3

New York New York – part 1

18/01/10 — 3:00 u

I know, I know, you had to wait for this story far too long. I apologize for causing you sleepless nights and problems concentrating on your day to day tasks because your thoughts kept drifting of, thinking about me, wondering how my experience of New York City has been. And because you have been waiting so long, I will not taunt you anymore and continue with a description of my very first, and maybe last, visit to the United States.

Day 1: My arrival

All of you that are loyally reading every story I write already know that my trip by train from Montreal to NY was view wise beautiful. I slept a little, wrote a little and read a lot. Finally I had time to read what I want to read instead of what my Profs tell me to read and of course I grabbed this opportunity with both hands carrying the following three books with me: “What is the What” by Dave Eggers (beautiful, I’d say a must read for all), “The Prophet” by Kahlil Gibran (inspiring short stories given to me by a good friend) and “The Wayfinders”by Wade Davis. The only thing I did not like to much about the trip was the border control. Those home land security people were immediately getting on my nerves and in total we had to wait for three hours, but I did get in eventually, so I guess I cannot complain. Eleven hours after departure I sat foot in New York City. I admit, I had to smile with the thought. I found a taxi who took me to the apartment, my home for the next week. There I met Marlieke, a Dutch dancer/choreograph, my roommate for the week. After, shortly introducing myself and eating a falafel sandwich I went to bed.

Day 2: O dude, I am in NEW YORK!!!

Woke up, put some warm clothes on and went out. For the first time seeing it in daylight, I could now be sure: O yes, I am in New York! I decide to get myself a subway card for the week, but do not want to use it right away. I much rather explore this area of Manhattan on foot, since you can’t see much underground. The apartment I stay at is very close to Union Square, so it is not very coincidental that this is where I end up at first. I look around and see a street sign with ‘Broadway’ written on it. I decide this is where I want to go: the attraction of theatre is still working on me. I pass a huge comic store and go in to see if there is anything cool there I could bring my dad. But I get over stimulated by all the plastic supernatural characters staring at me right after opening the door end within 5 minutes I am outside again. I can always come back later I think to myself. Breakfast first. I find a place on Broadway, called Cozy and decide this is where I want to have my first breakfast and plan the day. 15 Minutes later I am outside again, satisfied food wise, still without a plan and a little bit disappointed. Let me just say, Cozy is about as cozy as an average McDonalds. I decide to slowly make my way to Times Square, since I want to be there for a demonstration for Palestine at 1 PM. When I arrive at Times Square I get a little overwhelmed. The mass of people is so huge that, once you enter, you lose all your ability to choose speed or direction. I just shuffled along until I saw a way out. I do manage to get to the demonstration eventually and spend the rest of the day shouting, marching and dancing for Palestine.

Dag 3: Some more Sightseeing

First I went out to check Central Park. And I have to say, I was quite impressed. It is a beautiful big piece of nature. Central Park is big enough in order for me to walk for hours and have the illusion at times I am the only one. The fact that it lies in the middle of this enormous city and you can see the skyscrapers dooming up behind the trees makes it kind of surreal. There is a huge ice-skating place in the south of the park, but a combination of my clumsiness on the irons and the long line-up made me pass for this. After walking around for a while I went to visit Saint Patrick’s Cathedral. Huge, beautiful, rich and out of place is all I have to say of this really. You can check the pictures. Then I took a tram, which is really a small car that transports you to Roosevelt Island through the air, hanging on a cable. This was amazing! And I have some cool pictures to proof that. The view of the city was enormous. And since I decided earlier that day that I am not going to stand in line for 3 hours and pay 20 dollars to go up Empire State Building I was really happy to have found this (free!!) cool way of transportation with an awesome view. I ended my day treating myself on a vegetarian meal in a restaurant in Brooklyn.

