Mole in a Hole

Mole in a Hole by Indira Mishra

There is a mole that lives in a hole.

 

From his hole, he can walk to Superstore, or he can walk to the forest. Superstore is a 5-minute walk as the crow flies, but a 14-minute walk on pavement.

The mole can walk to Superstore and buy Maltesers when the snow has melted. The city doesn’t clear the street outside his mole hole, and one day while walking to Superstore, he slipped on hardened snow. Although he wasn’t injured, he decided that walking isn’t worth risking one’s life.

The mole doesn’t like that he has to drive everywhere in winter. It seems silly to drive when he has perfectly good legs. But he is very grateful to have a car. And he is very grateful to have perfectly good legs. He knows that if he didn’t have a car, he would have to take the bus. And taking the bus takes 3 times longer than driving.

In winter, especially, he barely walks. He walks to the car, drives to Superstore, walks to the candy aisle to get Maltesers. He walks to the car, drives to the forest, walks in the forest.

The forest is not a forest; it is a park. If he walks deep enough into the park, the road escapes from view and he can see only trees, so he pretends it is a forest. But the forest is dirty. It is filthy with noise. Traffic noise creeps in through the barren winter branches. Real forests do not have traffic noise. Some days he walks in the forest without noticing the traffic noise. And then he feels guilty, complicit, and corrupted.

The mole always drives to school because it is too far to walk, even on days without snow. It takes 11 minutes to drive to school. It would take 1 hour and 43 minutes to walk to school.

The school is on a hill. The hill is next to a droning highway. Many of the students at school live on the hill. Sometimes the mole is a little sad that he lives in a hole and not on the hill. If he lived on the hill, he would live near so many other students, and maybe he could have more friends.

After school, the mole hurries back to his hole and burrows in the dark underground. Even deep in the earth, he can hear car horns honking on the street above. At times when it seems perfectly quiet, he still fears that traffic noise is always present, but that he can no longer consciously hear it because it is now part of him.

The mole is very grateful.

He knows he is very privileged to have a school, a car, and a warm hole to live in. The mole feels so grateful for the things that he has that sometimes he bursts into tears. And once all his tears have depleted, he feels empty.

One year, the mole wins a scholarship to live in a new city and go to a new school. He moves across the country to live in a flat above ground. Not just above ground, but a whole floor above ground with a big window overlooking the street. He still calls it a hole because that is what moles call their homes, underground or otherwise.

In his first week in the new city, he walks 20 minutes from his hole to the base of a bare hill. He climbs 80 stories of elevation to the top of the hill. He climbs to the top of the world, the city that is his new world. As he stands on that seat, high above the city, he looks down and sees every building and every street. He can see every walking person, every bus, and every car. But from all the way up there, he can’t hear any of it at all.

In his new home, the mole hole a whole floor above ground, he hears traffic noise constantly from the busy street below. At first, it bothered him. But he soon realized that he’d rather hear traffic noise in his hole than when he’s walking in the forest. Because it means he can walk to more than just Superstore and a forest. He can walk to the café, and he can walk to the shop where he buys Maltesers, and he can walk to his friends’ houses, and he can even walk to school.

Most days, the mole feels content.

And when he sits with his friends in the café, or goes to an event at school, or lets the sun warm his face, or is tired out at the end of the day from so much walking, he even feels happy. 

The mole wondered for a long time what he did differently in this new place to deserve to feel happy. In the end, he decided it was nothing. Maybe the reason he never felt right in that old place was that the place he belonged was always here, waiting for him.

Even as content as the mole is, he often thinks of the trees in the old park. He misses disappearing behind the branches and pretending to be alone in the forest. On these days, he walks 20 minutes to the base of the bare hill and climbs to the top. He looks down at the city that is the world, down at his new hole, and his new school, and the shop where he shops, and the streets where he walks. Because on the hill, it’s truly quiet.

About the Contributor

Indira Mishra will be graduating from UBCO with her Bachelor of Science in mathematics. She has a lifelong passion for reading which inspires her writing. Her short story Mole in a Hole examines loneliness, isolation, and the power that a place has in affecting an individual’s connection to a community and the world around them.

Illustrations by Indira Mishra

Chinese Folk Dance

Chinese Folk Dance by Cindy Seto

Folk dance has a long history in traditional Chinese culture and it has taken diverse forms over millennia.

