Written by Jim Kogelheide
December 21, 2003
Wolfville, Nova Scotia
| MY FIRST WEEK, LIVING IN A NEW CITY WAS VERY EXCITING. LONDON, ONTARIO WAS VERY BEAUTIFUL WITH ALL OF IT'S LARGE TREES, HERITAGE HOMES, OLD STONE BANKS AND RESTAURANTS, AND BIKE TRAILS THAT FOLLOW BY THE THAMES RIVER. I SPENT THIS TIME, BIKING THROUGHOUT THE CITY, MAKING STOPS HERE AND THERE TO GET THE SUPPLIES THAT I WOULD SOON NEED ONCE MY COLLEGE PROGRAM BEGAN. I HAD A FEELING THAT MY STAY IN LONDON WAS GOING TO BE WONDERFUL. LITTLE DID I KNOW THAT VERY SOON I WAS GOING TO MEET THE MOST WONDERFUL TREASURE THAT WOULD CHANGE MY LIFE. |
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FANSHAWE COLLEGE WAS BUSTLING WITH LIFE AS ALL THE STUDENTS AND TEACHERS FILLED THE HALLWAYS. FOR NEW STUDENTS (LIKE MYSELF) THE TASK OF MAKING NEW FRIENDS WAS SIMPLE. EVERYONE WAS SO FRIENDLY AND THE TEACHERS LIGHTENED ANY UNEASINESS IN THE AIR WITH A QUICK PUN. NEAR THE END OF THE FIRST WEEK, I ASKED A FEW OF MY CLASSMATES IF THEY'D BE INTERESTED IN CHECKING OUT THE NIGHT LIFE IN THE DOWNTOWN BARS AND CLUBS.
I FOUND MY TONGUE TRIPPING OVER MY FIRST FEW WORDS AS I HELD THE DOOR OPEN FOR THEM TO ENTER. WHILE I WAS GETTING A DRINK FOR EVERYONE, LOUISE AND JOANNE BEGAN TO PICK THROUGH MY CD COLLECTION. BEING THE FRIENDLY HOST, I WELCOMED THEM TO SELECT SOME TUNES TO PLAY ON MY STEREO. JOANNE COMMENTED, IMMEDIATELY, ON MY COLLECTION OF U2 CDS. THEY WERE HER FAVORITE BAND, TOO. WITH THAT, I PULLED OUT SOME OF MY LIVE RECORDINGS AND B-SIDE SINGLES, SO I COULD IMPRESS HER WITH MUSIC THAT SHE HAD NOT HEARD BEFORE. I WAS VERY PROUD OF MY MUSIC COLLECTION (AS A WHOLE) AND NOW I HAD A CHANCE TO SHOW IT OFF.
BECAUSE JOANNE WASN'T OLD ENOUGH TO GET INTO THE BARS, OUR EVENING OUT CONSISTED OF A DRIVE AROUND TOWN BEFORE WE STOPPED IN AT A RESTAURANT. HOURS LATER, WE RELAXED AT MY APARTMENT WHILE WATCHING A MOVIE ON TV. AFTER LOUISE AND JOANNE HAD LEFT, I FOUND MY MIND WOULD NOT LET ME SLEEP. EVERY TIME I CLOSED MY EYES, THERE WAS JOANNE SMILING AT ME.
