Category — Academics

From now until June 21st, I’ll be blogging about my time in Central Europe. I hope you enjoy my adventures. 

*Hello from Telč, Czech Republic! (Pronounced “telch”, fyi). I’m writing from a small historic town about two hours from Prague.

My room in Telč (with my friend John in the background)

Now you might be asking yourself, why is Krystal so far from home? Well, my dear friends, I’m completing a 6-credit History course abroad through the University of Toronto’s Summer Abroad program. They have a ton of courses all over the world and you can apply as a visiting student (super easy process), check it out if you think it’s something you’re interested in.

How the course works
For 5 weeks we(my classmates and I) will be travelling to the Czech Republic, Austria, Poland and Hungary while learning about the imperial cities of Vienna, Wrocław, Prague and Budapest. The first five days are spent in Telč, and then we transfer to our home base at Masaryk University (named after Czechoslovakia’s first President) in Brno, Czech Republic. Classes are from Monday-Wednesday for three hours in the morning and then we have the afternoons free (unless there’s a planned activity) and we travel to the different cities on the Thursday and come back on the Saturday/Sunday. There’s a lot of reading, but only two assignments (one short, one long(er)) and an exam, which is awesome for a full year course.

What I’ve been up to
My parents dropped me off at Toronto Pearson Airport and I got on my super short eight and a half our flight (sarcasm alert) on Austrian Airlines. (BTW: Austrian Airlines has those chunky TVs hanging from the ceiling where everyone watches the same movie (ca. 1992), which is not awesome for an eight+ hour flight, but I survived.) Landed in Vienna around 8:15am, and transferred to Telč by 1pm, got all settled in, and roamed the super, super small town. My favourite part of this place is the small Pizzeria Italia restaurant where I get to practice my Italian in Czech Republic (I know right?!) with the wonderful chef Angelo.  After being up for more than 24 hours, I was out like a light by 9pm.

Telč (all the buildings look different!)

Pizza from Pizzeria Italia. Thanks, Angelo!

I had my first lecture today, went back to the Pizzeria, realized that I did not take enough Czech Koruna (their currency) out of the bank, and learned a little survival Czech. Currently sitting in my room, being introduced to my roommate’s mix of Deadmau5, Steve Aoki and Skrillex (a deviation from my Florence and the Machine, Lights and Mumford and Sons) and trying to decide what to get for dinner tonight.

Na shledanou! (Goodbye!)

I’m currently struggling through my wanderlust. It’s tough, and it’s gnawing. Every October I suffer from a case of hard core restlessness. I definitely thought that moving away from suburban Ontario to laid-back West coast life would have satisfied my need to keep moving, to have some kind of adventure in my life. I started new projects here at UBC, got involved on- and off-campus, and made a great family of friends in residence. But somehow, it still wasn’t – isn’t? – enough. I’m constantly looking for new challenges, new adventures and I can’t seem to keep my thoughts and my dreams from racing all over my brain.

It makes concentrating on everything that’s going on in my life really hard because I’m constantly daydreaming of the places I want to see, the people I want to meet and the stories I can’t wait to hear and to tell. I’m always planning because I always feel unbalanced or unrooted, incredibly dissatisfied and in need of change. This year isn’t even over, but I’m already thinking of the next.

Sometimes I feel like I’m not living my life, that somehow being in university isn’t living. Sometimes it’s hard to remember that I have to go through certain experiences to be ready or to even have time for the next one, that I am living because I’m participating in every moment of my life. I’m trying to learn how to stay grounded in this moment, but keep an eye and my heart on the future.

What I need to do right now is not allow this restlessness, this wanderlust to prevent me from actually accomplishing what needs to be done right now, for me to be able to do what I want next week, next month, next summer, even next year. So right now, I need to be a better student, a better daughter, sister, friend, residence advisor…A me that’s completely satisfied in the moment, but never completely satisfied with complacency or mediocrity. My 30 challenge? Do better, live better, eat better, dress better, be better.

