Posts from — September 2010

Sorry guys! I’ve been working on this post for a while but I had a weird bout of writer’s block. It’s all gone and I’m much better now. Anyway, I thought I’d just talk about my experience in rez so far for all those wondering what living in rez is like. Well, let me tell you the obvious: living in rez is definitely not like living at home. The bathroom isn’t nice and cozy with a spacious bathtub/shower. The rooms aren’t too big and the carpet could use some remodelling…but I wouldn’t trade it for anything right now.

Don’t get me wrong, I will totally miss my big bed and my squishy carpet, but my house in Ontario doesn’t come with about 19 awesome floormates. The pros outweight the cons, for sure. It’s been a crazy ride so far. What seems like weeks has actually only been three days. Time is on this weird schedule right now, it’s moving at a funky pace. The days kind of run together, and there isn’t much of a routine, but I’m having the time of my life. Of course, there is the inevitably sadness: teary goodbyes from mama and papa Valentine and time-zone dependent BBM convos with my best friends back home.

However, amongst all the semi-homesickness, the past two days have been stellar. So far I’ve: made a picture-heart (figure 1), re-arranged my furniture into an L-shape like my room at home, been down to Wreck Beach, twice (stay tuned for deets. Figure 2), been on countless trips downtown with my family, trying to enjoy their very limited presence and met the coolest people (shout out to second floor Okanagan!).

Figure 1

Wreck Beach

Now my Wreck Beach adventure was pretty hilarious. Walking down the stairs isn’t too bad, and once you get down the view is amazing! And of course Wreck is littered with people taking advantage of the clothing-optional aspect. It’s definitely a new experience and there isn’t really anything like it. The view is definitely worth the killer trek back up all those stairs. I’m not the most in shape person in the world, and my thighs were burning. And of course I decided to go back that night with some of the kids in my house. Twice in one day was almost enough to kill me. My calves are still feeling the burn. I figure though, that if I walk those stairs everyday, I’ll be so fit that no one will recognize me in December. I should definitely make that my goal.

Well, I should get some sleep. The infamous Imagine day awaits in just 7 hours and I need every moment of precious rest. I have a feeling tomorrow will be yet another adventure.

I got to Vancouver around 12:15pm PST on Wednesday and can I just say this place is beautiful! Just driving toward our hotel was an experience in itself. The mountains and the high rise buildings are such a juxtaposition of nature and modern life. The weather here is absolutely beautiful, compared to the 40°C in Toronto. My family and I took a walk down Cambie St, then along W 6th Ave. It’s so different from Toronto. The buildings are different and the people seem a bit more friendly. I think I’m going to like it here. When I first arrived it definitely felt more like a vacation than the place that will become home over the next four years. Here are just a few photos of the view from our hotel room:

View of City Hall from my hotel.

Yesterday we headed down to UBC for a campus tour and so I could meet up with a few people to buy some of my books (my epic book buying post will come soon!). The campus is everything I thought it would be: sprawling, beautiful and a place to call home. To be honest, I don’t know if the real “I’m at home, this is where I belong” feeling has hit me yet. I think it’ll be a lot different once I move in and get settled. The campus is huge though! I always wanted to go to a big university, but holy moly, how long is it going to take to find my way around? I can’t wait!

For all the prospective UBCers out there who can’t/haven’t visited the campus before, here are a few pictures of this swonderful, and smarvelous place (Funny Face  reference ftw).

Nitobe Memorial Gardens

Koerner Library

View from the Rose Garden

Rose Garden

Nitobe Memorial Gardens