A Canadian Adventure

This week is the last week of term and apart from the sudden pressure of essays and exam deadlines drawing ever closer it had brought a few ‘lasts’ for me. I had my last ever class at Carleton today which left me with mixed feelings because on the one hand it’s nice to know that the term is over and there is nothing new to learn but on the other hand it’s very sad because I will never have another Carleton class. One of my friends said that it’s like graduation but with all of the sad and none of the excitement. Although since neither of us have ever graduated I don’t know how he can be so sure. I am acutely aware of trying to not get too bogged down with this thought and that I shouldn’t get too caught up in the thought of it ending that I forget to enjoy these last few weeks. However it is ever present in my mind these days and I guess it’s because everyone is looking towards the end, everybody is celebrating there last class, can’t wait to hand in their last paper and are counting the days until their last exam. Of course this is exactly the mentality I would have and do have when I’m at home but because these are all the last time I will do these things ever the joy in them is tinged in a little bit of sadness. My final last for this week was the final event run by the international centre which was the Masquerade Gala.

The Masquerade Gala was an event and a half and definitely one of the most enjoyable ‘lasts’ of the week. The evening started as most evenings do with the mad rush to get ready. It was a formal event so we were all dressed up in dresses and heals and of course masks. The only trouble with masks is that since I only own glasses and have not contact lenses I had to choose between a mask and being able to see- I chose the mask! The event was being held at a fairly unique venue, the Ottawa War Museum so we arrived in out finery to be greeted by a banquet hall filled with tanks and half destroyed vehicles. After briefly hanging around at the cocktail bar we quickly claimed a table for our large group and before long the buffet was open. Now I completely object to buffets at formal events, not because I feel it’s not classy enough but because it is impossible to get your money’s work while wearing a very neat fitting dress. After we had all eaten out fill or at least our dresses fill the entertainment began. As the event was run by the international society the performers reflected this with singers and dancers from all corners of the globe. There were African dancers jumping to the sounds of the drums, Chinese dancers swaying daintily to soft music and an amazing array of singers who wowed the audience into silence. The evening was rounded off by a DJ and our bizarre banquet hall was transformed into an even stranger nightclub and we danced the rest of the night away.

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This entry was posted on Wednesday, April 2nd, 2008 at 10:56 pm and is filed under Canada, Travel. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.