Malta

The flight over went well.  I landed in London at 6 am in the morning.  The flight wasn't scheduled to land until the earliest 6:30 but a gentleman on the plane took a stroke so we received clearance from the tower to land first.  After I got my luggage I had to wait an hour for the curtousy bus from the airport to my hotel and I hadn't slept at all yet!  I went to my hotel and slept most of the day, so I didn't really see any of London yet!  Except for the drive from Heathrow to Gatwick airport! Then I flew to Malta the following day.  I arrived super early for my flight to clear security and all that but they didn't even use a metal detector.  I thought it was the shaddiest operation.  I later was talking to a guy from Canada who was on the same flight.  He said that they strip searched him and made him open up his camera lenses and everything.  I guess they just select random people to search.  Our flight to Malta was good.  We were at 37000 feet going 625 miles perhour and it was -70's f.  When the pilot was requesting to land he was informed that he would have to loop around because there was an airshow.  Therefore our plane became part of the airshow!  (First sign of what life's like in Malta)  While we looped around we got to see Mount Edna!  That was quite nice!  Once we landed I got a white cab (that hold significance here) to residence.  I paid 8 pounds (almost $32 Canadian)  I  later learned that if you don't wanna get completely ripped off you have to take a black cab! 

Once I got in I went straight to the pool it was HOT and to meet people.  I ran into Jessica from Dulluth who I had been emailing for some time.  (We meet through a guy that also did the exchange through USAC.)  I hung out with her and Adam from Arkansa and a couple of other people.  People were going out that nite but I was so tired I wanted to go to bed!  Lil home sick at first.  The room was nothing like I expected but you 'll see from the pictures.  Now its great.  I decorated and I have flat mates.  My first flatmate arrived 3 days after me so I was all alone in my flat for a while.  (didn't like that)  Her name is Lori too!  She is from Conneticut!  I wasn't there when she arrived but as soon as I walked in she told me she loved me!  It was too funny!  I had left my underwear all over the living room to dry and she said it made her feel at home so... I guess thats good! We think alot alike so it makes it really funny when we are talking to people and we say the same thing at the same time!  Our parents calling gets confusing tho!  They only ask for Lori and we both just say its me!!! lol  My other flat mate is from Italy Chiara.  She's cool too but she doesn't hang out with us a whole lot.

Went out to Paceville.  It's a town devoted to youth night life!  I've never seen so many people in the streets in my life...seriously there were thousands.  Then in the bars it was packed to but no line ups :D  You can have open liquor almost anywhere and they sell beer (CISK is the Malta beer. Taste like Keiths)  in corner stores etc.  We go there over the weekends.

There are so many Bulgarians here.  I hang out alot with the guys downstairs.  Daniel, Emiliano, (Americans) Chris, Brad (Canadians) and Pavel (says it Paviao) (Bulgarian) all living in the same flat.  They are alot of fun!  There is also a girl from Austrailia...Leila she is amazing! 

We made our first trip to Valletta (countries capital) Leila, Heidi and me.  It was nice but it started to rain!  Bought an umbrella!  When it rains here it floods really quickly!  There are sirens for flood warnigns.  I'm going to have to get sum boots for the rainy season! 

The drivers are crazy.  They don't use signals they veer in between cars and lanes.  IT's crazy.  And walking across the street forget it!  You'll lose you life.  Serious.  You have to look about six times before you cross and then run like your on fire!   If you here a horn a car is really close to you and if you don't move you are going to get hit! 

On Sundays literally everything closes down.  Can't even go out to a restaurant until, well around 4 some stuff opens including the bars in Paceville.

All the buses cost 15-20 cents and they are decorated with church stuff.  The funniest part is that they also have like playboy stuff next to like the virgin mary.  Apparently the bus drivers think its funny!  It's such a bazaar culture but its so cool.  Then, the bus system is really good because it runs all the time but if your in a hurry forget it!  The bus driver could have a full bus and I mean loaded with people sitting and standing and he'll decide he needs a coffee or a smoke and just pull the bus over and have a break.  It soo freakin funny!  If ya wanna live in Malta you just gotta let it ride! 

The weather is beautiful and the seistas make sense.  Around 1-4 its the hottest part of the day and who would want to go into a shop then.  Oh, but they're not lazy they start their days at like 5.  Kinda annoying actually because they be out getting garbage and cutting the grass and whatnot outside our windows and we would have only gone to be a few hours before. 

