were arriving at the pyramids, there were three hot air balloons making their way above the pyramids. Such a beautiful site. Dad and I got out of the bus at one of the entrances--only to find that the gate was still locked at 8am! [The pyramids and the whole area that makes up what was once the land of this ancient civilization has a fence around its perimeters]

A car pulled up behind us, also stunned that the gate was still locked. He was a local, yet could speak English. SCORE! We started talking to him, and he asked us if we wanted to hop in his car and get the tour, but ENSURED us we would not have to pay. [I found this very funny] ;) I looked at Dad, like "um, are you sure?" and Dad said "well yeah!" only to then tell me that he would be absolutely furious if he ever found out if I did this again. [I mean, who hops in a pretty banged-up 1980s car with a stranger that has long pinky fingernails!! Dad, seriously, you don't have to worry about me getting into cars with strangers...and I'm actually surprised that you said OK to this idea! haha!] The guy turned out to be normal (no kidnappings ensued) and he was a great tourguide, telling us all about the ancient civilization, what each structure was for, showing us the archaeological sites, etc. We got to see the Pyramid of the Sun, Pyramid of the Moon, the avenue of the dead, and the Temple of the Feathered Serpent, among many other small ruins. It is amazing to me to imagine what life must have been like at that time. I climbed to the top of the highest pyramid--the third largest pyramid in the world! And to just look down from the top of that structure and visualize life in the ancient Aztec world is simply breathtaking.

In our tourguide's car

Our "tourguide" Barnaby

So our "guide" turns out to be a vendor--one that walks around to all the visitors at the pyramids trying to sell all kinds of jewelry, rock formations, ceremonial masks, etc. They even sold these things that sounded like a jaguar's growl when you blew into them (yes, they tried to sell you these after they touched their own mouth to them. *SORRY* I am a germaphobe!!). Our guy didn't try to push a sale on us, but we bought several things from him anyway. It made for a perfect morning adventure. And we made it back to the airport in plenty of time to pick up the rest of the crew!! Thanks, Dad, for this awesome adventure!!

Mi Familia y Mi Novio Visitan Queretaro!!

2009-08-17T14:53:00.001-07:00

Some of you might be wondering how Tony ended up in the picture (two posts below) with me on top of Pena de Bernal. No, it wasn't photoshop. He actually was here in Mexico!!! And so was my whole family! I just haven't had a chance to write about their visit because I was trying to catch all you lovely readers up on my trips to the beautiful cities of Mexico.

El Tono's visit was *supposed* to be a surprise...but he ended up telling me before he came (which probably was a good thing due to all the crazy logistics involved in getting to Queretaro...plane, bus, taxi, donkey. Ok, just kidding about the donkey, but seriously, its a lot!). Even though it turned out to not be a surprise, I was extremely happy!! Tony's visit coincindentally coincided with my whole family's visit, which I was also extremely happy about! My dad had to come to Mexico City for work, and it just so happens that Mexico City is only about 3 hours away from Queretaro! So I had found the fam a hotel just up the street from where I live. So the visitor list included: Tony, Dad, Mom, Alex and Amber (Alex's girlfriend). So it was a week-long visit with me being the entertainer! The day they all arrived was also Julie's birthday!! AND her boyfriend was coming in also. So July 16th was a HUGE day in this household!

Julie's birthday celebration started off the week-long visit perfectly...we even got to witness her smashing a dog pinata (she's not a fan of dogs!) EVERYONE was there--so fun!!! Next on the agenda, was discovering Queretaro. Since I already had discovered it, well, just about everyday [Julie and I try to search out new things and explore places we have never been], I ended up being the awesome tourguide. And let me just say, that this whole week that I had visitors, my Spanish improved by at least 1,000%! Everyone depended on me to get us where we had to go, to order food, to get bus tickets, etc. And it was a lot of fun to know that I could actually do it!

My brother ended up hurting his thumb [huge chunk of wood stuck underneath his fingernail...gross and painful]. So the emergency room was one of the first places where I had to force my Spanish. After that, we walked to the market, toured the city so I could show them all the cool places, and made them try new things. I even saw some things I had never seen before [new adventures everyday, right?]...camels, zebras, and tigers in vehicles going down the street with music playing! The circus was in town. And these animals looked drugged. Maybe the drug cartels had gotten ahold of them. Either way, it was very sad and I just wanted to hug that poor white tiger.

**Check out Alex's bandaged thumb. Us in the taxi on the way back from the emergency room!

A couple of days were spent around Queretaro; at the market, around the city, in the plazas, etc. But we did take a couple of side trips.

Next in store was a trip to San Miguel de Allende. I think everyone liked this town because English is spoken in most parts! So it felt more "at home." The bus ride there was not so enjoyable though because Amber is prone to getting car-sick. So here's the factors of the equation: bus with improper hydraulics + dirty bumpy Mexico backroads + smells of the bus... and well, you know what that equals. But once we were there, things were fine; food was great, shops were greater, and the scenery even greater!

The next sidetrip was with Tony, Julie, and Remi (Julie's boyfriend). We went to Bernal and had a great time climbing the mountain together. It was a gorgeous day with beautiful clouds and it made for super awesome pictures. It was definitely hot though; once we had climbed down the mountain we were in need of some serious gorditas!!! The best of the best in Bernal!!

Their visit seemed way too short and I was not ready for them to leave!!! But I think some of them were ready to get back to normalcy in the Bluegrass State.

