Category — Vancouver

It’s Sunday and it’s the first day in what seems to be a long while where I don’t really have to do anything. Yesterday, I went to Granville Island around lunch time, and then we went down town in the late afternoon for dinner. I’ve visited Vancouver a couple of times but I don’t remember ever visiting Granville Island. It’s absolutely breathtaking. I’m not very creative and I’m bad at visual arts (…and somehow, I still find myself signing up for VISA 110 in the second semester…) but I’m an artsy person. Basically: I like pretty things and I feel like Granville Island is the kind of place where I’d love to end up living in the future. It’s a place that makes me feel good and happy. There were a ton of art shops and galleries and there were people performing and dancing along the streets. It’s so lovely. Anyway, I went with other Jump Starters and we took the bus. I’m not going to lie, I’ve never taken a public bus before and have no idea how the bus system works. However, having the UPASS is so convenient and making a mistake or getting off at the wrong bus stop is totally fine and it won’t cost you any extra.

Here’s Granville Island for you:

After that, a couple of us went down town. There was a Zombie-Walk Festival type event yesterday, so we saw a ton of people dressed in ripped clothes, “blood”-stained skin and disheveled hair. It was extremely amusing. There was also a Brazilian festival yesterday which was really cool. I’ve met a couple of people here at Jump Start who are from Brazil as well. I’m still amazed by how international Vancouver is. We went to the Pacific Centre mall which is pretty big. I was happy to see a Bath and Body Works shop there! However, the 13% tax deal still really, really annoys me. Really. Reeeeeealllllllyyyyyy.

I’m in the white shirt, posing with my beautiful friend Ghita from Morocco at the start of the Brazilian festival. Yay yellow and green!-

We got back to campus at 7:30 PM. The bus stop is about a 20 minute walk away from Totem Park, so we took the UBC shuttle which brought us closer to our destination. In the evening, my friends and I attended a dance party that Jump Start organized and after that, around 11 PM, a bunch of us headed over to the beach (near Vanier). The beach is so, so beautiful. I never went to the beach when I lived on the east coast of the USA as they were typically packed with people and kind of dirty, but these beaches here along the Pacific Ocean are magical. You Vanier residents are so lucky to be so close to the beach! Be cautious of those stairs, though. It took us forever to get back up.

The party @ the beach at midnight-

Aaaaand today’s Sunday. I had about 4 hours of sleep and then I had to wake up to work on my Jump Start presentation project with the rest of my group. Today was a good day. I did laundry (by myself!) for the first time in my life, and the laundry room did not flood and my clothes are all the same color as it was originally. I also finally made my bed and tidied my room a bit-

It’s still kind of strange living here. I mean, to actually be here, living in Vancouver. There are so many opportunities here. There are a ton of clubs to join at UBC, and the city is just a bus ride away. Seriously, I’m amazed by how beautiful the city is. I’m really glad to be here.