If Only I Could Plant A Money Tree….

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I HAVE A JOB!

Yes, finally! It feels so nice to not be AS broke as I was. Many of my friends and I have been feeling the pains of the fincial side of university living. It seems as though everything is so expensive and it’s become a necessity to define wants and needs before I buy something. I’ve been employed with the Totem Park cafeteria for almost two weeks now and it’s been great to have just a little bit of extra money on hand. I actually enjoy the job and the people I work with. The hours are super flexible and it fits so well with my schedule. However, if you can’t get a job, I’ve realized there are other, sometimes even quicker, ways  of getting money.

During Jump Start I noticed all of these flyers with e-mail addresses on them asking for participants in various experiments. By the time the Jump Start was over I had made a decent amount of cash just by being a part of a few easy experiments. However, a more important aspect of money is saving it! Living on my own I’ve come to appreciate my income that much more and spread it only where it’s needed. One of my biggest expenses is food – I have to eat. So, I joined the Eco-To-Go program in my cafeteria which actually promotes sustainability and saves me some money. AWESOME! Essentially, instead of using the cafeteria’s styrofoam boxes or plates, participants are given a plastic to-go box. Every time it’s used you get a discount on your food and once you use it enough your name is entered for a prize that’s awarded at the end of the month. The program is completely free for students and it saves you money on your food!

While all of these tips are great, I’m open to more ways to save and make money, so if you have any on-campus tips please comment and share! Furthermore, I have a job interview this week for a second job on campus – Wish me luck!

Good luck with midterms 🙂

S.S. Try Not To Capsize! : A Personal Account of The Day of The Longboat

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My Day of the Longboat team!

Well, my Saturday involved a group of my floor mates and I being soaking wet, a lot of screaming, singing, and an unexpected seal sighting! How was your weekend? This past Saturday I was lucky enough to compete in the UBC Rec’s Day of the Longboat. The all-day event is a series of heats between different longboat teams. All different types of people in teams went out to compete that day – sorority sisters, frat brothers, residence house/floors, some co-ed teams, university clubs/faculties, and many others! Some people adorned hilarious costumes in order to win the competition of best dressed team.

My team wore our house color, green, and chanted our house cheers while we were out on the water in order to represent! The day was really fun, but most of my team, me included, has never paddled a long boat before so it was quite the experience. The beginning of the race commences with one of our team members running from the beach to push our boat off in to the water. Needless to say it was a rough start! Our boat was sardined in between multiple other boats so it was difficult to paddle our boat off the beach, but we eventually got moving. Unfortunately, we ran in to another obstacle after we got going – our team managed to miss the first buoy so we had to take some time to back track and go around it. However, this didn’t slow our team down. We sang lots of house cheers to boost our morals and keep pace with each stroke in the water. We even through in “Row Row Your Boat” just for laughs. After we managed to gain some speed again it was back to the beach to grab our group’s baton. As we were making our way we ran in to a slippery supporter – a seal! Naturally, being in a boat full of girls, we all took time to “Ooh!” and “Aww!” before moving on.

After hitting the beach, baton in hand, we were advancing yet again to the final leg of the race. It was full throttle now – everyone giving their all. Much to my team and I’s surprise we managed to claim the title of 4th place, not too bad for all of the obstacles we had to navigate around. Even more surprising, we advanced to the final round! However, my team had to opt out for various reasons, but the one experience was more than enough for me to recommend it for anyone else. Sore arm muscles aside, it’s a great day filled with lots of fun, good food, great music, and laughs with friends. Oh, and a hot tub – can’t forget that!

 

🙂

 

 

The Rumours Are True…

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I honestly didn’t know what to expect when I was told about the supposedly “infamous” GLOW party put on by the TPRA (Totem Park Residence Association). I heard some fairly credible ideas of what the party was going to be like and I also heard some rather outlandish statements that 20% of the time even Google couldn’t help me make sense of it. Many people told me that the party was on David Letterman’s list of parties to attend before you die. Others suggested that the party was always so ridiculous that multiple ambulances were called each year to help handle the potential shenanigans that may occur that night. Supposedly, the universities’ best DJs would be making an appearance! I figured, I should just find out for myself. But, I should rewind and give you the background information (that I know of!) on the GLOW party. So, each year Totem Park (that’s one of the two freshman neighbourhoods) hosts an exclusive Totem Park resident only party that is rumoured to be the party you can’t miss as a freshman. All party goers are encouraged to wear neon or all white clothing so they will “glow” under the black light.

