Category Archives: Life at UBC/Vancouver

Life in Vancouver

Posted on by under Life at UBC/Vancouver

What makes Vancouver so great? Just about everything. You can kayak and ski in the same day here – seriously. It would be a challenge to find something that you can’t do in Vancouver. Below I’ve outlined the reasons why I like to call Vancouver home:

  1. The food. The food the food the food. I love trying new restaurants, and there is never a shortage of those here. Virtually every cuisine you can think of is represented in some way in Vancouver. We even have a food truck festival in the summer. Throughout the rest of the year there are food trucks dispersed all around the city – one of my favourites is Tacofino (get a fish taco!).
  2. The weather. People might complain about the rain, but I don’t mind it. Living in a city where -5 is a freezing day is my kind of city.
  3. The mountains and ocean. I grew up in Vancouver and I’m still in awe of its beauty.
  4. The culture. Vancouver is a melting pot – there are so many cultures represented and celebrated here. One event I look forward to every year is Italian Day on Commercial Drive. The Asian population is a significant influence on the culture of Vancouver, and there are many celebrations throughout the year associated with different Asian cultures – all of which are fun to attend.
  5. The size. Vancouver is a city, but you still can run into people you know at the grocery store. There are distinct neighborhoods in Vancouver that all have a community feel. In Kitsilano, my neighborhood, I know some of the small business owners just from shopping at their stores.

I like to be a tourist in my own city, so I’ve outlined 5 must-do Vancouver activities below:

  1. Bike the seawall around Stanley Park.
  2. Either hike the Grouse Grind (or take the gondola…I won’t judge you) up Grouse Mountain to see the most amazing views of the city.
  3. Wander around Gastown – our own cobblestone neighborhood! Some of the best restaurants are there, along with some great shopping
  4. Eat sushi! Anywhere! Well, maybe not anywhere, but we have some fantastic sushi restaurants here. If you’re looking for more upscale, try Miku, for the middle of the road: Hapa Izakaya, and for a funky sushi experience: The Eatery.
  5. Finally, one of my favourite things to do (and I do this often!) is to visit Granville Island. There are restaurants, art galleries, produce, flowers, toys, and everything in between. It’s in a gorgeous location and I always find something new there.

Off to eat some sushi…. Maddie 

http://www.linkedin.com/in/maddieholeksa

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Fun and Social

Posted on by under Life at UBC/Vancouver

I still can’t believe I have been in this amazing city for almost half a year. It feels unreal! The past five months of the MM program have been super busy and we might need to push ourselves even harder for the remainder of the program. But, if you think the heavy work load or final exam pressure can stop us from having fun, you’re absolutely wrong!

Hanging out with my classmates is one of the biggest reasons why I like this program so much! The program gathers like-minded people with diverse backgrounds which makes the social life in Vancouver so incredible and diverse. For example, last week a group of us went to try some of the spiciest chicken wings on earth – so spicy that you need to sign a waiver before you’re allowed to eat them. What’s more, for someone who’s born and raised in a completely different culture, I never thought watching a hockey game in a bar with a bunch of friends would be so much fun!

We also participate in a wide range of special events outside of class. The faculty and my classmates strive to provide many networking opportunities to make friends and connections. For example, at our alumni mixer in November I received precious advice on careers, job hunting, interviewing and even tips for new-comers to Vancouver. Another special event was Trek Vancouver. Trek Vancouver was very useful for the class, especially for international students to get acquainted to local companies as well as Vancouver’s business culture.

Almost every Master of Management student likes a good quality social life to enhance the value of their learning experience. I don’t think many of my classmates would sit in a class think “Geez! this capitalization table is the coolest thing I’ve ever learned!”. However personally, my classmates are my greatest support in this program and I have learned just as much from them as what I’ve learned in class.

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Weekend Skiing!

Posted on by under Life at UBC/Vancouver, Other

So, you’ve probably heard about how beautiful the city of Vancouver is. Let me tell you, it is!

Vancouver is one of the most beautiful cities in the world. There is so much natural beauty here, from being right next to the Pacific Ocean to having the coastal mountains right outside your door. It’s no wonder everyone wants to live here.

If you love doing outdoor activities, you’re going to love Vancouver. You can go hiking on one of the hundreds of trails in and around the city, go bicycling around the Stanley Park Seawall, do ocean kayaking in English Bay, and go skiing at one of the local mountains. And the really crazy thing is,  you can do all of this in one day! Of course, we do get pretty busy here with the MM program, so we usually try to keep it down to one activity at a time!

Today a few of us decided to go skiing at one of our favourite local ski mountains, Cypress Mountain. Located only 40 minutes away from UBC, it’s one of three local mountains (the others being Grouse and Seymour) that offer great runs and amazing views of the city. Lately though, we’ve had a warm spell of weather, so snow has been a bit hard to come by. Nonetheless, the mountains had enough snow to offer us some amazing runs and a great ski day with friends. 

A gorgeous view of the city from the top of Cypress Mountain

     

Our resident pro-skier Cidnee (left) along with our resident New Yorker Christina! 

Now we’re off to hit the books again! If you have any questions or comments, feel free to post down below. I’d love to hear them!

Cheers!

Kenneth

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