blog by zahra

Today was one of the busiest days I’ve had in a while.  I started off by waking up at 5:30am and commuting to UBC.  Sat in class for 1.5 hours, tutored a student for an hour, then jumped on the bus again to travel to BC Children’s Hospital, where I volunteer.  I had one of the best shifts ever at BCCH today, because I got to cuddle an infant and rock him back and forth, which is something I’ve been wanting to do since I started volunteering.  After 3 hours, I hopped onto the bus again, traveled back to UBC, and got ready to right my MICB 202 midterm at 7pm.

In total, I commuted using 6 buses and 1 Canada Line train.  But what fascinates me more about my day was my stress level the throughout all my activities (or lack thereof, should I say).  Despite having a midterm worth 33% in the evening, I wasn’t the slightest bit hesitant to attend my volunteering shift, nor was I frazzled by the number of hours I “wasted” in transit.  Today, I realized the true essence of studying ahead of time and truly being prepared for an exam.

Since the weekend, I had planned my studying in such a way that I could cater for my busy schedule.  I promised myself that I would not leave any studying (except for some review) for today, Tuesday, because I didn’t expect to have any time to cram.  Combining all this with my fascination for the immunology section that we were being tested on, I was able to maintain minimal stress levels.  I didn’t know that it was possible to juggle my exam schedule with my other commitments…I usually cancel all my appointments and volunteering shifts during exam time.  I always pride myself with having superb time-management skills, but I think I just upgraded myself to the next level!

P.s. Might I add that I also managed to find time to write this blog post at the end of my busy day!  Where there is a will, there is a way! 🙂

Jello Wrestling!

Jeopardy!

Prof Pageant!

Paralympic athlete Andrea Holmes!

And Much More!!!

What: The most exciting week for science students!

When: January 23-27 (this week!)

Where: Mostly at Abdul Ladha and the SUB…check out http://scienceweek.ca/ for exact times and locations.

What you can get out of Science Week:

• $20 gift card prizes for the most creative or most nerdy photo from Science Week 2012!
• Get entered in a draw for a $20 UBC Bookstore gift card when you use the #SciWeek2012 hash tag on Twitter – the more times you use it, the better your chances!
• Be one of the first 100 people to answer the daily SUS trivia question (posted on the blog the night before) and win a prize!
• And you’ll get even more prizes and free SUS swag if you participate in the events!!!

I know there are a lot of exclamation marks in this post, but I’m just sooo excited about the week ahead!!! 🙂

Do you ever have that moment when you pause and realize that you are taking your life for granted?  That moment when you discipline yourself that you should be more grateful for your health, your freedom, your opportunities?  I do.  I also know that, even when I have a sore throat and runny nose, I am in better health than at least one other person in the world.  It is this fact that causes me to be grateful for what I have, and to use my abilities to give back to the community at large.  This is the reason why I volunteer.

I recently started volunteering at BC Children’s Hospital.  Once a week, I get to spend a few hours with kids, kids who are too sick to play outside with other kids.  I get to soothe babies who have not yet celebrated their first birthday, yet are hooked up to tubing and machinery in order for them to become healthy again.  Sometimes a kid wants to teach me how to use a nintendo; another was excited to have company while watching a wrestling match.

These children are so innocent.  They have dreams and aspirations, yet some of them will spend their childhood at 2 homes – their abode and the hospital.  Even though their hopes and wants are on a different level from mine, I remember my own childhood, when I was free to explore the world, blissfully ignorant of anything beyond which crayon colour to choose.  I remember that I always had my mother, father, or a sibling near by to comfort me; some children’s parents have no choice but to leave them alone in the hospital.

Despite all, there is one thing that I am thankful for for these kids – they live in a privileged country and are receiving state-of-the-art treatment.  Like I said, you are always in a better position than another human being, no matter how difficult your position may be.  Realize this, and start giving back.