The Un-Ending Adventures of Jenny Jumps

I’ll never forget the day I moved away from home.

First of all – where did I think I was going?

I had been accepted into the Honours Music programme at McMaster University, into on-campus Residence in Brandon Hall and to a job for which I had never been interviewed at the East Hamilton Y.W.C.A.

When the day came to move-in to Brandon Hall, I packed all of my things into my rickety old panel van, waved goodbye to my dad and gunned it down the highway towards the big cities in the south.

Never mind that I hadn’t kept a dime in my pocket from all those odd jobs and lifeguarding shifts.  Never mind that I had spent all my money on transit passes, cafe mochas, wendy’s lunches and lifeguard training.  I had my golden ticket and was driving down to Hamilton to call Mr. Wonka to task.

As I was rounding the bend on the 403, where the highway curves around the bay, and slides between the massive Christ the King Cathedral and the Hamilton Spectator, my cellphone started ringing.  Despite the precariously undulating highway lanes, I reached out and answered the call.

On the line was a young, motivated T.D Bank employee calling to let me know that she had just rushed the paperwork through and I had qualified for a line of credit which was large enough to cover any of my educational expenses, living expenses and a large amount of incidentals for the next four years.  I thanked her profusely, explaining that I was enroute at the moment.  She wished me luck, and told me to “have fun!”.

Elation – was what I felt.

The next week – and let’s face it – the next four years were a whirlwind of emotions, experiences, opportunities and excitement.  University was my chance to shine and to realise what endless possibilities I could attain for myself.  I made the most of those four years of academia and applied myself not only to my studies but also to as many organisations, projects and work opportunities that I could fit into one week.

The next entries will touch on a number of those activities hurdled through during my years at McMaster – but first, we must discuss my burgeoning career as a performance pianist.