Well, like many posts before have said, the past month has been full of exam fun. Many of the first year commies are done and at home at this very moment. Second years have not been so fortunate. I still have two more exams to go. One is in 2 hours and another on Wednesday.

I am just sitting in my room, passing the time, waiting for the inevitable to hit. It is a beautiful day here in Kingston. We just got a foot of snow yesterday so everything is painted white and sparkling.

Don’t let this picturesque image fool you though, Kingston weather can be a temperamental beast. Early Fall is a great time of year here. Cool breezes with the leaves changing cover is a pleasant introduction to what is to come. Then we enter the rainy season where it is just not cold enough to snow. It rains a fair bit here. Nothing the Vancouverites are not used to I am sure. The winters here are cold and snowy. Sitting right on the edge of Lake Ontario means we get a good amount of snow. But then Spring comes around and the dark days of Winter vanish. Spring is beautiful in Kingston.

With that little weather forecast, I am off to my finance exam. Have a superb holiday!

Until next Sunday…

It’s hard to believe that I only have two more months left as a first year at Queen’s. Six months have passed since I came to Kingston and now I’m already back from my first Reading Week. Friends and family in Toronto I visited over the week have all asked what it’s like both living in Kingston and being away from home. Truth be told, though every student misses the occasional home-cooked meal, each time I tell them that Kingston has become like a second home to me. In fact, while home for the break, I actually found myself missing Kingston a lot!

There are several reasons which make it so easy for me to call Queen’s home. The first is the incredible amount of school spirit each faculty possesses. From the start of Frosh Week to my first football game, where everyone is decked out in blue, red, and gold, and cheering in unison, I instantly felt welcome and a sense of pride for Queen’s. Though Kingston is smaller than where I’m from, I like the fact that it is a student-centred city. The university campus, student village, and downtown core foster the student experience in a tight-knit way, which has played an important role in making me feel like a part of the larger, Queen’s community.

The Commerce program has also had a lot to do with why I feel so comfortable in Kingston. Over the course of six months, I have had the chance to meet a great majority of fellow first year students, and I now understand why Commerce is seen as a “big family”. Whether it be through weekly group meetings, from having been in the same Frosh Group, or from being on a Commerce Society executive committee together, many first years have already built significant relationships which have further enhanced their Queen’s experience.

It’s getting close to the time of year where universities begin sending out the much-anticipated acceptance letters, and I remember being an anxious grade 12 just a year ago. My advice – stick with your gut feeling. I had a strong sense that Queen’s was the best place for me, and after six months in the Commerce program I’m glad that Kingston really does feel like a second home.

If you guys have any questions at all, feel free to e-mail me at 9dvl@queensu.ca!

That’s it for now,
Danielle Lucchese
Comm 2014