Advice needed: dorm room drop off (Halifax, NS)

5 years ago

My oldest DD is heading off to university in the fall, half way across the country from us. We are flying her there and I am frantically trying to book tickets/hotel by myself (she's working and DH is away).

For those of you who have done this before, how much time do you think I'll need to get her settled? She can access her room on Sunday, Sept. 2 at 10:00 am. I'm tentatively thinking of arriving on the Thursday or Friday and sightseeing for a couple of days, moving her in Sunday and flying back either Sunday afternoon or Monday morning.

The complicating factor is that I'm a teacher and I start teaching on Tuesday morning, so I'd really like to leave on Sunday, but I'm not sure if that will that give us enough time to get her settled? Other than a couple hours of unpacking on Sunday, do we really need to be there for anything else that would warrant us staying over until Monday?

Wish I hadn't put this off so that I could have bothered robo with this before she left on her trip. Not only for her expertise on Halifax, but also on dorm room living. Hoping others can advise at least on the dorm drop off. TIA.

Featured Answer

bpath

5 years ago

last modified: 5 years ago

Does she have a dorm room, or does she have an apartment?

My experience with boys, is: we drove there, checked in, lofted the bed, moved the stuff in (upperclassmen are there to do the toting), helped unpack and make the bed. A couple of hours, including maybe a trip to Target or WalMart or Canadian Tire or Bed Bath and Beyond, and we were done. No need to stay.

Starting in the afternoon, most schools have activities: a BBQ, music, picnic, something.

Some schools let you ship stuff ahead of time, if you are flying. And some stores let you order online and pick up at the store nearest or on the way to the school. You can do linens this way, and run them through the on campus laundry first thing so they are dry and on the bed before you leave. This is a great way to learn how the machines work; they are probably different from the one you have at home.

How fun! My first kid, we shopped, planned everything out, went smoothly as can be. Then we set aside his dorm stuff till DS2 went off to school. But the month before, my dad had a stroke so I didn't spend time organizing and shopping. That's okay, we grabbed the sterilite boxes and headed out. With one set of king size bed linens instead of the 2 sets of XLong (including the custom-made fitted-foot sop sheet and blanket) and no mattress pad. Had to run to WalMart :( We were still done in a couple of hours. Left DS to meet everyone and went for a walk in one of the Finger Lakes gorges, then Mexican food and margaritas.

So if she moves in Sunday morning, you can enjoy your time Friday and Saturday, and she will be ready for you to leave after you make the bed, maybe have lunch while you two stop in at a store for something forgotten. If you fly home Sunday evening, you can relax (ha!) Monday and be ready for school on Tuesday.

Have fun!

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (21)

czarinalex
5 years ago
A couple of thoughts...

Move in day was a mad house at my children's universities. We had to wait over an hour to get up to the curb for drop off. Your flying so might be a little different, but we had a car packed full of stuff. Move in might take longer than you think.

