Today marks the third official day of my new commuting life, and I am pretty tired. I am also in an almost-permanent state of hunger but this is due less to commuting and more to my currently undesirable cooking. Rest assured, I’ve been told that through sheer practice I will improve by next term.
In the meantime, I just eat a lot of fruit. At least that’s good for my health.
I see why people often say it can really suck to live off-campus in your first year. I already know people from last year so finding someone to eat lunch with me is simply a matter of calling them. Quite different to not knowing anyone at all.
Which is why everyone should think carefully about what kinds of activities they want to get involved in and then join at least one of those, and then maybe another club you’d never thought of, just for the heck of it. Clubs Day should be coming up pretty soon, and while I have learned my lesson from last year (do not pay to join 9 clubs because you will not go to all, if any, of them), I’m still excited at the prospect of doing something new. I’m also interested in checking out some things at the REC Centre next week, which happens to be their Shopping Week simply bursting with free classes.
In the meantime, though, turn around to the person sitting next to you and introduce yourself. I’ve found more than one lunch companion that way, and at least one really amazing friend who goes beyond just lunch. But it’s a great start. (And really not so scary after you do it a billion times. Trust the introvert.)
And if you’re lucky enough to live in rez, make the most of it. I miss being able to just walk over to someone’s door and go, “Hi!” and then talk for half an hour.
I did, by the way, get offered Vanier residence over the summer; I was originally waitlisted at 1132, so there is always hope! But I turned it down because I wanted self-catering facilities; while I pigged out at the Vanier caf this lunchtime, I don’t miss it nearly enough to eat there everyday. You see, my rice cooker makes good rice.
That would be #1 on my list of things I like about living off-campus.
#2 would probably be my rule to not study when I go home. I force myself to be on campus from 8:30 am to 5:00 pm everyday and just study. This can absolutely suck after three hours, but it’s a wonderfully liberating feeling to arrive home and not need to do anything school-related anymore. All the time after 5 is time for me to do other things I’m interested in, which didn’t really work out so well when I lived in dorms.
#3. I have salsa and crackers for when I am really hungry. How many people in this world really have ready access to salsa? It helps me to keep things in perspective.
But the thing I like most which I least expected is my bus ride. While I’ve discovered that I need to leave rather early if I want to have a seat (and being the lazy type, I do), the view I get going to UBC is worth it. For one thing, we pass through Pacific Spirit Park. How many people get to see a regional park everyday? But better than this, if I scan carefully on one particular stretch of the road, I can see glimpses of the sea. And this is what I was most loathe to give up — I love being able to see mountains and ocean everyday.
Which is another reason why I like taking a window seat. I never feel quite complete without it.