Naturally, this with the wild mix of rumours I heard gave me some incentive to buy a ticket. The trick was actually getting a ticket! The one really unfortunate thing about GLOW is that there were only 500 tickets available to a community of approximately 1,700! It was a real struggle to actual get a ticket.  There were three days to get a ticket – each day one third of the tickets were sold. After the first day, the first round of tickets sold out in less than 20 minutes! After yet another failed attempt on the second day, I realized I needed to arrive earlier to actually have a chance of getting a ticket. On the last day that tickets were sold, my room mate and I waited in line two hours prior to the ticket booth opening! Even then, a small mass had already gathered. Luckily, we did manage to get tickets. However, we were pushed and shoved by the huge crowd all around us, fighting for tickets. By the time the ticket booth was opened, the massive crowd looked like this:

There were people everywhere! It was very difficult to move and personal space instantly went out of style. However, the night of the dance I realized it was all worth it! The DJs, the people, and the awesome glow of the people around me made for a party experience I’ll never forget. Unfortunately, the dance was shut down an hour early due to TOO MANY shenanigans. While this was upsetting, I still had an awesome time! I would have to recommend this party to any incoming Totem Park residents. I’ve decided not to say too much more on this matter though. It’s a lot better to experience the night for yourself and see what’s rumour and what’s fact.

Tangled: Unraveling Day to Day University Frustrations

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Rushing frantically, doing a mental checklist in my mind, throwing random things (and hopefully the right things) in my black hole of a bag – Typical Monday morning. It seems I’ve fulfilled every cliché found in those cheesy early morning scenes where the bustling teenager sprints everywhere through the family house before school with just enough time to grab a burnt bagel from Mom.  Eventually, and somewhat magically, I make it out the door to my bike after what felt like an eternity of just getting myself together. I manage to make time to glance at the time and realize I’m actually on time! Like I do every day, I rummage around in the abyss I call my back pack in search of my iPod. A bike ride to class just isn’t the same without background music blaring in your ears. I manage to grab a hold of the iPod after some serious rummaging only to find a not so pleasant labyrinth looking headphones attached. Ugh.

We’ve all dealt with this awful frustration. A knot here, a kink there, and then due to all of the sudden pent up anger you’ve recently acquired for your headphones, you throw in a nice strong yank on them in public and everyone assumes you’re crazy. Yep, been there. As if more couldn’t have slowed me down this morning, I run in to yet another obstacle. So, like everyone in my generation – I NEED my music to survive! I take the time to unravel the headphones, throwing in that crazy yank here and there to raise some eyebrows of the innocent passerby. FINALLY I’ve conquered the beast that is my headphones. All ready to go, I just need to plug in my headphones to my iPod and get to class. Before hopping on my bike I put my headphones in, press play and the screen briefly shows a picture of a battery. My iPod screen instantly goes black. NO BATTERY. Double ugh.

On my all too quiet bike ride to class, I begin to notice the world around me isn’t so quiet. I actually take the time to observe my surroundings as I bike by. Since when was there an upside down tree in between Irving and the Chem building? Has that always been there? Whoa, one of my floor mates takes the exact same route to class as I do? When did that happen? There’s an all organic produce stand in front of Irving today? Double whoa. I was amazed by how much I took in just by turning my music off. Ironically, the same day my global politics professor discussed how my generation is in way too deep with our technology. I couldn’t agree more. Lesson learned: Unplug yourself from your technology once in a while. Take the time to actually take in the beautiful surroundings you’re lucky enough to call home. After coming to this realization, I actually found more order in my life. Tangled headphones aside, I actually had time to think and take in my surroundings not just on my bike ride, but my walks to class and other places. I always assumed that since my weekly schedule looked like this:

that I could get away from all my frustrations and To-Do’s by turning my music up. In actuality, the silence allowed me to get my thoughts together and unravel the day that was ahead of me. Now, I’m not saying music or technology is bad. Just take in to consideration that maybe what you think you’re avoiding by turning your iPod up to full blast is actually an opportunity to talk with a new person, a missed chance to realize the awesome things going on around you, or an idea lost to the din of your music. So, my personal suggestion of the week: Unplug, unwind, and enjoy. Besides, untangling headphones is no fun anyway.

