The start of a dream; the start of a new beginning.

So being here in Vancouver with my friends from Ontario, during the Olympics has probably been one of the most epic experiences of my life.

Back when I was still applying the presenters talked about this “UBC moment” that you’ll eventually have once attending. It’s the moment where you just realize where you actually are, the moment where you start appreciating everything around you. Well I had that moment when I was down on the waterfront near the torch. I had the towering sparkling buildings, the mountains, the Canadian cheers, ocean, and the official Olympic torch, all within eyesight. I just remember standing and thinking…holy crap. I LIVE here.

After like an hour of that, me and my Ontarians composed ourselves and walked around Van. We hit up everything from the downtown madness, to the Stanley Park totem poles.

I asked them if they wanted to move out here yet, and they were definitely on their way to being converted, haha.

And this inked deal? Myself and two friends got tattoos done. An hour of pain, but so worth it. Just try and keep it on the DL, my family doesn’t know…at least for the time being!

First off, I’d like to congratulate Mel on her housing lottery win. I can imagine, it really does feel like a one in a million.

“We regret to inform you that your application for a place in residence was not selected in the residence lottery for the 2010/2011 Winter Session. All applicants not selected in the lottery have been placed on a waitlist based on their lottery number.  Your wait list number is L 1382.”

This is the news I received on a Friday evening. What a buzz kill; literally. I knew the lottery was hard to get into, but not this hard. Of the group of people I was supposed to share a home with, no ne got in. The odds baffle me.

So yesterday I found myself on the internet looking at local housing prices. This may be a bit of an issue, since the vast majority are already signing contracts for September within the next few weeks. I feel like I’ve just been hit with a tsunami of responsibility and independence. Too much at once UBC!!

What’s even more unfortunate is the amount of international students that didn’t get in. I’ve got a friend from Japan, South Africa, and Germany, all of which are on the waiting list. If they don’t get off campus housing, what other choices do they have?

Hopefully some magical force will throw an answer at me soon.

Tons of updates guys!

To start, I’ve got midterm in 5 days. Three in a row: natural disasters, psychology, and sociology. I’ve been so caught up in everything else the past two weeks that I haven’t even had a chance to start studying. That’s where the week long study binge occurs. Fairly optimistic that I’ll do well.

As for job interviews, I’m completely stoked.

First was the Front Desk position I applied for during the summer here on campus. I’d basically be working for the hotel services in Marine and Gage during the summer, full time, with one graveyard shift a week. Pretty manageable in my opinion. I recently had an “online interview” which consisted of me being sent a link to a quiz that had to be completed in an hour and a half. This quiz had me answering questions involving basic math skills, problem solving, prioritising what seemed to be catastrophes in certain scenarios, as well as basic know how of Vancouver tourism attractions. I think I did pretty well in that.

Second was the RA carousel. I’ve been hearing about this shindig since October from my advisor, and it was quite the experience. We were put in groups of 5 to 7 people, and then later led to stations such as scheduling and “speed friending”. It was all very chill, and for a legit interview experience; not that stressful. The last station was indeed a legitimate one on one interview. Or two on one rather. Can you believe I was asked this question? “If you were a kitchen appliance, what would you be?”. Theresa question you don’t typically expect. The one thing that has me worried though is the amount of people that applied. Its something like 500 people applying for 150 positions? That’s not including the returners who get a much better chance of getting the job. I find out the results March 8^th, keep your fingers crossed!

Third was my MUG Leader group interview. This was similar to the carousel, only the activities were shorter and much more creative. The first station involved being grouped with two other people, and creating a short skit about UBC. We had a specific theme. Next, your whole group of 6 had to recreate a lego structure that one of your group members saw. I, in this case, saw the lego structure, and had to explain using fingers and words to guide the group into building it. We beat the other group easily. The last station included picking up a completely random item and relating it to UBC, or an experience I had. I had a mug.

So tons and tons of participation in leadership roles, get included if you already haven’t, loads of fun!