Page 7 February 2009

CAMPUS

PANTHER POST

Every face tells a story

A New Year’s excursion becomes a storm-stayed night to remember

By Martha MacIntyre Panther Post

Oprah Winfrey once said; “The more you praise and celebrate your life, the more there is in life to celebrate.” This quote sure shines at New Year’s. This is the time of year where we all celebrate. Hell, we made it through another year! We are off from school for a couple of weeks.

This past New Year’s will be one I will never forget. Myself and a couple of close friends decided we were fi- nally going to rent a hotel room. We now were “adults” in our eyes. Walking to “The Gate,’ (now I know what anyone reading this is thinking! “What kind of a twenty-year-old goes there for New Year’s?”) I’m just going to say, my group of close friends, loved the band playing there: Junkmale, a cover band from Summer- side. They play all kinds of music, and I recommend for anyone to check them out.

Now I personally was amazed at how few people were out on this special night. It seems that if we are going to get a storm on little P.E.I., it always seems to happen on New Year’s.

Iam always amazed at what I find (and who I see) when I go to any bar. I will always remember this one lady, who let’s just say had on a “tight shirt”. I will never forget her yelling in my ear: “Now girl,

just close your eyes and feel the music!”

If this lady ever gets a hold of this article, I want to say thanks! for all the laughs. It was a great night. I truly ad- mired how you sure were not afraid to have fun.

Now I’m always told be careful of the cougars. How- ever, I always wondered: do they really exist? I now know for sure. I’ll never for- get this one lady talking to a man who seemed to be half her age:

The man- “Listen, I have a girlfriend.”

The Lady (Cougar?) “But, she isn’t here.” ;

Now for a few short hours, any bar brings together so many different people, with a different story. I wondered what was the crazy lady all about? Who was she really? Who was that cougar and young man? What story did their face tell bring to us?

Once a bar turns on their lights and announces “Time to leave, the night is over” everyone goes to different places.

Like us, I bet most people were trying to beat the storm. Now my good friends, (who live in Montague) decided they would wake up really early the following morn- ing. They were trying to get back home before the storm

_ Started. Little did they know,

they would only make it to Sherwood. They - would have to crash and our friends apartment. I figured I would sleep in a little more, and

Image: http://www.houseflags.com

would get home later in the day. Little did I know.

I still remember waking up, and going to look outside the hotel.

One could not see in front of them! All I could see was snow. Now you know it is bad out, when you turn on a radio and all it says is “The Department of Highways, and the RCMP our warning all motorists to not go out on the roads. They are dan- gerous and slippery.” Being advised by my parents that I would not be going any- where today, I knew I would

have to stay another night at

the hotel. This time I was all alone. At first I never felt so

alone in my life. How could what was supposed to be an excellent New Year’s turn so sour?

I thought to myself, there

are two things I could do: I

could sit in my room all day, or I could go out exploring and see who I could find. It is amazing how so many dif- ferent people could be forced to stay in the same place for a day (because of the same reason).

Everyone in that hotel, were all so different from myself. However, on that one day, we all held one thing in com- mon.

I was amazed at all the dif- ferent people I met, and how

most people were willing to chat. There were a boys bas- ketball team from Montreal, members of the P.E.I. Rock- et, a young couple who were at the hotel celebrating their anniversary. I might mention the young wife wasn’t very happy that she would not be able to get her “anniversary drink” that she wanted that day. I talked to a young fam- ily, who have been staying at this hotel for the last week. Their house had caught on fire. However, thankfully it was being fixed, and they should be able to go back to their home in the next couple of days. I was able to pass some time, talking to a few people I went to high school with. My neighbours at the hotel were over from Halifax. They had hoped they would have had one of the best New Year’s of their lives. Little did they know! Every face tells a story. It

is just important to take the

time, and find out their story. Although, I had to stay in the hotel alone, and I went through the day starving, (I only had a bag of chips to last me from early afternoon to late evening. The hotel finally got someone to cook us some food. Even the chef was storm stayed.)

I was amazed how everyone came together to get through the day. I am sure that was a New Year’s that most other guests, like myself, will nev- er forget. This day, and this story, will be one I will tell for years!