koseligcanuck

[koseligcanuck]

Le printemps arrive!

Spring has finally come! Well...mostly! It’s still snowing quite a bit in my hometown in Alberta when I started writing this but here in Montréal, we’ve been bombarded by showers. I started writing this about 2 weeks ago and I still haven’t published it so I apologize if it seems like I’m jumping all over.

A lot of things have changed since my last post! Finals are finally over and most importantly, I’ve moved to my new place! Originally, I was supposed to find a place just for my own but man did I had a bad experience with the girl who was transferring her existing lease to my name. Thankfully, I did not proceed with her through since she was being sketchy about the payment and I did some background research and she has not been working for some years now. Be careful who you deal with, especially online! I also took my future exchange opportunity to Norway into consideration and I figured that it would be better to just find roommates instead. After more than a month of searching, I found a lovely apartment just a block away from métro station Jarry, in the arrondissement of Villeray. Believe it or not, but I needed to move out on May 1st (a Wednesday) and I was only able to find one the Sunday before. I am still technically on lease with my old place but I found someone to sublet it temporarily for the months of May and June which are the two remaining months left for my lease.

The place itself is just a station away from Jean-Talon and La Petite-Italie (Little Italy). Two friends who helped me move (thankfully they had cars) and I had lunch at this café called Caffè Italia in Little Italy and it was definitely delicious and I might come back again.

Not to say that my Villeray is not a beautiful neighbourhood. Just a 20-minute walk or 10-minute bike ride is Parc Jarry and a couple of churches from different denominations dot the area. I really feel like this coming summer would be the best. PERIOD. I know it technically is the “summer semester” but spring showers is in full swing and there are a couple morning where it’s quite cool in my room so hey, a few more weeks and we’re going to get more sunshine!

As of May 6th, I’m taking two courses at Concordia University and so far I’m liking it. I’m also still working at the museum and still looking for other jobs for the time being. I will still be working for the federal government but my official training won’t start until the second-to-the-last week of May. I am honestly quite undecided if I should continue because the daily commute would be at least 2.5 hours long and there would be a lot of physical activity required for an hourly wage that I feel like might not be enough. From my understanding, I am supposed to get an hourly wage almost $7 higher than what I would be paid but it pays more than my current wage at the museum. Today (May 14th), I got a call from another government agency and they scheduled me for an interview for an assistant HR position starting this June with the possibility of extending during the school year. I’m really, really hoping that I get it because the pay is well, the location is convenient, it’s within my current field of study, and it’s going to be less physically-demanding than the first one.

Pictured below is my first picnic of the summer where Delphine, one of my best friends who just recently graduated, and I, got some poutine and we ate it during a warm afternoon near Parc Jeanne-Mance. Here’s to a summer of more picnics, more sunshine, more kisses, more hugs, more ice cream, more smiles, more hyggelig/koselig, and more memories. Ciao!

[koseligcanuck]

Last Day of the Semester and Summer 2019 Plans

Last day of my penultimate semester at McGill, which is exciting but to be fair, I don’t have any classes today. I only have three final exams (thankfully) but I have one final essay which was originally due for today but the deadline got pushed to a week later...which is nice, since I haven’t started yet!

A lot of things happened over the past few weeks that I was missing:

Last week, I saw Ariana Grande live and believe it or not, this was my first ever concert and I was (and still am) happy because your first concert will always be memorable and I’m glad I went to hers.

I found a new apartment! My current rent is quite expensive and the space is quite small, so I’m in the process of assigning my lease to someone so I can move to a cute, bigger, and less-expensive place in the area between the neighbourhoods of Sainte-Marie and Hochelaga.

I’m only going to be here until December since I’m going on exchange to Norway for 6 months (as I’ve mentioned in the first few posts of this blog) so I’m not really worried.

I have been offered to work this summer at a Canadian federal agency! Unfortunately, I cannot share more about my job, where I’m gonna be working, or even what that agency is, but I believe the job is gonna be worth it. It pays way more and there’s a possibility of continuing in the fall!

Since one of my (many) options after I finish my studies is entering the public service, I think it’s a nice way for me to get my foot in the door.

This summer, I have been accepted to go on a two-week exchange for a political science course. The details, field of study, and location will remain a secret for now, but I have never been to this country and I’m very excited to go.

I have finalized my schedule for the last semester. I would not have any classes at 8:30 in the morning, nor would I have classes on Fridays (which is so amazing and a breath of relief) and I would only need to take 4, instead of 5 courses, meaning I have time to work more hours and prepare for my applications for my post-graduate plans.