Well peaps, it is getting late and I worked hard all day, so I will write about the second half of the week in which I celebrated new year, visited ground zero and much more next time.

central-parc-15

central-parc-15
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…to be continued…

LEES MEER
By Trude | Posted in Bladibla |
1

A Word of Gratitude

28/12/09 — 2:16 u

On the left site the biggest lake I have ever seen, half frozen and on my right side a mountain full of snow. Everything is white and seemingly untouched by humanity. I imagine this is where children from the US believe their Santa Claus lives. I am somewhere in between Montreal and New York in a train, staring at the fairytale like landscapes. Listening Tori sing. Reflecting.

I am on my way to New York where I am going to spend a whole week doing whatever I want to do. I don’t really have a plan, but I do have the right mindset and a place to stay in the middle of Manhattan (thank you Judith and Marlieke!). This is what freedom feels like.

I would love to just enjoy this moment, but my mind seems to keep wandering of, getting occupied with complicated and sometimes troubled thoughts. I was so busy with my studies the past three months I felt like being on an unstoppable train. And now, here I am: on the train again, though this time the literal version and on vacation. Of course all this sudden freedom makes me think! Finally, I have time to look back on the past couple of crazy months. It seems a good time for some reflection.

In a way the world seems to make more and more sense to me. Or maybe I should say that my place and the path I will go in this world become clearer to me. I think it is safe to say that I am doing something I love and might even be pretty good at (I finished my fist semester with all A’s). I moved into a new apartment where I celebrated an incredible Christmas with my roommates and some of our friends. I feel very lucky to have met these girls and that they took me in to what will be my home for the next one and a half years. It is a home full with love, where I feel welcome and at ease. And then on top of all this goodness there is the unconditional support and love I receive from my loved ones back home, especially from my parents, which makes me feel I can do anything. Nothing left to wish for.

At the same time I realize how lucky I am, I feel myself confronted again with the fact that this is not the same for everyone. Last time I wrote about this injustice and I want to thank my dad and my roommates for answering to the wish I expressed. You give me hope by showing me I do have an influence on people in my own little world. Thank you very much! And keep passing it forward, just like in that fantastic movie ‘with similar title. ;-)

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kerstavond-018
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LEES MEER
By Trude | Posted in Lookie Lookie, The Road Towards Success |
4

My Wish List for Christmas

14/12/09 — 23:00 u

Walking through Montreal in Christmastime is beautiful. Even I, someone who normally doesn’t appreciate kitschy decorations of angels and all the energy-consuming corny lights, found myself in Christmas spirit the other day. I was walking through this city, which has been my home for more than 4 months now, safely covered in layers of warm clothing and scarves, enjoying the snow which makes this city look so clean and peaceful. I was thinking about how lucky I am. So lucky to be free, to be able to go wherever I want to go. A great wave of satisfaction rippled over me. Musing on my plans for the next three weeks of vacation, I turned the corner. There my daydreaming was abruptly interrupted and my feelings changed.

I bumped into a man carrying a cup with some coins in it asking me to give him some money for a smile. I give him a dollar and on the man’s face appears an almost completely toothless smile. Smiling back, I ask the man where he is going to sleep tonight. He shrugs his shoulders and makes a little head movement towards the entrance of the metro. Then the man walks away from me, trying to sell his smile to a couple passing by. Both are neatly dressed and hanged with shopping bags, full of Christmas presents I assume. They don’t even look at the poor man. The man turns around and lifts his eyebrows at me while shrugging his shoulders again. And with this last look of recognition and another smile we part ways.

Continuing my walk, I am still thinking about how lucky I am. But my mood has changed. A great feeling of injustice overwhelms me. How come people have enough money to buy each other meaningless gifts, but too little to give to the people who sleep in the undergrounds of the city? I look at the city through a very different lens now; where I saw the white city as beautiful, clean and peaceful before, I now see injustice everywhere. The billboards screaming “buy Buy BUY!!!”, frowning parents pulling their whining children forward, the many Santa Clauses in every mall, Mariah Carry in the background, even the Christmas decorations are bothering me now.