There a re like 300 churches and they ring there bells every fifteen minutes.  Amazingly you do get used to it.  I only notice the bells once or twice a day!  There are alot of flies.  They don't bite very often but its still a lil irritating.

There is always a breeze here.  It's great when the suns out but it makes it a lil chilly when the sun goes behind some clouds. 

There are lots of cats!  WE have cats and kittens throught the res and the uni has cats goin thru it too.  The classes are quite entertaining.  One class the kids just said its too hard they need a break half way through and the prof let us take a break.  Then her cell rang and she left to take it.  It was her daughter. 

Oh the lizards.  they're are all kinds of little lizards too.  Pavel when he first saw one freaked out and called it a lil monster.  Now he calls it Mr. Boe Jangels (SP?)  He is a funny character.  

I played futbol (soccer) a couple of times with the guys and Leila but one time I hit my foot on the goal post (stopped the goal but I thought I broke my foot)  After 2 or 3 days it was fine though. 

We went to Comino a tiny island off Malta the other day.  It was absolutely amazing.  We swam through a cave to the other side of the island.  Words cannot describe how amazing that was.  I am planning on getting my international diving certificate over here as part of school credit!  Isnt' that cool!!! 

The wine is cheap like 2-4 dollars Canadian for good wine.  Fruit is cheap too!  Shampoo and stuff is kinda expensive and clothes are really expensive.  But I find clothes expensive anyway.  But there are no thrift shops or anything here thats has cheaper clothes/  ah well. 

We've played texas holdem, flip cup,KentCoupe, rummie, poker and sum other games its a really good time.  Oh and the guys are teaching me how to play keep it up!  I'm getting better.  One of the Bulgarian guys took some of us out for Absenth it was quite good!  We've been trying alot of different things from different places but it turns out mostly to be Bulgarian and alot of their stuff is related to alcohol. 

The guy I had been emailing in Malta's mom passed away the other day.  So, I have yet to meet him.  Cancer! :( 

We went to a party with some Maltese one nite.  They can be very vulgar people.  With their swearing.  They were telling us what they were saying so that we'd understand and it was quite nasty. 

I hope this is easy to read I wanted to make it clear where a new entry started.  I went out with several of my friends from the res to a restaurant in Paceville.  It was a Mongolian Barbeque.  I've never been.  It was really good you make your own combination and then they cook it!  IT was a really nice evening out for all of us. 

My classes are really interesting.  They talk alot about the clash of civilizations so that keeps me interested for the whole lecture. 

I'm taking International Criminal Court.  International Law.  North Africa and International Relations in the 21st Century.  (One of my Favs) Theory of International Relations and Foreign Policy.  Reinventing the Government in the Information age.  Western Europe in Modern Times  and Medieval and Modern Mediterranean History.  The classes meet on average 1-2 hours a week. 

The computers in the computer lab are all flat screen new computers.  And there are several ofthe labs in the computer service center and then there are pods all over the uni for people to use.  The stairs and some other parts of the uni are made of marble.  The structures are somewhat randomly placed throughout the campus but it very nice.  There are alot of court yards and most classes lead directly to the outdoors.  I don't have classe on Fridayso tomorrow will be a nice day off!  The uni closes over the weekends and therefore I lose my free internet access but ah well. 

The bugs here can be rather annoying.  I haven't been bitten more than twice but they crawl all over you some days.  I only really noticed it by the pool yesterday.  I go back to res about a 10 min bus ride from the uni as often as I can for a swim/ tan break and food!  The bus is free and it runs about every hour or so.  The class run 9-10, 10-11 and so on but that gives you no time to get from class to class so profs usually give you five minutes before and after the hour to get to class!  Not that they really care anyway!  I definately recommend that everyone does an exchange for school at least once in their life! This is such an amzing experience.  I'd love to do it every other year!  Lee Austrailia is soo expensive for uni a girl Leila I hang with is from there but no originally so she has to pay and she pays 7000 a semester!!!!  Get this she is originally from South Africa!  She has amazing stories to tell.  She  lived there till she was 15!   I put up a few lil up dates with the pics but nothing substantial. 

