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).