Sometimes I’m less hardcore than I’d hope. Did I say “sometimes?” Because I mean all the time. But hey, I have my cool moments.  At last night’s Girl Talk concert, for example, I rapped along to things. I screamed, “Yeah Pennsylvania!” when he gave a shout-out to our home state. And at the end, I said, “This was good, but I liked him in Baltimore better.” I was clearly the coolest fan in the audience. 

Here’s a pic: 

            But then there was lightning. Night lightning. Big, scary bolts flashing across the sky.  And as much as I wanted to impress the cute Canadian guys around me make the most of my study abroad experience, I got out of there. I chose the safety of my dorm room over the Black Keys concert, and so far, I haven’t looked back. My friend felt the same way, and we spent the walk home discussing how logical it was that we would have died had we stayed. If there were one adjective to describe us, it would be “hardcore.” Although “really cool” works too.

            I know; it’s a pathetic story. But that’s what travel does; it presents my issues to me, nearly PowerPoint style. Suddenly I know what I need to work on. (Item number one: always assuming I’m about to die. Apparently no one got struck by lightning last night. Weird.) But the great thing about study abroad is that it’s long term; I have four more weeks to soak up Quebec. And so far, I’ve been doing a good job–eating poutine at Chez Ashton, walking through old town at night, and making new friends. Besides, there’s another concert tomorrow night. Let’s just hope it doesn’t storm. 

Location: Plaines d'Abraham, Quebec, QC