The complete ignorance that speaks from this all annoys me. I think of the stories my Palestinian friend told me last week about horrible things that happened to him in the past. I think of Afghanistan and how it always seem to be the innocent civilians that get killed in this war on terrorism. I think of Africa and how many people are dying every day from hunger and in wars we do not even know about. I think of all this misery in places far from here, but I also think of the homeless in Montreal. And about the hardening society in The Netherlands which seems to become less and less tolerant. I think about how I try to keep up with knowing about all the injustice in the world and how this gets more and more impossible; the more I know, the more it grows over my head. I feel incompetent and useless; not able to fool myself with the usually comforting ‘I do what I can’-kind of thinking. The earlier so peaceful Christmas spirit has turned into a hideous ghost that haunts me.

I wish I could change the world and make it a better place for everyone. I wrote about it many times before. But writing about it doesn’t really help. It just gives me the feeling of doing something. So I decided that this time I am going to ask you, my readers, for help. Instead of sending me a Christmas card or present, I want you to spend that money and energy on something or someone else, to improve our world a little bit. Send a child in Africa to school for a year. Adopt an olive tree in Palestine. Go visit lonely people in your street and listen to their stories. Or just try to put a smile on the faces of people walking by, by singing a song or giving them a compliment for example. Be creative, be free! And always remember how lucky you are. There is never to much love in the world.

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LEES MEER
By Trude | Posted in Feeling Philosophical, Lookie Lookie |
1

Sinterklaas

6/12/09 — 22:41 u

Since I have been such a good girl this year, Sinterklaas came to visit me and my friends here in Montreal yesterday. Of course I took care of there being lots of sweetness and together with 8 of my classmates and some boyfriends, we made it a true party.

We picked names a few weeks ago, and everyone had to make a present and a poem for the person they picked. There was some resistance to the writing poems part, but I ruled with an iron fist and scared everyone into doing it. And glad so, because the poems were wonderful and I will happily share the poem written for me, but first I will explain the ritual further for the unknown among you.

So we all gathered in my house, where Jean Valere (my new roommate) would take everyones presents and hide them in his room. The secrecy of who made a present for who is very important!!! When all the presents arrived, JV put them on a big heap in the middle of the room. One by one we unwrapped our presents and read our poems out loud.

My present where, a pair of beautiful, very styly arm-warmers (which I am wearing while writing this – love them!) and an apron which reminds me of a Palestinian dress, with a heart of beams sewed onto it. The poem written with this was so incredible that I want to share it with you:

poem-001

I think everyone was really happy with what they got and all the poems were very creative, funny and sometimes touching. I want to thank all the Sinterklaasjes for making this place more like home to me.

Dankjewel, thanks, merci, grazie!

The food me and JV made

The food me and JV made
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LEES MEER
By Trude | Posted in Bladibla, Lookie Lookie |
5

The train that won’t stop

24/11/09 — 0:31 u

Hello my friends,

I just came back from my work with the elderly, went by the university to print a paper that is due tomorrow, took a shower and finally sat down. Now, I am allowing myself to take the time to eat an orange and write a short story about my life, all for you.

I started the third last week of this first semester, which means a ridiculous amount of assignment to do. I feel like I am on a train that doesn’t stop. And this train goes fast! Now and then I get a glimpse of something beautiful on the way, but I am going to fast to make out the contours, to see what it is. I keep telling myself I will go back later to figure it out exactly. For now, I have to keep going. I have to keep up. During the week I am away from home all day, either in university, working with the elderly or with my adolescents and travelling back and forth between the three. When I get home in the evening I do the one and only thing that keeps me sane and that is cooking myself a delicious meal. After eating that I go prepare my sessions and classes, write papers, evaluate sessions and read as much as I can. I go to bed feeling like my head is going to explode, but before I reach my pillow I am out and drifting of to dreamland. Not rarely I get visits from clients in my dreams. But I also meet the people from home, the people I miss so much.In the weekends I catch up with all the work I did not manage to do during the week. This takes up all my time lately and I have never felt closer to my computer than I do now. He is my only friend.

But I am not sad, because I know that in three weeks I have three weeks of nothing. Time to look back on everything I passed by so fast. Time to realize where I am and what I am doing. Time to chill out. Time to read what I want to read instead of what I have to read. And hopefully time to make friends.