Music they listen to here is for the most part the same as back home and the shuttle bus drivers to the uni are a roar!  They will turn upthe songs that we start singin and dancin to or that they like and they start dancing!  They're too cute!  One of them on the way to the uni today was driving the big bus and stopped while we were on the lil bus waiting to get going and took out a compact and pretended to put on his makeup!  The staff @ nite esp are soo nice!  When we come in and Maltese keep late nites.  I mean like 5 in the am they ask us where we were how it was etc.  We don't generally go out till 5, we're usually back around 3 (mostly weekends too)  But the Maltese we've meet tell us we have to adapt and start to party like them. lol

I'm bonding with our maid.  Because she is nice but also because I've put stuff up on my wall to make it like home and we're not allowed.  Others have had the maid yell at them but I'm still in the clear.  Whoop Whoop!

The stove in our kitchen has to be lite with a lighter..good thing Chiara smokes (we make hersmoke outside but she doesn't mind) we didn't have a lighter.  No microwave makes leftovers hard! :(  My bed is a single but I've a bunk bed in there too that I may add my bed to, to make the bottom a double or queen or whatever but for now, it stays! 

Thanksgiving day and I have to go to school.  Found out one of my classes is in a farmhouse its really the strangest things I've experienced yet in Malta.  I am going to take a lot of pictures and make an entire album to send people of this class. 

I went on a mission today in between classes to get the stuff for Thanksgiving dinner.  I am havign the 6 other Canadians over for dinner. (4 guys and 2 girls) Plus my flatmates will be joinin us and so will the guys from downstairs cause I can't do anything without them and Leila but Leila is Leila so she's just a givin.  COULDN'T get turkey.  Not till November so were having chicken but I have stuffin and gravy and cranberries and all that jazz.

Plans are to go to Sicily in 3 weeks.  Got a lot of other stuff on the go plus school work.  They email you your course outline here and I just got my first one of 8 courses I'm takin this semester and I have to write 3 700 words essays and a 2500 essay and a final test.  That's only one course but its the North African IR in 21st Century so it should be interesting and I won't mind but ALOT of work for 1 of 8 courses. 

It's really muggy here and I sweat alot. Just so you know.  I don't speed walk like I used to tho because that's not Malta style plus I'd probably sweat to death.  I hear it's still nice back home so I don't feel bad talkin about the weather

The keyboards are a lil different here so it takes some getting used to for speed typing. 

The kids in elementary and secondary school have to wear uniforms. 

I went to church on Sunday. 12 noon in Valletta is the only english speaking mass.  Lori and I and another Maltese/Canadian girl from res go.  But communion is a mad dash.  I'm serious.  There is no order, if you want communion...RUN! It was so bazaar.  Plus everywhere you go the paint and FLAKES of the stone fall from the ceiling.  It was really funny in church tho because we weren't expecting it.  I sweep the floor in out flat soo much because of the dust that comes of the walls.  I think I picked up a lil flu bug or something from all the dust. (stuffed up)

A couple of the Bulgarians invited Lori and I to their homes for Christmas which would be really cool.  Another girl and I were tlaking about goin to Austria which is like my dream place for Christmas!  But I still don't know what I'm up too. I might even come home. I 've lots of time to travel.  Who knows. 

 I finally have a time limit on computer usage of 8 hours a week but the way they reload you time and stuff you don't really even notice unless you use all 8 hours in one day.  Then it will count and won't be reloaded for several days.

We went out to a FRISK party at the uni for the freshers and returning students. You know like frosh week stuff!  And I was interviewed by the Maltese news with some Alstrailian guys that I had meet a few days before.  But I didn't realize it was for real at the time I though it was a school video.  ah well. Somewhere in Malta I may be on TV!  While we were at the Frisk party (we lock our room doors and our flat)  so I lock my room door forgetting that one of the cats was still in the flat!  So she was in my room for like 4 or 5 hours!  I freak when I realized but the cat just stayed in the same spot on the top bunk no where near my bed and it didn't pee either.

I saw one of the cats eat a lizard. It was strang but I don't think they have a lot of mice so I think theyre the same thing to the cats here.

Our stove in our flat is gas and we have to light it to use it so that is new to me.  Our sink does not plug neither does our tub the plugs they gave us are too small.  Thats' about right for Malta.

