Life

We seem to be reaching some sense of "normalcy" in our routines. It is rather surreal to realize that we are moving into the fourth week of classes and simultaneously feeling like we are moving in. This week saw some marked progress in the settled direction, specifically a broom and dustpan (no more borrowing from the neighbors), shelves in the food pantry, a mounted coat rack, and a telephone. That last item is obviously a pretty big one. A few family members and friends have mentioned that they have tried our cell phones and that they don't work, which is what happens when you move to another country. We do have a USA phone # that folks can can reach us on and it will not be an international call: 360-306-5404. It all works through the Internet so we actually have Canadian and USA lines through an Internet phone service.

Other news is Shannon is working part time as a community assistant within our greater family housing environment. It is a supportive work environment and flexible enough that she can involve Aurora. She will be planning and coordinating activities, volunteer work, and youth leadership with teenagers who live in on-campus housing. It was a crazy thought that some students would have teenagers, but it turns out most of the kids in that age category are children of faculty who live on campus. Which is kind of a unique thing, but evidence of really what a great place the UBC campus is to live on.

Aurora is working on teething. I bought a climbing gym membership. All in all we are feeling like this will be a pretty good lifestyle for the next couple of years.

Smart Bell

President Bush Addresses Nation on Economic Crisis

Follow this link to the: President's Address to the Nation

Even though we are living in Canada with out a TV we managed to catch a piece of Bush's address to the nation on the pending economic crisis. This is an issue that goes way beyond political divisions. Our current President outlines very clearly the history, potential consequences, and justification for a 700billion dollar bail out of a financial system that sustains much of our dailiy consumption. With all the pundits, interpretations, and risk involved hearing all of the speach, from the source is worth listenting to.

Vancouver, BC

At this point re-capping all the events of the past few weeks would require more text than most would care to read or I would care to write. We made it home, to no home, from Moscow. On the way I spent several days in London touring the art scene and met up with Shannon and Aurora on their layover and together we flew to Seattle.

Home was a pretty loose term for us initially, we did get a spot on campus at UBC, however we arrived home on Aug 27th, classes started on September 2nd, and we couldn't move in until the 4th of September. Thankfully to generous friends and some manipulation of the housing system we had places to stay and did successfully move into our new home on the 3rd of September.

So that means that we have been living in Canada now about 2 weeks. Things are hectic, Shannon and I are both students, we are still unpacking boxes, we don't have a phone and are mooching the neighbors Internet, we are in the middle of starting and applying for work, and in the midst of it all we are keeping up with aurora. Of course this was all a choice, we could have easily moved in sometime in August and then life would be more "normal". Instead we unpack slowly, eat dinner on the beach, Shannon paddles, and I wake up early to climb in the campus gym (while it is still free). It it an adjustment to full time school with the family, but we are figuring out how to balance it all.