I have official been here for over a week, and what a strange 11 days it has been! There are a million ways I could describe my time so far at UBC: confusing, exciting, rewarding, challenging, just to name some; but I think perhaps the best descriptor would be surprising. While the actual events of my time here so far haven’t been as much of a surprise to me (although there are some definite exceptions), it’s mostly the feelings I’ve experienced that were unexpected. I didn’t think I would like my professors or my classes as much as I do, especially my CAP classes, some of which I was not particularly excited for originally.

However, academic-related feelings aside, I’ve been very much surprised by how many rewarding interactions I’ve had with other people. I did not expect to have conversations with people at orientation that went beyond small talk, nor did I expect some of them to become my friends. I also was surprised by how awesome the club meeting I attended was, and by how good going to that meeting was for me emotionally. I was able to talk with people with whom I shared similar experiences, something which I had never been able to do back home.

Among the things I’ve learn so far at school, I’ve discovered that surprise, as terrifying as it can be, is really good. Do things that you didn’t plan to do, talk to people you didn’t plan to talk to, and you may find yourself having some unexpectedly amazing experiences.