Dance has always been closely connected with the common people, reflecting their ideas, their labour, and their daily lives. Dancing female figures are the main subject of my artwork. My intention is to reflect on connections between ancient Chinese dance traditions and contemporary forms of dance. My work is inspired by memories from my childhood and photographs in which I performed Chinese dance with a group of dancers in front of an audience. I use digital photography to document dancers during Chinese New Year festivals, and these images represent modern forms of dance. The photos seek to capture the flexibility and strength of the human body, while at the same time commenting on what human beings are capable of, not just in dance and the arts, but more profoundly.

About the Contributor

Hello everyone, my name is Cindy Seto and I am from Toronto Ontario, I graduated from the University of British Columbia in May 2022 with a Bachelor of Arts degree, majoring in Visual Arts. My focus is on research and photography in everyday life, to capture the small moments.  I am Chinese Canadian and I have a younger sister who lives in Toronto. She works in IT security for Aviva Insurance Company of Canada. This is the first time submitting my work to this magazine and I am beginning to try other things by publishing my artwork into different magazines, newspapers, books, catalogs, and projects. It’s extremely important to express yourself to the public, you live and learn and you share. Information is an asset to the human brain. The video was compiled by Nancy Jiayi Lu who is an undergraduate student majoring in Psychology in the Faculty of Science at UBC Okanagan. The audio-visual recording features students at UBC Okanagan and Ana Feng, a representative of the Mood Psychology Club.

Photo provided by Cindy Seto

Student Organizers at UBCO


In Conversation with Aliyah Ayorinde, Busie Adebayo, and Kojo Clarke
by Samaya Miller  

  • Describe how your membership in a student organization makes you feel included in a way that is unique from your experiences with the general school population. 

Aliyah Ayorinde (AA) is a staff member at the UBCO Student Experience Office. She is currently the orientation event coordinator and works to aid in the programs and events of her office:

I first started when I was a student- that’s how I first met everyone in the student experience office- and I was an orientation leader. At first, I was apprehensive because I thought you had to be a certain way, but when I was going through the interview process, they emphasized the importance of seeing me as I am and that there was no need to pretend to be whom I think they wanted me to be, and it was offered in a way that was accessible to me. Which boosted my confidence and made me want to do well in the role because I felt like, you know, I’m going to be valued as myself, and then the next year everyone was encouraging me for doing so great, and it made me feel so happy and way more confident to be a senior leader. The following year, again, I was so confident, which made me apply for student staff, and then later, when I graduated, I became a full-time staff member, knowing that my gifts were appreciated.

Busie Adebayo (BA) is the VP External for the UBCO African Caribbean Student Club (ACSC):

ACSC makes me feel included simply by creating a space where I can see and interact with people who closely relate to a similar culture that I grew up in and the experiences, good and bad, that come with being African or Caribbean in Canada. The club provides room for us to come.

ACSC makes me feel included simply by creating a space…”

Kojo Clarke (KC) is the VP Finance for the UBCO ACSC:

In Kelowna, there are very few spaces that allow us to exist in joy. I believe that majority of my happiest moments have been through the club and have helped me find a support circle to aid me through my university career. The events were always ‘come as you are’ without a fear of prejudice.

  • Please describe a typical meeting or event of this student organization.

AA: Black community lunch: Initially, it was going to be a part of Black student orientation, but we felt like the timeline was too short to include it in September, 2022. So, we pushed it to October so we could get more resources and connect with campus partners better… [and support] Black student orientation. I did become the main coordinator, but was lucky to have help from the whole team, particularly Prapthi and Tage.

BA: At a typical ACSC event there is always food, music, dancing, and vibes. It’s really just people having fun together.

KC: I think the differences in the events make them unique, but one thing that was certain is there is always music and food.

  • Please describe the benefits (personal and/or group-wide) experienced after a meeting or event with this student organization.

AA: Well, I would say it benefits me because it benefits the community. What I like to see the most is when I get to see everyone being connected and when people are having those conversations and just being around each other and just having vibes and good times. That’s when I’m like, you know this was worth all the panic [laughs]. With the community, you know, I’ve been collecting feedback as we go so I can know how to improve in the future. And the main points were just the importance of everyone being connected to others and knowing that there was this event where it was focused on the Black community and their wellness. I knew that this event would have been something beneficial for me as a student.

“Being acknowledged through this event made students feel part of the space.”

BA: Personally, I’ve always met at least one new person by the end of every ACSC event. So, I would say that one of the main benefits of being a part of this club is making new connections and friendships, which also goes back to the topic of inclusion on campus. ACSC events are also mostly fun events so it’s a bit of a pick-me-up after a stressful week filled with assignments and tests.

