Taxes?

Well, lookie-here! After living in Canada for two years on a student visa, and not having to pay taxes for whatever reason, within a year of living in America I receive an email from the amazing people over in the International Department at my college, informing me that it is Tax time and would I be so kind as to fill out and turn in my forms...

I WAS SO CONFUSED.

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Call me young, but I've never had to fill out any such forms and too be honest, I was a little confused that I had to.. after all, I've only been studying here for eight months. Never-the-less, I toughened up and headed into the office to fill out those daunting forms. Luckily, the department looking after the international kids at my college is stellar, and they made it a walk in the park. However! I do have one qualm on others behalf.. Had my advisor not emailed me, I would be currently walking around with not a clue that it was tax time. So, my advice for you international students is to create a bond with your international adviser if you have one! Or at least bring up the talk of taxes to any other international kids you may have befriended.

Good luck duckies!

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Online Vs. Campus Courses

 So you really want to go to a certain school and study this super cool program but you just can't seem to pull yourself away from home! Sound familiar? Well certain schools have been hearing your cries and Online Courses has sprung into action. This new fad probably sounds familiar to a lot of people but I only recently got to experience it myself.

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The arrival of the internet has pretty much taken over my generation. Luckily for me I was about 15 when I truly discovered it and by then I'd have a pretty decent (read - awesome) childhood. Still, when it came to picking up and moving to Canada to complete high school, an online course wasn't an option. I'm a firm believer in the fact that the experiences a child or a young adult gains from school opens eyes to the World and the people in it. My school years have played a huge role in who I am and what I believe in today... Had I completed those years online, I would most likely be an entirely different person. That being said, online courses can play a major role in the life of a working adult or a university student. A major role that is both helpful and beneficiary in many ways.

The University I am currently attending has a relatively small body of 13,000 students with 7,000 of those studying online. However, given the nature of the courses offered (Music Production, Sports Marketing & Media, Game Art, etc.) it becomes quite easy to see why half of the student body choose to study in the comfort of their homes or work spaces. In fact! I can tell you honestly that the majority of these students are not only older than the typical University student, but they also are occupied with jobs, families and other joys of adulthood.

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When deciding between studying online versus campus, you'll need to take some things into consideration:
1. Online degrees require as much commitment as campus. There is a common misconception that online degrees are somehow 'less work'. I can assure you that is not the case.

2. Are you willing to give up the experience of learning in an environment surrounded by people that may share common interests.

3. Is the nature of your degree more hands-on (Show Production), or does it entail memorization and recall more than anything else (Music Business).

4. Cost. Moving from home does require you to find a new place to live, gas to get to class, and of course food.

5. Can you work a computer? Perhaps the most important. Taking an online class may require you to use iChat or Skype for face-to-face discussions and more personal experiences with your teacher; e-mail will become your life; and of course the actual course itself is more or less all on a computer screen. If you do not mind sitting in front of a computer for the majority of your day then an online class may be for you.

6. Classmates. If you thrive on the energy of people surrounding you, online may be a bit tough. Of course you will get to interact with your classmates when it comes to group projects and there will be discussions you can post on and the such.. but the actual intermingling will be rather absent.

I've toyed with the idea of moving back home and doing my course online, however the degree I am studying requires the use of a lot of equipment that back home.. simply can not offer. Yes you will probably miss your family and friends a whole ton, but the time you spend away strengthens you as a person and it does fly by rather fast. Just fill your days up, stay busy and keep your mind on the prize!

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It's A Beautiful Day For Beautiful Spaces!

Black Swan Banned In Barbados

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 I can't believe that this is actually true.. but the island of Barbados has banned the movie Black Swan. I've seen the film and in my opinion it is one of the best movies I've had the pleasure to watch in a very long time. It's sad that such oppression still exists in our World today. Just when it seems like we are making strides forward in terms of equality and freedom, things like this just take us back to the 1940's and 50's! Needless to say the group that banned the movie in Barbados, the local Film Censorship Board, is in some hot water at the moment. This story has gained momentum not only in the island itself with talks of a March happening, but CNN has also run a story. I doubt this is the type of media coverage the island hoped for, or maybe they will just ban this too? Here's hoping something changes... soon.

To join the protest please visit this website and sign the petition for an appeal on the Boards decision.

**UPDATE**
The movie is now being shown in the local theatre with a R-rating. Seems the islanders cries have been heard!

Housing, Apartments, and Dorms Part II

Seems like a bunch of you latched onto the earlier post I did on Apartment and Dorms in the States, so I decided to do a post numero dos and cover some more things I skipped over earlier.