Guanajuato!!

2009-08-17T13:17:00.000-07:00

We only have less than two weeks left! Sad, because there is still SO MUCH to see!! So we decided to take another side trip a couple of days ago. This past weekend took us to another city in Mexico, about 2 hours away from Queretaro. This city was called Guanajuato...and guess what! It might possibly be my new favorite place! Yes, I say this with every city I visit in Mexico, but they are all just so downright charming! And I truely love every single town! This place had a lot of mines back in the day, so silver is pretty popular here. The city also has MANY tunnels that take roads underground. Some guy described the town as swiss cheese because of all the underground roads and tunnel openings that resemble swiss cheese holes. I didn't know this before I went, but this town is actually considered a World Heritage Site.

"Our best mummy poses"

Guanajuato is known for its mummies. Real mummies. Not mummies wrapped in shreds of cloth, but naturally preserved. The cause is unsure, but most believe it to be because of the air and the metal surrounding the bodies. There is a museum that we went to called "Guanajuato Mummy Museum" and there were probably 40 mummies on display! The clothes on some of them were still intact!! There were even babies that had been mummified--so sad to see! Our tour was in Spanish, so I'm sure I missed a lot...but at least they had description plates in English.

We also went to a torture museum because Guanajuato was known for torturing prisoners also. We were able to get the tour in English so that made it much more interesting (even though I'm sure you could use your imagination here). It seems that the person behind all the "SAW" movies must have seen this museum!!!! Too many similarities (creepy!). It definitely offered some fun photo ops! haha!

Just walking around the city and stopping in the shops was really fun and interesting. Shannon even bought a rug for only 300 pesos ($25US)!!! There was a theatre in the middle of the city that reminded me so much of Hollywood Blvd because it looked like a movie could be set there...plus there were a lot of palm trees around it. =)

TMBA--This is LIFE!

2009-08-02T20:33:00.000-07:00

I want to take this post to tell everyone interested (or even somewhat interested) in participating in the TMBA to DO IT!!! I am so glad that I did. Not only have I experienced some amazing cities, new cultures, crazy adventures, and met great people, but I will have my MBA in less than one month! One year jam-packed with adventure while studying is completely worth it and has gone by so incredibly fast!

I also want to commend WKU for taking this program into its hands and giving me and all other future MBA students this AMAZING opportunity! It has been the experience of a lifetime! GO TOPS!

Post a comment if you are interested in this program and you have any questions at all! =)

Side Trip to Bernal!!!

2009-08-02T20:00:00.001-07:00

Ok, so actually Bernal is my new favorite place! Its funny how I think I've seen the most beautiful place, only to discover one that I love even more!!! Bernal is a town that holds a grand natural beauty--Pena de Bernal, or Bernal Peak! This is actually a HUGE rock that juts straight out of the ground in the middle of nowhere. And when I say HUGE, I mean the height is 1150 ft (and 8230 ft above sea level)! If you have never been to Queretaro, you may not know that it is very mountainous. And right now we are in the rainy season so all the mountains are a beautiful tropical green color (think of the tree-filled cliffs on "LOST" and that is what Queretaro looks like in the country). But then, you have this huge rock, called a monolith, with virtually NO trees...so it kinda stands out! Its said to be made from volcanic rock many, many years ago. How freakin' awesome to be able to climb this thing! AND I was definitely excited!

Hiking/rock climbing Bernal was not as easy as it looks. In fact, it was a lot more dangerous than I felt it to be at the time. But, I have quite the adventurous spirit--straight from my dad. And when you're up there, you feel like you are on top of the world and that you accomplished something fabulous!

P.S. David saw a scorpion while we were climbing!!!!! Glad I didn't accidently grab that rock!

Updates from Mexico!! Part II

2009-08-02T19:36:00.000-07:00

Updates from Mexico!!! Part I

2009-07-31T13:16:00.000-07:00

Hola from Mexico!

I had all but given up on my blogging down here in Mexico because of the intense construction going on in the historic district (which is where I live). The city has made a movement to put every single telephone, internet, and electric cable underground. Up until now they have been on poles above (and connected to buildings). But because of this construction, our internet at our house has become, well, non-existant most times, and quite flakey the rest of the time. Only stable enough for me to make short Facebook posts...and it took NUMEROUS tries to even upload pictures!! And school's computer labs are closed because its summer!! BUT last week, my family came to visit and my dad, the wonderful tech-y brain that he is, fixed our internet!! So now, I'm back to blogging!! =)

And I greatly apologize for letting my readers down. But I will do a quick re-cap of what has been going on in the QRO.

The first month (from around June 15 til July 15) was spent getting acquainted with this beautiful city. As I mentioned earlier, we live in the historic district in an amazing house that has three different levels of open terraces that are considered our roof. Our house is an old, hacienda-style home, meaning that we have an open-area courtyard right in the middle of our house! We even have a little pet bird that comes inside our house and sleeps on a pipe near our front door. Since we are right in the middle of the historic distric, we are literally walking distance from every plaza area in this city! Its SO nice to not have to ride the bus everywhere!

School is also great! The teachers are very laid-back, as is common with this culture. They are also very helpful and are willing to go out of their way if we needed help with the city (or school) at all. Our classes are: International Management of Sales, International Economics, International Management, and Strategic Management. We also have a Spanish course that is once a week. Learning the language has been much easier than I ever would have thought. With only Spanish-speaking people surrounding me, I've been pretty much forced (in a good way) to learn. This is how I buy things, how I go to the market, how I tell the taxi driver where to take us, etc., etc., etc.

