Current Music: This is the part where I confess I listen to Korean pop music, and am listening to 너라고 (It’s You) by Super Junior.
It’s the beginning of our second week here in UBC and here I am, finally managing to squeeze in a blog post. Between working and getting to and fro classes and the horror that was my Math APLIA assignment for Econ 101, life has been busy. I’m already lacking some sleep and plan to take a good long nap at home before university work starts to attack full-force.
First week has been a long week full of excitement and surprises and general newness, and I’ve already learned a lot. I’m sure there’s a whole lot more of these lessons to come, but I’d like to share with you all the few things that have really stuck to mind.
7 Things I’ve Learned During My First Week in UBC
1. Yes, you can be late for the one class that attendance is marked due to the combination of your waking up late and a major Skytrain delay. – I generally like going on transit (I like the alone time it gives me after the day’s chaos), but Friday was just bad. It was really bad. I woke up an hour late, giving me only half an hour to get ready and run to the bus stop. I managed to get my dad to drive me to the Skytrain station, only to find out that there was a delay at Commercial-Broadway. Of all places to have the delay! I ended up having to transfer to the Millenium Line and go to Commercial-Broadway from there. I got to class 20 minutes late, and thankfully didn’t miss anything important.
To my fellow commuters, I heartily recommend getting to UBC 20-30 minutes before your first class. One can’t underestimate the walking distance between the bus loop and wherever your class is, plus you have time to go for a quick washroom break or finish up your reading or realize your first class is actually in another building on Wednesdays. Not to mention that if you’re taking the B-Line, you can let the line pass you by and wait for the next bus with ease, knowing you have a few extra minutes to spare.
2. Watch your steps when you enter that big lecture hall. – There will be steps once you enter- big steps that go down. I seem to have forgotten this real crucial part, so please don’t pull a Jennine and nearly stumble all the way down.
3. Hebb is indeed a pain to find. I managed to find the entrance though, thanks to Wayfinding at UBC. This page is one of the best resources ever- not only does it show where the building is, but if you click the link that says “Footprint Map”, it will show a map of the building that shows you all of its entrances! Much needed for those tricky buildings like Hebb.
4. On that note, don’t confuse Hebb with Hennings. – Don’t ask.
5. Don’t be frightened off by your FREN 122 class.– I thought only ECON 101 would be my biggest challenge, but FREN 122 is quite the leap from the standard high school French (even if it is Grade 12 French). Give it time, I know I definitely am- I’m too determined to Minor in the language to give up so easily. Trust me when I say you will not be the only one desparately grasping onto every word the prof says. It’s not that he/she’s difficult to understand- you will get the gist of what he’s saying, but there’ll be various words that will just go right over your head. Thankfully, mostly everyone in the class will be in the same boat as you, so help each other out! Also, depending on your prof, he/she should be answering questions in English after class. :P
6. Making friends will actually come naturally.– Once again, I must emphasize the same boat thing. We all want a good friend to be study buddies with, and eventually the silence between you and the person beside you will just be so overwhelming that you have to reach out your hand and introduce yourself. As a usually too-quiet person, I was surprised to see how easy it was to get acquianted with one or two people in my classes. It really just starts with the simple “Hi”.
7. Weather forecasts are useless.– Yesterday morning I was dressed in a I’m-expecting-rain-to-fall-on-me-anytime-now fashion, but instead was greeted by pleasant sunshine after my FREN 122 class. Instead of feeling pleased like any normal person, I was dismayed. I was wearing three layers of clothing, a scarf, and I’ve been toting an umbrella around all day. I still haven’t mastered how to cater to the unpredictability that is Vancouver weather, and so found myself taking off my first layer- a trench coat- and having to carry it all the way home.
I think the key with the weather we have is to bring a portable umbrella at all times, and wear clothes that suit both spring and autumn weather. It’s no wonder we love cardigans in here, because they’re a perfect example. They’re enough to keep one warm when there’s a slight chill, but not thick enough to be overbearing when it’s too hot. Other such clothing items I can think of are Doc Martins (perfect rain boot substitute as well), and long sleeve polo shirts.
Some additional advice: Try and read The Ubyssey everyday! If you’re a commuter student it really helps keep one in the loop. Pita Pit has the best healthy and filling lunches while Blue Chip Cookies has the best dessert. If you have a long break time in between classes and need some quiet, Nitobe Memorial Gardens is a damn good place for some studying (or a nap, but that might not be wise if you have class after).
Now I am off to work on my French- wish me luck!
Ever the rambly one,
Jennine (J9 for short?)
I still confuse Hebb and Hennings for a few seconds before I realize which one is which. I think it has to do with the “h-e-2 of the same letters” at the beginning, at least for me.
As for making friends coming naturally, I’m glad that it is easy for you. There’s still a few of us (like myself) where it’s difficult.
It took me a while to realize that weather forecasts are totally useless until the day when it went from sunny to raining to hailing in one walk across campus.
Ah! Glad you’re a UBC blog squad blogger!
My biggest problem is this social phenomenon that is called Making New Friends—-oh, I hope it gets easier!