At UBC there are 2 major residences for first year students: Place Vanier and Totem Park. Within each residence lie different houses (this is just to break up the living spaces). In Vanier I believe there are about 12 houses and in Totem there are 8. But the BEST part of it all is where q’ələχən (QLXN for short) comes in. Yes, yes I am indeed one of the chosen ones who get to live in the newly constructed buildings on campus. Whenever asked where I live in Totem, I’ve discovered its easier just to say “that new shiny glass building” because a) unless you live here, no one recognizes the name of the building, let alone can pronounce it and b) it’s fun to marvel at the fact that you’re residence building looks like a hotel.
It’s only been about a week since I’ve lived here but it already feels like home. I didn’t think it was possible to get acquainted to a new living space that easily, but I guess I was wrong! Going into university, a lot of people are probably all experiencing some of the same fears. For instance, a common question might be, how am I going to feel comfortable living in a confined space? Or simply, how will I get used to these big changes. For many, a typical room in residence is a big change, but downsizing doesn’t necessarily mean downgrading.
I’ve posted some pictures of my room so you can see!
If you’re one of those people who takes pictures of their meticulously crafted plate of food or admires a good quality, handcrafted Moleskine notepad, then maybe you’ll appreciate my design choices……
My bed and personalized frames from home, also a world map because I love to travel!
Spacious bathroom vanity. In Qlxn (residence building) there are 2 single rooms connected by a washroom which you share with someone else. These are called connected singles.