Sorry this is so jumbled I just throw random thoughts on paper to keep you posted on my life experiences here and then I rush of to get the bus back (every hour, sort of but then the freak-a-fy the schedule around seista time and then back to normal) or I rush off to class because I have to wait in a line up for like 5-20 minutes for a computer sometimes and there are quite a few computers and labs!  ah well all part of life in Malta. 

Had 12 people over for Thanksgiving dinner.  Everybody was such a great help.  Really made me feel at home.  Note the guy Emiliano, he's girlfriend has found the greatest guy!  He was soo helpful for dinner and he knows how to cook too!  Lori was, as usual, amazing.  She put the chicken in the oven while I was at school and basted it!!!  Everyone helped we had the full meal deal! 

Who was there:  Jewel's (Canadian) made apple crisp for desert. Chris (Canadian-brought wine) Cory (Canadian), Theresa (pronounced Tresa, Canadian), Brad (Canadian).  Then Leila, Emiliano, Dan, Chiara, Juan and Lori.  Then Jenn (US) and Dina (US) joined in for desert.  We've decided that we are going to start having everyone over or down at the tarp by the pool get together once or twice a month for a potluck!  It was soo fun!  When I come home we should do stuff like this! 

I came here for my reinventing Gov't in the information age class at 11 for two hours.  However when I got here I found out that it was rescheduled till 5 oclock tonight, off campus.  So, I think as much as I want to take that course I'm gonna change it cause by the time class is finished it'll be dark and I don't know anyone taking it or where it is and I don't get free transportation. 

Had to go for a medical yesterday except Lori and I took a wrong turn and ended up walking on the highway with no one to ask directions for 45 mins.  Obviously, we missed our medical and had to reschedule it.  When we finally found someone to ask directions (happened to be a cop)  He laughed at us because he said we passed it twice.  (not directly) Then we got a bus from Marsa where we ended up instead of Msida.  The bus didn't go to where we wanted to go so we had to go further ahead to Valletta before we could go back to Lija!  What a trip! 

The sun rises early at sets early.  Probably up around 6 am and sets around 7!  They have daylights savings time soon, too so that will help! 

A couple of people have gone home since they arrived.  A guy from Chicago and a girl from Italy.  Another guy from Germany was going to go because he's courses won't transfer but he changed his mind and he is going to stay.  Good thing because he is such a fun guy to be around. 

Chiara my flatmate has been trying to quit smoking but she is so stressed out!  Her best friend from back home (a guy) emailed her and told her that he is in love with her and now she doesn't know what to do!  She doesn't like him like that.  It's so crazy!  She hangs out with us more now.  she helped with dinner and joined us a couple of times hanging out in the guys room!

I swear, Lori, Jess, Leila and I  are just drawn to that room and it takes so much effort to leave.  They all are so fun, it makes for great entertainment.

The international cook off went really well! People loved our pancakes and Maple syrup!  We made friends with the Chines group and they had us over for supper the other night and taught us how to make chinese dumplings and made us some other chinese! 

I went to a play in Valletta it was really good!  They have a different approach to things but still very interesting and entertaining. 

Went on a boat ride around the entire island!  It was a great experience!  Saw alot of places that I want to make a point of visiting while I am here! Popeye's Village and Blue Groto ruins to start!  The ruins are over 4000 years old and the designs that they had are so intricate.  Amazing! 

People go to what we call a Topas bar alot around here!  You order a drink or two and they bring you small trays of food the whole time you're there.  Free supper!  The food is pretty good too although they put olive oil on everything.  Even if they're just eating a piece of bread! 

I woke up this morning and actually found it a little chilly (for Malta) probably 10 degrees or so!  I think their fall is starting to set in!  But by 730/8 it was warm again and if I was in a hurry to get anywhere I started to sweat as I walked.

I went to a history conference about Malta and it's international relations on Thursday!  That was really interesting.  I meet some people from Italy, Holland and Sweden there!  They were giving me travel tips if I visit where they are from!  They were the presenters!  With the conference which was free we also got to have  a free lunch with all kinds of different Maltese dishes!  I tried Pasta and Rabbit with Rabbit sauce it was actually good!  Along with a ton of other food! 