So where has Krystal been since her heartfelt, nerdy Harry Potter post? Well, I was working at a candy store, completing a summer course at York University, heading up to Muskoka for a couple of weekends and showing my wonderful family around Vancouver. Oh, and I also moved back to UBC, attended Residence Advisor training, participated in Imagine Day as a MUG leader and started classes, and, and, and…

Phew! Fall hasn’t even arrived yet, but change is definitely in the air. As always, another September and another school term means new living arrangements, class schedules and thing to be involved in and with on/off campus.

I am currently writing this from my room in Vanier, my snazzy new room as a Residence Advisor! Yes, ladies and gents, I’m back at good ol’ Place Vanier but this time, with way more responsibilities and some awesome cool friends. I’m beyond excited for the upcoming year and the possibilities it holds. I wish however, I could say I was more excited than nervous, but both emotions seem to be pretty balanced at the moment.

I’m excited to start something new, add new friends to my ever growing list of amazing people I’ve met at UBC in the past year, but at the same time, slightly worried (yes, I know, worrying is as affective as chewing bubblegum to solve an algebra equation (bonus points for whoever recognizes the reference)) about the relationships I made and solidified since last September. My closest friends from residence are all spread out over other residence areas this year: a few of us in Vanier, the rest in Fraser Hall, Gage and Marine Drive. I’m already feeling the withdrawal symptoms of not having my closest girlfriends just steps away and down the hall for me to hang out with. No more late night chats that ignored quiet hours, 20+ person dinners, candy parties in the hallway or just simply raiding each other’s wardrobes. Now I have to schedule time to make the trek out to Fraser and work around my in/out and duty nights here at Vanier. So much lies ahead…

And let’s not forget school! I’m super excited for all my classes, and not to brag really, but my class schedule kicks major ass. But then again, there comes that nervousness about course loads and time management. Will I be able to balance everything? Between advising, classes, extracurricular activities both on and off campus and all my friendships (both old and new), how will I keep my head from spinning right off into another orbit? Will I manage?  To be honest: I have no freaking clue! And for the first time, I’m really trying to be okay with that.

I’m trying something new this year. It’s pretty rad, and kind of top secret, so you’ll all have to be very hush-hush about it…*drumroll*… I’m focusing on me. Yes, that’s right, me. These next couple of years are some of the only times that I can be selfish (within reason) and not worry about it, or feel bad about it. I can do exactly what I want to do, what I’m passionate about, and frankly what I really have time for without feeling guilty about not doing the things that others are pushing me to do. So this year, I’m making time for what matters to me, and what matters to me only. That event that looks really cool, but I’m only really attending to say that I attended? Yeah, not happening. That awesome potluck that my friends are organizing that I can probably only bring popcorn and hot chocolate to because I have a meal plan and eat in a dining hall? Heck yes, sign me up.

I need to focus on my wellbeing: mentally, physically, academically and emotionally.

I’ll let you know how it all works out. I hope your move-in day and first floor meetings, first classes and first new friendships made have been beyond stellar.

Alright so I’m not actually interested in starting my own business, at least not as a career, but some of you might be. Therefore, reporter KValentine is here to give you some much needed tips on how to get wherever you want to in your professional life. You might even find these valuable for every day life as well. You never know what you’ll learn attending a Careers Expo.

Which is exactly how I spent my Thursday night, among many alumni and hundreds of UBC students: Arts students, Science students, I-have-no-idea students. The Arts Career Expo was a night of great advice, “Big thinks” and tasty spring rolls. The night started off with Dean Gage Averill cracking some funny jokes about Arts students. I’ve heard it a few times before, and it never ceases to make me laugh. What I took away most from the Dean’s speech was that as an Arts student I will be graduating with a set of skills that students from other faculties might not be able to get. With my degree and my experiences here at UBC I am becoming a critical thinker, learning how to find new solutions to old problems, networking, building relationships and seeing the world through as many lenses as there are eyes. If there’s anything I love more about hearing Dean Averill speak is the amount of pride I feel about my faculty, and most importantly, about my degree. I’m sure other Arts students can attest to this, but there are moments when I’m not entirely sure where I’ll be going, where my degree will lead me 3-4 years from now. The answer: anywhere I want go.

