It feels more than a little surreal to say that I am done my second year of classes. I can’t begin to describe how fast this year has flown by for me!

Between a set of midterm papers that ended just as final exams began and wrapping up in residence, I haven’t had much time to really reflect on the past year until today.

As I sit in my empty room on my very empty floor, I realize that residence is just a building. A structure to house, in Brescia’s case, 180 people. As I checked out some of the last residents this afternoon and walked through the empty halls, it hit me, that I walk through the halls of this residence as a different person than I was a year ago.

I am different because I was touched by the lives of 180 other amazingly bold women this year, 28 of whom helped make 3MRW a home for the past eight months.

I have watched first hand the first years grow from nervous and shy individuals into people who are not afraid to special request dishes for a floor dinner or activity for an event. I have watched them study, struggle, pass and fail exams, assignments and classes. I have observed their relationships with friends and family inside and outside the building evolve, just as mine did one year ago.

But, through all the obstacles, I have watched them succeed. At hockey games, in half marathons and dance recitals, on exams, in clubs and in social settings, I have had a front row seat for all the amazing things the girls living around me have accomplished over the past year and I couldn’t be more proud-or inspired.

Living, working, studying…it’s been a busy year that I wouldn’t trade for the world, especially when I see my frosh walk out of the building a little bolder than they did eight months ago.

To the food services and housekeeping staff (and all the people in between)- this transformation wouldn’t have been possible without you keeping us fed and our bathrooms clean, thank you for all that you do.

Here’s to moving out and moving on up…boldly.

It’s hard to believe with the whirl end of term assignments and a long weekend that almost exactly a week ago, I was sitting in a judging panel.

March 30 was the day that Grade 11 and 12 students from all over Ontario came to Brescia and spoke about female catalysts in the fourth annual Take the Lead Public Speaking Competition.

For me, Take the Lead is one of the most important days of the year, because it introduced me to my future home on the hill. Four years after my initial visit, I look back on the competition through the eyes of a two time participant, final round judge and preliminary round judge.

I was once again privileged to spend the day listening to the thoughts of amazing women for an entire day on topics ranging from women’s rights issues to historical figures to real-life role models. Despite their diversity in both topic and delivery, each speaker inspired me with their courage to stand up and speak, not an easy thing to do in an unfamiliar environment with the pressure of an amazing prize: a full year tuition to Brescia.

Congratulations to all the competitors of this year’s competition, your bravery and poise did not go unnoticed in the Brescia community or on social media. Check out the a “Storify” of the day for more details:

For many Brescia residents, mornings have started rather early during the past few weeks. With finals around the corner, this doesn’t seem surprising…until you look out the window.

Where there once stood a garage and parking lot, there is now a full-blown construction site! I have been shocked to see the transformation of this space to the foundation of Brescia’s new residence, slated to open September 2013.

While my room is in a prime location for creeping the construction process right from my bed, the only “resident” that has been displaced during the work so far has been Boris, the groundhog (pictured below beside the picnic table).

The Brescia community will be formally celebrating the groundbreaking for this exciting new venture next Tuesday, April 3 from 11am-1pm. I hope to see you there!

-Christine

On Saturday, I came home from the gym only to find a crowd of 35 people outside of my door.

As I awkwardly made my way through the mass of people and opened the door to my room, I heard a unanimous “oooooooo”…

Then I remembered that Saturday was the March Break Open House, and only eager Grade 12 girls could be that excited to see my very small, but very cozy room.

As I invited the prospective students into my room, I got a chance to chat briefly with them and their parents about their day so far.

After being asked about Brescia’s greatest advantage (my response: the community),  one parent responded that I must be telling the truth, because every other person that she had met on campus that day, from faculty to students, had responded to the question similarly: Brescia’s supportive community was it’s greatest asset.

I didn’t think about this comment too much until this morning when I went down to the cafeteria for breakfast, and the cook asked me if I wanted my usual order of eggs. After eating my breakfast, I came to study in the library, only to be reminded of my outstanding library fees by one of the librarians. As I stare out the Beryl Ivey Library window writing this blog, two of my professors waved at me as they came inside.

This all happened before 11am.

When I tell prospective students that I love the community at Brescia, it is because of mornings like these that remind me that I am much more than just a number when I’m at school.

So my answer to that parent’s question was the truth, because a true community atmosphere is not something you could fake, not even for a day.

As a resident assistant, one of the proudest moments is when you realize the first year students on your floor are well-adjusted to their new home.