I had a make up class for ICC yesterday and I'm in it with Emiliano and we couldn't find the class so we asked for directions to the ELT building and everyone told us it's ALT but go look at the maps that show the uni's lay out for directions to it!  so we went to the map and only noticed ALT no ELT so we went to that building!  No one was in the class so we visited the guy in the booth who gives great directions and he told us ther is a ELT building (but it's not on the map of the uni.  Way to go Malta!)  But we still had a little trouble finding the place. Then, noticed our professor slowly making his way to class.  By the way he's 10 minutes late so far!  So we walk behind him without him noticing and then, get this, HE stopped and asked for directions!!!  We found the class though and had a nice 3 hours of it!  Whoop, whoop!  To be honest it's a really interesting class though.  Alot of the time the people in the class try to bash the US for not participating with world affairs fairly! 

We went out to the Topas bar last nite.  A ton of people from res to watch a football game and to get free food with our drinks!  The bar has black lights though and I do my own laundry in the tub.  Apparently not very well cause you could see detergent stains all over my clothes which you can't see other wise.  It was quite funny!

Nat called last night at like 12:30/1.  I was in bed but I was readin some school stuff so luckily I was still up!  She is coming to visit around the start of Novemeber with Andrew!  YEAH!!!!  I thought everybody was gonna get visiters through the year but me!

The doors here are push ot get in and pull to get out!  Even in the grocery store you have to open your own door to leave with all your food that way! 

Found out where the archives is in the library but didn't actually find it!  I'm going to get someone to give me directions in the next couple of days I d like to see what it's like.   

So, we have a new Flatmate!  She is from Rome, Italy!  It's so exciting to me.  I've decided our flat is called Lori's Italian Flat!  Yeah I know how clever am I!!!

Lori and I took a bus to go to Paceville to look around and do a little window shopping one day and the bus driver wasn't going that direction on his route but the bus was empty so he just took us anyway and he even stopped without a bus stop sign for us to get out!

The street lights here go red and amber before they turn back to green I thought that was different! 

Oh, back to the new flatmate, she entitled us to a second fridge which is sweet!  She came with so much food I think she is planning on feeding an army!  She also cooks!  She made paste with the thickest spagetti noodle I have ever seen!  It's good too!  YEAH ITALIAN COOKING FOR MEE!!! 

I am in the process of learning some new languages along with my school work!  Since I am going to Bulgaria for Christmas I thought I should learn Bulgarian!  It's coming pretty good!  But they tell me I have to work on my Bulgarian accent.  I'm also slowly picking up a little Maltese and Italian on the way!  We have a white board in our flat so Chiara and Federica (that's our other flatmates name) writes an Italian word a day on the board for us to learn!  FEDE is faith!  That wasn't our word but it's the beginning of Federica's name!  Maltese only when I run into Maltese which is quite often!  And they try and teach me a word!  I probably know 5!  Ah well I have a year to improve and I'm taking in a lot of information right now!  School and languages! 

I tour through Lija with some of my spare time and it's unbelievable how small this place is but with the crazy roads and the traffic it takes forever to get from one plzce to the next but when I walk/run through it takes only a few minutes to go between towns!  You can't get lost because as long as you know the general direction you want to go and some land marks you will always find your way back!  It's a great way to get to know the place. 

The weather is still beautiful!  Trying to take advantage of it before the rainy season of winter comes around.  We think that a bunch of us are going to Sicily next weekend which will be fun!  We get travel advice from our flatmates as well on where to visit in Italy!

Oh, my flatmate Lori!  She own 2 cars.  HERSELF!  A civic and get this Amanda a real JEEP!!!!  How jealous am I!  I have to make a trip down to New York (Conneticut) before I start school again!  We still get along smashingly!  

I went SCUBA DIVING in the Mediterranean on Sunday!  It was soo much fun!  It wasn't the most beautiful spot to dive but it was amazing!  That evening we had an end of the summer BBQ bash on Golden Bay Beach!  It lasted till midnight!  I had an 8 am class so it was okay but I was really tired and wanted to get home and sleep!  

Learned how to play the card game spades the other night!  It's really fun and competitive! 

I'm heading to Bulgaria for Christmas but no London for New Year's the flights are too expensive!  Ah well! 

There is a place here called Popeye's village it is where the movie was filmed!  We were supposed to go there on Friday but after visiting the red tower we found it too hot so we just went to the beach instead!  I seen the village from a distance and it looks so cute and bright!  I'll take lots of pictures! 