KC: The purpose is to promote interest in and knowledge of African and Caribbean cultures among UBCO students and the greater Kelowna community. This helps create spaces for these communities to feel a sense of home and belonging as well as communicate amongst likeminded peers.

  • Any future events for the Black Community to help foster inclusivity?

AA: I would love to improve the Black community wellness lunch first because I think having this and a separate piece for education could be very useful as I noted that this was needed for some students. I would love to also do some workshops about being a black student and managing the expectations of the community and your family and university so that students can feel connected to one another and know that they are not just carrying the weight of their community on their backs alone. I would also like to collab[orate] with different campus partners on campus for equity and inclusion.

  • Please describe how you believe this student organization promotes equity.

BA: I think ACSC promotes equity by providing space for everyone to celebrate their different cultures together. We also have a few things planned for next semester that deal with mental health and self-care for people in the club, so hopefully those will also contribute to our promotion of equity on campus!

KC: I think that what we try to promote is that other students have a voice and a say in what they can enjoy as well. This is not a slight on any other club, but the conversations I have with our members is that there is not a club as inclusive as ours. We try to create a great vibe and use culture to drive our events. Our motto, Ubuntu, means I am because you are. We can’t exist without our members and our goal is to allow those who have a voice, or [those who] don’t to still feel joy because you are surrounded by joyous people.

“Our motto, Ubuntu, means I am because you are.”

  • What would you say to someone who is struggling with feeling safe and included in our community?

AA: I see you, I feel you, and I empathize heavily. It’s hard to feel like you are not alone when the campus is telling you that you are alone, but know that you are not and there are people here who want to support you and see you thrive despite the lack of systemic change … We want to see you become the best version of yourself. It’s hard to go out every day having to be brave… I’m rooting for you.

“…there are people here who want to support you and see you thrive…”

 

Photo by Cody Engel on Unsplash

 

 

 

 

ISA Event

‘Diwali Mela’ at UBC Okanagan organized by the Indian Student Association


The Indian Student Association (ISA) organized Diwali, or as it is more popularly known, the ‘Festival of Lights’. Diwali is one of the biggest festivals celebrated in India. It commemorates the victorious return of Lord Rama after 14 years of exile after saving his wife Sita from the demon king Ravana.

Diwali is celebrated to signify the triumph of good over evil symbolizing the dispelling of darkness.

On Diwali, people decorate their homes with lights and make colorful rangoli’s (patterns made on the floor with colors) in their courtyards. You will see people dressed in new clothes, bursting firecrackers, exchanging gifts, and praying to Goddess Lakshmi (goddess of wealth). 

Since Diwali is such an important festival for Indians, the ISA wanted to share those sentiments with everyone on campus by organizing a ‘Diwali Mela’ (fair). At the Mela, several local businesses set up stalls selling Indian goods like jewelry and clothes, offering henna designs, and painting diyas (earthen lamps). As the evening proceeded, there were stunning performances put up by the Bhangra Club and UBCO Beats Club. The students were served traditional Indian food and dessert like biryani, paneer pakode, chilli chicken, jalebi, and gulab jamun. The night concluded with everyone lighting up sparklers. 

As an international student, being far away from my family and culture creates a feeling of isolation. Events like this instill a sense of belonging among students and preserves the diversity on campus. Other members of ISA shared feelings of nostalgia and distance from their cultures and families when they first arrived in Canada, however ISA events such as, Diwali provided them with a community to celebrate their cultural identities.  

These events cultivate among students a sense of belonging at the university.

Moreover, celebrating different cultural events on campus promotes inclusivity. Learning about other cultures educates people to be mindful and respectful of different perspectives. The Diwali Mela was attended by not only Indians but also by people from diverse backgrounds. It left us with memories of a fun night spent with friends and the community.

 

Photo by Prashant Gupta on Unsplash

#SayHerName

Compilation of Artwork Exhibited at FINA Gallery by Nasim Pirhadi

Say Her Name 

artist’s statement

Using pine needles, I built a wall to embody the restrictions the Islamic Republic imposed upon Iranian people.

A wall between Women and Men 

A wall between Iran and the free world 

A wall between the dispossessed and the privileged

 

Many people died to cross the wall 

Many are in prison because they think there shouldn’t be a wall 

Many people inside Iran are trying to connect to the free world by destroying the wall

Many are risking their lives by choosing to live as though there is no wall.