Roommates and teammates

I had one of those moments tonight as I watched two of the residents on my floor compete in the Ontario University Athletic (OUA) Finals as rookies on the Western Women’s Hockey Team.

Sam Nastiuk #27

Brittany Clapham #86

Although the Lady Mustangs came up short tonight at Thompson arena, they walked away with a silver medal as the second place team in Ontario-and that’s nothing to sneeze at!

Sam receiving her medal from Terese Quigley, Head of Western Athletics

Brittany receiving her silver medal from Terese

On behalf of the Brescia community, I would like to congratulate Sam Nastiuk and Brittany Clapham on a game well played and a fabulous season.

On a personal note, I am in awe of the amount of time and effort these ladies have put in. They were my first residents to move in (they trained for a week prior to school starting) and it was amazing to see them on the ice tonight representing our floor and our college so well!

Even though tonight’s game didn’t give them the results they were hoping for, I could not be more proud of their achievements.

Your resident hockey correspondent,

Christine

While I’d like to say that I’m writing this post from a warm and sunny beach or an exotic locale…I am sitting in my residence room as one of six residents living in the building this week. Exciting right?!?

I never thought I’d say it, but it is exciting to me to use this week to relax and refocus on the rest of the semester. The past few weeks have been full of midterms, papers and group projects…so the opportunity to enjoy my quiet floor is actually nice, especially since there is so much going on after the break, including one event I’m particularly excited for:

Food, great conversation and the launch of a new club? Just the motivation I needed to get through this pile of reading!

Christine

Adios, Au revoir, Afscheid, Totsiens, Näkemiin, 再見, Goodbye… For now!

For a variety of reasons I am no longer going to be posting on Brescia’s blog until around May! I really enjoyed sharing stories with everyone and hearing replies. Luckily you will still be able to read Christine’s posts which are just as enjoyable.

Please continue to comment as it makes the blogger feel appreciated and recognized. Your insights are always welcome whether they are constructive criticism, helpful hints, or just warm hellos.

I will miss blogging A LOT for the time being, however I can ensure you, I will be back soon.

Thanks again to everyone who followed my blog posts :)

❤ Molly

Goodbye for now!

As I sit here in my heart dress (coincidence) with my heart pin (planned), I am excited to share all of my plans for today!

Okay, to be truthful, I don’t have very many. All I really know is that I’ll probably be receiving a Valentine’s day gift from my mom and dad (although my mom already gave me a love knot ring that she was given to by my dad in university)  and that I am going to make Crepes (A favourite dish of mine) for dinner.Who knows what I will do in between? Maybe Sew, Study or just think of positive reasons why I should love myself. Lately I have been partaking in Pinterest and I made an “Inspiration board”. I printed off all the wonderful quotes and I plan on making some sort of collage with them. I guess I could cut it into the shape of a heart? It will just reinforce what I learned at the eating disorder conference last week.

Anyway, I promised that I would post pictures of what I have created so far for Valentine’s day, since yesterday I posted pictures from my pinterest.

The Ring my Mom gave me

Cupcake Decorations

Homemade Red Velvet Cupcakes (By me!) with a Cream Cheese frosting

My Mom and Sisters made me a Heart Pin

Valentine's Day Deer

We covered a tree with Valentine's day hearts

Pink Pom Poms

Hearts

We decorated the Mantel

So that’s it for now! I will let you know if any other Heart Surprises come up within my day. I do have some tulips but neglected to take a picture…Sorry!

Happy Valentine’s day! Be sure to treat yourself to make this day as sweet as you are.

❤ Molly

What did you do for Valentine’s Day? Eat Chocolate? Go out for Dinner? Let me know by leaving a comment below!

Every February we celebrate Valentine’s Day by giving flowers, candy and cards to those we love (including ourselves) in honour of Saint Valentine.

So where did the idea of Saint Valentine come? Apparently, as legend has it, Valentine was a priest who served during third century Rome. At the time, there was an Emperor Claudius II who decided that single men made better soldiers than those that were married. With this thought in mind he outlawed marriage for young men in hopes of building a stronger military base. Supposedly, Valentine, decided this decree just wasn’t fair and chose to marry young couples secretly. When Emperor Claudius II found out about Valentine’s actions he had him put to death. Before he was put to death he sent the first ‘valentine’ himself when he wrote her a letter and signed it ‘Your Valentine’, words still used on cards today.