I meet a girl named Emma from Ireland and with her University when you are studying politics you have to do a work term!  Guess where her work term was?  For the Irish Government!  She got to go sit in on some of Milosovich trial in the Hague and she went to Toronto!  As well it was Ireland's turn to be President of the EU so they were really busy with delegates for those 6 months!  Not to mention it was during the time when the 10 new countries joined the EU!  MALTA!  She made lots of contacts that way!  SOO JEALOUS!

We are having a potluck at our place tomorrow evening!  I think we are going to have to move it outside because alot of people from res said they were coming and our place isn't that big!

My classes are going great!  Although it's REALLY hot and stuffy in the classes so you have to have water and fan yourself so you can stay awake and aware and concentrate!  I could handle a few degrees cooler!  Did I mention that it should be cooler than it is right now anyway!  I guess we were just lucky!

Hrm...so where to start since I wrote last!  Our potluck went over very well...about 30 some people were at our flat!  Lori made apple pie which was a hit!  We are having another one tomorrow nite.  Apparently no one has ever held one at res before.

Lori and I steal (well no one eats them and they're everywhere so otherwise they just go bad) prickly pears.  You have to use something to cover the pear cause it's sharp while you cut it down but they're soo good!  They have a special liq here as well made from it.

I went for a run through Lija the other evening, like I always do. And these guys were walking back from Football practice and 2 of the younger ones like 12 or 13 went on either side of me running in the opposite direction and grab my ass!  I swear it was the freakiest thing!  I think they teach the boys young how to behave around girls!  SHADDY!

Lori is a great cook che made monkey bread yesterday!  SO good! 

We had a Thunderstorm the other night that lasted for like 15 hours! IT was unreal!  The thunder was probably only 4 hours but the lightning was all night and day!  The rain was off and on in the day but all night!

The clock switched back saturday night and in Austrailia it made a 2 hours time difference from here because they go ahead an hour and we go back. Different hemishpers. Cool huh?  

That night we went out to a Shesha bar in town.  It is a very cool and relaxing place.  EVeryone had so much fun they went again last night dressed up for Halloweem!  However, Shesha is very expensive in Malta so they have very few flavors.  2 Apple, Strawberry and Date!

Some evenings for a break from school work we play spades.  I never knew how to play but I 'm getting pretty good, it's really fun!  After playing spades I went to go to bed and some guy who was soooo drunk was almost passed out in frount of my door and almost everyone was like he's not my friend so they left him cause they were going out to Paceville it we terrible. One of the guys from Sudan/ Dubai was super cool about it and helped him get back with his friends and in a cab and home!  Students from off res that came over to party.

LAST NIGHT:  Well, I went to get into bed to do some reading and fix some notes for class.  As soon as I went to sit down a notice a giant bug where I wanted to sit!  I ran into Lori's room and freaked out telling her!  She came into my room to see it and now it was flying around!  We screamed and shut the door and ran down to get one of the guys to save us!  Dan being the sweetheart that he is came up and captured it!  They all said it was a Cockroach!  THAT'S RIGHT A COCKROACH! I was flipping out I started crying and freaking cause it was in my bed and I can't sleep there anymore!  THe front desk acted like it was normal.  Apparently they come in from outside so they're going to put a screen on my window and they gave me bug spray.  I took all the sheets off my bed cleaned my room from top to bottom (again) and slep with a flashlight and cockroach spray!  I must've looked psycho but everytime I felt something I started hypervenilating!  It was so insane, I'm a lil better today but really tired! ARGH!  

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The potluck we had last nigth went really well.  about 45 people were there.  The rain to go along with the tunderstorm held off until 9pm when mostly everybody but the Maltese guys were gone.  Then Mel, Lori, Jess and I hung out with them and discussed our take on the culture and they joined us in making fun of how strange everything is.  Then they noticed that our phone and the hook are seperate and that the jake is almost on the ceiling and then when it started to rain and the kitchen flooded they started roaring because they figured out why that was done so strange. 

That's right our kitchen flooded again.  About a 1/2 inch of water over the entire kitchen and when we went to get them to fix it they just gave us a beach towel and said the maid will come mop it up in the morning.  put this by the door!  We told them well probably drown first.

We just finished a thunderstorm that lasted a lil over 36 hours.  Rain would stop every now and again but it was COLD! Serious.  the air is so moist that when the temp drops to about 10 it feels like 0!  But it's back to hot today!  The sun is back!!!!!