The adventure is rolling along

I'm in Montreal. I most likely forgot to tell you; or, I told you too many times. Anyway, I am here. Today was my first snowfall in a very long time. It was exciting to say the least. I consumed the hottest chocolate in the snow. It is the almost exactly what I imagined when I decided to come. It really wasn't that hot actually. The barista (is that what it's called?) put too much whipped cream on it so it tasted non-hotchocolatey for a little while (but nonetheless delicious).

My apartment is sweet. I've got my own cozy nook near the door, but I don't know how to close my own door. Maybe I should ask. 

I feel like I must justify my reasons for coming here for the nonbelievers. The most common response to my study abroad aspirations was "Canada? Why?"; which, to be fair, is completely normal. I came here -- well, I'm here -- to explore. But it's more wordy than that, as is usually the case with me. I came here to explore a big city (relatively), to explore a new way of life, and to explore (heyooo) myself.

The first part is wild. I've been to large cities before: NYC, New Delhi, London. I've seen tall buildings and too many people. I've never been comfortable. It's something about being completely surrounded with no where to be still. It's always moving with no reflection. It's difficult. Someone here actually had a different perspective when I explained this. I said to him that it's difficult to be alone in such a bustling place and he, being from NYC, said he actually feels most alone when there are so many people around. Which is true, but maybe I've never looked at it from that angle. Montreal is big, but not too big. It's Boston-esque. But it's covered in white powder right now, so I can't really see it.

The second: a new way of life. Man, oh, man what a life. I mean ... it's winter. It's hard to tell what Montrealers are like when things are actually nice around here. But suffice it to say that it is totally different than the confines of Raleigh/Durham. I've never had to wear a legit coat for more than two days straight. I think I've adapted pretty well; but when snow is driving into your face at millions of miles a second, it's hard to see. That was almost completely unrelated to the rest of the paragraph. I apologize. 

Myself! Yes, exploring myself. There are a couple of things I'd like to know. First, am I able to network and create friends in a place where I know practically no one? I'd also just like to see how I handle this situation in general. So much of this is adding a piece to the puzzle of my understanding of the world. I can read about things and listen to others about experiences, but I cannot completely understand until I live. The only way I know how to learn is to be there, in it, without reservations. It's beautiful and terrifying. But it's what life is supposed to be. 

So I've come here on a mission. How much I accomplish is probably up to me and that is probably going to be very minimal. It's the effort that counts though. If anyone has been to any really sweet Canadian cities or territories, or places really close to Canada let me know. Or even if you've met some really cool Canadians that are from some place, I'll try and get out there.