As legends go from generation to generation they are sometimes confused but what we do know is that February has been the month to celebrate love for a long time, dating clear back to the Middle Ages.

There is also another part to Valentine’s day; Cupid. Cupido is latin for “desire” so it isn’t surprising that in the Roman mythology Cupid is the son of Venus, goddess of love. Cupid is often said to be a mischievous boy who goes around wounding both gods and humans with his arrows, causing them to fall in love.

In my opinion Valentine’s day can be celebrated with friends, family, boyfriends/girlfriends or even by yourself. There is no shame in sending a card to yourself; after all you should embrace your abilities and love yourself.

Whether you celebrate it by going out for dinner, watching a movie, staying at home or just decorating your house, you will still be contributing to the fact that Valentine’s day is ranked second to Christmas in terms of celebration and the number of cards given.

So enough about the history of Valentine’s day, how are you celebrating it tomorrow? Here are some of my  finds online that might get you thinking…

By studying in the library...

Eating Heart Shaped Eggs for Breakfast!

Or Belgin Waffles!

By Braiding your Hair in the Shape of a Heart

Or Eating Cake Pops!

By Making your own Heart Tights

Or Sending Valentine's Day Cards

By Spreading Love

Or Simply Eating your Heart out on Yogurt Covered Strawberries

Of Course your Could also get Crafty by Making your Own Crayon Hearts

❤ Molly

Come back tomorrow to see what I DID for Valentine’s Day!

Success.

There’s no other word that quite describes how the EDAW Breakfast went.

For those of you who were unable to attend, here’s a small recap on what happened.

Registration began at 6:30. (Yes…it was an early morning!) However the event truly began at 7:00.

The breakfast began with a bang because of the feast provided. There were lots of options to choose from for example, an egg dish, mini potatoes, yogurt, fruit, bagels, bacon and more. Not only that but there

was a variety of teas and coffee! Let’s just say we were well fed and wide awake before listening to the speakers.

The ad was perfectly created to coordinate the red and blue pepsi logo into the models lips, glasses and the backround. As well, the font (being turned on it's side) reinforces the "skinny" appeal as does the model's sharp features (shoulders, face).

Introduced by CTV’s Tara Overholt, Maureen Shireff, the creative director of the Dove Campaign for Real Beauty, made many laugh and cry with her videos and speech. Not only did she share the marketing side behind the development of the Dover campaign, she demonstrated to the audience how media impacts self-esteem and body image from people aged 3-100. Featuring advertisements from Pepsi (See right) she deconstructed how billboards can be creatively designed to make people believe skinny is the new thin. She also shared the Pro-Aging campaign to prove that a positive spin can be implemented on anti-aging. After all, we should all embrace our natural beauty. Wrinkles, glasses, freckles, thighs etc. etc. are all beautiful characteristics of our bodies. We shouldn’t be afraid to hide our natural figures and smile. Surprising the audience (Tear-Jerker) with a video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gUsKIApTewQ), she reinforced the importance of teaching little kids what real bodies look like.

This campaign was posted everywhere from billboards in NYC to advertisements in magazines!

The infamous Vince with his slapchop. Has anyone tried it?

The speakers didn’t end there. Dr. Sharon Roberts, a Sociologist and the VP of Research and Education for the Eating Disorders Foundation of Canada, set straight the contradictions between being thin and happiness. She took a scientific and mathematical approach to explain how advertisements such as the “Slap Chop”

make the audiences feel empowered to eat healthier when in reality, these infomercials are false. She also reinforced statistics to state how Canada is one of the worst countries for self-pride. She also reinstated that eating disorders are very common in gay males, but are still prevalent in straight males. Evidently, females are impacted more than males, but it is irresponsible to disregard how commercials influence males to be sleek and toned.

In the end, from the raffle tickets to the silent auction (Unfortunately I didn’t win anything), to the speakers and the food, the eating disorder awareness breakfast started eating disorder awareness week with a success. It definitely increased awareness of the prevalence and seriousness of disordered eating (Bulimia, Binge Eating, Anorexia and EDNOS), and body dissatisfaction in both males and females.

Approximately 250 people attended the event and many donations were made, including $7500 cheque presented by Bell Canada. All of the money raised went to Hope’s Garden, which is a non-profit organization that supports those effected by eating disorders in the London area.

❤ Molly

If you or anyone that you know has an eating disorder and lives in London they should definitely reach out to Hope’s Garden, a Dietitian and a Personal Counsellor!!