We have also made several small side trips to the surrounding cities within a 2-hour driving range from Queretaro. The first trip we made was to San Miguel de Allende. This city has a lot of English-speaking people who come here from the States to retire. San Miguel is also known for its international film festival that happens at the end of July. Over 400 films can be screened during this week-long festival. We stayed at a hotel/residence called Casa de la Sol (a friend of Hector's owns it) and toured the city. San Miguel is also famous for its natural hot springs, or oasis. We also visited one of these. I'm somewhat of a germ-freak, so naturally I worried about if the water was sanitary because, well, its "natural," and there were tons of people.

(Look for "Updates from Mexico!! Part II)

We're Here!!

2009-06-07T07:51:00.000-07:00

I wanted to update to say we are here, finally!!! But we don't have wireless internet...so I have to keep this brief. The city is absolutely gorgeous. I feel like I am in Italy, not in Mexico. There are TONS of small little outdoor restaurants that have gardens and all kinds of nice little shops! Our house is really awesome. We have an outdoor courtyard right in the middle of our house. I will post pictures and write more on all this later...

Seeing the Light at the End of the Tunnel

2009-05-10T20:50:00.001-07:00

As most of you know this semester has been the hardest yet for all of us! But I'm feeling that we can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel. Last week was filled with three research papers and an essay take-home final due (YES, all in one week!!). In the midst of all these projects being written, there were other activities that occurred. I seriously didn't know how much more I could handle. So last week that "light" felt like the light was on the train that had just hit me! But as I turned that last paper in on Friday, I felt a huge weight lift off my shoulders. I feel like this whole semester I have been very spread thin and my classes have pulled me in every direction. Basically, I feel like I have put my life on hold. Now all that's left of this semester is Finals Week (one final on Monday and one on Wednesday). Pray for all of us as we had all reached our ropes' end last week and we're trying to recover to make it through this last week!

TMBA 2009-2010 Enrollment!!!

2009-04-13T13:57:00.000-07:00

Its that time of year again. AH, April. The time for deadlines--not just for taxes, but also for the 2009-2010 TMBA program!! April 15 is the soft deadline for the program to get things turned in such as resume, letter of intent, transcripts, etc. If you are at all interested, please go talk to me or someone in the MBA office at WKU! Dr. Hatfield and I will be on WBKO AM Live tomorrow morning promoting the program! It won't hurt you to wake up a little bit earlier in the morning to listen to what WKU's MBA programs have to offer you to further your education to enhance your future careers!!!

In addition, I would like to re-post a comment made on my blog by one of my awesome friends, who happens to be one of the Canadian students in the TMBA program this year:

"Hey everyone, if you’re thinking about signing up, please do! It’s an awesome experience, especially if you haven’t travelled that much in your life. It’s the perfect time to do it, and for those of you who have a girlfriend/boyfriend and are scared of the distance … almost all of us have left someone back home and it only makes your relationship stronger and more meaningful, honestly! I look forward in meeting the new TMBA group in September 2009; I will be in Moncton New Brunswick so you will see me around :)" --Shannon, TMBA 2008-2009

Thanks Shannon for your comment! And everyone else, feel free to comment...it encourages me to post more often. ;)

Remember, WBKO AM Live tomorrow, April 14!!

Updates from WKU

2009-04-03T08:00:00.000-07:00

I'd like to take this time to update all my blog readers on what has been going on this semester. And I'd like to apologize for not updating as frequently as I did in Canada...its quite different to write about things happening in my home country versus the new experiences that happened daily in Canada! haha! Here's the rundown:

One of our first activities as a group here in the States was venturing to Mariah's--my favorite restaurant in Bowling Green. It was nice for us all to get together before classes started without the added stress of coursework looming on our shoulders. Every restaurant that they go to here, they make the same comment about how LARGE American portions are!

They also experienced their VERY FIRST basketball game EVER!! Its awesome to witness some of these "first" experiences. Here's Shannon and me at halftime:

One unusually warm day in February, one of the WKU full-time MBA students, Tom, took us caving in a cave he has in his backyard. Unfortunately for us, it had rained the day before and once we had climbed through the cave for a while the water got up to our chests! Needless to say, we couldn't go further...unless we wanted to swim in super cold cave water with fish and cave crickets! =/ Check out our super cool headlamps...yeah, we're pro splunkers!

St. Patty's Day, some 0f my Kappa Delta friends were getting together at Double Dogs. So I brought the girls there with me. And guess what--they don't celebrate St. Patrick's Day in Canada...and they didn't have ANY green clothing! We refrained from pinching them--only cause they were new to the holiday.

March also brought three TMBA birthdays: Shannon, David, and Pepe. We had a birthday celebration POUTINE-STYLE! If you can remember, poutine is the amazing food they have in Canada (fries, gravy, and cheese curds). Julie had gotten the special poutine gravy sauce brought to her by some of her visiting friends. Can I just say, OH how I have missed poutine!! Here's David cutting his cake, sporting the WKU Sunbelt Champs shirt that us girls got him! GO TOPS!

One week, the Canadian girls were quite stressed...so I decided to brighten their moods and take them shopping in Nashville. Retail therapy always works! We had an awesome time shopping, exploring downtown Nashville, eating dessert at the Melting Pot, and pretending to be cowgirls! Gen, don't kill me for putting this up--I still think you should be in a country music video with that look!

