Tricky Logistics

Posted by in Res Life

Tips and tricks to make your first Move-In Day at UBC as smooth as possible: Don’t be jet lagged.

Hi there! My name is Joey and I am writing this first blog post as the clock strikes 4:30AM. Some people may have chosen to go to sleep at this time, but my body still thinks I’m in the UK so I have woken up in the wee hours of the morning. That and having the bed creak in protest with every movement coupled with the excitement of finally being here makes it hard to fall back asleep.

I’ve managed to somehow get settled into my dorm despite my body demanding to go hit the sacks by 5PM. I’ve met my roommate, set up the all-important internet, hooked up the printer and sorted my clothes into the various drawers. One thing is for sure, there is a lot more storage space than I expected to receive – which is great, as I expect that a lot of junk will accumulate over the next eight or so months. The bags going home is likely to be a lot heavier than the bags coming here, though I guess I’ve struck it lucky in that home is only an hour and lots of bad traffic away. I can’t imagine how difficult packing for the airport must be for the international students.

Or just packing at all really.

Lists of ‘how-to-be-prepared’ are a dime a dozen on the net, and even UBC has their own list catered especially for students, but those lists are basic at best and never really cover the details. I mean, of course I have to bring clothes – you’d think that was a given – but I never would have thought about the importance of rubber bands until I arrived. Without them, my desk is a web of wires that would have made any spider jealous. It’s the little things, folks.

Another thing that those lists never cover is logistics, particularly the ones pertaining to taking a shower. At home it’s easy; the tap is familiar, there’s space to put all the soaps and shampoos, the floor isn’t wet when you’re trying to get changed, there’s room to move around in…and so on. But, well, it’s a little different in a shared bathroom. There’s about a million more steps added to the process, and god forbid you forget something mid-shower. No more yelling for Mum to pass you something, you’re on your own now, baby, enjoy the sweet independence.

But at least the showers here in Totem is newly renovated, sleek and clean. I’d still recommend wearing flip flops, but at least it isn’t some grimy old recreational centre shower. In the end, it doesn’t matter how smooth your showering logistics are if the place reeks of various bodily fluids, and the walls are covered in a fine layer of unidentified slime.

So thank you, UBC, for though the shared microwave looks older than I am and the beds audibly protest their life purpose, having brand spanking new bathrooms makes up for it all.

Regardless, I trust that everything will start to smooth out and become easier as time goes on. Everyone on this floor are still strangers to me, so to feel truly comfortable is still nigh impossible, but I’m confident that once we get to become friends more-so than just floor mates, everything will start clicking into place.

Besides, we had free cookies last night and there’s going to be free popsicles tonight, so what’s there to complain?