Tag: first year

one week down, so many more to go

wow, it’s only been a week since i moved in and started life here at ubc but it sure feels a lot longer than that. here’s a run-down of what i’ve been up to since unpacking my boxes:

imagine day:

waking up at wayyy to early in the morning just to trek down with other sleepy first years to meet my imagine day leader was not exactly on my list of favourite things to do. but it’s all worth it!

  1. i didn’t get lost
  2. there was free food…
  3. SO MUCH WALKING that was just a preview of what the next four years of classes will probably look like, i’m assuming (i can sure feel it in my legs)
  4. the pep rally was great and loud despite the fact that i was shivering and yawning a little (oops)
  5. we all know who ENGINEERING is
  6. the clubs set up on the main mall! so many to choose from, and so little time, sigh.

all in all, it was definitely a day i couldn’t have imagined on my own.

classes:

i set my alarm for 7:30 am on wednesday, only to remember that my first class began at 11:00 am. i’d advise you NOT to do this if you are not a morning person. as it was, i had time to make myself breakfast (eat your breakfast, people! the most important meal of the day, especially for stressed out students like us!) and surf the net and pore over the campus map for the nth time.

  1. get yourself an iclicker as soon as you can, but only turn to the bookstore as a last resort
  2. arrive early to class, especially if it’s a large class, so you don’t have to squint from the last row
  3. WATCH OUT for bikers/skateboarders/cellphone-users/people that feel the need to block the middle of the walkway
  4. seriously, move off the road if you want to catch up with your friends, traffic is bad enough
  5. ask someone if you’re lost! ubc is actually a pretty friendly place, and this is coming from one of the shyest person you’ll ever meet!
  6. wait until the first class before going to buy your textbooks, just so you don’t get the wrong one
  7. hunt your textbooks down online or try the facebook groups first, because if you buy it from the bookstore you’ll cry at the receipt
  8. don’t forget to eat lunch. i’m serious, your stomach will attempt to sing you (and the whole class) the song of its people and it’s. not fun

i am excited for all the people i’m meeting and all the friends possibilities, but also for the new material i’ll be able to take in. i’m still not very pumped up about the homework, though.

homecoming:

unfortunately, i had a shift during the game, and thus couldn’t go. however, i definitely felt the school spirit and hype as hungry people approached the food truck i was stuck in. i heard we won? GO THUNDERBIRDS!!

  1. i’ve never seen so much blue in my life
  2. the weather was great! for once!
  3. it was incredibly hot and greasy in the foodtruck
  4. lots of students in one place means lots of hungry people
  5. i’ll never ever look at teriyaki the same way again

it’s amazing how everyone came together to celebrate the first game of the season. that’s the stuff movies and books are about, guys!

sunday:

i thought this was my day of relaxation. turns out, i had another shift at the stadium! which i didn’t mind, except i began at 10 am.

  1. fortunately there’s a lot of buses to take. unfortunately, there’s a lot of buses to take
  2. i got lost
  3. going up and down the stairs while carrying tubs of coke and beer sure tires you out
  4. the wind was blowing so hard i was nearly blind with my hair all over the place
  5. i walked the long walk back from the stadium only to find walter gage gathered outside in the cold. #gageoutage2k15
  6. i just wanted to eat lunch, man
  7. spent ten minutes mourning my homework due on monday
  8. we’re allowed back in! hoorah, out of this chilly wind!
  9. the power is still out, the elevators not working
  10. i live on the fourteenth floor. #ripmylegs

it sure has been a wild ride for me this sunday. now i know to always bring emergency energy bars everywhere i go.

but i suppose that means i’m settling in just fine, aren’t i? i’ve met some amazing people, seen some amazing things on campus, instagramed some be-yoo-ti-ful sunsets, and even managed to cook something without setting the oven on fire. and if i chose to watch Legally Blonde and its sequel instead of doing my homework as a reward for making it up all those flights of stairs, well, that’s a student for ya. whatever else #ubclife can throw at me, i know i can handle it. or, at least, fake it ’til you make it, yeah?

next week, here i come!

knock three times!

it’s official. i’m officially moved in and ready to start the next chapter of my life.

(well… as ready as i’ll ever be, i guess. which sure doesn’t feel anywhere near ready, but hey, that’s growing up for ya.)

if you’re like me, who likes to get all excited about change but then get all anxious and just ignore it all until the last second (or, you know, you’re just lazy), you probably finished packing everything the night before. that’s what i was doing, friday night, digging through boxes and figuring out what’s necessary to bring and what i should leave behind. it felt like i was dropping things left and right, forgetting things here and there, and there’s never enough room for my things!

one moment: this is too much.
the next: what if this isn’t enough?

packing was never one of my favourite things.

there’s the essentials, you know:
-toiletries
-instant ramen
-bedsheets, bed linens, pillows, sleep stuff
-clothes??
-laptop, charger for laptop, case for laptop, etc etc
-phone
-contact lenses/glasses, duh
-school supplies (i’m actually here for classes and education, lmao)

but then there’s the things you’re going to make room for no matter what:
-your favourite stuffie (don’t even try to deny this one)
-pens, gel pens, fountain pens, pens pens pens
-your favourite snack
-a book or two from your own shelf
-headphones
-your favourite hoodie that’s probably a little too worn for wear

okay, so that was my personal list but you get my point. it doesn’t matter if you’re moving across the pacific ocean, or half way across the continent, or just two hours away by transit.

you’re moving out.
away from home. 

it’s a pretty big step, especially if you’re a babby birb that’s leaving the nest for the first time. you’re going to want all the comfort you can get, knowing that inevitable moment after all the hugs and “i’m going to be fine, don’t worry”s and “take care of yourself, make sure to call”s and when the door finally shuts and you’re left all by yourself, turning around to a half-unpacked (courtesy of your mother, or someone like it) dorm room, and realizing with a soft breath that hey, this is where you’re going to be for the next few months.

there’s no one to nag you to do the dishes or do your homework, you’re all on your own now. for the first few weeks your phone will blink and vibrate with how are yous and have you eaten yets and if it’s too much, come home anytime, alright? and then it’ll get quiet for a while. that’s okay.

because you know what? this is a big step. but it’s a big step forwards.

so here’s to the near future, and the distant future. i’m officially moved into my dorm for the first time, i’m unpacked, i’m getting to know my awesome roommates, and i’m ready to start the next chapter of my life.

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