We're trying to fit in as many things as we can with school going on. We're gonna keep on exploring, and hopefully I can keep witnessing their "first" experiences!

A New Semester

2009-02-05T09:01:00.000-08:00

After a VERY long break (1 month and 1 week!!!) and several personal travels in-between, we are back in school for our second semester of the TMBA! This semester brings us to my home court: WKU!!! And although I absolutely LOVED being in Canada, I must admit that I am happy to be in familiar settings with familiar people. School started last Monday, which ended up being a very busy week.

But the week before was even crazier with all the Canadian students and Mexican students arriving to the States. Each one seemed to have an adventurous story of their travels to the States, my favorite one being where one of the Canadian girls got stuck in the Toronto airport because the lady at UdeM told her that she needed the COPY of her Student Visa to go through customs (not the original). This caused her to be in a "holding room" for what seemed like hours with U.S. customs staring at her like she was a criminal. After a while, they finally let her go through, but by that time she had already missed her flight. In the meantime, I was already in Nashville ready to pick her up from the airport when I got a call from her (she was unable to use her phone in the "holding" room)! Since there are only two flights that go to Nashville from Toronto each day, she had to wait at the airport for 10 hours!!!

All the students seem to really love Bowling Green (and the States in general...they think Nashville looks like Vegas...NASHVegas!). They are living in really nice, off-campus apartments, but they are so close to campus that they are able to walk to class--a huge plus since (just like me in Canada) they have no cars here. But they have met a friend here that owns a limo...so that has been their preferred method of travel! The Mexicans even went to WalMart in the limo...I wish I had a picture to post from that!

This semester already seems a bit harder than the Canadian semester. We have research papers in almost all of our classes. The other students have already expressed concern about this because, as you know, English is not their first language. Time will tell what this semester has in store for us!

Trilingual Birthday

2008-12-09T10:38:00.000-08:00

Bonne Fete-Happy Birthday-Feliz Cumpleanos

Today is my birthday--and I'm celebrating it here in Canada by studying for a final! Last night the whole TMBA group went to eat at The Keg--an awesome restaurant in downtown Moncton--to celebrate my birthday. It was so great for us to have a really nice meal all together. It will probably be our last meal all together before the spring semester. I was treated to wine, dinner, dessert, and a UdeM hoodie. But my favorite moment was the group singing me "Happy Birthday" in 3 languages! You can't get that from just a regular MBA program...

Have a wonderful day!!!

2008-12-06T09:15:00.001-08:00

WOW! Can you believe this semester is almost over? My last class at the Universite de Moncton was yesterday. Now only two finals--Wednesday and Friday--and its over. This semester went by so fast and I've had so much fun here in Canada! I'm sad to be leaving it in 11 days...there's so many more things that I wish we could have had time to do up here--like the Bay of Fundy, Hopewell Rocks, snowboarding, etc. But I'm also very excited to see everyone at home!

I know that I have two "A's" so far (which I'm very proud of), and I'm very anxious to see how these next two finals go to determine my grade for those classes. Yesterday we had lunch with the Dean, Assistant Dean, and the head honcho of the MBA programs at UdeM. We had a very nice lunch at Graffiti's. It was great to get together and hear their feelings on how the semester went. The faculty up here has been so warm and welcoming. Their openness really helped foster a great learning environment and made it easy to go to them with questions or concerns. Big thanks to them for being so wonderful!!

Now, back to studying for my last two finals!

Adding to my list...

2008-11-22T11:26:00.001-08:00

I have a few things I'd like to add to my list of "Things I Find Funny in Canada" from a previous post...

I saw my first moose...dead on the side of the road!

Runners will still run in 2 feet of snow (witnessed this today)...pure dedication!

No salt on sidewalks...does everyone have spikes on their shoes or what?

Bus system still runs even when the roads have not been plowed yet

Snow plowers clear driveways, not just streets!

People wear ice skates to work...ok, just kidding about that one, although it might not be a bad idea!

Where's the SnowBird Report?

2008-11-22T10:45:00.000-08:00

The first snow in Moncton is much different than the first snow in Bowling Green. We had our first snow this week--about 6 inches! I'm pretty sure this was the same day that I saw every Facebook profile from Bowling Green saying it was snowing there too. So while the dusting MIGHT have stuck a little bit on the ground in BG, we got a heap of it! It felt very strange going to class with this much snow...in KY I would be anxiously watching the SnowBird report to see what all was cancelled! The university had not put salt or anything on the sidewalks so they were complete sheets of ice. Couple that with the hill I have to walk up to get to class--not a safe combination!

Last night we went to a Junior Hockey League game...guys 16-20 years old participate in this league right before they get drafted by the NHL. So it was a lot of fun...well, minus the part where someone's head got slashed open by a skate! When we were leaving the game, you could tell from the sky that another snow storm was waiting to unleash its fury! I woke up this morning to what looks like 2 feet of snow. I say "looks like" because I haven't actually been out in it...my inner KY self has kept me inside the safe quarters of my room just like I would if it had snowed 2 feet in KY; while I know that normal Canadian citizens are going about their normal lives--because this is normal to them! I've said it once, and I'll say it again: it looks like its going to be a cold winter!

While its so white and pristine outside, I know the ice is there...let's just say that beauty can sometimes be treacherous!

The Adventure to Mont Tremblant

2008-11-22T09:42:00.000-08:00

Warning: This is a long story...