The first panel I attended was Careers in Community: Careers in the Non-profit Sector. What I really loved about this panel was the range of ages and array of experience they all had. From a recently retired City Librarian to a 2010 recent graduate, they each had incredible advice for someone like myself. As I stated in my last post, I really want to work in the non-profit sector, I’m just not entirely sure what I see myself doing. Here are a few awesome tips:

1. Connect the work you do outside of school (extracurriculars, volunteering) to your academics. It’ll prepare you to use the knowledge you’re acquiring in a real-world setting.
2. Get involved! Employers are not just looking for paid work experience anymore. Internships, part-time jobs, volunteer work and extracurricular involvement help you to be engaged in your community and gain a skills set that you just won’t get through academic work. Plus, it looks great on a resume.
3. Take volunteerism and run with it. Identify the organizations that you would most like to work with, or even the field of non-profit (or any other sector) that speaks to you. Then volunteer for them. Organizations are very likely to hire within their own volunteer pool. But this means doing your research. Always research the organizations you would be interested in working with.
4. ESL training, second languages and second degrees won’t hurt your chances either.
5. Cover letters are very important. I’ll say that one more time: cover letters are very important. It’s where you have the best chance of showing yourself off. It’s where you shine.

The two most important things I took away from this panel: ask yourself what change you want to make in the world and where your passion, your heart, truly lies, it’s not a race, so don’t lose heart and your Arts degree has as much value as you are willing to give it.

Attending Choose to Shmooze: ACE-ing the Art of Networking was an incredibly wise choice for me. Networking is not easy for most people, but especially not for me. I definitely needed someone to give me great advice about how to rock this:

1. Put yourself out there. Be yourself and show your personality.
2. Conversations are not just one sided. Give the person your talking to a chance to be engaged in your conversation.
3. A firm handshake is the best way to go. It’s better to be too firm than to be too limp. Look them in the eye and a couple of pumps is best!
4. SMILE! They can be seen 30 metres away. (According to psychologist Paul Eckman).
5. Flattery is good, when it’s from the heart! No cheap compliments.
6. Lead in with questions such as What do you like about your job? and What path did you take to get your where you are?
7. Leave the conversation gracefully, and end on a high note. Long, dragged-out conversations are the worst, everyone knows that. Always thank them for their time.

My most important lesson: practice makes perfect.

I may not have figured out the exact career path for me by attending the Arts Career Expo, but I definitely feel more prepared for whatever may come next in my career journey. As Oprah says, “Luck is a matter of preparation meeting opportunity”. Hopefully after this I’ll be a little more lucky, now that I’m just a little bit more prepared.

It might be a little early to be choosing a career to pursue after I graduate, seeing as I’m barely even finished my first year of university, but I don’t think it’s too early to be thinking about it. Next Thursday, January 27th, I’ll be attending the Arts Career Expo to gain a little perspective on how to make my BA work for me. I’m actually really stoked about it because I think I’ve decided what my degree will look like  (I’m thinking something along the lines of majoring in Psychology).  Still, once I graduate, where the heck do I go from there? I want to work with at-risk youth, leadership development and maybe something to do with global issues such as sustainable development, but I have no concrete plans of what to actually do with this fabulous, Krystal-tailored degree.

So, I’m attending this fancy pants Career Expo. I get to listen to the Dean of Arts Dr. Gage Averill introduce the night and then listen to two panels discuss career topics related to my specific interests. I’ve decided to attend Careers in Community: Careers in the Non-profit Sector and Choose to shmooze: ACE-ing the Art of Networking. I’m really excited about the first one because I know I want to work within the non-profit, but I have no idea exactly what I want to do. Plus, I’ve never really networked before and as I’m learning, it’s not just for those corporate-esque Sauder kids. So wish me luck trying to get all those business cards. Does this mean I have to start making my own? Anyway, I may not have my career hand picked for me by any of the panelists, but hopefully I can get some great insight into what I can do in the future. Heck, what I can even do now.So many questions, and hopefully after Arts Career Expo, I’ll have some of the answers.

Oh, and if you are an Arts student, whether you’re first year like moi, or entering in your 5th year or whatever, come on out. Mix and mingle and figure out what to do with your shiny Bachelor of Arts. If you want to register, just hit up the Arts Career Expo website here. Hope to see you there!

Stay tuned for post-ACE awesomeness next week.