For this summer, here’s a brief overview of what’s about to happen:

May - I’ll be taking two management courses at Concordia which will last until mid-June, for my program requirements and I’ll start my first shift/training period towards the end of the month. I won’t have classes during the first week so I have some extra time to relax, clean up and organize my new place, get some second-hand furniture, catch up with friends who will be staying in Montréal, finish the remaining bureaucratic work I didn’t get to do during the semester such as taxes and insurance filings. I might also try get

June - The two courses at Concordia will be over and I might (not quite sure) take another course at McGill on economic development. La Fête nationale will take place and so will a bunch of festivals.

July - I’ll be celebrating my 22nd birthday (YAY!), it will be Canada Day on the 1st, the economic development course will finish, and I will most likely start preparing for my applications for things I want to do after I graduate. The festival season will continue and I might visit Ottawa or Québec City when I have a long break.

August - I will be notifying my boss that I’ll be going to the exchange program which will take place for a week in Montréal and Ottawa, and two weeks in that country. I would have one week left after I return from the exchange and I can either go visit home, travel to Europe, and continue working.

I’m so ready to be done with my final exams and paper and move on to the next step, but since this is my last month living in my current apartment and I am going to start moving in 10 days earlier...here’s to new beginnings! Ciao~

[koseligcanuck]

Things I Want To Do and Attain in 2019

It’s too late to make New Year’s resolutions but it’s never too late for improvement. I’ve been using my (not so free but) free time to come up with this list and I do hope I get to achieve them. Even though my life isn’t that bad right now, I do feel like there’s room for improvement, especially when minor inconveniences pile up and add unnecessary stress in the most inconvenient times.

Achieve a work-school-life balance - I cannot stress this enough. This semester I’m doing 5 courses while working 2 part-time jobs and serving as one of the executives for a cultural association on campus. I had to leave class early sometimes and I’ve had so many events that I missed because I had to work, not to mention there were times when I had no time to do homework, study, or even worse, spend time to take care of myself! And for what? Some extra cash isn’t worth it when you’re drowning in stress and a heavy workload, and I learned this the hard way. I’m hoping that I could manage 3 summer courses (which are packed in a month or a month and a half) while working but if not, I won’t hesitate to drop one. In the fall, I will most likely just take 4 courses and just do one part time job and limit extracurricular involvement to a minimum or occasional volunteering at most.

Workout and run more - I used to be overweight in high school and despite being technically “skinny” now, I still believe I have some “problematic areas” and I definitely wouldn’t mind gaining more muscle and definition. It’s hard to do it due to the cold, the wind, and the busy schedule but thankfully spring is coming soon (thankfully!) and I’m going to be more organized by summer. I might get a gym membership if I think it’s worth it but we’ll see. I think it’s a no brainer that working out will benefit your body but will also help with self-confidence, self-esteem, and get you the attention of guys (or girls). ;)

Drinking more water - I’m doing a great job at this now thankfully but while on campus, I tend to forget to keep myself hydrated and at one of my workplaces, I always get tempted to get free pop (soda/cola/soft drinks for you non-Canadians). I do feel like it’s easy to get tempted and I still need milk and sometimes, coffee and tea, but I believe water should be at least 85% of the fluids we’re consuming daily.

Connecting with friends and family - Something that I’m trying hard at. I know everyone’s busy and all, but I should really be making an effort to text or even better, call my parents or childhood friends from back home. In addition to this, I do want to eat with people more often and I know this could be hard since my schedules don’t really match up with those of others but when I do, I’ll try to appreciate it more.

Cleaning and organizing - I’ve borrowed Marie Kondo’s book yet I still haven’t completed it and it’s way overdue. I don’t need at least 40% of the things in my room and I’m pretty sure others could benefit. One man’s trash is another man’s treasure. :)

Read more - Even though one of my classes have completely bombarded us with at least 50 pages of readings every week, there’s still something wonderful about reading things that you find interesting. In one of my previous posts, I mentioned how it took me about 2,5 months to finish one book and I honestly believe it’s crazy that I don’t even have the time to do something as simple as reading anymore.

Positive-thinking - Whether you believe in the law of attraction or not (I do personally but that’s a story for another time), I do think that being pessimistic starts a cycle where the pessimism brings me down, makes me worry or anxious about trivial things, which in turn gives me more anxiety and worry, and thus causes me to be pessimistic. I want to change that.

Limit screen time - I’m doing a bad job at it right now, but blue light really is harmful and messes up with our sleeping pattern. Humans didn’t evolve to be on screens for most of the day and I do believe that the first thing I should be doing when I wake up is look at my phone...

Limit social media - This would be very though but I do want to start in the summer where everything “starts over” (i.e. winter courses are over, potential new job, a new season, a new apartment) so I would not be as obligated to remain on it.

Try something new - I keep on telling myself that this is technically my last year in Montreal so I might as well spend the money I worked hard for on food or experiences in this beautiful city, whether it’s a museum or a restaurant.

