I figured out perhaps writing a short introduction about myself will be good before readers look at my blog… Hopefully this blog will help new or incoming students who intend to join UBC!, or those who can relate to my posts! I am in the faculty of Arts! Intending to major in psychology and sociology, will make the final decision in Year 2! You can spot me at Vegan or healthy eating places (yes, Palate, yes) and very much in the Birdcoop during early mornings.
UBC.
Why did I choose UBC? That was a question that many people asked me in my country. I could make it for a local university back in my home country, but Ive decided to come to Vancouver to study. I told them, UBC is definitely a beautiful university, and it provides and supports various learning opportunities for students of different cultures and diverse backgrounds. Such strong support of multiculturalism of students makes one have a sense of belonging in UBC. To facilitate in assisting international students to have a smooth transition into UBC, Jumpstart Orientation Program was introduced!
Being in Jumpstart allows me to meet all the other international students who are in the current situation as me, being slightly lost, looking forward to the new adventures and challenges ahead. With no friends at all, all we needed is to initiate to greet one another and start the conversation and tada! you have created a friendship. Who knows, he or she might be your best friend in UBC!
Staying in Gage, it means that I have 5 other room mates. I remembered that I opened my door so that I could meet and talked to them since we are staying together for our first year. That definitely helped, and we even had breakfast together on the first day! At the end of each day, I will initiate to ask my room mates what they have been doing! It was really interesting to hear their encounters, and definitely it was a bonding session for us as we each have our own activities during the day. We had our first breakfast together at Totem dining hall and after that I decided that I should probably cook my own meals in the future. It was really expensive to eat out. For those who are interested in buying your groceries, check out Safe on Foods! Its one of the most affordable place to get your stuff in UBC 🙂
I have tried certain food around UBC and it was pretty good!
For vegetarians, you could try the Palate. You create your own sandwich or either purchase the ready made salad or sandwiches. My favourite is definitely the create my own sandwich! (Added pesto, red pepper hummus, grilled tofu, tomatoes, cucumbers, falalel)
DIY Sandwich at Palate!
Pardon my half eaten sandwich!
The new SUB, The Nest.
The international foodcourt at the Village was really near to UBC and affordable! I had tried the Mediterranean food and it was my favourite!!! (Hummus!)
During my Community Learning Group sessions, my leaders were so active and tried to initiate everyone to get involved and communicate! (Lets applause for their efforts) OH YEAH ARTS 18!
What I find most useful and helpful was the Learning Community session for Jumpstart. We got to spend time with a professor that was attached to our group for a week. She shared her experiences and useful tips for international freshmen. For example, time management which is really crucial in university life. She was really enthusiastic in answering our questions and hey, I felt even more prepared for it.
Learning Community Session on note taking and how the brain works to absorb learning materials
Dr. Rae ~
Looking forward to ImagineUBC day and meeting more new friends and classmates!