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Safety was one of the first things on my parents minds. We really wanted a gated community and the area around the University only had three places that had the feature, so it was pretty easy to make a decision when all of a sudden our options were cut down from fifteen to three. Talking to some of my classmates I had no idea how much a small gate card was increasing my security. My next door neighbors were having break-ins and police posted in their driveways, something I can never imagine taking place around our apartment, and which to a year later.. still hasn't and probably won't. Positioning too can be very helpful! If you can, request a second floor apartment further away from the entrance. We are on the second floor, about half a mile back from the entrance with a grassy tree-filled area on one side which puts us in a pretty quiet, peaceful area. Having a little oasis of safety makes such a difference.

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Paying rent is an issue some people have. My and my roommate have it set up so at the end of one month I'd pay the full rent along with water, and at the end of the next month she'd pay the whole rent along with water. The energy and cable are split every month. Around graduation time we'll tally it all up and make sure it's 50:50. She and I both trust each other and are dependable when it comes to rent, so this works for us. This goes without saying that saving your bills is super important! For the most part your cable/internet and rent are fixed numbers, but water and energy will be different so make sure those bills are filed away for the future. *Side note* I have a little filing cabinet in my desk and it is crazy helpful. The bills, receipts, important documents, and all other such items are filed away and it makes such a difference when it comes to finding things. Definitely a must!

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Over at boarding school in Vancouver, rules were super important to having a healthy bond with your roommate. I shared a room with another girl who has become like a sister to me, which definitely would not have been possible if we didn't set the boundaries and follow the house-cleaning rules the houseparents set for us at the beginning of the year. Even though it may be awkward because you've only just met your roommate, you have to sit down and lay out what's good and what's not. Neither of us are huge partiers, but if either one of us is having people over we let each other know before-hand. There's definitely been a few times when one of us would forget or people would drop by last minute, and when you don't know someone's in the house it sucks to walk in on a stranger. Same goes for sleeping over. You learn as you go along! We always have our place spick and span, having a clean area is a must. It makes such a difference to have a clean, nice smelling apartment! Don't take it for granted, make it happen!

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Because A College Student Reads Books. Occasionally.

Hello Hello Hello!

Glad to see you made it through Valentines Day in one piece and not a big pile of mush!

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I put off buying these Girl with the Dragon Tattoo series for quite a while. I mean everyone was reading it, and for a while although it never got as bad as the Twilight epidemic, it was crazy the attention these books were getting. So I thought I'd be cool and not read them. Jesus I'm an ass. THEY ARE AMAZING. And I mean that. Target was selling them for like $6 so I just decided on the fly to grab the first two, and it was the best decision I've made in recent times. So worth it. They are captivating, new, keep-you-on-the-edge-of-your-seat, can't-put-down kind of books. They are based on an extraordinary girl, heroine if you will, that although is the opposite of every heroine we've had in recent times, you can't help but root for her the whole way. Amazing writing, very brisk and to the point, but still very detailed and meticulous. I recommend!

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Another lovely one to spend the evening with is Water For Elephants. A little PG-13, parents decide, but it is another amazing hard-to-put-down story. Centered on the circus, an elderly man in a nursing home tells his 'life story' if you will, through his day dreams. It captures a circus traveling through America in the time of the Depression, which you can imagine, is a little harsh at times, but still managing somehow to maintain that 'dream' some of us have of running away to join the circus.

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Right now I'm currently reading a memoir of a young girl seeking asylum in America after being forced to marry a man nearly twenty years her senior, the same man who requested she be circumcised before she enter his house. I'm about halfway through and it's been a real eye-opener so far. I had no idea about the "female genetic mutilation" as they call it in America, and never really thought about the idea of asylum either. The book is called Do They Hear You When You Cry, and if you would like some more insight on the detention centers in America, along with life in Africa as a young woman this memoir is for you.

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Banana Ice-Cream

As a college student.. your going to eat ice cream at one point yeah? Well I've got an excellent recipe that you can try out with just 2 bananas and a blender.

First of all this goes without saying that it's pretty darn healthy. What your going to do is choose out some 2 medium sized bananas (or three depending how big your craving is) and your going to cut them up sort of in 'coin-sized' pieces. Pop those in a container of sorts and leave them in the freezer till they are frozen solid, I think around 2 hours should be good. Then just pile them into your blender and chop them up! You might need to pause at some points to stir it around, make sure it is thoroughly blended. You can put them back in the freezer after, as they might have sort of lost their 'frozen-ness'.

So there you are! It's pretty nice and cooling when the day is hot :)

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