Roomies

I have had a sweet time with my roommates this year. Many of you know that I am a don/ RA in a residence here at Wilfrid Laurier University. I am in an apartment style residence which means that at the beginning of the year I am placed with 2 random first year students. I could not have had better luck. Kevin, Alex and I have had a really sweet year and have been up to all kinds of crazy antics since day 1. We got along great and shared the responsibilities of running a household. I would say we kept the place pretty neat and tidy, providing our many friends with a homey and inviting atmosphere. Meals are always provided for our guests, what is ours is yours, so if you haven't come by yet this year, I would get on that. This post is a tribute to my roommates. Here are a few highlights of the year.

Rocky
I came home one night to find a new pet in my room. (One of the many pranks played on me. I guess that is what I get for leaving my door open more often than not) Kevin got me a pet rock, appropriately named Rocky. We had a great time hanging out with him, although cuddling with him would provide bruises and scrapes. Sadly, he stopped eating and died. We gave him a proper burial by dropping him down the garbage chute from the 14th floor.



Settlers

If you have not experienced the board game Settlers, well I feel bad for you. If you were to come to our house on any given evening, there is a good possibility a game of Settlers will be in progress or about to start. This is a game that is comparable to Risk but without the violence and like monopoly without the 6hr play time. Its usually the perfect way to relax after a long day of business lectures, although the game can get pretty heated. It's a game of trading, stealing, alliances and enemies. It brings out the best and worst in us all. I have been known to be fairly ruthless at times. Here is a picture of my settlements during my most recent win.

Ruthlessness=Victory.

Nerf Wars
More times that I can count on my fingers and toes combined, I have been ambushed. By who you may ask? I would ask a different question. BY WHAT!? There are times when my roommates turn into something straight out of a modern war movie. It is times like these where I will be enjoying a meal and an episode of The Office and without warning be bombarded by a hail of Nerf darts. While some may call it childish to run around with goggles and plastic guns, I would refer to it as childish. Wait what? Oops! However, I must admit, I have joined in on the battles on occasion and it is a good time. I'm pretty skilled with a Nerf gun.


Alex's Cooking
My roomate Alex is a master chef. The best part: Kevin and I reap the rewards of being the ones who are around at dinner time. Whether he is baking pumpkin pie, apple cookies, making his famous pasta or tuna burgers, there has never been a time where Kev and I have gone hungry. Thanks Alex, for your expertise in the kitchen.

So boys, here's to you! Thanks for a solid year. I hope there are more good times to come as we still have a few more years here at Laurier! For the rest of you, if you haven't had a chance to meet these two goons, come on by. I'm sure you will be embraced with a plate of food, a few darts in the face and of course a good time.

The Madness of March.

flashback to this time 2 years ago. My entire life at this moment would be spent on the couch wearing sweatpants with Doritos cheese on my fingers, dishes unwashed in the sink- and my brother and dad right beside me.

This behaviour was totally justified because this time is the year that even my mom can understand: MARCH MADNESS PREVAILS.

last year during the tournament, I was in Australia, so things were a little bit different and most of the basketball talk happened over skype. however, it is safe to say that this year i have experienced the most madness of anytime during my life. school is winding down- meaning the work load before exams is winding up. summer is approaching which only means the job search intensifies. (which reminds me: To all you CEOs reading, i've decided the only way to make this fair is for you all to pick a number between one and a thousand. and i work for whoever gets it right on.)

k great job search is now off the To-Do, but still much madness remains.

like the madness of St. Patty's- i swear i saw that leprechaun. plus interacting with drunk "irish" people the entire day was quite an experience.

the Madness of school (30 page business reports, business presentations, labs, and not the slightest will to do any of it.)

And how could the madness of basketball that brings my old man to washington to watch the games, not help to exasperate my desire to do nothing but watch basketball.

its really quite maddening- but im lovin every minute of it.

My Flourishing Modelling Career

For our avid followers, you would know that since the humble beginnings of this blog I have revamped my modelling portfolio and rekindled my love for the camera. Ever since working with Dylan Hamm a few months ago, my phone has been ringing off the hook for various shoots, ads and commercials. While initially I was a little skeptical when Rolling Stone magazine left voicemail after voicemail and email after email, I finally decided to call them back and told them that I could give them the shoot of my band that they so desperately wanted. I gave them a little interview too. Thankfully when I got to their head office, I found out that Dylan just got hired and I got to be on his first cover. Not too shabby.

There's nothing quite like it.

Lately schools been pretty busy. Ive been working pretty hard, and its seems these days, the more i work- the more i procrastinate. they sort of go hand in hand really. My life has become two modes. work mode. vs. procrastinate mode.

the constant battle rages.

if it wasn't for my 30 page business report due;

my room wouldn't be nearly this clean.

if it wasn't for my economics midterm;

i would never have bothered to listen to Josh Earls and his infamous 9/4/11 predication of future economic crisis. (clearly based on his wealth of economic knowledge from EC 140)

if it wasn't for daily lab readings;

i wouldn't be nearly as practiced at writing my signature.