Since you are flying, you might want to leave time to shop to pick up items your dd might need but can't bring on the plane. Even with a car load of stuff, we still had to make a Target run to pick up some additional items. Freshman year was the hardest... the following years were easier and took a little less time.
Related Discussions
Design Advice Needed
Q
Comments (24)
I had thought this thread was coming to an end as the plants are in. Admittedly, the as-built landscape is not as nearly as impressive as those big-buck TV shows with a professional LD leading a crew of 20 working overnight putting in large plants and carpets of sod, but as the thread is back, I will provide more about my cross-cultural design experience and my own implementation of the design process, because I still have a lot of exuberance for the whole adventure. Several differences in national cultures and plant culture do present themselves, which put constraints on the design, and were some paradigm shifts in thinking , which a few years ago this would have just blown me out of the water, but with some limited experience, reading, and being inspired by these forums this whole process really interesting and fun! Changes were made to the design (though not apparent in the above photos) to accommodate more parking and courtyard views as insightfully suggested. Lifestyle Hawaii Lanai life style or a pre-AC/TV southern veranda/porch outside lifestyle is probably the closest US equivalent to how outdoor spaces are used here. AC is available, but very expensive to operate, and not really necessary despite the heat. Sitting outside in the shade with a rocking chair or laying in a hammock and chatting is very common, especially in the evening hours. Walls Nicaragua is one of the safest nations in Central America, but walls/perimeter security are a necessity as an engineering control to the prevalent opportunistic re-allocation of ownership� after all if you really wanted to keep it then you would have secured it. From a N. American perspective perimeter walls and iron-bars do take getting used to. On my first visit, I was staring at my BILs tall walls and thinking I was in Alcatraz, but he saw my expression and remarked very affectionately his feeling for the walls� keep the problems of the world outside and the enjoy the family on the inside. That is the other cultural difference the very strong influence of family and family bonding, which is reflected in this house architecture (actually more of a beach bungalow in N. American concept), with rooms off the common porch for each family and a common kitchen. His wall is representative of more modern architecture� bottom 4 feet in solid concrete and the upper portion finished off to about 10 feet in a scalloped picket fence of sharpened angle iron, which allows a view of the house. Very safe, can�t easily scale the picket of stakes with a ladder, and doesn�t block the breeze. There a wall is not considered an eye-sore to be covered up but rather something that enhances your comfort because it satisfies a primal need, and seeing a tall solid-built wall enhances that immensely � a wall as art and function. Typically walls are just smoothed/painted and occasionally bougainvillea are used on parts of a walls for more color/form and additional security. Tropical "Look" Nica ladies like their flowers, but in-country there were not many of the lush tropical vignettes with bright colors and widely contrasting foliage suggested in tropical design books and websites. If their plant material were replaced with zone 6 plants, then many of the landscaped locations I saw would like very much like a typical N. American landscape- very bleak perimeter and foundation plants and usually very formal/symmetrical. No huge swathes of color that could be had from a bed of crotons or coral trees, but lots of shades of green, dull and shiny, and varied textures leaf shapes - figs, ixorna, gingers, mangos, palms, and aloes.
...See More
Dracaena Massangeana - need advice
Q
Comments (17)
Thanks for all the advice! I'm a college age male who recently bought a Dracaena Massangeana for my dorm room next year. Having killed every plant I've tried to take care of, I was understandably nervous. In researching how to take care of it, I compiled a short care guide, which I will post below. I hope noone minds that I have copied some small snippets from this thread into the 'guide'. Feedback or corrections would be greatly appreciated. Also, I currently have the plant in the plastic container it came in, and am wondering what type of pot would be best to put it in. Thanks! CORN PLANT (dracaena massangeana) MAINTENANCE: WATERING: water every 7-10 days. Water when soil is dry to touch one inch down into soil. 1. Add water slowly to the pot so that it soaks into the soil. 2. Keep doing this until all the soil is moist and a little water comes out at the bottom. 