Self-improvement

Languages - Mostly Norwegian for my exchange and French...well for talking to people daily and my plan to move to France; not to mention, I would need it if I want to work in HR, whether it’s here or if I could land myself a part-time job once I’m in France.

Guitar/piano - My dad knows how to play the guitar and piano and he even enrolled me in piano classes but unfortunately, I gave up too soon. I think I’m going to try it out this summer because there’s just something beautiful about making music.

Winter activities - I’ve mentioned this already in previous posts but what Canadian would want to go to Norway and not know how to ski, skate, or play hockey? If I’m not able to find the time with the few weeks of winter we have left, I’m definitely going to try it before I leave for Norway.

Academic - Taking better notes, doing my readings before (emphasis on it) coming to class, and if I have time, practicing physics and calculus on Coursera or KhanAcademy. I may not have had the best grades last year, but hey, here’s an opportunity to improve and get ahead.

Privacy - It’s not as bad as other people I know, but some of my social media can be seen with a quick Google search of my name and I don’t think I’m comfortable with this. Having a blog is different from having your Twitter or Facebook with posts from freshman year being available on public. I’m going to try to restrict access to certain content, delete unnecessary posts, and limit personal posts to really close friends

Hooking-up/sex - This might be too NSFW but whatever, I think it’s still a somewhat important issue to discuss. Even though hooking up with a hot guy (or girl) is nice and all, I do believe getting to know them before hitting third base is just more authentic (and even attractive) to me. I’m not saying try to get into a relationship with each person, but anonymous sex just doesn’t seem to appeal to me. Even though I’m all for empowerment and everyone is free to do anything as they seem fit, I think a lot of things have changed my perspectives on this.

It’s the little things - Instead of basing happiness on material things, I wish and will strive for contentment with small things that a large sum of money can’t buy like a homemade meal or a small get-together with friends.

Healthy and portioned food - One of the few things I’ve improved on but still has room for improvement: more fruits and vegetables and less sugar. Even though I will never be vegan, I do agree that we don’t need to be consuming the amount of animal products that we’re consuming now and I also think that overeating is a battle that I have to fight regularly.

These are all I can think of right now but I can always update it. Ciao~

[koseligcanuck]

Thoughts and Ramblings - March (Part 2)

Before I proceed, I just want to explain that this might be my long post and probably a very personal one. Even though the purpose of this blog is to showcase what my life is like on a mostly lifestyle-based perspective (and was supposed to be focused on going on exchange to Norway), I do believe that since it is my blog and my thoughts and perspectives do influence what I do in life and what I do on a day-to-day basis, I might share some of these thoughts  every now and then, especially if I believe these would be interesting.

Janteloven/Jantelagen/Law of Jante - Humility and Simplicity

I first knew about this concept when I was still in junior high but it wasn’t until last year that I took it more seriously and realized that the idea behind somewhat makes sense. According to Wikipedia, the rules are:

You're not to think you are anything special.

You're not to think you are as good as we are.

You're not to think you are smarter than we are.

You're not to imagine yourself better than we are.

You're not to think you know more than we do.

You're not to think you are more important than we are.

You're not to think you are good at anything.

You're not to laugh at us.

You're not to think anyone cares about you.

You're not to think you can teach us anything.

It does seem morbid but I think the rules in the end, instills the value of humility, collectivism, and communitarianism. I don’t believe that these values discourage individualism per se...I mean look at these countries; despite collectivist policies set in place by their states, there’s still a freedom of choice to pursue one’s interests so long as it doesn’t harm others and it doesn’t go against the interests of the general public. I see these values as an abstract way of saying “You do not need to boast your achievements, your money, your material possessions...because we could do so without having learned of it.” and I wish this kind of mindset was prevalent here in North America. Québec does come close at least!

Maybe I’m in no position to speak about it since I’m not from a Nordic country, not of Nordic heritage (not that I am aware of), and I have never been to a Nordic country but I do feel like the reasons for their success not just economically-speaking but themselves as a society, is because of values seeded unto them like this one.

Second Degree

Some of you reading right now might be asking some questions pertaining to that note about doing another degree in the physical sciences/engineering and so here I am to answer them!

Why not just do the degree in your current university? - Believe it or not, I did actually try to transfer during my second year. Unfortunately, personal circumstances and issues with my health resulted in grades that were below the minimum requirements to transfer. Had I decided to give it a try again, I would have to remain here for 5 to 6 extra years…not very ideal!