Fall Break provided a little bit more adventure than any of us expected. Ten hours of driving to get to Montreal was enough, but we had no idea that our journey had just begun!! We spent the first couple of days in downtown Montreal. Such a beautiful place teeming with people! And lots of great shopping! The wind was intense there, so the extreme chill in the air was almost painful. None of us were prepared for that much cold...and then it started snowing. No big deal, not too much snow...in the city. But as we started to drive towards the mountains to reach Mont Tremblant, the snow in the air got thicker and the ground got whiter. We were definitely not equipped for this unexpected encounter with snow--no snowshoes, no heavy coats, no shovels, no ice-scraper, and of course, our rental van wasn't equipped with winter tires! As we reached the top of the mountain where our cabin was, we realized the snow was pretty deep--about 18 inches (or more in some places)! It was very hard to find our cabin's driveway and as we pulled into the drive, through a large snowbank (at least 2.5 feet deep), our van got stuck! At midnight! With no other occupied cabins nearby! As we were using our MBA brains to plan how to get the van unstuck, Genevieve realized we were at the wrong cabin! So, us girls started walking in the deep snow to find the correct cabin. This was straight out of one of those "20/20" specials where you see the abandoned hikers lost in the snow and an avalanche comes down and buries them alive...I will admit, I was scared! My imagination was going wild. With the thick snow clouds covering the moon, there was nothing to guide us, only pure white all around...very easy to lose your sense of direction! We finally find the correct cabin, only to realize there was no power!! And the lighter we found (by using our cell phones for light) was out of fluid...so we couldn't even light a fire in the fireplace! The boys ended up giving up on the van, so we had to go search for them to show the the way to the correct cabin. We decided this crazy nightmare would go away much quicker if we all just went to sleep and we would at least have sunlight in the morning. The power ended up coming back on the next day...and we had a wonderful fall break there. We had lots of studying to do (a huge midterm was the following week), but also had a lot of fun building snowmen, having snow fights, and visiting the ski village.

How's that for a Canadian experience?

Coming Soon, but Never Soon Enough: Fall Break...

2008-10-22T00:42:00.000-07:00

Next week is fall break. WKU, learn from UdeM and give students a whole week for fall...that would be so lovely! Our group is packing our bags and heading west...west to Quebec!! I'm very excited about this trip. People say its beautiful. We will be staying in downtown Montreal for a couple nights, and then traveling up north to stay in the scenic mountains for a few days. I believe this is where a lot of Quebec-natives go vacationing to snowboard in the winter. We're staying close to a small village (the way they described this to me reminds me of those small ski resorts in Colorado). I don't think there will be any snow when we're there. Although, the weather forecast for Moncton has snow in it for Wednesday (yes, THIS Wednesday!). This is the perfect time to figure out if my Ugg boots are waterproof...before we get a big snow! Be ready for tons of pictures from Fall Break, Quebec-style!

Oh, and you know that huge paper I was stressin' about? I got a 99%...

YES!!!!

Things I Find Funny in Canada...

2008-10-18T21:13:00.000-07:00

After my last post, and a week full of papers, exams, and assignments, I feel its time to infuse this blog with a lighter vibe. This brings me to things I find funny, odd, or downright hysterical in Moncton. So here goes the list...

There are no haunted houses in Canada (In fact, when I asked someone where the nearest haunted house was, they responded by saying, "Well, I've heard that there's a building about 30 minutes from here that some people have seen a ghost in the window...")

WalMart closes at 10pm!

Public transportation has Wi-Fi (side note: the bus system is in no way comparable to that of NY or Chicago where every businessman rides the bus or subway...)

The gym does not have fans

There are no concession stands at athletic games...only snack machines

Most stores close EARLY on Saturdays

Tanning beds are not in abundance

Subway has lobster meat subs...not sure if that fits into Jared's diet plan

Every car is a stick shift

1950s Doo-Wop music is played in the public bus

People will wait in a drive-thru line for an hour to get a Tim Horton's regular cup of coffee

Most people don't speak French or English as their first language...its more like Franglish

There is not a food court on campus

The local drugstore carries Smashbox cosmetics (an ultra-fabulous brand)

They put gravy on their french fries (ok, I've actually started liking this...)

Their zoo does not have polar bears (yet you can find a polar bear a few hours away in the wild...)

Buildings do not have air condition

EVERYTHING is more expensive than in the States

I might add to this list as I travel around the city via bus, so stay tuned...

A Pause from the Topic Summary Paper

2008-10-07T11:45:00.000-07:00

I'm supposed to be taking this time to write my 2,000-word Topic Summary paper for one of my classes. But, those of you who know me well, know that I get easily distracted from writing papers. I do not like writing papers. They are not fun. They are not me. Its something that I despise doing ever since my sophomore English teacher in high school never had anything good to say about my writing style. Or better yet, my senior year of high school when I had the same exact teacher and she called me on the last day of Christmas break and told me I would not be able to graduate because I had failed to provide a couple of quotes on some lousy notecards that I was supposed to turn in with the paper...and this was AFTER she had met with me and told me everything was perfect to turn in. And on a side note, YES I graduated, but only after I worked extremely hard in two hours to find every single quote in every single reference book and write them down perfectly on the notecards. And even after I did that, she still would not raise my grade. She just deemed the paper "Acceptable" so that I could graduate on time. That grade on that paper cost me my full ride to WKU (by .2 pts in my GPA).

Yes, I'm still bitter...and I still hate papers, but I'm done with my rant.