3. Leave the plant alone until you can tell the soil is a little dry when you stick your finger an inch or so into it. 4. Repeat #1. It is important to wait until soil is dry in between waterings or it is possible to overwater; this is often indicated by the leaves beginning to drop or yellow. When you are watching for the water to come out of the bottom of the pot to show that all the soil is moist, be sure that it is not running down a space between the soil and the pot. If so, water a little, then wait for the soil to swell back to fill the pot. Brown spots on the leaves are caused by fluoride in the water. Make sure you water it with water that has no chlorine or flouride. If that is impossible leave the water you use sit in an open bucket for 3 days before using it and the chlorine and fluoride will dissipate and not hurt your plants. Also never leave the plants to sit with water in their drain trays for more than 2 hours after watering them. They do not like swamps. SUNLIGHT: They require low sunlight, making them perfect for corners and hallways. Though corn plants can adapt to low light, they do best in medium sun. Anything above dark works just fine. Don't waste a front and center window spot on this one. PESTS: If the corn plant becomes infected with bugs or mites, spraying a soapy mixture of water and dish soap over the plant should take care of the problem. SOIL: re-fertilize every second month. PROPAGATING (by 'Air-Layering'): http://www.extension.umn.edu/projects/yardandgarden/ygbriefs/h100airlayer.html ROOTBOUND (Def.): A rootbound condition occurs with very healthy plants that are growing vigorously and their root systems get so large compared to the soil in the pot that the soil dries out and needs water every couple of days. If a plant is in a small pot, the roots can get bound up in a ball and prevent the plant from reaching its true potential. Then, and only then, should a plant be moved to a larger pot.As plants grow tall, their roots get long as well. Transferring a root-bound plant to a new pot will bring new life and growth to your houseplants. - http://www.ehow.com/how_2038234_transfer-rootbound-plant-new-pot.html PLANT FOOD: plant food is not medicine and should be used only with healthy, vigorously growing plants. STRUCTURE - KEEPING UPRIGHT: You don't need the cardboard or anything else to hold it up. Just pack some more soil in there, and use your hands to pack it very tightly around the canes to hold them straight. They do tend to get top-heavy, so you will have to repack again from time to time. If you can put the thing inside a ceramic pot, the weight will help keep it from falling over.
...See More
Help! I need landscaping advice.
Q
Comments (9)
Bonnie, is the soil in your area made of clay or sand? I have clay--- hard pack clay. That was the first thing I had to deal with when I started my garden beds. I did a variety of things to get going. One might say I was obsessed. I tried all the techniques to set up new beds in a hurry. I came away knowing for certain, that the double digging technique is a necessary first step - one that was advocated to by Geoff Hamilton (a garden great). These are my experiences so far.... With the front yard, I somewhat cheated and hired a landscaper to install stone pavings for the walkway. In this case I had him remove all the lawn grass and topdress it with triple mix topsoil. I had not instructed him to rototill it into the ground (but on hindsight I should have). I took several shortcuts with this job because I had several potted plants that needed to go into the ground. Already I was delayed by more than a month in planting the perennials. So instead of tilling all the topsoil into the hardpack clay layer, I spot tilled it. whereever I planned to place my perennials I dug a big enough hole and basically tilled the topdressing, manure, bonemeal into the area. Unfortunately this front bed had a slope and so several bouts rainy weather resulted with soil erosion. I was constantly having to clean the sidewalks. So to remedy the problem, I addressed the area which was most vulnerable and installed a plastic lawn edger, slightly raised to prevent the water from entering the beds. Weedcloth was added to keep topsoil in place. Horizontal trenches throughout the bed to slow the flow of water. I used coconut coir to help slow water and act as mulch too. I then planted perennials with deep root capabilites to help break the flow and also to help hold the soil. Only then did I start planting the annuals to fill out the empty spaces. I would say, this front yard bed is now very pleasing. The backyard is another dilemma. Most recent as of today. I created 4 garden beds there. One by the backfence. Here I piled on upturned grass sods which were taken from other bed site. I left the grass here to rot and mixed it with topsoil and compost. It's largely made of clay and broken down with compost. At first it was a really ugly looking pile but now that the sods have broken down, planted with shade lovign plants, the