Many Iranian citizens outside of Iran cannot return home because of the wall 

Many religious and sexual minorities cannot live safely inside the wall

The video

In the video, I am repeatedly smearing my face with and then cleaning it of basil seeds as traditional drum music plays in the background. This music is normally played in zoorkhanehs, traditional gyms that only men are allowed to enter and participate in, and whose name translates to House of Strength. There is an old belief that women are not purified enough to enter these sacred places, and that the inherent corruption of womanhood makes them undeserving of titles like ‘hero’ or ‘champion’. Through the repetitive act of cleaning my face of basil seeds, positioned here to represent Irian womanhood, I am asking: is it enough now? Am I purified enough? Am I eligible now?

In Farsi, the word for basil is ‘Reyhan’, which is also a common female name, so, basil seeds and the gelatinous mass they create upon contact with water are embodying female kinship networks. The way that basil seeds swell twice their size and bond together upon coming into contact with water is representative of the misogynistic fears surrounding the contagious nature of women’s drive for freedom – if one woman is fighting for it, she might ‘infect’ other women around her with the same ideas.”

The purpose of the show was to raise the awareness about the unrest in Iran and be the voice of the Iranian people. Informing the audience and bringing them into a conversation like easing it a little because this is a difficult conversation especially with so much global attention on it. The exhibition meant the criteria of here come, you are welcome to the conversation, see a little bit of what’s happening in Iran.

Nasim is currently working on her new project about women’s rights in Iran which is the continuation of her previous works and is a network that depicts the layout of an Iranian traditional gym called Zoorkhaneh (The House of strength). In Zoorkhaneh, a variety of tools are utilised, including Meel, Zarb and Zang (drum and bell), Kabbadeh (bow and chain), Sang (shield), and Takhteh Shena (Push-up Board). To construct the Zoorkhaneh structure, she is creating some of this equipment out of natural elements including wood, basil seeds, and sugar, as well as creating some paintings and video art.

About the author

Nasim Pirhadi is a multidisciplinary artist and MFA candidate at UBCO whose artistic practice are mainly a compilation of spatial installations, video art, sound, and drawing. She is interested in creating interactive experiences to facilitate narratives in her works. Her works explore culturally sensitive topics in the complex socio-political environment of her home country, Iran. Her research-oriented practice engages with feminist approaches to female identity and subjectivity and gender performativity. She has presented at festivals and artist residencies across Iran and internationally. Nasim won the selected award of the third contemporary drawing Festival in Iran in 2011 and has been shortlisted as eight finalists for the Behnam Bakhtiar Award in Monaco, France, in 2017. She has recently received the Audain Foundation travel award for a research trip to New York. 

 

Idowu’s Poem

A Dark-Skinned Damsel.

1930:

Born black, beautiful with beady black eyes.

Broad nose, curly black hair, wide smile, white teeth.

She was dark-skinned.

 

Her skin-

the colour of running, yummy chocolate-

was betrothed to the Sun.

 

Her physique-

resplendent in all attires

as though she was carved,

every intricate detail of her.

 

She dared not shrink

for her stature would betray her.

She dared not cower

for her aura exuded valor.

But what she did dare

which she ought not to have,

was to dare disdain her dark skin.

 

2030: Now

she is old

with a granddaughter of her own.

She whispers to her

every now and then:

“You are beautiful.”

 

She marvels

that beauty is no longer a cult-

with a fixed complexion,

hair texture or curvature.

 

Beauty resides in every contour

of the human flesh; beauty

makes its home in the

nest of kind souls. Beauty

is no longer a face,

a look, or complexion.

Beauty is you and I

in our splendour.

 

Now, her granddaughter

will live

as she was made to live-

as a beautiful dark-skinned damsel

born black

as strong as the obsidian rock.

– Ayanfe Idowu

DRC at UBCO

Disability Resource Centre Creates Inclusion Around Campus, Online and Offline by Yasmeen Kaila

Everyone needs extra support in their life.

Whether it is mental health, physical health, or accommodations, the Disability Resource Centre (DRC) at the University of British Columbia Okanagan (UBCO) helps create a safe space for inclusion and diversity around campus both in person and online. 

The DRC’s role is to support those with ongoing medical conditions and varying abilities through their university career. Allowing all students to get a fair education without drawbacks one might face. Having the DRC as a resource is a benefit for those who may be at a disadvantage. The list of conditions the DRC can assist with includes mental health conditions, neurological disabilities, chronic health conditions as well as physical or sensory disabilities.