And with eating the last peace of orange this story ends. And the train will start rolling again. I just want to say: I hope I am not disappointing anyone in not keeping up the contact. I really try to and you can be sure that I think of you. I miss you all a lot. Especially since I do not seem able to find time to make new friends. Know you can email me, skype me, or even send me a letter anytime. I will pull the emergency brake for you guys anytime.

LEES MEER
By Trude | Posted in Bladibla |
2

Halloween and other fear provokers

5/11/09 — 3:11 u

Last weekend it was Halloween, a very much North American tradition. Too old to collect candy at doors, all grownups seem to take this holiday as a permission to party, go crazy and get drunk. So the streets of Montreal were crowded with zombies, vampires, H1N1 jokes, pimps and other out of the ordinary looking. For my Dutch friends it is easy to visualize, because it is exactly like ‘Carneval’ in Holland, but just for one day and without the humpa dumpa music.

I was invited to a party of Lyndsay, a classmate of mine. I decided to go as a bird. You can see the result in the pictures. Lyndsay herself had the brilliant idea of being a Freudian Slip: “Ass me what I am…” and “This is the breast party ever!!!” Great idea! Also there where a cat, some sort of knight, a butcher, Marlyn Monroe and other characters. It was a fun party, as you can see in the pictures.

Then, there is something else I would like to say something about. Something I am really worried about. The Mexican Flu (or H1N1) hysteria. Everywhere I go I get an overflow on ‘ information’ about this virus, which is mostly about the dangers. There are posters everywhere and commercials on television. Daily we get updates on how many people died from this flu (although very often the information is manipulated and were there other factors involved). People here are really scared of this virus and there is a lot of marketing for vaccination going on. I know therapists and teachers that get scared into getting vaccinated, with so called information sessions: “You do not want a child to get sick because of you, do you?” The government here and as I hear in a lot of other countries really wants to scare us all into getting vaccinations for some reason. I wonder why…

I was sick myself and confined to bed for the past three days with muscle ache, fever and a lot of slime and snot going on. Since I did not go to the doctor I don’t know if I had the flu. But I know several others with similar complaints, who did go to the doctor and where diagnosed with having this H1N1 virus. Like me, they had to stay in bed for a few days and recovered within a week from it, just like they’d do from any other flu. No special medication, no nothing.

It gives me a very awkward feeling,a bad taste in my mouth,  seeing people around me getting caught up in this mass hysteria. As always, there are some people getting very rich from people panicking. And often enough these are the same people feeding the fear.

I guess what I want to say is: fear not my loved ones. Fear not. And please don’t get vaccinated without doing some research on what this vaccination is and most of all, if it is really necessary (this would be a good place to start). People get sick and people die. Sad as this is, it is part of life.

And now back to the fun part of this story: the pictures

Cat Pegah and the Bird

Cat Pegah and the Bird
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LEES MEER
By Trude | Posted in Bladibla, Cultural Exchange, General Frustrations, Lookie Lookie |
6

On the other side

17/10/09 — 0:36 u

I found myself sitting in a comfi-chair today. Feeling kind of awkward sitting across from an older man with a white beard. In silence. The man breaks the silence asking me: “So, (long pause), what brought you here today Trood?”

Maybe I should explain first that everyone doing the Creative Arts Therapy program is strongly encouraged to see a therapist. So don’t worry, I am not crazier than before. But I am very very busy and feelings of homesickness (missing both Holland and Nablus), stress and frustration are occurring more than ever. So I figured it could not hurt to give it ‘being a client’ a chance. Funny story for insiders: My original appointment was with someone called Lazarus (I am serious), and everyone from B-town will understand that this made me very curious and I could not wait to meet him. But alas, Lazarus was not in today, so I never got to meet him.

Back to the comfi-chair. What brought me here today? I tell the man that everyone keeps telling me that going to therapy is important and that I decided to give it a try. “Fair enough”, he says, “So what do you think might be topics that come up?” I told him about moving here, about how much energy my studies cost me at the moment, about Palestine, about general injustice in the world, about not having any friends here and we talk about the winter. Then he says: “I don’t think you need therapy Trood”.