area looks great and thriving The bed by the side of the fence, I dug the sod (used in the backfence bed) and clay out entirely and filled it with compost, topsoil, rotted manure. I used a newspaper layer to kill off the remaining grass. _-- result -- NOT TOO GOOD. Plants were stunted. It might as well be Sahara desert located in the middle of a jungle. The bed that lies next to this bed, was double dug. I got lazy and simply left much of hte clay in place, broke it up and added my topsoil, compost, manure nd builder's sand mix. The results were great. These 2 beds are constantly being affected by water that is coming from my neighbors yard and this is the problem I am now facing. I may need to raise the beds instead and somehow try to see what I can do to prevent the neighbor's water from flooding my area. Despite that, the bed with the 50%clay matter & 50% organic matter works wonderfully, while the other bed with 95% organic matter is not. Plants have suffered. Almost no earthworms in that area which means something is definitely not healthy about it. I can only speculate that there are some trace nutrients I wasn't able to address when putting in the topsoil - or perhaps that the topsoil is of poor quality. Or that the rain managed to wash away any trace nutrients. So the lesson in my story... Clay is good and double digging continues to be my preferred technique. Use topsoil from good garden centres, don't cheapen on it.
...See More
Vacation advice - Bermuda, Bahamas ...?
Q
Comments (42)
Ah grapefruit - your daughters sound like mine. "Sitting on the beach" is a definitive statement and little else is included other the bare beach necessities of a blanket, sun block, a few good books, a cooler with ice and beverages, easy, simple meals and a bed ( and that's the least important). Maddielee - i've never been disappointed with Ritz Carlton's or Fairmont Hotels either no matter where they were. Diane NJ - The Jersey shore is only 60 miles from my home and we've never vacationed there. We've gone down for day trips and we've had long weekends in Cape May but we usually rent places in Duck or Corolla in NC. Avon is one of those quite shore towns that seems to escape notoriety. Funkyart - All good suggestions, we must frequent the same areas - my retirement bucket list is growing longer. It's been over 20 years since we were in Ithaca and it definitely deserves a return visit. We have spent a little time at the Eastern Shore because my brother keeps his boat there but we really on the water most of the time and not investigating the charming towns along the water. We lived in Philly when I worked for the Free Library and then moved to Bucks County . The New Hope- Lambertville area and little towns along the Delaware are favorite haunts for dining or shopping or for exotic ice cream at Gerensers . We cross over the river often to visit my brother in Doylestown or my jeweler in Yardley and my physicians are in Langhorne. We moved to the Jersey side of the Delaware so that our children could attend a specific public school and even though we've been here for 30 years DH and I both still feel like we belong back in PA. Aren't you near Lancaster? DH and I are both originally from the Pittsburgh area and DH's college was in the Laurel Highlands. You definitely should explore the area. My brothers and I used to fish and water ski on the Monongahela River and Cheat River, raft in the Yough, ski at Seven Springs and camp in Somerset County. We used to shoot clay pigeons near Nemacolin Woods which is a beautiful resort. Then there's Frank Lloyd Wright's Fallingwater and Kentuck Knoll. It's funny you mentioned that you could get lost in Longwood Gardens. That's literally what happened to my son and future DIL on their way to their wedding. DH was driving them and they had arranged to meet the photographer before the ceremony at Loch Nairn. The photographer went one way and they went the other and they all arrived 45 minutes late for the ceremony. As for the Brandywine Battlefield- my 3rd Great Grandfather fought there in 1777 with the 6th Virginia Regiment and then spent the winter of 1777/78 with Washington at Valley Forge. I finally made it there last month to see the encampment. Our friend's herb farm (more like a large kitchen garden) is in Genesee, nearly to the New York border. It's a very small home business called Bear Mountain Herbs and they make herbal teas, baths, balms, salves etc. They only sell locally and their web site doesn't even offer online sales. PR is on short list for a winter getaway. We found a home to rent in Rincon for the entire family this past February - until my eldest son hit a patch of ice in Squaw Valley and ripped his knee to shreds over Christmas. ...Kids ...they never cease to surprise and astonish their parents. When dedtired returns I'll have to get her impression of Scotland too.
...See More
daisychain Zn3b
Original Author
5 years ago
Thanks! That is all helpful info.

