Season's first snow!

It is snowing as I write this, much to my glee. Toronto just gets so much more beautiful as winter/fall progress. The trees change colour, freshly baked pumpkin pies are in shop windows. It is a wonderful time of the year.

I have officially become a University of Toronto medical student. I know I have been in the program for a little over a month now, but the real right of passage was writing my first exam. Not only that, but I also passed! With honours! I am quite pleased and am feeling ever more inspired to study even harder for the exams to come. But from past experience I know not to take this for granted because success is not guaranteed ever, even when you work hard.

In other news, I am playing in the school symphonic band and am having a good time. It has really improved my sense of rhythm and I also just appreciate doing something different for an evening. On Mondays, I also take a dance class that is really a lot of fun. It doesn't teach technical dance skills but it sure is a good way to loosen up! This dance class is called "Club Groove" and is basically for students who need help club dancing. I do not think of myself as this type of student, which makes it all the more fun. To stereotype, this class is full of nerds who are really willing to put their all into the gyrating, breakdancing moves that we have learned. It is fantastic. Everyone's enthusiasm makes the whole (intially embarrassing) experience worth it.

Thanksgiving was at Uncle Alex and Auntie Elaine's house. There we ate, ate, ate and ...sang? It started off innocently enough, the younger set of twins singing their cute church songs that they had learned...it soon turned ugly however as it became more of a dare and each set of siblings had to perform as well. It was really just fantastic. Another family tradition started perhaps?

Lastly, I am missing Simon very much as he has left us in Toronto to fend for himself in Vancouver. It was nice reverting back to our old habits: me making lunches for him and having late night conversations. I sure hope he finds what he is looking for where ever he goes!