Why France? - I already do speak French to a proficient level and Québec and France have signed agreements regarding mobility of students between countries, meaning as a Quebecer, I would not be paying tuition and might even receive financial assistance from the French state. France is where Marie Curie, my role model, studied, and is also a country known for quality education and research, in the field of physical sciences and engineering, and doing 

Why physical sciences? - I do believe that HR people are in demand regardless of where one goes to (at least in the developed world) but I don’t see myself doing this for the rest of my life. I’ve always wanted to be a scientist when I was younger, I enjoyed learning about physics inside and outside classroom and lecture halls, and I do believe that I would help contribute something for the betterment of science and humanity by following in Madame Curie’s footsteps. If she could do it, as a woman, an immigrant, and coming from a humble background, so could I!

How long would it take? - A bachelor’s degree (or licence) takes 3 years to complete and one can start your master’s degree immediately, which takes 2 years to complete.

If you couldn’t even handle it right now, what more if you do it in another country, in another language? - I don’t know the answer to this question. Like I said, I had to go through possibly the worst year of my life during my 2nd year and had I not gone through these circumstances, I probably would’ve made it. Who knows?

This it for my thoughts and ramblings for now. Ciao~

[koseligcanuck]

An Update - March (Part 1)

I haven’t updated at all because I’m feeling quite down and unproductive recently, but as of March 1st (last Friday), our reading break has started and will last until this coming Sunday, March 10th.

Besides taking my time to relax, a job shadowing visit for the HR department of a research/non-profit organization, relaxing, relaxing, and more relaxing, I didn’t do much so far and with good reason, after working and studying and taking tests non-stop for the past few weeks, I feel like I do deserve this. I’ve decided to remain in Montréal instead of going to Ottawa instead and as a treat, I made Bosnian burek for Bosnian independence day (March 1st) and used some leftover meat to make some pastries.

Anyways, I’m updating you readers and friends about what I’m up to, what’s in store for the future, and some things I’ve been thinking about...

What I’m Up To

Like I said, it’s currently spring break for me and three things are on my mind: readings/take-home 2000-word essay for my Sociology course, cleaning my apartment (and giving away/donating most of stuff that I don’t need), and figuring out a place to move to for April. I think moving to a more Francophone part of the city and a bit further away from the downtown is not only cheaper, but will help encourage me to improve my French, not to mention, it’s my last year here, do I really want to be living in a downtown area and paying a higher rent just for the convenience of location? 

Final exams begin about a month from now and my last one ends sometime around noon on the 26th so I have 4,5 days to move my stuff and clean my future place if I’m planning to move by May. Moving in May, instead of July (July 1st is the de facto moving day here in Québec and the day before that is when my lease expires) would be more convenient since moving while I’m taking summer classes AND working would just cause so much unnecessary stress. Thankfully, as well, two of my final exams are take-home ones and I only have three ones that I have to write on campus.

I haven’t been going out for food that much at all but I’ve tried the new noodle restaurant across the street from campus called Nouilles Zhonghua and boy was it worth it. I went with a friend and thankfully, they had a 15% off for everyone so I got the medium. I did notice that the menu looks exactly similar to Nouilles de Lanzhou, the place in Chinatown I went to with another friend but hey, this location is quite convenient if you’re hungry and don’t have a lot of time between classes!

Future (Next Two Years)

It seems like I will most likely be staying in Montréal for most of the summer, taking summer courses, working full time, absorbing as much of Montréal as I could, and start learning Norwegian. I haven’t heard back from the government position I applied for but hey, I’ve completed all the necessary pre-employment assessments that I had to do, and they seem really eager to hire me!

However, I do want to visit my hometown for 2-3 weeks in July because I miss my dog (you bet this blog will be bombarded with pictures of her when I see her again), have to get my driver’s licence, and there’s nothing quite nice spending your 22nd birthday with family and friends you grew up with. The city life might and has indeed been fun, but I don’t know...maybe in the end, I’ve come to the realization that simplicity and little things like making dinner together with your mom or going on friend-dates with your best friends are much more important. :)

I also do want to visit Ottawa during Canada Day, maybe Mont-Tremblant or Québec when I have a long week-end or during la Saint-Jean/Fête nationale in June, and finally somewhere overseas during the last few weeks of August/September before classes start.

September to December, i.e. my last semester that I will spend at McGill (hurrah!) will fly by quickly and if I do three courses in the summer, I would only have to do four in the fall to complete my program requirements. I could use this extra time to maybe take an elective, use the time to learn Norwegian, work more hours, or just relax and spend time learning how to ski and skate...what Canadian would go to Norway and tell the locals they don’t know how to ski or skate!!! I used to know how to do both when I was younger but because of my love-hate relationship with the winter and being anti-social when I was in middle school, I completely forgot so I guess it’s never too late!

