Category — Second Year

Hello from Calgary!

Wendy, Cristel and I at the CCSL

This is going to sound pretty weird, but sometimes I feel like I’m watching my life from a bird’s eye view. I often ask myself during overwhelmingly inspiring moments that define, shape and change my life: is this really happening? I definitely feel this way after tonight.

I’m currently sitting in my spankin’ new 70s-style digs at the University of Calgary. I’m here in wild rose country Alberta attending the Canadian Conference on Student Leadership. Five of us from UBC (Cristel, Wendy, Kelvin, AJ and I) were selected to attend along with 200+ other student leaders from across the country. The other delegates and I arrived around 3pm here at UofC, and had some time to check out the campus. We didn’t explore too much outside because it’s a tad too cold for some of the Vancouverites (Ontario winters have me prepared). The five of us ended up at the Student Centre (their version of the SUB) and had some delicious dinner and checked out their bookstore. Their Student Centre is very mall-esque but I feels way bigger than our SUB. We hung around until registration, and swung by earlier to spy on how the other delegates were dressed (c’mon, we couldn’t be in jeans if everyone else wasn’t!).

We eventually made it to the Opening Reception and that’s when all the inspiring, motivational fun happened. Cristel and I (now dubbed “the two Kristals”) were at the same table and we had some really great conversations with a graduate student from the University of Manitoba, a residence life coordinator from UVic, a high school attendee, and I got to spend time with some of my fellow Ontarians from the University of Guelph, McMaster University and Wilfred Laurier University. It was great to be able to connect to other student leaders across the country and see what they are getting up to on their campuses, what their doing differently and how we’re the same.

We were welcomed by UofC’s President, Dr. Elizabeth Cannon and Mayor of Calgary, Naheed Nenshi. Mayor Nenshi reminded me that “everyone is an expert in their own life”. No one else is able to live our lives for us, nor do they know every aspect of ourselves that make us who we are. No one else can make our decisions for us. As student leaders, our job isn’t to dictate the lives of others, but to draw them into a conversation or a discussion and make them a part of the decision making process. So many students see a disconnect between the institutions (governments, university administration, student government etc.) and the dreams, hopes and fears they have. They often forget or don’t see how these very institutions can both hinder and support us in our goals. Somehow, as a student leader, I want to give back in a way that helps others help themselves, to achieve their goals and be confident in their own ability to be a leader.

My absolute favourite part of the evening was our round table discussion on student leadership, its definitions and its forms. We discussed everything from superhero qualities leaders embody, whether or not the word “leadership” is glorified and overused, who inspires us to be leaders and how to we define leadership and leading without borders. Some very interesting questions came up during our discussions: How do you define leadership? How do you define change? What does it look like and how do you know that you’re changing anything at all? I don’t know the answers to these questions just yet, but I’m working on it. I couldn’t be more excited to see what tomorrow will bring and how I can apply that to my own style of leadership and involvement. Tomorrow’s the day to grab the proverbial bull by the horns and see where it takes me. It might be somewhere completely unexpected. Leadership is such a game of chance, and using those chances to your advantage. Sometimes you don’t end up the winner, sometimes you do. But like Mayor Nenshi so eloquently stated: “who said leadership was easy?”

For all of you looking for some a study break/background study music, I present to you:

O Children by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds (one of only two bands that had a song with lyrics featured in the Harry Potter series).

I hope your long weekend was fantastic and you got more work done than I did.

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.

Yesterday morning I woke up at 6:30am after only a few dismal hours of sleep, and walked my butt to the Student Rec Centre (SRC) for 7:15am. Why? For Day of the Longboat, of course. I made a team with my friends from first year residence (OK*anagan 2nd, whadddup?!, doesn’t our team name make sense now? ), and our team captain wanted us there at 7:15am. I showed up with my friend Lisa at 7:16am….I thought we were late. Little did we know that we were the only ones that had even left their houses yet. My friends at Gage? Still at Gage. My friends at Fraser Hall (see Wesbrook Mall)? Still at Fraser. We were supposed to catch the 7:30am shuttle. Did we? No. The fact that we made it to our 8:20am run at Jericho Beach is by shear luck, I swear.

After missing our shuttle, most of us were ready to pack it in, call it a day and get breakfast. Instead we head to get the number 4, get on the 14 instead and head to Alma. By absolute divine luck, I’m sure, we get the community shuttle en route to Spanish Banks and make it into Jericho Beach five minutes, yes five minutes, before our start time. We were supposed to be there 35 minutes before. We all dash through registration, grab our paddles and life jackets and book it. Alas, we made it. And totally dominated!

With a run time of 13:55, the team that was ready to call it a day back at the SRC, came in first in their heat. Boo yaaahh! I definitely slept for six hours after, even waking up at one point thinking it was Sunday and I had missed our semi final. Total panic for a while there.

Okanagan 2nd after our win on Saturday

And so today we headed back to secure our championship. You would think that after yesterday’s transportation fiasco, we would get our act together and all be there on time. I mean, it was only at 11:40am, almost three hours after our run yesterday. Did we? Nope, not at all. This time, half my team was so late that the other teams were already getting into their boats and we were rushing through registration and were frantically grabbing paddles and lifejackets. We came in second, and it was onto finals, the last stretch to claiming our championship shirts. Well…we kind of failed epically and came in last in the finals.

Although we were not successful in taking home a championship shirt to brag and show off to all our friends, our last race was probably the most hilarious, body-numbing, and the best time we had for the entire event. In the end, victory wasn’t ours. But there’s always next year!

Hope everyone had a successful (however you define it), Day of the Longboat 2011!

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.