Welcome, let me get you up to speed about why I'm here. This will require a little explaining to get straight, so sit tight. My parents grew up in Montreal, which is in Quebec, which is in Canada, which is in North America, which is part of the planet Earth. Get all that? Basically I'm NORTH! Not too far north, there's not much up there, but in a nice little bastion of culture and civilization located about an hour north of the US/Canadian border (as the bird flies). This is where it all started. This place is where my parents met, got married, and eventually decided to leave and move to the United States to join the Air Force. And this is where I have decided to live for a while, performing an almost perfect reversal of the journey my parents made when they were around my age. Returning to my ancestral homeland, as it were. I still have a lot of family around these parts, probably more than I will ever get to meet and know, which is very comforting. You never know who will turn up for Sunday dinner. I also have the distinct privilege of attending one of the most prestigious universities in North America, McGill University, where I will be doing a masters (and possibly Ph. D.) in computer science. What I would like to do is chronicle the events that led up to my present situation, how I decided to move here, what it is like, and every tedious freaking little thing I've had to do since I got here in order to make this work.
Let's start at the beginning...
A long ass time ago my grandparents moved their families from Europe to Montreal for various reasons. They came with whatever they had, which wasn't much, and decided to make a go of it. They did reasonably well. Eventually my grandfather bought a house, a whole duplex cold cash, and settled in one of the coolest neighborhoods in the city. That house is still in my family. I've been visiting that house, and it occupants: my aunt, uncle, and two cousins, for as long as I can remember. Probably since I was born. Many good times were had there as a kid: ice cream and freeze pops, playing in the basement, wandering around the block, stupid stuff like that. It was great. I think there is still a big part of that time with me even as an adult.
More to follow, stay tuned.