One last thing for this post that I want to mention is that I want to pursue another degree in a STEM-related field, most likely physics, chemistry, or engineering and I’m setting my sights on France. I have to prepare and submit my application around the same time as my last semester at McGill so that’s one thing I could use my spare time for.

And then comes the fun part: my 6-month exchange semester in Oslo starting from January until June. Best believe I’ll be exploring more of Europe as well, and will hopefully make most of the time there. Winters in Oslo are milder in comparison to Montréal and are pretty much the equivalent to autumns when comparing it to my hometown.

I’ll most likely be returning to Canada around late June or early/mid-July and have about two months to prepare for what’s coming next, whether it’s actually going to France, taking a gap year, or entering the field of HR immediately. Who even knows?

I’ll post part 2 (or if there will be one) and 3 later or tomorrow. Ciao~

[koseligcanuck]

A ‘Treat Yo-Self’ Weekend

And more to come when busy weeks like that happened. While Friday was still quite busy, I did absolutely almost nothing on the weekend and decided to take a break and stay in bed mostly all day, which I think I deserved.

Friday (22 February)

Today was spent just working as usual though after that, the rest of the day went nicely.

I had samosas for lunch, immediately after the end of my shift. Samosas are one of the, if not the most, common ways that clubs and groups in my university do fundraising. Since they cost $20 to order + a small delivery fee, you could make a profit out of selling them though there is an unofficial official rule that it’s always $2 for 3 samosas and $1 for 1. Sometimes, some clubs on campus will try to encourage people to buy their last remaining ones and I’ve heard of samosa-eating contests for a flat rate fee. I don’t know why I wanted to explain it but they’re delicious, with chutney (I always add some on mine) or not, and they’re a satisfying meal for lunch. 

When I got home, I found out that a package that Nicole, one of my close friends back from Alberta, has arrived earlier (it was supposed to arrive on the 26th). It was full of Portuguese snacks and treats and I made a promise that I’ll cook for her when I visit Alberta again or treat her if she ever comes to Montréal. Among the things in her Portuguese care package are:

Sumol - a soft drink/pop with a fruity flavour, though the one she sent me was pineapple

Linguas de gato (cat tongues, literally) - crunchy small little cookies with cinnamon

Roasted fava beans

Quince jam

Sardines in tomato sauce - my favourite

Bolacha Maria - literally Marie biscuits

Tomato “jam” - which isn’t really made from tomatoes

Cinnamon and chocolate-covered almonds

Nicole, if you’re reading this, thank you so much! ❤

Saturday and Sunday (23-24 February)

Saturday was just a day of relaxation after a long and busy week, but in the evening, I went to the Cineplex Forum to meet with someone and go watch a movie.

Originally we were supposed to watch Spiderman but it was quite expensive since only 3D screenings were being screened at that time, so instead we watched Vice, which is about Dick Cheney. I am not a fan of him or most American politicians, but this movie was okay.

Louis, the guy I came with, brought some Bailey’s Irish cream, which was thoughtful...and daring. I’ve never brought alcohol or even a snack from outside inside a movie but hey, there’s a first time for everything!

Sunday was also a day of relaxation though I did have to submit my application for a leadership conference funded by a well-known corporation and another application for a scholarship.

To end this post (which is late by the way), I won’t obviously share every single day or every thing I do, which is going to be exhausting and of course, a bit too “over-the-top”, but every now and then, when there’s a lot of nice things that happen in a week or if I found something worth sharing, I might post more.

Next week is spring break and since I will have more time to show what Montréal is like outside the academic setting and I might even visit Ottawa or Québec, expect an update or two then.

That’s all for now, folks. Ciao!

[koseligcanuck]

2 More Weeks...

Before spring break! While I tried to plan a trip to either Europe or somewhere in Latin America, I feel like it would have been better to just stay in Montréal to catch up with homework, readings, note organizing, and a take-home midterm. This week was the busiest one of the semester so far (I hope it is since I don’t want to be overwhelmed in the future) but nonetheless, it was a pretty nice and well-varied one.

Monday (18 February)

Today was just mostly attending my lectures and doing some errands. Unfortunately, the Ikigai book had to be returned and so I was only able to read part of it but hey, the whole concept of it seems quite interesting. The diagram below shows that ikigai is the overlap between what you love, what the world needs, what you can be paid for, and what you are good at. I’m not quite sure if I’ve already found my ikigai but my search for it is already done or still ongoing but...

...but I know for sure that I do have dreams of getting a degree in physics or engineering, and I believe I can work hard to be good at it, physics is something I really love (despite not being the best at it right now), the ongoing and ever-growing technological boom that the world is going through requires physicists and engineers, and well, this is something I can be paid for (quite well). It seems like an unrealistic dream considering I did not do well in my science courses when I tried to transfer to a different faculty...but hey, my biggest role model, Marie Skłodowska Curie struggled by quite a lot too and she ended up transforming the field of physics and chemistry forever AND remains today as the only individual to win two Nobel Prizes in the sciences!

