The next morning, I woke up early and pushed myself to finish my research design. Though it wasn't due until midnight, I had no intention of spending my entire day inside. I finished and submitted it by 2 PM, then ventured into the city with Michael and Carolanne, braving the rain. Unfortunately, Rhea was feeling really sick and spent all day in bed. We brought her soup and Gatorade and she recovered somewhat the next day and was fine the day after that. As soon as we could, Michael, Carolanne, and I headed toward an Indian restaurant that Michael's uncle had recommended. I had never particularly cared for Indian food until I joined OAR. Now, it has become a staple, and I loved this all-you-can-eat authentic restaurant. Toronto is notorious for ethnic food and culture and I tried to soak up as much of it as possible, hopping from each town to the next. My absolute favorite, obviously, was Greek Town. I ran around excitedly, ordering pastries and frappes, as well as a gyro of course. I also tried to converse with some of the shop owners in Greek but only a few obliged. We also explored the underground tunnels connecting Toronto and walked around the stadiums for various sports teams.
The next day, I spent some time with Michael and Carolanne, Rhea still sick in the apartment. We walked around without any direction, just enjoying the fresh air and the sunshine. I was so relieved to have finished and submitted my last paper, officially done for the semester, that I practically skipped around the city. I took off on my own for a while so I could walk some more rather than taking the subway, anxious to move around after such a lengthy drive, and I also relaxed in the apartment for some time. We soon packed up our stuff and headed for Michael's family cottage in Peterborough.
We arrived at the cottage late at night and I was so tired that nothing registered. I passed out on a bed with Rhea and we woke up to the sunshine in the morning. The lake was beautiful but, alas, it was far too cold to swim in. I sprawled out along the edge of the water with a book, letting the sun warm my skin like a reptile. Peterborough was the epitome of relaxation. We spent two days on the porch or by the water, drinking tea and reading. I think I drank at least ten cups of tea a day, not realizing how caffeinated it was. Michael and I took out the sailboat and it was so much fun zooming around the lake. However, the water splashing up was very cold, since the lake had only been ice-free for about two weeks. Nonetheless, it was very fun and extremely beautiful. I also got to learn some more about sailing, which I've always enjoyed. I was sad to leave the cottage but also excited to get to Boston!
Events occurred: April 29-May 2, 2013
Due to the persuading of Mike (and me, a little bit... at least, I like to think), Logel decided to actually come to Florida to visit for once, bringing his brother and two friends, Windham and Joseph. They were expected to arrive around 2 AM Friday night/Saturday morning, so we decided to stay up and play foosball in anticipation. However, when Logel informed us that they would be arriving around 5 AM, Kelsey and I decided to go home and sleep.
The next day, we met Logel and crowd for breakfast in Gainesville and then headed to UF's Lake Wauberg for some sailing. I hadn't been sailing on a Hobie Cat before and I was in for quite the adventure. My first round was with Mike, Logel, and Kelsey. The water was chilly and the sun was playing coy with us, so getting soaked was not as fun as I anticipated. We almost flipped the Hobie several times and I seemed to get the brunt of the waves smashing into us. Suffice to say, I looked as if I had been swimming by the time we circled back to shore. Bevin's Hobie Cat was having rudder issues, so I volunteered to go in her boat and give the others a chance. I was with Bevin, Vlad, Kelsey, and Logel, Mike had the other three. We raced each other around the Lake and Mike's boat kept trying to jump onto ours. We ended up at one point with six people on our boat, swapping Logel for his brother and Windham. Bevin kept trying to get Kelsey and I to swim and she eventually elbowed me out of the boat. I flew over the edge and fully submerged as they sped away. Mike and Logel came to get me and pulled me out of the freezing water. We played around with the boats for a while longer before going to get ice cream nearby and then hiking to Paynes Prairie.
That night, we invited over tons of OAR people to Mike's apartment and challenged each other to rounds of foosball. I'm absolutely terrible but it was a lot of fun and I practiced with Bevin until we both were pretty decent. We moved the foosball table into the hallway and tried to drag random passersby into our games. Few complied but the ones that did seemed to have fun. Then we headed to Shotgun Hole for a night of caving and swimming in the springs. The next day, Logel and his fellow North Carolinians joined Mike and I in Jacksonville for further adventures. We went to Mike's house and paddled his Hobie Cat (rather than sailing it, the mast was difficult to deal with) to Exchange Club Island. We walked around and explored the island some before paddling back. I steered the boat in for a perfect landing and then we piled into cars and went to my house. There, my mother prepared a chocolate fountain party for the six of us and I was impressed with the guys' ability to eat through a majority of the food. We then went to Mike's parents' for dinner, at which point I thought my stomach would explode. Then the Logel group headed back home, a nice weekend on the water in the middle of February.
Events occurred: February 22-24, 2013
The next morning, I woke up early and pushed myself to finish my research design. Though it wasn't due until midnight, I had no intention of spending my entire day inside. I finished and submitted it by 2 PM, then ventured into the city with Michael and Carolanne, braving the rain. Unfortunately, Rhea was feeling really sick and spent all day in bed. We brought her soup and Gatorade and she recovered somewhat the next day and was fine the day after that. As soon as we could, Michael, Carolanne, and I headed toward an Indian restaurant that Michael's uncle had recommended. I had never particularly cared for Indian food until I joined OAR. Now, it has become a staple, and I loved this all-you-can-eat authentic restaurant. Toronto is notorious for ethnic food and culture and I tried to soak up as much of it as possible, hopping from each town to the next. My absolute favorite, obviously, was Greek Town. I ran around excitedly, ordering pastries and frappes, as well as a gyro of course. I also tried to converse with some of the shop owners in Greek but only a few obliged. We also explored the underground tunnels connecting Toronto and walked around the stadiums for various sports teams.
The next day, I spent some time with Michael and Carolanne, Rhea still sick in the apartment. We walked around without any direction, just enjoying the fresh air and the sunshine. I was so relieved to have finished and submitted my last paper, officially done for the semester, that I practically skipped around the city. I took off on my own for a while so I could walk some more rather than taking the subway, anxious to move around after such a lengthy drive, and I also relaxed in the apartment for some time. We soon packed up our stuff and headed for Michael's family cottage in Peterborough. 
We arrived at the cottage late at night and I was so tired that nothing registered. I passed out on a bed with Rhea and we woke up to the sunshine in the morning. The lake was beautiful but, alas, it was far too cold to swim in. I sprawled out along the edge of the water with a book, letting the sun warm my skin like a reptile. Peterborough was the epitome of relaxation. We spent two days on the porch or by the water, drinking tea and reading. I think I drank at least ten cups of tea a day, not realizing how caffeinated it was. Michael and I took out the sailboat and it was so much fun zooming around the lake. However, the water splashing up was very cold, since the lake had only been ice-free for about two weeks. Nonetheless, it was very fun and extremely beautiful. I also got to learn some more about sailing, which I've always enjoyed. I was sad to leave the cottage but also excited to get to Boston!
