Monthly Archives: September 2015

Top 5 Reasons You Should Join A Club

Posted on by

It's Club Days!

I’m so excited, I just can’t hide it!

It’s Club Days in just over a day and I’m Wiig-ing out. Did you know UBC boasts over 300 student-run clubs? Like plants? There’s a UBC Botany Enthusiasts Club for that (my botany-, Carl Linnaeus-obsessed 8-year-old self is all over that). Live to eat? The UBC Food Society organizes dine-outs, tasting events, and hands-on workshops for the foodie living on a student budget. Whatever you want to do, whoever you want to meet, and however you want to do it, Club Days gives you the best opportunity to connect and get clubbin’.

As an undergrad, I was involved. This year, my last as a UBC student, I aim to take that several steps higher. Because going to school shouldn’t just be about studying, forgetting to eat, and living on Starbucks in the library. School should and needs to be about learning outside the classroom, exploring your passions and hobbies in a non-academic way, and meeting people with similar obsessions as yours.

In honour of Club Days, I’m giving you my totally non-authoritative top 5 reasons for why you should join a club. I will be, will you?

  1. Meet new people. Clubs vary in size surely, but the whole point is to do stuff together as a crew. And have fun doing it! Who knows, your new BFF might be waiting to meet you in the UBC Pottery Club. And if you don’t join and awaken your inner artist, you’ll never know!
  1. Face your fears. Joining a club is an awesome way to get so close to your fears you can smell their gross morning breath and laugh at it. Maybe you’re afraid of deep water, but scuba diving in the Great Barrier Reef is on your bucket list. Face your Jaws-inspired fear (one of mine) with the Aquatic Society of the AMS, for example.
  1. Cheap fun. Most clubs have very nominal fees. We’re talking $5 or $10. And the returns are huge. For the cash-strapped student (a lot of us), what other reason do you need?
  1. Beef up that CV. Pursuing an education or career in accounting? Join the UBC Accounting Club and get involved in organizing events or running for club leadership. You could learn valuable professional lessons and, most importantly, make valuable professional connections. Because it’s who you know and how you value and build those relationships that will get your foot in the door so you can smash it down.
  1. Have fun! You have to engage in self-care as a student and non-academic fulfillment is essential. No matter what club you join, how serious or not, you’re giving yourself the opportunity to make new friends, de-stress, and learn something new.

2015 Club Days will be taking over The Nest on September 23-25 from 10am-3pm.

What are your favourite clubs at UBC? Share with me on Twitter or Instagram!

Why You Should Find a Sanctuary On Campus

Posted on by

Nitobe

On Friday after class, I made the short trip from sleepy Buchanan E to my special place on campus. A slice of verdant greens, carpets of moss, jade coloured water, and cool quiet breezes. Nitobe Memorial Garden. For the uninitiated, it’s right next to Vanier rez and the Asian Library. The traffic sounds are the only intrusive influence here and even their composition is muted and altered; as if the garden has a gentle but impenetrable hand up 24/7 saying, Nothing but peace and joy shall enter here.

Nitobe Garden is a sanctuary that was there for me during 5 years of undergrad, the first year of my masters degree, and now what will be my last year of “higher education”. And every student needs a sanctuary. For introspection, for a healthy break between classes, for an escape from extreme levels of stress, for artistic inspiration, for a pep talk, or for a private moment between friends or loved ones. Find yours and take advantage of what our gorgeous, expansive campus has to offer.

Nitobe Memorial Garden is one, but there are so many others. The Rose Garden with its supernatural views and the UBC Botanical Garden’s winding quiet paths under canopies of towering conifers come to mind. But it doesn’t have to be a sanctuary grounded in nature. It could be under one of The Nest’s protective awnings, or the warm cocoon of the Aquatic Centre, especially soothing during the damp Novembers and Februaries.

Take this opportunity before classes get serious and you sign up for all your clubs and activities to find your sanctuary. Explore the campus and don’t ever let the rain stop you. Being alone in your sanctuary, dry from the rain or wet yet protected in your rain gear, is a blessing:  just you being with you.

Find me on Instagram where I wax poetic on Nitobe Memorial Garden and other special places on and off campus (like garage sales).

Why your back to school nerves are a good thing

Posted on by
Back to school

Leaves fall, school starts.

This back to school thing? I’m a pro.

Five years of undergrad, one year of graduate studies, I’ve finally got it down. Heading into my first class in the Sing Tao building this time last year, ready to start the rigorous Master of Journalism program, I felt terrified. On a cellular level. Almost nauseous from the fear of no one liking me and not being able to do this.

You see, I got very sick in late 2013, couldn’t work, could barely walk, lived in pain and fear I would never live a life again. In September 2014, I was really only six months into my long recovery. I never give up – ever – so I knew I was better, but I had a long way to go and I was scared.

That was then; this is now.

I had no need to be afraid. The true, blue love and support I was given from my faculty and classmates is one of the greatest gifts I have ever been given. And I am a different person because of it. Assertive, confident, ballsy, and wise. I embraced my fears, felt them, lived them, didn’t brush them aside. They were my greatest teachers and they’re yours as well.

It’s okay and very, very healthy to feel nervous about going back to school. New program or same-old. First year undergrad or second year masters. No matter. September is synonymous with the new, change. The air smells different, the leaves look different, your focus changes. You might be afraid to approach your new professor and introduce yourself; do it anyway. You might be nervous about going to a first week party where you don’t know anybody; go anyways. Trust me, it will go well and it won’t be a catastrophe. Your prof will be impressed. You will have fun at the party (however you define and experience fun).

Your nerves – however quiet or loud – are your friends. Let yourself feel them, but don’t let them tell you what to do. Going back to school is awesome and you’ll do awesome.

Spam prevention powered by Akismet