Dude!

I don’t think I need therapy either, but if people tell you you need it enough times, you start wondering you know. I certainly don’t think there is anything wrong with going to a therapist. Of course I don’t, I am a therapist myself for gods sake. And as a therapist I know that everything I do and experience can possibly (not necessarily) cause mental problems. When I tell some people about what I did in Palestine they react shocked, very emotional and say things like: ” Oh my god! I could never do something like this!” This makes me feel uncomfortable. I always like to think that they can. They can, if they want to. I am not that special you know… I’m not better then anyone else, if I can do it you can do it too. The only difference is, that I want to do this kind of work, and you don’t. Which is fine! Nothing wrong with that.

But sometimes I wonder if I am correct in thinking this way. Maybe I am suppressing all these feelings, these other people seem so scared off. Again, I think I can handle it all: moving here, far away from everyone I love, studying in a second language, working with teenagers with the most horrifying histories and seniors who slowly lose their minds. I think I can handle it. But who knows, maybe I am not, maybe I just fool myself into believing I’m handling it well. If that is the case I fooled my therapist today too.

I feel stressed, disappointed and frustrated sometimes, but then again who doesn’t? All I have to do in these situations is remind myself why I want to do this and I find heaps of energy in that. Is that pushing negative feelings away? Or is it a way of dealing with them? In my previous school my teachers always told me to show my vulnerable side more. They found that I was pretending to be strong all the time and that this could not be healthy. I gave this a lot of thought since then, but my thinking always comes down to the same thing. I don’t seem to be strong, I feel strong.

Isn’t striving after my dream the best thing to do? I think it is. I think this is what makes me me. And this maybe makes me seem invulnerable at times, but I think I am not. And I think my best friends can see my vulnerable side once in a while. I am just doing what I really want to do and that makes me feel strong. If everyone would do what  she really wants to do and is where her energy is biggest, I think the world could be a better place.

LEES MEER
By Trude | Posted in The Road Towards Success |
5

It’s getting colder

3/10/09 — 21:04 u

I live in Montreal for close to two months now. I am studying for one month. The amount of things I experience and learn is great, and I would love to share as much as possible with you. On my desk is a list of things I would really like to write about, opinions, philosophies, frustrations. And at a certain point I will write about all of these things. But I figured today it would be better to just give you a short update of what is going on in my life, since you did not hear my voice for a while.

Let me start with the studying part of my life. This is definitely the most time consuming part of my life right now. I take six courses this semester:

-Counselling Skills
-APA-lab
-Ethics in Clinical Practice
-Group & Family Drama Therapy
-Improvisation and Drama Therapy
-Practicum + Supervision

Except for the APA-lab, which is all about style rules for scientific writing for publishing, I find all my courses very interesting and useful. APA is useful too, of course, but it is just very dry and boring to sit in class listening to someone talking about punctuation and how to refer correctly for two hours. My other courses are very practical oriented, which means I get to practice a lot in class. I love this, because I think it is very important. However, it also means that I have to do all the theory absorbing after class, back home. The amount of readings we have is crazy! I try to keep up and this far I managed to read all the recommended texts before class, but I am not as fast in English yet, so sometimes it is very frustrating. My classmates have difficulties with the amount of it all too, so that is in a way comforting. Next to the reading there is also  quite some writing to do: journals, reflection papers, essays.

My practicum took a while to get sorted out, but this week I will be able to start working in the field. There are two sights I will be working at as a drama therapist. One is a school for kids with behavioural problems, average age 17 years old. The other is a Jewish centre for the elderly, average age not appropriate to ask. Interesting combination right? I visited the school last week and I am very enthusiastic about working there. It is a small school (80 students) and I think the view of this school is close to what I believe in. It is going to be challenging for sure, so I like that. This Monday will be my first visit to the elderly. I think there might be some holocaust survivors, which is interesting for me, since I want to specialize in (war-) trauma. But I don’t really know what to expect yet in terms of population and mental conditions, so I am looking forward to Monday.