To anyone who has ever learned paper origami, that cool pen-finger-spin trick, Rubic's Cube or Sudoku;

you already know my dear friend procrastination.

but most importantly, if it wasn't for hard work mode;

the things we do wouldn't quite have the same appeal, and we would all just be spending our time aimlessly doing semi-cool stuff.

and at this exact moment writing on this blog is my semi-cool thing. so if reading it is yours because you otherwise should be reading textbooks, writing essays or thinking... cheers to you!

And

Cheers, to procrastination:

The instant gratification of delaying Suck.

Do's and Dont's of Bolivia

Here are a few of the more exciting pictures from my trip. I will also share a short story with each one.
Do: Let the little ones carry you around in return for carrying them around all week.
Do: Become good friends with the bus driver, who not only inspired me to become a world class RV driver, but also stopped at a random sketchy car markets so that I could get awesome accessories for our RV.
Don't: Don't walk through the market with your purse at your side. An old woman will slice it open and root through it before you can even realize what has happened.
Do: Dance with the Bolivians on a Friday night. They know what's good. However, watch out for when they surround you in the middle of the circle, you will be required to show off your dance moves. I didn't know any, and I'm pretty sure I was the focus of their laughter. Nevertheless, good times.
Do: Eat a giant pizza. While this may not be quite as delicious as Twice the Deal or Pico's Pizza, sharing a giant pizza with great friends=great times.
Do or Don't: Get something pierced in Bolivia. This one is really up to you, I mean I think most people would opt for Don't in this situation, but I like to live life on the edge. Who knows how many stories that needle could tell!
Don't: Don't get caught napping while you are supposed to be painting. I mean, this is just common sense. I tried to hide behind the couches but still got caught. My punishment: had to go play tag for 20 minutes, and let me tell you, that is most likely why I needed to take this nap in the first place.
Don't: Don't get too close to the black widows on the bus. I think they are poisonous or something?
Do: Eat the chips that they put out at the gas station to advertise for the Crispy Chips that is attached to the station. They are delicious, fresh-ish and best of all: free.
Do: Let your friends give you a new hair-do. Everyone will laugh at how cool you look, and some may even call you Princess Leia. Isn't it everyone's dream to be a princess?


This will conclude my posts about Bolivia. If you want to hear more, or see some more pictures, feel free to contact me in person. Sadly, I did not get to experience the Cholitas. They are in a different city. However, Tyson did say that if there was a league in Cochabamba, he would take groups there in a heart beat. I guess I will just have to go back someday. After all, it still remains on the bucket list. This trip was a huge blessing. Made some lifelong friends and memories. Best of all, I learned a ton about myself, the way the world works and possibly some things I want for my future.

Our Work Projects

I thought you guys would like to know a little bit more about what I was actually doing in Bolivia so this post is dedicated to showing you some of the things that we actually got done. This is moreso for interest sake rather than humour factor. We actually got a lot done. The first few days were a little frustrating as we were working on Bolivian time. What does this mean? Well, for one, expect everything at least a day late. The wood for the laundry room came 2 days late so we ended up cutting a bunch of grass with this mini electric mower. Picture a months worth of grass during the rainy times. Anyway, once the materials got there, we had a lot of fun drilling into the Brazil nut wood. Rock solid stuff. Many drill bits were lost during the battle. Also, another thing I realized is that people tell you what you want to hear. Not what is realistic. Which I have found is really annoying. Telling me what I want to hear and then not coming through is just doesn't make sense because I would have been fine if you just told me that you would be late. Well that's how it works in Bolivia. Here are some pics.

Carpenters Tom and Jerry with the Architect Manuel, infamous for their 3 hour lunch breaks and broken promises.
Me painting at the girls home. Wow that looks great!
Before we arrived.
What we got done during one week. While it may not look like much to the naked eye, we worked really hard and I'm even surprised we got this done with the number of setbacks and frustrations. Well, shes solid and hopefully will have a roof and paint by the time the second half of our team comes back this Monday.

It was really great giving back to these homes. The kids who live at these places are actually the best. My favourite part of the trip was hanging out with them and just feeling the love. I miss it already.

A Hike

It is most likely not a surprise to many people that I love the outdoors. The first Saturday we were in Bolivia, we had the opportunity to go for a hike in the backyard of the guesthouse we were staying at. AKA, miles and miles and miles of mountain trails. Needless to say, I was loving life. Just being out in the mountains was so refreshing. Green all around, fresh air, the sound of the river flowing and the warm breeze. Just thinking about it makes me want to be back. It was a good hike and I'm glad we did that instead of lounging around in the hammocks all afternoon (also a way I spent lots of time star gazing and such). Anyway, here is a pic of some of the scenery.