I’m gonna plug in this video which I believe best explains this wonderful concept:

Tuesday and Wednesday (19-20 February)

These two days were spent studying for my midterm exam on Macroeconomics, which took place on Wednesday afternoon. On Tuesday, I had to work at my off-campus job as well and on Wednesday, I made some homemade sofrito/sofregit.

My new study spot is a library whose name should be kept secret for the time being. When you make your way to this library, you’ll pass by these two pieces of art (below), which I think are so beautiful and it’s such a shame that not a lot of students have seen them before, but oh well, that also means this secret library of mine will remain hidden for the time being.

The midterm went okay-ish and I believe I did pass (knock on wood that I did well) but in case I didn’t, the grading scheme was set in a way where if we do better on the final examination, this midterm will only count for 20% and not 30%.

After the delicious dinner I made (it was pita with pâté and sofregit) and cozy evening, I fell asleep almost immediately but I woke up around midnight and despite all the lights in my studio put off, the Albedo effect from the snow was too much! Thankfully, it was quite an exhausting day that I got back to sleep almost immediately but I hope these snowstorms would go away soon.

Thursday (21 February)

Lectures for two of my classes were cancelled (thankfully) so I was able to do some errands such as requesting a reference letter for a scholarship from one of my past linguistics professors. Every time I go to her office, I see this linguistic map of the Inuit languages and I really find it beautiful that these dialects are still alive and thriving today and their geographic distribution spreads from the Pacific to the Arctic and to the Atlantic.

I also had a security interview with a Canadian government agency for a student position that I am applying to. I’m not allowed to share the details of it unfortunately but the interview took place in the same building as this beautiful lobby. The area where this building is located in is quite affluent and I was hoping that I could work here but I was told by the interviewer that the most likely locations of employment would be outside the City of Montréal but still within the island (unfortunately, I’m not sure if I’m allowed to share this as well but I’ll just keep my mouth shut for the time being).

After this, I went home to eat lunch, then went to campus, and then to work...unfortunately, I left my phone charger and I’m not allowed to pick it up until next Friday! Thankfully, I had a spare and an acquaintance let me borrow one of his, but that was quite foolish of me.

Here’s a picture of a poutine that I made while at work...technically we’re not allowed to but no one cares:

Ciao!

[koseligcanuck]

Recipe for Sofregit/Sofrito

As mentioned in my last blog post, I was quite busy this week and as I’m writing this, I’m actually working at the museum, so my apologies if weekends are the only times I can update, at least for the most part during the semester.

This Wednesday, I went to Segal once again to buy a few groceries and I made some sofrito at the end of the day. It’s called sofregit in Catalan, refogado in Portuguese, and other similarly-named but somewhat different sauces exist as well such as Italian sofritto, the Greek sofrito, and the Sephardic sofrito. 

Anyways, I feel like this is quite a flexible and easy-recipe to do so. Just a note though that this is much closer to the Catalan sofregit since my base is just onions, tomatoes, and olive oil (and other ingredients). My version is definitely not traditional but I know how to make it since I did grew up with it.

The ingredients I used are olive oil, onions, tomatoes, tomato paste, Spanish paprika (pimentón), garlic, and some water. Spanish sofrito includes peppers (bell peppers, not chili peppers) as well but Catalan sofregit does not, though I know each family or individual have their own twist to this. Tomato paste is quite rare and definitely not traditional and so are the two ingredients I’ll be adding later.

Heat your olive oil and fry your chopped garlic. I used about half a bulb of garlic since I do love the taste and smell of it...vampires, beware!

Add the onions after and stir to make sure everything is well-mixed and coated in olive oil. I used 3 onions, all diced.

One more non-traditional (I don’t think you’ll see this anywhere in Spain at all!) ingredient is a small dash of maple syrup. While sugar is an alright substitute...I do have to remind whoever reads this blog that I’m Canadian/Quebecer. The sweet and somewhat nutty flavour of maple syrup will definitely make it taste unique but of course, there’s no need for this ingredient.

Waiting for the onions to caramelize will take some time but don’t be tempted to turn your heat to high or else you run the risk of burning the onions and ruining the whole thing! The caramelized onions will make your sofregit taste even better.

Add your Spanish paprika/pimentón to your onions and garlic and stir. Adding paprika to sofregit is optional but I added some anyways since I like the colour and smell of it.

Stir until you reach a golden-coloured mix as shown above. I swear at this point, it’s already probably good enough to eat.

