First blog post. First day of university. First time moving out.  LFS Firsts.  First time living with roommates. First class of over 300 people. First time barely knowing a soul in a new city. First time buying my own groceries.  The list seems to go on and on and on.

      There’s an interesting dichotomy with the concept of “firsts” in our society.  On one hand, in sports and other competitions, it is a highly coveted position.  From a young age we are taught to strive to be the best in everything we do, from being the first one to get the newest technology, to achieving top marks in the class, to getting gold in prestigious sports competitions.  In some ways, the idea that it’s not worth doing if you don’t win is reinforced. Remember being told “if you’re not, first you’re last”?? But on the flip side, the first time you attempt something is rarely your best.  I remember the first time I played volleyball. I sucked.  It was at the tryout in grade 7 when I had decided to become more active and outgoing. I was this awkward 13 year old girl, taller than everyone else but I had no clue what to do with all my limbs.  Now flash forward 6 years to my last season of club: although I was only one inch taller (now considered short at a measly 5 ft 7 in), I was confident in my abilities and skills. My point is, how am I supposed to know what the heck to do with all these exhilarating/nerve-wracking/life-changing firsts approaching? I have no clue how to navigate the whole university landscape.  Back home in Edmonton, my friends have already started school.  I see their posts on Snapchat, Instagram, etc, and they all seem to know what they are doing.  Why don’t I?

      All these important “firsts” are coming up in my life, and I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t terrified of them.  But although I can’t guarantee that my first time will be the best time, I can say that it will get better.  So just like this first blog post probably won’t be my best one, I know that there is nowhere to go but up.  I have no preconceived notions that my university life will be picture perfect.  I know I am not going to find my all my new best friends within the first two days, get to all my classes perfectly on the first try or ace all my first exams.  But what I do know is that going to UBC will push my limits and expand my horizons, and for that first I’m super excited. For me, just meeting new people and putting myself out there will be a challenge.  So I have decided to go in with as open of a mind as I can muster, and not hold any reservations against trying new things.

      Instead of leaving you with this revelation, I thought I’d introduce myself a bit seeing as this is my first blog post. If you want to read more, check out my “About Me” page and stay tuned for my moving in post!

Hometown: Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

Age: 18- until November 13th (Friday the 13th 😱)

Program: Bachelor of Science in Food, Nutrition and Health with the hope of transferring into Dietetics

Reasons Why I Chose UBC:

“And if you feel just like a tourist in the city you were born, then it’s time to go” -Death Cab for Cutie

I have lived in Edmonton all my life and it started to feel suffocating.  This wasn’t because Edmonton was small (because its not) but because I felt stuck, doing the same things, avoiding the same situations, feeling like an observer instead of an actual member of the community.  UBC appealed to me because of not only the world class education, but because of all the opportunities to get involved in sooo many different areas.  The possibilities are literally endless and I remember scrolling through all the clubs when I was trying to decided between U of A and UBC.  I couldn’t get over how many diverse activities there were.  By that point I knew I had to go here. The opportunity to live by the coast to get a first class education was just icing on the top of the cake.

Fun Facts: My name means “of the sea”, which explains why my heart is with the coast. I’ve completed a half marathon, love to cook and bake (I even judged at the Canadian Food Champs this summer!) and can do the splits!