The Diary of a Road Warrior: Chapter 2

Week 1 – Edmonton (Continued)

Edmonton turned out to be a great trip! Let’s fast forward through what you already know – I spent the week staying at the Meterra on Whyte, which was a great hotel in an ideal location. I really liked the Whyte Ave area and the variety of bars, restaurants, and coffee shops that were all within walking distance. After trying out several restaurants, I narrowed it down to my favourite, Pip, which was conveniently right around the corner from the hotel. I had an amazing mushroom orzo for dinner one night and a few days later they served up the best BLT sandwich I’ve ever had. It’s a cool and cozy spot that feels like a café, but tastes like fine dining. This restaurant is a must-visit when in Edmonton.

One of the best school visits that I had this week was at Ross Sheppard High School. This was my largest presentation of the week with over 70 students attending and standing-room only. The counsellor was a huge supporter of UBC and was very excited to have us visit. The best thing about this school is the fact that they share the same mascot with UBC’s Vancouver campus. Go Thunderbirds Go!

Toward the end of the week, my colleague Lauren Hatchard and I hosted a UBC event (All About UBC) at the Telus World of Science in their IMAX Theatre. During the introduction slides when our pictures showed up on the big screen, I kind of felt like Lady Gaga in “A Star is Born”. While we didn’t have the turn out we hoped for, and I wasn’t discovered by Bradley Cooper (I’m a terrible singer anyway), it was still a fun experience to present with Lauren on such a large stage and an even larger screen. Whether we have five people or 500, these events are a great opportunity for us to meet with the students who are applying to UBC and to answer their questions. It’s an important part of the work that we do in recruitment because we are bringing the information to the students in their own city, rather than making them come out to visit us in Vancouver or Kelowna.

We ended our week in Edmonton with a Counsellor Breakfast at the Delta South. While we do focus most of our recruitment efforts towards the students, we don’t forget about the counsellors and the vital role that they play. The counsellors are the liaisons between UBC and the students. The Edmonton counsellors are an easygoing group, so it’s always a pleasure meeting with them. As the counsellors arrived, we greeted them and socialized over breakfast. Once we had plied them with food and caffeine, Lauren and I delivered a brief presentation to update them on new programs, event updates, and the changes to UBC’s admission process for 2019.

Unfortunately, my week ended on a bit of a sour note. When I woke up on Friday morning before the Counsellor Breakfast, I realized that my lower back had totally seized up. Why? I’m not sure, but I’m guessing it has something to do with lifting, loading, unloading and carrying around a large suitcase, an A/V kit, and boxes of viewbooks. So what did I learn from Edmonton, besides where to find the best beers and BLTs? ALWAYS lift with the legs. I spent my whirlwind 24-hour break between trips at home on the couch with a bottle of extra strength Motrin. At the ripe old age of 26, this is an experience I never thought I would have.

Week 2 – East Kootenays

 The following week, I headed deep into the interior of British Columbia for a PSIBC week, which stands for Post-Secondary Institutions of BC. The purpose of PSIBC is to bring together all BC post-secondary institutions and to travel together from school to school. After weeks of travelling alone, it’s always a nice change of pace to have fellow recruiters to socialize with and share meals.

I flew from Kelowna to Cranbrook with Pacific Coastal Airlines. This was my first time flying with Pacific Coastal and let me just tell you, that was the smallest plane I have ever been on. If you don’t crouch down low enough that you’re looking at the floor while shuffling down the aisle, there is a 10/10 chance you will bash your head off of the ceiling… which I did, several times.

When I landed in Cranbrook and went to pick up my rental car, I was somewhat surprised that they had given me a Chevy Sonic. This is a cute, compact car which is great for city driving. However, when you’re driving through mountain towns, for hours at a time, and there is a possibility it will snow, this is not the kind of car you want to be in. Especially if you don’t have winter tires (which it didn’t). However, I like to think of myself as a rebel without a cause, so I willingly accepted this challenge. Luckily for me, it didn’t snow, and the Sonic and I had some great adventures.

From Golden to Fernie, Fernie to Cranbrook, and Cranbrook to Kimberley, I did a TON of driving. And the views were THIS good the whole way.

Seriously… there are mountains everywhere you look!

I made the most of the drives by pulling over at every scenic stop to snap some photos. And while I mostly did it for this blog post, my Instagram game was also better than it’s ever been. #trending

And during these long drives, it’s important to re-fuel as you go. During a brief break between visits, many of the recruiters stopped in at Kicking Horse Coffee. Not only do they make delicious coffee, their marketing is also on point. I left feeling both caffeinated and motivated. Win win!

The highlight of the week for me was definitely Kimberley. Kimberley is such a great town with an amazing selection of cafes and restaurants. I decided to stay at the Mountain Spirit Resort, which is located at the Kimberley Alpine Resort. I had an amazing condo all to myself for a very reasonable, off-season price. When we had breaks between school visits, I would wander down to the Platzl. This is Kimberley’s Bavarian-themed city centre. Fun fact: If you put a loonie in the clock tower, a small man will pop out and starting yodelling.

The Platzl is where I spent most of my time when we had breaks between visits. You could find me working on emails and enjoying a latte at Paper and Cup, or indulging in bacon wrapped wild board meatloaf at Pedal & Tap.  While this may sound like a strange choice, it was delicious and the people at the table next to me had serious food envy.

I’m sure that I lost some of you when I said meatloaf, so I think this is a good time to wrap up. Stay tuned for Chapter 3 which will cover Southeast Ontario and Victoria!