So bottom line is that I am pretty busy. But I do not want to complain about that, since I chose to be here for a reason and this reason is still there and very important to me. I think coming here to study was a good decision. These two years will help me become a better drama therapist, specialized and ready to apply for a job with WarChild, or start my own projects in Africa. It is a great feeling to see everything narrow down more and more, getting closer to my goal.

Studying is the reason I came here, so of course it is a big part of my life here, but I do also need some self care, some stupid fun. So what else is going on in my life?

I am trying to discover Montreal’ s nightlife bit by bit.This far I went to a small dance festival, a movie and of course a gay club. Yesterday two classmates and me tried to go to a concert, but we ended up nowhere really. The thing with the city seems to be that you have to have a plan. And everyone knowing me alittle bit, planning is not something I do in my free time.

I discovered a coffee shop, very close to school, which is a great escape from everything. Writing this down I realize this might sound confusing to my Dutch friends. I mean an actual coffee shop where they sell coffee. It is stuffed with second hand really comfortable chairs and sofas, the music is always great and they have good coffee. Except for shisha there is no smoking inside. I go here in between classes to eat my lunch or read a little.

I am getting ready for winter, although I really have no idea what to expect. Minus 35 – 40 degrees doesn’t tell me anything. I mean, that sounds very cold, but I have no idea what that is like. So I get myself informed and discover that I need to buy good boots and maybe even a winter jacket. My parents have send me my long black winter coat, but people keep telling me it is not enough… It is getting colder every day, so I feel I need to hurry up, before my balls freeze off (people really scared me).

I decided to move. I will follow my beautiful roommates to their new apartment which will be cheaper, cleaner and better located for me. This will probably happen around Christmas.

Well, I guess this is it for now. I hope I will have time soon to write about some of the topics I mentioned in the beginning. For now, you at least know I am still alive and kicking and what I am up to now a days :)

LEES MEER
By Trude | Posted in Bladibla, Cultural Exchange, The Road Towards Success |
9

Feeling out of place

13/09/09 — 1:35 u

All of you who know me a little bit, know that I am quite social and open to meeting new people of all sorts and kinds. This is one of the reasons why,  till now,  I had a great time here in Montreal: exploring, enjoying, entertaining and learning. I like meeting new people. That is why I decided to go to the introduction day of the CISA (Concordia International Students Association) today, in spite of the loads of reading I have to do for next week. I thought it could be a good place to make new friends.

The day started with a gathering in a big beautiful lecture hall. I met Peggah, a girl from Iran who I know from my stay in the hostel. But I barely get the time to get posted on what is going on in her life, because we are split up in different teams. I understand, they want us to meet new people. I want that too, that’s why I came, so fine. Let’s go meet new people!

But before we can do that we have to sit through this whole spectacle in which the board of CISA is introducing themselves and other ‘important’ people. This is where my doubts about coming to this day start. I feel completely out of place. I listen to some business-school-propaganda, followed by stories about how crazy (read: drunk) you can get at CISA parties. Everything seems so superficial. And what is with the screaming: ‘ARE   YOU   HAVING    F U N !?!?!’ every five minutes? I seem to be the only one that doesn’t get it, because around me people are getting more and more enthusiastic.

With everyone around me clapping hands and producing grunts and screams of joy I wonder what is wrong with me. Is this how I should feel too? Do I miss the point? Or am I the one being superficial and do I not give this event and these people a fair chance? I definitely do not aim to be superficial and decide to stick around a little longer and give it a chance. So when we leave the lecture hall to do some games in our teams I take a deep breath, shake of the annoyance and start over. All ready to shake new hands and tell people my name and where I am from as if I never told such interesting things to anyone before.

I do not really like the games (which involve a lot of touching each other), but neither do most of my teammates, so that works kind of binding. I make some jokes with some people and even get passed the standard ’so where are you from?’ with some, but still… I feel very much out of place.