I forgot to take pictures since I did this procedure above quite fast but add your tomatoes (I used two tomatoes, diced) and your tomato paste (1 small can is enough). Add about 1 to 1,5 cups of water and stir well. Feel free to add any spices or spice mixtures but I myself used Vegeta.

Vegeta is a condiment/food seasoning that is quite popular in Central and South-Eastern Europe, especially in the Balkan countries and diaspora communities of these nations all over the world. Unfortunately, I think there’s only one Serbian/Bosnian/Croatian restaurant in Montréal, but hey who knows, someone might open up one, one day. I would recommend not adding salt if you’re already adding Vegeta, since it’s already quite high in sodium.

Reduce your heat to low-medium and continue stirring until you achieve a somewhat thick consistency. It might not look very appetizing but hey, you could say that about most sauces!

The first thing I used this sauce for was burrito with pita bread and some pâté but this goes great for anything, from pasta to pizza to a party dip.

Ciao!

[koseligcanuck]

45 Weekends Left!

(Note: I had to re-post this due to formatting issues. Sorry!)

Before January 2020 that is. Even though I’ve said that I will primarily focus on blogging about my exchange, I feel like I’ve decided that I’m not going to restrict myself on that topic and so I feel like every or every other weekend (or couple few days if a certain week is very eventful, if I’m travelling somewhere, or if I’m going on a foodie adventure), I’ll be updating about what I’m up to.

I worked for all three days and completely forgot to study for my midterm exam on Microeconomics but hey, I feel like this weekend was quite productive and I was still able to find time to relax and spend time with myself.

Friday (15 February)

Friday was quite busy since I had work, two classes and an executive meeting for a cultural club I am a part of.

Even though midterms season already started, I feel like I should celebrate my nomination, since I do believe in celebrating these things no matter how small or big they are, and so I went with Delphine, a very good friend of mine, to Chinatown where we went to Nouilles de Lan Zhou, famous locally for their hand-pulled noodles, then we checked out the Chinese supermarket right below the restaurant, and got bubble tea at Presotea not that far off.

I got the beef noodles with a spicy cucumber salad and I was quite full by the time I finished and so I was quite shocked that other customers were ordering the large noodles (there were three) since the bowls were as big as slow cookers and rice cookers.

For bubble tea, I got the taro-flavoured one and despite the funky-looking colour, it was actually delicious (somewhat like a mix of chocolate and sweet potato) but we then realized it was a bad idea to get it cold knowing it’s still winter.

Saturday (16 February)

I work at the Redpath Museum, a natural history museum on the McGill University campus, as an administrative assistant and Saturday wasn’t really that busy. I used my time to catch up on a book I’m reading, which is called The Italians by John Hooper since I borrowed the book from la Grande-Bibliothèque back in November and didn’t really had the time to finish it. Some of the introductory quotes I really found on interesting and thought-provoking were:

L’unica giola al mondo è cominciare. È bello vivere perché vivere è cominciare, sempre, ad ogni instante. (The world’s only joy is beginning. It is wonderful to live, because living is beginning, always, at every instant.)  –Cesare Pavese

La famiglia è la patria del cuore. (The family is the homeland of the heart.)  –Giuseppe Mazzini

Perdonando troppo a chi falla, si fa ingiustizia a chi non falla. (By forgiving too much he who errs, you do an injustice to he who does not.) –Baldassare Castilgione

I got very interested in learning more about the Italian lifestyle and mindset after having watched the second season of SKAM Italia, which features a gay teenager with a troubled life and his search for someone special (which I do relate to) and every time I read a page of the book, I can’t seem to get a song called Buon Viaggio by Cesare Cremonini since this song was playing in a scene where Martino (the season’s protagonist) and Niccolò were singing to this after waking up in each other’s arms. It was quite a romantic scene and I would recommend binge-watching this season to anyone who’s bored and has nothing to do. Watch a lyric-video of the song here:

Usually lunch is my biggest meal but for this day I ate quite a small one. I must say that this view was quite koselig:

After work, I went home and relaxed for a bit before grocery shopping at Épicerie Segal, which is quite a walk from where I live, but when the grocery products here are $2-8 cheaper than elsewhere, I might as well run a marathon. If you’re living or thinking of visiting, studying, working, living, going on exchange in Montréal, I would definitely recommend buying your groceries here (and bring a reusable bag or two here) since they only have boxes.

For about $35, I was able to buy pita bread, a bag of pierogi, hummus, Gouda cheese, Afghan naan, garlic, carrots, tomato paste, corn tortillas, a dozen eggs, milk, strawberry jam, ground cumin (my favourite spice), “French-style fresh cheese” (which tastes like yogurt instead of cheese), and végépâté. I’m pretty sure I would’ve paid three times more if I shopped at a big supermarket and I’m thankful this little gem exists.