After this, we went to the girls home to set up for Carla's birthday party. It was her 15th which is a huge deal in Bolivia. Essentially it is a coming of age ceremony. It was so great for me to see how much of a big deal they made it. In a house of 22 girls, I could see a lot of these parties happening. Still, no expenses were spared. Cakes, food, decorations and a hired DJ with a big ol' sound system. It was super fun just dancing around with all the kids, having a good time. When it was time for the ceremony, her 15 friends each grabbed their dates to get ready for the ceremony. There are 15 couples that are a part of it, each representing one year of her life. Well, turns out, they were short on guys. Also turns out that I am a guy. When they asked me to be a part of the ceremony I could not have felt more special. I had been in the country less than 24 hours and got to be part of this special event. Us Enns' have a way of getting into places were we are usually not supposed to be. Oh, some of you smarter readers may have caught on that there were 15 couples. Yes I did get to have a date. I even got asked out. Not hatin' that. Sarah is a volunteer working with the foundation during her year after high school. She is a cool cat and it was nice to make a new friend who knew the ropes a little bit more than I did. I had a really great first Saturday night in Bolivia, waltzing away. Here is a little pic of the party crew.

Udder: It's whats fer dinner.

There is a Bolivian folk legend that has translated into the ultimate national food dish. Once upon a time, there was a man. This man had some friends. They liked to drink. One Friday night, while the kids were sleeping, he came home with his friends and took over the living room to play some Cotcha (Bolivian Yahtzee). While the poor wife was trying keep the children asleep, she heard her husband yell, "HEY WOMAN, WE ARE HUNGRY, MAKE US SOME FOOD!" In a slight rage, she went to the fridge and threw all sorts of leftovers onto a plate. There was some steak, some fries, a variety of veggies, cheese, chicken, and to spite them, cow udder and intestines. She tossed it in front of them and said, "If you guys are macho enough you will eat this." Well turns out, they absolutely loved it. Not exactly what she was expecting when trying to stick it to this chauvinistic group of drunks.
Anyway, this is a short story depicting how the national dish came about. I had the opportunity to experience it. Rusty (the guy who owned our guesthouse) was in charge of picking the places where we ate. Early in the trip, he took us to eat some Pikay Macho. Let me tell you, it was delicious. Just a mountain of awesome. I am proud to admit that my favourite part was the intestines. Tasted just like bacon, but chewier. On the flip side, I'm pretty sure I ate a little too much of it, and my digestive system wasn't too pleased with me for the following 48hrs. Enough said.

Airport Adventure

Hello my friends. I am sure that many of you may be a little ticked at me considering I did not post one time while I was in Bolivia. First of all- sorry. but more importantly, its Jamie's fault that he doesnt check his emails. ...not even from dear friends in Bolivia. However I am now home and will write a bunch of posts about my time in Bolivia. I will try to write a bunch of stories for you guys. The good part about this is now you get all the pictures.

this first on is: Airport Adventure.
So although I have already spent almost a day here I'm going to start from the beginning. What sort of adventure begins without airport drama? After our team got to the airport, we started to check in. Instant issues. Since we were flying through brazil, we needed visas in order to re check our baggage because we were switching airlines from air Canada to aero sur. It takes 10 days to get a visa. So what did we do? Naturally got into a team huddle and prayed. It did not take us long to see the power of prayer in action as the manager came down and signed some special forms for each of us 11 travellers. We were on our way! The first flight was pretty long but we all slept, or tried to. Our stop in brazil was for almost 6 hours which was a nuisance. We passed the time by playing Euchre, Never Have I Ever and by trying to figure out if that darn woman in front of us at the waiting gate had a shirt on. From where we sat it appeared that she didn't, and we weren't sure about cultural norms in Brazil. It was pretty hot, so I decided I maybe wanted to take me shirt off but right before I acted on my thoughts she stood up which revealed she was wearing some tube top thing. Anyway, the next few flights were shorter but we were super tired by the end. Oh, quickly. Food on the plane was pretty good. Dinner was a nice pasta but breakfast was another story. One attendant was saying hot cereal and after I said sure! ( better than airplane eggs) another attendant said what I got was called bread pudding. Anyway, I just ended up calling it moist mystery mush and choked it down. Then on the next plane I ate what I called a mystery meat sandwhich. Some called it roast beef but last time I checked I don't know of a meat that has a grey hue. Anyway we hopped off in Cochabamba and the air was cool. We were greeted by Tyson and Carolina. These are the folks that are taking us around for the week. Honestly, coolest. Couple. Ever. I will prob talk about them a lot and just so you can get a visual, picture tall, lip ring, mphwak and glasses with a wife who has dreads. Fabulous dreads. I'm stoked to get to know them. We then took the midnight ride to our guest home(after 24 hours of travel) and let me tell you. Unreal location. Right at the base of the mountains. Food on the table. Smiles all around. Life is good and we will be well taken care of. Today we visited the homes we will be working at butthats for another post.

Till next time- jeremy

Mystery Mush

Public display of Nudity?