I don’t care about how rich your daddy is and I find the ‘and then I was SO drunk’-stories rather sad. Of course I do not tell people that, I still want them to like me. But every time I try to talk about something other then partying, drugs and sex, people tune out and walk away or just look at me really confused. I decide to just not talk about me or things I value anymore and to just pretend I am interested in their beer adventures.

When during the BBQ I find myself talking to someone who cannot stop looking at my breasts and someone else starts doing a strip act on a chair, I decide to leave and go home. I don’t feel like joining these people in a bar-atlon tonight. I guess I am not really a party girl. I feel very tired and I have to admit I am a little bit disappointed. This was not what I expected at all. I guess I got spoiled, meeting so many interesting people with big goals and visions the past year. But I can’t help finding it disturbing that all these people I talked to, seem to have come all the way to Canada just to party and show off. I wish they could see how privileged they are just because they are free to go wherever they want. I know I do.

Maybe I am wrong about the people I met today. Maybe I am the one being superficial. I hope so. I hope it is my mistake.

LEES MEER
By Trude | Posted in Bladibla, General Frustrations |
6

Back to school

3/09/09 — 3:52 u

Yesterday morning 8 AM:

I open my eyes and discover with joy that I stare at the ceiling of my new room. Last night was the first night in my new room and I am very happy to have made it out of the basement because I started to grow a humped back. Rising from my squeaky (not so new but non the less new to me) bed I stretch myself and listen carefully to hear if the shower is free. It is! What a good start of an exciting day.

Today I am going back to school. And I feel like a 4 year old must feel: nervous and excited, non the less ready and prepared, feeling like a big girl. To bad my mom is not around to walk me to school, she would be real proud of me. I decide to wear my red dress: neat but comfortable. I take a last look in the mirror, brush my hand through my hair and off I go.

As I step out into the garden I discover my bike is gone. Bummer! I will have to take the Metro then. No worries, I still have time. Papineau station is really close to my home and the stop for Concordia University is on the same green line. It only takes me 15 minutes to get there. It is a beautiful day and I enjoy the walk. Everybody keeps telling me to enjoy this weather since it will be minus 40 degrees in a few months. So I do.

As I arrive at the Fine Arts Building in which the Creative Arts Therapy department is, I discover a room full of new students, all excited to start their studies and meet their fellow students. Some people already know each other. I figure that is because they did the introduction course this summer. I don’t know anyone yet, but how hard can it be to find nice and social people in a room full of people who want to become therapists? And I am right: within 5 minutes I am talking to a very nice woman who will start her studies in Visual Arts Therapy.

After the welcoming speech we split up in the disciplines music, visual arts and drama and I finally discover with who I am going to study the next two years. There are eleven of us: 10 woman, one man. Most of us are around my age, three woman are real adults (I guess between 40 and 50 years old). I am the only one in the group that was not in the introduction course this summer, which makes me feel a little bit like an outsider. But I don’t have time to worry about it too much, because like real drama therapists we enter the play space rather sooner then later. Playing together is a very nice way to get to know each other and I surely prefer it above talking (and you all know how much I love talking).

We play and show the others who we are, what we feel and what we expect in the following years. After this workshop we have a delicious lunch, we get to talk too second year students, we get stuffed with information and at 4 PM I leave University. Together with one of the older ladies in my class I walk to the metro station. We discuss what kind of place we would prefer for our practicum. For the first year we get placed by the staff members, so I am a little bit nervous about this being out of my control. Especially since you get paired up. For the whole year I will work with the same co-therapist in the same center, so it is of big influence to the whole learning process. I will get to know this week where and with whom I will be placed. I will have to trust the professionality and judging abilities of my teachers in this. Until now I am very impressed by my teachers (of whom one worked with my Belgian friend Daan in the past, yes it is  small world), so I have faith. But I have to admit to being a little bit nervous.

When I came home I was pretty tired from all the new things, impressions, people and thoughts. So it was extra nice to be able to go into my new room, which is already very Trude:

Cooking Palace

Cooking Palace
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By Trude | Posted in Lookie Lookie, The Road Towards Success |