Épicerie Ségal unfortunately does not sell meat (except organic ones which are quite expensive for a student budget) but a few blocks away at Marcé Urbain B&Y, I bought some ground pork and chicken legs enough for a family of four all for just $10.

Right now, it’s easy to budget but I might get intimidated by the prices when I’m in Oslo (or anywhere in Norway for that matter) since this country has a reputation for having a high cost of living (albeit corresponding high salaries) but hey, if when in Montréal, I can do as the Montréalais do, when in Oslo, I could hopefully do as the Osloborger do.

Sunday (17 February)

Since some of you have not been to Montréal or haven’t visited the museum (yet!), the picture below is what the second floor looks like from the third, 30 minutes before the doors open. It’s quite peaceful and it’s so amazing how so much history from the dinosaurs to our prehistoric ancestors is compacted within just one building.

Thankfully, even though Sundays are the busiest, it wasn’t too busy. One staff member who I feel like I shouldn’t name to protect her privacy was kind and sweet enough to bring homemade lunch for everyone (I think she does this every week).

When I got home, I made sofrito (or rather sofregit) which has been my go-to dip, base, and sauce. Both of my parents have some partial ancestry from Spain (namely the Basque Country and Andalusia) among others, which is why I grew up eating dishes with this as a base or condiment but today, I just made it with olive oil, garlic, tomatoes, onions, and spices (paprika, cumin, and Vegeta, which is a condiment/spice widely popular in the Balkans). The mix of spices and lack of bell peppers are not traditional, of course, but hey, it’s just my own twist and it’s still quite delicious.

Thankfully, I finished The Italians while taking a bath and I’m not quite sure what I feel after having finished that book. Even though it was a decent book, I do feel like it’s up to an Italian (or rather, Italians) to explain in detail why Italians are the way they are. 10 years in Italy is of course better than none, but an Italian who grew up there would obviously have a better understanding of his country than a Brit (not to say the points made in the book were invalid). Now that I finished this, I might get started on this book called Ikigai: The Japanese Secret to a Long and Happy Life, but since it’s due tomorrow and there’s only one copy left at the Grande-Bibliothèque, I’ll see if I stick to it.

[koseligcanuck]

Hei! Hi! Salut!

Welcome to my blog! This morning, I accepted my nomination to go on exchange in the University of Oslo, in Norway, from January to June in 2020! While the main focus of this blog will be on exchange, this will also be a blog where I could hopefully share other travel experiences, share what it’s like being Canadian (and Albertan/Quebecer), share my cultures, share my thoughts, and share who I am.

For the time being, I am going to limit my updates to travel, the process of going on exchange to Norway (and I really hope it’s not going to be difficult or bureaucratic) and from time to time, what I do in my daily life.

For now the name of the blog will be koseligcanuck (koselig, which is a Norwegian term closely linked to the Danish hyggelig and our Canadian homy/hominess; and Canuck, since I am Canadian!) By the way, I chose Tumblr because it seems one of the easiest platforms to use (and one that I’m most familiar with) but who knows, it might change in the future since I do see myself travelling the world and going places one day...

Yesterday, was the first snow day since 2007 and the second since 1998 and instead of being productive on my school work, I made banana bread with cookies and cream kisses (which was delicious but I think I overcooked a bit) and tried to plan and decide where I was going to go and for how long I wanted to stay in that destination. I weighed the pros and cons and a bunch of factors cost of living, length/start and end dates of semesters, languages of instruction, and others such as the following:

Norway has an agreement on healthcare with Québec and residents of both places are entitled to coverage in case they study, work, or temporarily live in the other jurisdiction.

I already speak English and French so I crossed-off some countries entirely while in others, full fluency of the language of instruction was a requirement and I had to cross-off a bunch of German and Swiss universities since I wasn’t fluent in German (YET).

While most of my classes will be in English in Norway, at least there’s another language to be learned (namely Norsk). And Norwegian seems easy for us Anglophones to learn.

I also considered that if I decide to do a full year abroad, it would mean that I have to do an extra semester and graduate in 2021 instead of 2020. (Mark my words, the university experience is nice and all, but at some point, it gets exhausting and one just can’t wait to move on to the next step.)

Other things such as proximity to other countries, opportunities to do part-time work, climate/weather, outdoor or nature activities, how good-looking the locals are, and work-life balance.

And so University of Oslo it is. It was actually the nomination assigned to me at first (it was one of my top choices actually) but when I was told there were spots opened for other universities, I prolonged the acceptance of nomination to decide on it...but hey, at least I’ve finally come to a conclusion.

Below is a picture of campus, a few minutes after my class ended. Thankfully there’s no construction happening (yet) but hey, McGill won’t be McGill without it! Ciao~