She is moving into a dorm room this year - probably an apartment next year. It's a pretty small college, so I'm hoping there won't be too much traffic trying to get in. I've booked my flight back home for 5:15 pm. I might regret not staying later, but there wasn't a huge choice of flights. She also has a close friend who has been there a year already who can help her if she needs to shop, etc.

I found some info online about what she needs to bring to dorm (no shipping ahead) and activities (BBQ) on move in day, so I'm feeling a little less anxious.

We also decided that I would go alone with her, which simplifies things rather than making it a family trip.

I still need to book a VRBO or hotel, but if it's just the two of us, I'm not overly worried.

Thanks again for the tips.
Joaniepoanie
5 years ago
Since it’s a small school and you are a teacher and need to get back home, maybe they’ll make an exception and let her move in on Saturday instead....can’t hurt to ask.
lascatx
5 years ago
If you are going to be there ahead of time, you can make the run to the store for toiletries, laundry supplies and other things you don't need to pack before move in day. That was the only thing we did after he checked in.
daisychain Zn3b
Original Author
5 years ago
That is a good suggestion, Joanie. I’m not great at asking for special treatment but I just might try.

Good reminder lascatx. I love making lists so my summer task will be to get our Halifax shopping list ready.

I just heard from my only (other than Robo) haligonian friend who gave me some advice on what part of town to look for (and avoid) when booking a vrbo. I’m feeling quite productive on this first day of my holiday.
User
5 years ago
Enjoy the summer, Daisychain! Wait until later to worry.
User
5 years ago
My daughter’s move in at University of Wisconsin-Madison was super easy and it was a 1300 student dorm. I think we spent 2-3 hours in her dorm moving in and setting up. Then we took a run to Target for a few things and that was that. She was ready for us to go after that. You should be fine. Good luck. Uber and Amazon make it so easy for kids to get stuff they need, it’s not like the old days.
robo (z6a)
5 years ago
Hi! I now see the thread! There’s an ikea here now. Great for essentials! You will be happiest if you rent a car. It’s not a greatly transit friendly city for picking stuff up.

You could probably shop for essentials before she can move in. She can unpack herself. So I think you could leave Sunday especially if you took a red eye home!

any questions about halifax? The only dorms I was in were in Montreal so I might not be so much help there.
LynnNM
5 years ago
One other thing to consider. The day we moved DS into his dorm at the University of Oklahoma, like pretty much every other student and parent, we headed to the nearest Target to buy any other essentials he needed. And Target was picked clean out of everything we needed! Same with Walmart. With DD, years later, we planned ahead and ordered many things at Target to be picked up there when we arrived. We did the same at Bed Bath & Beyond. It was a very smart move on our part. Oh, and many colleges and universities have student clubs that earn extra money by hiring out their students (many with dollies and carts) to help you move in. They were a godsend!
Rita / Bring Back Sophie 4 Real
5 years ago
In addition to stores running out of dorm life basics, traffic and parking were unbelievably huge problems at drop off for us last year. You could not get anywhere in a reasonable amount of time. The line-up to get off the highway to go to Ikea was insane and that was just the new student orientation bunch moving in. Do order as much as possible in advance from stores that let you pick up. Could you arrange for an Amazon delivery at your hotel/Airb-n-b for toiletries, etc? Your student will probably not have any time to shop once you leave. The new student orientation schedule for my son was quite packed, between testing out of classes, lectures and dorm mixers, there would have been no time to a quick run to the store for shower sandals or such.
chispa
5 years ago
I get stressed out just reading this! We did it 2 years ago with DS1 and have 2 more years before having to do it again with DS2!
daisychain Zn3b
Original Author
5 years ago
Oh man. Now you guys are scaring me.

I’m hoping she won’t need too much. She’s a bit of a minimalist and just got back from six months of backpacking and carrying everything she needed in one small bag (except for the extra tote bag with the 7 novels she deemed necessary to carry all over SE Asia). Mind you, she’s going to need to take all her winter gear and books too. Yikes.

Robo, I will probably hit you up for restaurant recommendations, etc as the time gets closer. Good to know there is an ikea. That will be handy. I’ve booked a rental car using air miles for while I’m there. Do you think she’ll be able to get around easily from kings by transit once I’m gone?
localeater
5 years ago
We took our oldest to university last year. Drop off was super well organized and easy. I think we were unpacked, his room set up and DH and I were leaving him in less that 3 hours. It could have been 2 but I dilly-dallied.

DH and I were staying in Pittsburgh for another day or two and DS and his room mate met us for lunch one of the days.

I dont know how it works in Canada but in the US you can place an order online to Bed Bath and Beyond for linens, and dorm accessories and pick it up. In Pittsburgh some of the stores had pick up centers on campus too! My experience was that DS' school and honestly, the city of Pittsburgh, worked very hard to make the drop off experience very painless for the influx of students and their families.

I hope you have a similar experience :)
robo (z6a)
5 years ago
last modified: 5 years ago
Oh yes, everything she want will be accessible by bus! Kings is very close to downtown (a few blocks). And a lovely campus. You can order stuff to pick up at ikea, too, for a fee, great idea to do that with BB&B.

