Familiarity

You know that feeling when you know your house so well that you don't really need to turn the lights on every single time you move from one room to another, and you can turn off the lights and walk down the stairs / hallway in the dark to your bedroom without being afraid of falling and having to shuffle your feet and grope aimlessly in the air to make sure you aren't walking into anything? Well apparently I no longer know my house that well. I get a little dizzy going down the stairs if it's dark because I'm a little disoriented and afraid of falling down the stair case. A staircase which I have climbed and descended more times that I can count. Ok so this isn't a big deal, just flick the switch before I head down right? Well this would be helpful if my parents weren't so environmentally conscious. I flick the switch and the energy saving light bulb quietly hums to life. A very dark, dull, barely existent life. It remains so dim that I fumble my way down the stairs in the dark anyways and flick the light off before it's even bright enough to be useful. I like to blame my unfamiliarity of this staircase with new renovations. The carpet has been removed and a runner has replaced it. Well half a runner...it's not actually finished yet. It's still a really weird feeling. To be home but not entirely feel like I'm home. In some ways I feel like I never even left, but in other ways I feel like I am a house guest, trying not to be bothersome and high maintenance.

I went to the Ontario Science Center today with Geoff to see the Harry Potter Exhibit. Although it took us almost two hours to get there with traffic, we made it just in time and ended up getting the cheap rate since we arrived close-ish to closing. I got to try on the sorting hat, which sorted me into Hufflepuff. According to wikipedia, Hufflepuff values hard work, tolerance, loyalty, and fair play. I suppose it could be worse right? The exhibit consisted of a whole bunch of costumes and props used in the movies. It's absolutely insane how much detail goes into those movies! Some of the props are things you would never expect to actually exist. I was impressed with the attention to detail though, and I can't imagine how long it must have taken to organize the props and costumes and set up each shot. It also reminded me how much I love those books. I think mostly because I grew up with Harry, we were the same age when I read the first book and the actor who plays harry potter is only a year younger than I am. I'm thinking that a Harry Potter marathon is in order asap. Maybe the TVs on my various flights will have them available to watch!

Speaking of flights, I was supposed to get back from Kenya on September 4th, a solid 4 days before school started. Since CIDA, the organization giving us the grant to go requires 90 day internships, we've had to change our plans and we now return on the 10th instead. So we're missing the first 3 days of school but have all weekend to adjust to the jet leg, buy school supplies and adjust to life before getting right back into the swing of school and work and swimming and volunteering. I have a feeling I am going to be exhausted by the time I get home, and will not appreciate the quick turn-around between Kenya and school. I can't really complain though, I'm going to freakin Kenya for almost 13 weeks and am being paid to do so.