Wonderful and Amazing Ithaca College

Ithaca College is a private college.  I didn't realize this when I applied but learned this information when I went for my tour of the department back in March.  Being the naive Canadian that I am, I didn't realize there would be any differences between an American, private college and Brock University.

Here are the perks I've discovered so far:

Free printing.  
(And I don't mean the free printing you get because you've discovered one of the copiers is a little broken and if you hit the start button at just the right time, the machine won't read your card.  I mean free printing anywhere on campus.)

Free access to the pool.

Free access to the indoor track.

Free access to the gym.

Free access to the aerobics/yoga/weight classes.

Free towel and lock service.

Free soap from a dispenser in the shower.

And...the most wondering this of all:




Free parking for Grad students!
(And I don't mean free parking that is off in a field with pot holes so deep you could easily lose your car.)

(I would still rather be paying Canadian tuition fees...however, these things help)

Wonderful and Amazing Ithaca College:

 

Buttermilk Falls State Park

My new friend April and I went on our first waterfall hike in Buttermilk Falls State Park.  All of these photos are from one short hike - Ithaca is Gorges!

                     We sound Rainbow Trout and Sunfish in the pools!

We saw so many people swimming in the sink holes!  Next time...

Old Geeze Moves

This will be a tally of 'Old Geeze Moves' I make:

#1

Not checking my student e-mail for 4 months.  School hasn't even started  yet, I had no idea profs would be e-mailing before classes start!  

#2
Meeting with our Subject Librarian (that's right, we have a librarian specifically for the Health Sciences department) because I have no idea how to search for articles anymore AND THEN leaving my  brand new iPhone in the library!  I didn't realize it was missing for 2 hours, luckily the librarian had set it aside for me.

#3
Walking around campus in cute shoes for 2 days.  My old lady feet can't handle that - sneakers tomorrow! 

#4
I was listening to Bjork in the library on my computer with my headphones.  When the fourth song started a guy comes over the points out that I don't actually have my headphone in the headphone port.  That's right, the entire library was listening to Bjork, thanks to me.  (So embarrassed!)

#5
Referring to PowerPoint Slides as "overheads". 

#7
At the end of the Aphasia lecture that reviewed the anatomy of the brain I asked the Prof, "What happened to the 'oblingata' part of the medulla?"  She responded with, "Oh, oh ya...wow, I haven't heard that term in years."

Getting Started in the USA

For weeks now I've been trying to figure out how to get auto insurance down here.  In Canada, I use an insurance broker and all of the companies they are affiliated with are not willing to insure me for more than 12 months.  I need 14, at least.

I went on-line and checked out a few forums and blogs, it seemed that the consensus was to call Progressive.  The woman I dealt with was very friendly and helpful and the estimate she put together was incredibly cheap when compared to what I've been paying in Canada.  She was all set to take my money and then the policy wouldn't go through.  As it turns out, I called a week too late.  Progressive just changed their policy to be inline with other companies - they now need a Social Security Number (SSN) in order to verify I am who I say I am.

I e-mailed the International Student Director at the college and she said she has found a way to get me a SSN.  I was so relieved!

I get to orientation and on day 3 I finally get to find out how I will apply for a SSN.  Here is they plan:

The only way for me to get a SSN is if I have a job.  Because of my status I can only work on campus.  Unfortunately, all of the sweet sitting-around-on-your-ass library jobs were filled last spring.  You know what I get?  I get to work an on-campus catering job for $7.25/hr.  

The last time I made $7.25 was 1998...and by the way...that's less than minimum wage in my country...

However, there's a huge bonus to this pathetic little story:

I opened a bank account with Bank of America and they just happen to be having a 'bonus' going on.  If I start automatic deposit within 90 days, they'll give me $100!  That's right, $100 for free.

So you  see, this little catering job is getting me auto insurance AND $100.  Not bad really.

 

Introduction - Please Give Allowances

I'll start off by saying I'm not a writer.  This blog will be full of spelling errors, grammatical mistakes, run on sentences and everything else us non-writers do when writing.  As well, I'm a first time blogger so please give allowances for all of the major screw ups I will make!

I decided to start this blog because I wanted to share my adventures, experiences and observations with friends; but didn't want to be that annoying person on Facebook that posts every day and takes up way too much room on my news feed.  Seriously, I don't need to know what you bought at the grocery store.  With that said, I already have a post in mind about what I bought at the grocery store - reader beware.

I'll be sharing my experiences as a Canadian moving to America, as a 30 something year old returning to school, and as a tourist in the wonderful town of Ithaca, NY.  Oh, and of course, there will be nerdy speech posts.  By the way, do you like the font I chose?  This is Verdana, the preferred font when working with people who have aphasia because the letters are crisp and well spaced.

Speech Nerd out.