So, I'm pausing from writing my topic summary to thank everyone who has been keeping up with me and reading my blog. You can subscribe to this blog by entering your email address in the "Subscribe via Email" box and an email will be sent to you notifying you when I have made a new entry. Also, I really enjoy reading your comments, so please feel free to comment!

Ok, back to the paper...T minus 1.5 hours.

Here Comes Jean-ny Appleseed

2008-10-05T09:40:00.000-07:00

Its that time again that happens every year. There is a slight crisp in the air that could only mean fall is here (the crisp is more like a bite here in Canada though...). The leaves are turning colors, people are starting to wear boots, and I'm getting that feeling I get every year...the need to go to Jackson's Orchard and get an apple cider slush. Except there's not a Jackson's Orchard here. So I was very excited when a family from Moncton wanted to take us to an apple harvest farm (same thing as an orchard) to go "apple picking."

This family has been doing activities with the students of the TMBA program for the past few years. I'm not really sure how they got involved with the program though, because they do not work for UdeM. The man, Jean (pronounced like John...hence the title of the blog), is an English teacher at a high school in the area. The lady is a director for a small college (by the way, Canadians don't ever say "college") in the downtown area. They also have a tutoring business that keeps them very busy afterhours. They have an adorable six-year old that would only speak to me in French (so I had to pretend to understand her!). This family has planned about ten activities for us to do throughout the semester--so about once a week. Jean is also teaching us some basic French (which is a HUGE help!).

The orchard was definitely not on the same level as Jackson's--no apple cider slushes, no popcorn, no petting zoo, etc., etc., etc. Well, no petting zoo unless you count the 20 chickens that were just roaming around that you could catch and pick-up (in all their dirty, chicken-poop covered glory). The apples were so cheap here! Probably the only thing in Canada that's cheaper than in America! Fifty cents per pound. I got about 15 apples for $1.90! And I love apples. Hopefully, we can go to this other orchard sometime soon that actually makes their own apple wine. I can't wait to see how cheap that is! It was a nice, fall adventure for us...especially since the Mexicans have never been to an orchard! No public orchards in Mexico...just your own private garden.

We go TreeGO!!

2008-10-01T12:08:00.000-07:00

One adventure that I have neglected to write about, was my favorite adventure so far! A couple of weeks ago, the business student council arranged a trip to TreeGo (you must check out their website to understand the awesomeness that is TreeGo: http://www.treegomoncton.com/). This place is built in a park and consists of multiple obstacle courses built high in the trees. So we're talking swinging log "bridges," tons of ladders (I hated these), tight-ropes, and of course zip lines--all within five course levels of difficulty! You're harnessed in at all times, but you are responsible for your own safety (you better believe that I checked MANY times to make sure I was hooked on my zip line properly before zipping away!). And YES, I made it through all five courses! The balancing, the climbing, the pulling with your body weight will definitely let your body know of the muscles you didn't know you had! The next day I was so sore...but I love that kind of sore. It proves your pushed yourself and you accomplished something!

Man, I love this place! The guide told me it takes $500,000 and about 4 months to develop a TreeGo...any takers for the Bowling Green area???

Mexican Dinner Night

2008-09-30T08:08:00.000-07:00

This past weekend we declared "Mexican Dinner Night!" Two of the Mexican MBA students were Culinary Business majors, both working in catering and restaurant management before making the journey to Canada. They spent all day on Saturday grocery shopping and picking the perfect ingredients to make a gourmet Mexican meal. First up was the appetizer: a minced mixture of shrimp, fish, onions, and tomatoes spread on a corn shell. This was a very interesting dish because it was not cooked in the oven or on the stove--it was cooked by the acidic lemon and lime juices that the seafood was marinated in. I'm a little bit weird about food--with certain textures, the way things are cooked, making sure everything is well done, etc. In fact, it would be in my best interest to be a vegetarian so I never have to worry about raw meat ever again...but I like chicken too much. With my weirdness of food being said, I was very hesitant about that conglomeration of an appetizer. Next up was the salad with an amazing peanut butter/honey/olive oil dressing. This was my favorite part of the meal! Maybe because of my love for peanut butter. Our main dish was Enfrequaladas (not sure of the spelling?) that was more or less enchiladas.

Most everyone loved the meal, and we are all very lucky to have those two in the group!

Surviving My First MBA Exam and My First Hurricane

2008-09-30T07:25:00.000-07:00

It has been a while since I posted on here due to an ever increasing workload in my classes. I must admit that the MBA program is much more difficult than I expected. So I guess this is a great time to talk about my classes.

Marketing Seminar: This class is solely discussion based. We discuss a lot about NAFTA (being that we are in the Trilateral MBA program). We also cover current events in all three countries, but mainly the United States. Companies spanning North America and their organization culture are also covered in detail through case studies.

Organizational Management: Very different from the Organizational Management course I had in my undergrad that focused more on principles. The Canadian version consists mainly of linear progressions and is very mathematically based. (Much worse than Statistics.)

Organizational Behavior: This is an application-based course taught in very much in detail. We cover everything from significant management philosophers, organizational culture, attitudes and personalities, and different types of organizations. This class is only until October 20, so its a very intense course with double the work. We'll put the blame on this course for taking me away from my blog work.

My fourth class is another marketing course that will start on October 21. This course will also be a very intense course since it will only last 1.5 months. I don't know too much about this course yet; in fact, we haven't even been able to officially schedule this course because of some class conflicts that the university has yet to fix.