Individuals are assisted through many accommodations such as, note takers, assistive listening devices, medical equipment/supplies, distraction reduced environments and extended time for exams. Those are just a few of the many accommodations the DRC provides for students at UBCO. Accommodations are granted after a meeting is conducted with an advisor from the DRC and the student. The meeting consists of figuring out which accommodations one would best benefit from and meet the student’s specific needs. Once accommodations are finalized, students are required to inform instructors, so they can include accommodations to one’s class in a way that respects their dignity, privacy, and autonomy.

As someone who is a student working with the DRC, I have found my education has less barriers and more flexibility to accommodate my learning. I was worried about my first-year education as everything was online due to COVID-19. The support and accommodation I was given due to the circumstances, were phenomenal. I felt like someone with disadvantages was still given a fair shot at education. As everything was online, accommodations were a little different than how they would normally be set up. The DRC organized private zoom calls during exams for those needing accommodations, allowing for a distraction reduced environment for those online.

Simple accommodations give someone a big sense of inclusion.

The UBCO website states that “seven to eight percent of the student population, which is up to 800 students, are associated with the DRC at any given time. 800 students needing accommodations get assistance and access to fair education daily because of the DRC.”

After talking to other students in the DRC about their experiences and thoughts, the feedback I received corresponded with the DRC’s capability to provide a welcoming space . Students have asked for their names not to be included in this article for privacy reasons, therefore, I will refer to them as “Student 1” and “Student 2”.

Student 1 explained that the DRC helps UBCO by implementing equity into the academic system. The DRC allowed this student with ADHD and Dyslexia to succeed with accommodations such as a note taker, time and a half for test taking and other accommodations to fit their needs.

Student 2 explained that the DRC has helped them with their university experience. They learned at their own pace and had the help they needed. The DRC gave them an opportunity to understand concepts and materials in different ways so that they are able to understand better. 

The DRC also boosted students’ confidence in classes. With the guidance of the staff from the DRC students feel comfortable with class material so they feel prepared to answer any questions. They continued to say they do not feel ashamed about asking for help and being judged. Students can be open about what they need. When asking student two about their experiences with the DRC. Yearly checks performed by the DRC to see how us students feel about the upcoming year was seen as reassuring. Students were able to have a great conversation about classes and challenges from the previous year. 

It is very clear, through personalized accommodations and amazing staff, that the DRC at the UBCO allows for a more inclusive and safe place on and off campus for students with different challenges.. If you, or someone you know who might benefit from the DRC, please visit the Disability resources website. If you feel you are someone who can help those at the DRC, please visit the website as well to see how you can help students around you.

Reference

Accommodations information for faculty. Student Services. (n.d.). Retrieved October 24, 2022, from https://students.ok.ubc.ca/academic-success/disability-resources/information-for-faculty/

Photo by Neil Thomas on Unsplash

Poem

Flora in the fields

In the elds, owers are able to exist with each other,

Nomad bees showering in the owers pollen, such a peaceful scene.

Color lls the eld as the sun strikes noon, light transmitting its tenderness to Earth.

Lovely setting, incredible scents, peaceful calm.

Unbelievable sight.

Serene environment, unpolluted air,

Indescribable warmth lled the ground, as the Sun kissed the Earth softly.

Variety of owers decorated the eld,

Inclusivity seen within our nature. Flowers,

Twirling away with the wind, petals and leaves dancing with each other, never

Yielding, just existing with each other; as nature intended to do.

 

Movement isn’t discriminated, warmth is not denied,

All around is colorful and inaudibly fun.

Togetherness has set the mood, spreading its beauty.

Tomorrow will be the same, love surrounding the

Exquisitely serene and natural scene.

Romantic essence of immense diversity.

Succulent di erence, perfuming the air, impacting the senses.

 

Author: Anonymous

Poem: Flora in the Fields

Author: Anonymous

As an international student, I believe there’s nothing more welcoming than the act of inclusivity of others. Because now I understand more than ever, what it’s like to be the odd-one-out. I had thought about these feelings of difference when I volunteered to participate in the RESPECT Magazine, which is why I wrote about flowers. They all have a different meaning and all look quite different, but they coexist in the land they share. I wrote this poem for those who are wondering if they fit in at all in university life. Inclusivity is meant to be shared, which is what the Syilx Okanagan Nation have done with the university, they have allowed people to be in their land. We as knowledgeable students are able to thrive at our differences, regardless of what they might be, because we share the experience of being UBCO’s students. This is an important message to spread, because if there are people who doubt the act of inclusivity, at the very least there are now others that can support those who feel unwelcome.

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