Jump Start

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After what seemed to be an all too quick goodbye with my father, I realized that I was on my own, but that didn’t last long. In fact, I feel that I quickly became a part of a new family, my Jump Start* family. Initially I felt that I was on my own, but after looking around and conversing with other Jump Start kids I realized that everyone attending was all in the same boat. We were all from various backgrounds, cultures, religions, and places. Many of us had travelled great distances just to get to UBC and many of us ended the trip not knowing a soul in sight. I was constantly asking as well as answering “What’s your name and where are you from?” All of us were looking to make friends since most of us came here on our own.

After two weeks of group activities, social events, and school tours it was hard to part ways from the people I had met. Most of my friends I made lived on my floor during Jump Start, but had to move to their new homes prior to school starting. These same girls that lived on my floor are now some of the people I’m currently closest to. We still get meals together, travel to class in groups, and just have fun as if we never moved. Jump Start helped me make great connections early on so I felt better adjusted before the start of the school year. Not only did I make friends, but I also connected with various professors in my faculty! This opportunity allowed me to have my most pressing questions answered and know what to expect when the term actually began. Also, through various activities on campus, I quickly learned my way around and felt confident when I needed to locate my classes the first week. Through exploration on my own as well as with friends, I learned multiple tips and tricks on where to get food, the fastest way to class, and the best study spots.

Jump Start gave me three great things that I find necessary in being a university student: connections, confidence, and knowledge on where to go if I need help. This experience was something I don’t regret participating in. I owe the smooth transition from high school to university to Jump Start.

 

*Jump Start is a two week program that helps international students by acquainting them with the campus as well as the surrounding area.

Hello world!

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Hello all!

So, you’re probably wondering what in the world my title means. Tuum Est is UBC’s motto which is Latin for ‘It is Yours’. In an effort to display my day to day adventures at UBC I wanted to explain how I made UBC my own in a variety of ways. Being in a completely new area surrounded by strangers, I quickly learned the best way to adapt was to make UBC my home. As the weeks go by I intend to show all of the aspects of my first year in university through this blog. I anticipate there will be plenty of ups, downs, and complete turnarounds, but it will all shape my life as a student here which in turn will make me more knowledgeable of my surroundings. Look forward to plenty of journeys (I love to explore!) and honesty about what student life is like. Thanks for reading! Now, I’m off to get better acquainted with my new home.

Practice Makes Perfect

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“Good luck kiddo” my Dad said as he embraced me with a hug. Within the same moment he pulled away from me, smiled, and walked away with a wave. I stood in the middle of the Totem Park commons block where my Dad had left me, just pondering what to do next. At that exact moment reality set in and I realized, wow, I’m in university now.

You’d be amazed how the feeling hits you – it’s quite the whirlwind of excitement and nervous feelings all combined with the millions of questions buzzing around in your head. While this new environment initially seemed daunting, I saw it as a new beginning and decided to make it an adventure. Some may think the only place you learn anything on a university campus is in a classroom, but that assumption is so wrong. Two weeks prior to the beginning of classes I was lucky enough to participate in the Jump Start program where I learned quite a few things on my own as well as through the program. Some lessons I learned allowed me to feel more confident on campus when it came to knowing my surroundings and where to go if I ever needed help, while others I  encountered spontaneously and resulted in a laugh. A short list of lessons I’ve learned very quickly over the short time of me being on campus includes:

  1. Your walking shoes should be comfy shoes – You walk EVERYWHERE.
  2. A bike is a great investment (Refer to number 1 if you need a reason why).
  3. Run your clothes through the dryer twice. Trust me; a full load won’t be dry after just one cycle.
  4. The walk down and up the stairs to and from Wreck Beach easily constitutes as a cardio workout – Be prepared to sweat! (Once again, refer to lesson #1!)
  5. You may feel like you’re missing out on something because it feels like everyone is going and you aren’t, but don’t worry! There’s something going on virtually every night so just because you can’t go out one night doesn’t mean there won’t be other opportunities.

 

While there are a multitude of other things I’ve learned at UBC just after being here for two weeks, I’m looking forward to learning more both in and out of the classroom as my adventure continues. The best part about learning is being confident in what you’re learning about. Initially I was unsure and a little shaky on my first day at UBC, but I realized that with time the nervousness passed and my confidence began to build as I found my way around campus and developed my own tips and tricks to surviving on my own as a university student.  Essentially, adapting to university life is like anything else – practice makes perfect. So far, I’m excited for more practice so that in four years I’ll be prepared for the final show – graduation.