Last night, I had my first MBA exam in my Organizational Behavior course. It was considered the midterm (since the course is only a month long) and it was completely application-based (read between the lines: multiple essays). After long hours of studying, it was a great relief when I finished! This is by far the most difficult course!

On a bit windier note, I survived my first hurricane this weekend. Who would've thought there'd be a hurricane in the Maritimes of Canada? Hurricane Kyle decided to grace us with his presence, bringing us lots of wind and lots of rain. It wasn't as bad as they expected though. But this just goes down in the book of experiences in Canada.

Soccer & 1755

2008-09-08T12:18:00.000-07:00

This weekend involved soccer, meeting students from last year's TMBA, a concert...and the lingering affects of Tropical Storm Hannah.

One of the students from Mexico (David) decided to join the UdeM soccer team...and it turns out he's a really good athlete! David had a game on Friday against Prince Edward Island (P.E.I. as it is known around here). David played almost the whole game, but UdeM ended up losing. Apparently P.E.I. is pretty good at soccer (and everything else. I hear their campus is immaculate). After David's game, Shannon and I met the rest of the gang at Isabelle's house. Isabelle was in the TMBA program last year. She had so many stories to tell us and pictures to show us. It got us all pumped up for our amazing program. In fact, Isabelle said she wished she could do it all over again with us.

After visiting with Isabelle, the whole gang walked to campus for a huge concert. UdeM brought the band 1755...a pretty huge deal around here (although I'm sure no Americans have ever heard of 1755). This was the biggest concert that UdeM has ever held! Around 3,000 people attended, and it was definately an experience. 1755 is an older band with strong Acadian roots and sing of Acadian pride. So, I'm thinking they are the equivalent to the band Alabama for the southern states. Shannon told me it was like celebrating their Acadian history...I guess like an Independence Day? Maybe. Their songs were all in French (of course; just like everything else here) and they had fiddles/violins and guitars on stage while waving around the Acadian flag (I'm thinking this description might have given you the perfect picture of what I was experiencing). Interesting. That's culture for you.

Today I did my usual run/walk around campus after working out at their "gym."

*Side note: Bowling Green Athletic Club, I've never loved you and missed you so much! With your top of the line equipment with nice little fans built in...and the many plasma TVs hanging from the ceiling speaking to me in English...and the Cardio Movie Theater...and my lovely Zumba classes. I guess you can see I'm starting to miss life's little luxuries that America gives us at no extra expense that we all take for granted.*

The weather was gorgeous today. Especially after Hannah's downpour came through on Saturday and Sunday. Here in Moncton, after it rains it is very nice, cool, and breezy outside. Much different from the humid, muggy, post-rain weather in Kentucky. So it was a great day to run outside! After I finished my run, I went to the bookstore to purchase my first book...stealing $200 out of my pocket so easily. Of course its my luck to have a class where the teacher decided to use a NEW EDITION book this year. You know what that means...NO USED BOOKS AVAILABLE. Which means that it was a very expensive $200 book. After finding out this information, I then had to stand in a line the equivalent to the one at Space Mountain at Disneyworld. How's that for putting a kink in my mood after a perfectly good run on a lovely weather day in beautiful Moncton. Maybe I should go for another run.

Onward to Bouctouche...and Wal-Mart

2008-09-04T15:21:00.000-07:00

Who would have ever thought that getting to a Wal-Mart 5 minutes away could be such a long, difficult journey? I tried out the Moncton public bus system yesterday ($2.00 one way trip) to make a trip to Wal-Mart. Its not that I even really needed to go to Wal-Mart; its just sometimes you get the urge to go look around...or spend money. And Wal-Mart was the only place that I knew of close-by. I stood out in front of my dorm at the correct time in front of the sign that had the bus symbol on it with the number 5 (my bus). Wouldn't you know that Bus #5 DROVE RIGHT BY ME! So, I had 45 minutes to waste and decided I would take a walk around campus (something I tend to do when its pretty out because I must admit that their "gym" is not of WKU standards!). As I was walking back to my dorm, I saw #5 slowly approaching (earlier than when the schedule says he arrives). I caught the bus to Wal-Mart....so I thought. After riding on #5 for about 45 minutes, then transfering buses and another 15 minute ride I finally made it. So total travel time was approx. 2 hours for a 30 minute stop at Wal-Mart. Moncton's public transportation isn't the greatest, and sometimes (ok, all the time) I miss my car--but I got from Point A to Point B, and that's all that matters. Now I just need to plan my whole day around those very long trips (or just stop getting the urge to just go look around).

