Coming from a very sheltered upbringing, I was more nervous than excited to lap up the campus experience that everyone around me had nostalgically described. Unless my campus life was going to turn out like Rory Gilmore’s, ideally balanced between academics, relationships and friendships, I didn’t want anything to do with it. I had everything that I could possibly need right at home and the idea of traveling 7,000 miles to finally ‘start my life’ did not seem very enticing to me. Boy, was I in for a journey.
The three months I have spent at UBC have been the most character-defining months of my life. From feeling entirely new emotions to having more ‘main character moments’ than I can count, I have been on a trampoline of social, academic and professional highs and lows — and I wouldn’t have had it any other way.
My first three months on campus, I:
- Discovered a few new places to eat on campus (some good ones, too!).
- Went to two parties that were crashed by the police and had a little too much fun as I — along with everyone else at the party — was chased by them.
- Made some new friends and had deep, meaningful conversations — and some absolutely ridiculous, infuriating but nonetheless enjoyable conversations.
- Made the Nest my home.
- Felt the pangs of homesickness in my stomach. ·
- Had the fright of my life as I navigated through a dark, dingy alleyway on a rainy night to review a play for The Ubyssey.
- Poured my heart out to some people and kept even surface-level facts hidden from the others.
- Got promoted to Senior Staff Writer for The Ubyssey (humble brag).
- Experienced writer’s block shortly after.
- Tried Rain or Shine Ice Cream — in both rain and shine — and gleefully enjoyed the child’s-size blueberry balsamic in the rain more than the shine.
- Struggled (and failed) every morning to leave on time for my class.
- Tried bubble tea for the first time and developed an unhealthy obsession with it. However, I took a strong dislike to pearls (don’t come at me) and now have the occasional nightmare about drinking pearl-infused bubble tea.
- Had a classic drinking experience in which I skipped to the hangover before I could even get drunk (don’t drink, kids).
- Cribbed about food being a problem as I managed to burn the pasta I had been meticulously preparing.
- Tried literally all the tiffin services available on campus and contemplated reviewing them in a blog post (potential pitch for The Ubyssey?).
- Permanently added the word “vibes” to my vocabulary.
- Went on dates (and would rather maintain a dignified silence than go into detail)
- Sang an angsty rendition of “good 4 u” in my PJ’s at 2 a.m.
- Changed into my ‘nice’ hoodie before running down the stairs when the fire alarm was (intentionally) pulled.
- Contemplated changing my major.
- Gave in to the temptation of buying a Blue Chip cookie for the hundredth time (chunky chocolate chip is the way to go).
- Went to Save-On way more than necessary.
- Felt like the main character as the theme song of my favourite show, Anne With an E magically played in the background during my first visit to Save-On.
- Cribbed about the rain.
- Ran to the safe haven that is McDonalds in the bitter 2 a.m. cold.
- Went to the dependably-populated residence Commonsblock every single day without fail for the ‘good vibes.’
Even though my campus life has not been exactly like Rory Gilmore’s (though you’ll find some uncanny similarities), I have had my own unique experiences — and to me, that is as ‘main character’ as it gets. So bring it on UBC, what have you got for me next