Monthly Archives: October 2012

First midterm tomorrow!

I’m scared. So, so scared.  Help meeeeee.

Panicky Courtney is panicky.

There’s so much stuff that has to be memorized for physiology! Yeah, KIN 190 actually one of those classes where you do some crazy massive memorizing.  A pack of flashcards are your best friend in this case.

Also, I find that drawing things out (hello, muscle contraction) on a giant whiteboard is really helpful, as is studying in groups.  Also, talking through ideas seems to work well.  But don’t whisper to yourself on the bus, as it causes people to give you funny looks (although if you like that sort of thing, I suggest rocking back and forth as well).

Anyways.  Back to cramming studying now!

Ughaughaughaugha.

Exploring: The Museum of Anthropology

Hola! Have I ever mentioned that I love my classes this term?

Here’s one of the reasons why: My English professor, Gudrun Dreher, took us on a “field trip” to UBC’s Museum of Anthropology! It was a refreshing change from textual analysis in our little classroom in Buchanan D.

The MOA (Museum of Anthropology) can be found in the northern part of campus, on Northwest Marine Drive (past the rose garden).  It’s a beautiful building when you look at it from the back, but when you’re coming in from the front it does’t look like much at all.  There’s some very pretty landscape around the museum, although I don’t understand why there are sprinklers in the middle of the pond.

Inside are a lot of artifacts from different cultures; most notably, Northwest First Nations cultures*.  When I say “a lot”, I really mean a lot.  You could easily spend an entire day looking at the all the displays and reading descriptions.  I’m not a museum person myself, but I actually found that there were a lot of things that attracted my attention.  Those masks were pretty freaky! I want to borrow one for Halloween.

But because it’s an English class, there’s another big assignment we have to do.  Urgh. 

I’m glad she made us go to the MOA, though, because otherwise I probably wouldn’t have gone on my own.  Going to the museum is another thing that all UBC students should do (is it just me, or do I do recommendations a lot?).

So when you have time (and I mean when you’re not cramming for midterms), go!

*They have Bill Reid’s Raven and the First Men! It’s one of my favourite sculptures 😀

 

Day of the Longboat (or oversized canoe!)

Stroke, stroke, stroke, stroke! Golly, that word sounds weird after a while.

For those you you who haven’t heard about it, Day of the Longboat is a UBC REC event held at Jericho Beach.  Basically, you form a team with whomever you like (I went with a faculty team) and you race against other teams in an oversized canoe.  It’s more fun than I describe it to be, I promise!

Here’s how my day went:

  • I got up at 6am this morning.  Yes, on a Sunday (the horror!).  There was no sun, and the moon was still high in the sky (and it was really, really bright).
  • I drove to Jericho Beach, which took me half an hour.  It was a lovely drive because all the lights along my route were pedestrian lights, and since no-one was out at 7 in the morning… What? Of course I didn’t speed!
  • Paying for parking at the lot was a pain for three reasons:
    • Today, you have to pay for parking; tomorrow, parking is free.
    • $3 an hour.  Seriously, why so outrageous?
    • I had no coins, which meant I scrambled around for twenty minutes looking for people who had change for a $10 bill.
  • I met up with 8 other first-year kinesiology students. Our team name? The Kintagious Kinky Kinners!   …Oh boy, do Kinners love their puns.
  •  We went out in our oversized canoe longboat and paddled hard. I’m pleased to say that there was no capsizing of any sort, although we came close. There was, however, lots of screaming, splashing, cheering, and laughing.
  • We did not come in last place. 😀
  •  We soaked in the (really, super-duper-ultra-hot) hot tub for a bit, and then went out for lunch and cheered and heckled incoming teams from other heats.  There were a lot of kinesiology teams out there, and we cheered for them all!

The KKK: After the race!

What disappointed me (a little): after we finished up, it felt like there wasn’t much to do. There was a feeling of “What now?” once we got out of our lifejackets, and there seemed to be no incentives for us to stick around. (Maybe that’s good, because we all had to study for our physiology midterm).

Still, I’d say Day of the Longboat is one event that all UBC students have to do at least once.  If you’re looking for spirit, you’d find it here!  It’s definitely a team bonding activity, so I’d recommend that you gather a group of friends, or people from your floor, or your faculty. And for goodness’ sake, not that kid you really can’t stand. 

Can’t wait for next year!