Today we went to Julie's home town of Bouctouche (pronounced like book-TOOSH), NB. Julie is also in the TMBA program who lives about 45 minutes from UdeM. Bouctouche is a town of about 2500 people sitting right along the coast--very quaint and very beautiful. Our first stop was a Mom-and-Pop restaurant that served Poutine, an Acadian food that is pretty much a boiled ball of potatoes with pork inside. Julie wanted each of us to try it since most of the Canadian's have Acadian ancestors. You have an array of condiments you can eat with it--such as brown sugar, molasses, ketchup, salt, or pepper (weird, ay?) So I'm kind of weird about food textures, and I must say that this took the gold medal on weird texture! Needless to say, I didn't like it. Not with brown sugar, not with molasses, not with salt (which I eat on everything), and not plain jane. So I have no need for the poutine. Our next stop was the beautiful boardwalk that Irving (the oil company) built along the sand dunes to preserve the natural environment. I still can't get over how preserved everything around the beach was. Very fresh and natural. The beach doesn't get cleaned of its seaweed. It doesn't have cans littering the shore. Not even volleyball nets or trash cans. Just a beach being a beach. And come to think of it, I don't know if I have ever seen a beach in such a natural way. We ended our Bouctouche adventure at Julie's mom's campsite. She, along with some of her friends, had kindly cooked us a full lobster lunch. She even had lobster plates that had instructions on how to eat a lobster! We each got a whole lobster, along with corn, bread, potato salad, and the works. In Canada, lobster is served cold (unlike most places), but it was surprisingly amazing! I guess people are right about the seafood up north--the best of the best! Shannon, another TMBA girl, found the lobster eggs quite the delicacy!

It was amazing to be out in the sun all day. It was a breath of fresh air and new energy. I'm starting to think I might suffer from a slight case of seasonal affective disorder. This could be a long winter.

The School Bell Has Rung

2008-09-03T06:39:00.001-07:00

I think I am caught up with the blog entries from my first blog that died, so the date is correct on this entry! =)

Yesterday was the first day of class for UdeM. My first class didn't start until 6:30pm, but I, along with everyone in the TMBA program, had several issues with my schedule so I went to talk to the person in charge of the program. The system would not let me register for two of my classes because of time conflicts. You would think that the school would have all of this figured out before we arrived in Canada (let alone, by the first day of school), but they didn't! I am the type of person that has to have a list for everything, so this unorganization is driving me crazy. It seems like since I have arrived, I have had problem after problem. And when I go talk to someone they tell me to go to the next person, and the next person. You would think there would be an "end" person somewhere! And by the way, the time conflict issue is still not resolved! My class last night was Organizational Management. We will have two large assignments and two major tests. It seems to be a hard class, but the teacher is extremely nice! All of my classes will be taught in English (thank goodness!).

On a side note, I would highly recommend the next group of students to study the basics of the French language. Although Moncton is bilingual, every document I have been given at UdeM has been in French. This is very frustrating...especially if its not an electronic document where I can at least copy/paste it into freetranslation.com! Even the campus map is in French. This has been very frustrating for me. I have never taken a French class, so I'm not even the least bit familiar with the language. I was very excited about being able to take a French class up here (because I thought it would help tremendously), but I found out yesterday that the Introductory to French course is only given at night (its considered a "Continuing Education" course for adults in the community). And almost all of my business courses are at night. Another conflict. I'll get through it.

Parlee Beach & Downtown Moncton

2008-09-03T06:14:00.000-07:00

*Post actually written on August 30*
Who would have ever thought that Canada has a beach where people actually go and swim??? Introducing Parlee Beach! One of the nicest beaches around (and claiming to have the warmest Atlantic water north of Virginia!). Parlee Beach is located about 25 minutes away from Moncton in an area called Shidiac, NB. Another claim to fame for Shidiac is having the largest lobster stature ever (pictures posted). Very good food in this area of Canada and a nice place to visit. I'm hoping that the group will want to go on lots of trips so we can all learn about the area!

I met the rest of the TMBA group yesterday: four Mexican students and four Canadian students. Yeah, I'm the only one from the States, and I have to admit, at times its lonely because everyone has their own culture and way of doing things. The program would be very exciting if there was an equal balance for all three countries. All the students seem very nice and eager to get started in classes. But first, we went out on the town last night to have a little fun! Downtown Moncton is a very nice place that has several restaurants that turn into little hangout spots at night. Its a really cool area; reminds me a lot of downtown Denver. We went to several places, all within walking distance from each other. It was a great way for us to kick off the program and start to know each other. Pictures of this are also posted in the slideshow.

Tomorrow is Labor Day (yep, they have Labor Day), and its a little bit different than our Labor Day. EVERYTHING in Moncton is closed on Labor Day, including the malls and the grocery stores (when they say Labor Day, they mean it!). Such a different concept because Americans usually go to the malls and grocery stores on that day for the awesome sales!

Arriving in Canada--my first destination

2008-09-03T05:55:00.000-07:00

Let me preface this first entry with the fact that my first blog somehow disappeared in space, so I have tried to recollect the first few entries on the previous blog:

*Post actually written on August 29*
With the TMBA program, students will study in three different locations: Moncton, New Brunswick (UdeM); Bowling Green, KY (WKU); and Queretaro, Mexico (UAQ). First stop is Canada. I arrived in Canada about two days ago, and I would be lying if I said I had no problems. I was held at the border for over two hours because UdeM had not told me my residence address, and "border control" needed every type of document imaginable including my exact address before I could obtain my Student Permit. I had my passport, and my acceptance letter (which was in French, and strange fact: Most of Canada's Border Control could only speak English, so they couldn't even read my acceptance letter!). I thought I had everything I needed. Little did I know that they needed my exact address AND a bank statement saying I had enough funds in the bank for the program!!! So needless to say, those problems caused the delay, but I finally received my student permit (that costs over $100, by the way). Moncton is about two hours from the border, so we still had to drive a bit before we could end the exhausting day! After finally arriving in Moncton, we checked into a hotel downtown and did not move til the next day! The past two days I have spent going to the grocery and WalMart to get me ready for the semester. I have also met a few of the employees at UdeM and obtained my student ID, insurance (required), agenda, etc. Everyone seems very nice here!