Return to the Market

I truly missed the Ottawa market while I was abroad. I love the hustle and bustle, the lines of local produce stands, and the collection of unique restaurants and stores, especially the Italian Bottega. I had to pop in to the Bottega today for one of their scrumptious club sandwiches, salads, and cappuccinos. The perfect summer lunch. I then made my way to the Hudson Bay Company, who was having a HUGE sale. I lucked out and found a wonderful RL dress on sale:

I love the structure, especially the pockets. I will be very sad when dress and skirt pockets go out of style. I find them so useful.

After dinner I went to see Angels and Demons. I read the book years ago, so I can't really compare it to the original storyline, but I found the movie to be a notch about mediocre. Even my father, who had never read the book, said that everything was too obvious and overly-dramatic. However, I did see a preview for the new Julie & Julia film, which looks like it could be interesting. I love Meryl Streep. She's such a wonderful actress, and I never leave the theatre guilty for spending $11 for one of her films. Although honestly, I'm just happy to be able to watch movies in English again instead of in Polish.

First Blog!

I never thought I would ever become a blogger, but after spending so much time reading some of the marvelous blogs out there, I decided to finally take the plunge and start my own!

So a little about myself:

I was born in Ottawa, Canada, but grew up in Florida. I decided to go back to my motherland for university, only to have my parents follow me up the summer after my freshman year. I now very dearly miss everything about Florida- my friends, the sunshine, the preppy lifestyle. I am currently a student at Queen's University in Kingston and am studying Commerce and Art History (the latter much to my parents' dismay). I love being active in my community. I volunteer in a local elementary school and host both tours and workshops for kids in my campus art gallery. I am passionate about social responsibility and would love to work for an NGO one day. I just finished my exchange in Warsaw, Poland (which was spectacular!). I chose Poland because my family hails from this beautiful country, not too mention it was my one and only chance to put my Polish language skills to good use. While in Europe I travelled to Prague, Stockholm, and Greece (If I only had one more day to live, I would spend my entire last day in Santorini). I'm a little sad to be back in Canada. It was nice being able to swing by a fabulous European city on a whim and not have to worry about an 9-hr transatlantic flight.

This summer I am working at the Department of National Defense in Ottawa, in the Accounts Processing department. It's not exactly the most interesting job ever, but the people are absolutely wonderful. We share jokes, have potluck lunches, and celebrate every achievement. Not to mention I get a chance to brush up on my French. I am very thankful for the opportunity to work in such a happy environment.

This fall I return to Queen's as a senior, which is unbelievable. Sometimes I still can't believe I've finished high school, let alone entered my last year of university. This upcoming year I will be focusing on finishing up my degree, finding a job for after graduation, and generally having a pleasant, perfect, and preppy time!