I think you’ll have a nice time, and unlike when I moved in to a dorm 20 years ago, amazon prime will fill in the gaps!
bpath
5 years ago
Hey, just ship everything to Robo's house! I'm sure she won't mind, on top of new job, new baby, etc lol.

It is true stores can run out. When we had to get sheets for DS2, we found nothing at Target and Walmart had only turquoise-and+grey. We found a set in white waaay at the back of the shelf. But, that town has a large university and a college, so things went fast I guess. Traffic was not an issue, though. But you hope stores stock up.

DS1 went to a good sized university, there are also a couple of smaller universities and colleges around. Traffic wasn't a problem there, either. Well, except at the McDonald's one exit before the town. They were understaffed, and in chatting with the manager we mentioned it was move-in day. He said "Ohhh! It's always been on Wednesday, they changed it to Tuesday? But I staffed up for tomorrow!"

As for winter gear, will she come home in October for Thanksgiving? Maybe not as it's kind of far, but she can bring it back with her if she does come home. And, of course, you can always ship it, or order it online.
bpath
5 years ago
Just saw Robo's post that there's a BBB. Yes, do that. Even laundry detergent!
colduphere
5 years ago
last modified: 5 years ago
We have moved 3 kids into Ontario universities and each time i was happy to see that the dorm dons went door to door, greeting kids and inviting them to meet up and go to dinner with their floor-mates in the cafeteria that first night. You will be fine to leave as you have planned. Well, you will be sad to go but your daughter will be busy making new friends and beginning her adventure. It will be time to go. It will be nice for you to spend a couple of days in Halifax together, preparing and sightseeing before she moves in.

I highly recommend the Pier 21 Museum of Immigration. Very moving. There are tons of great restaurants in Halifax. We had a wonderful dinnner at The Bicycle Thief at the waterfront and enjoyed Ristorante a Mano also at the waterfront. Both have patios overlooking the harbour. Enjoy!
User
5 years ago
Also if you are planning on visiting for parents’ weekend. I took a big suitcase with the boots and parkas and brought home the summer stuff then. My daughter did the reverse for spring break and brought home some winter stuff and returned with spring.
arcy_gw
5 years ago
last modified: 5 years ago
One HALF day is all you have with her to "settle her". Three offspring all past University life here. All three, each year, it was a ONE DAY deal. No matter the size of the school, you will spend much time prior to her turn moving in, waiting in lines. Even after an entire summer of packing, shopping, outfitting them for college we ALWAYS made a Wallmart run after the major set up of their rooms. A fan, a different or another;food/snacks/electric cords/command strips different than what we had along....there is ALWAYS A LIST of gotta have NOWS and since many students don't have cars that list is filled by parents and students just before parents disappear. After Sunday move in you are not wanted or needed at the college or for her!! GO HOME. It's harsh and seems "rushed" but them are the facts. Anything more is helicoptering and will end up embarrassing her and stunting her acclimation process.

The prior to move in sight seeing sounds lovely. I think most don't have that opportunity because most are hauling soooo much STUFF. LOL
colduphere
5 years ago
Canadian universities don’t generally have parents weekends. I think your best bet would be to ship her winter things to her in October. She will need her warm clothes up until she is finished the term in April. Canadian weather!! Once they moved off campus and had year round accommodations (that we had to pay for all year despite them being home for the summer because that’s how the leases worked in their university cities *sigh*), my kids just left their winter coats and boots at school when they came home for the summer.

Advice needed: dorm room drop off (Halifax, NS)

bpath

Comments (21)

czarinalex

Related Discussions

daisychain Zn3b
Original Author

Joaniepoanie

lascatx

daisychain Zn3b
Original Author

User

User

robo (z6a)

LynnNM

Rita / Bring Back Sophie 4 Real

chispa

daisychain Zn3b
Original Author

localeater

robo (z6a)

bpath

bpath

colduphere

User

arcy_gw

colduphere

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

Advice needed: dorm room drop off (Halifax, NS)

Comments (21)

Related Discussions

daisychain Zn3bOriginal Author

daisychain Zn3bOriginal Author

daisychain Zn3bOriginal Author

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

daisychain Zn3b
Original Author

daisychain Zn3b
Original Author

daisychain Zn3b
Original Author