Since I’m in my last semester of my undergrad, I’ve completed most of my requirements. The past few years have been a haze of eighteenth century novels, feminist poetry and scouring for satisfactory academic sources on JStor which I loved…. But I was eager to take some classes that were not English.
So I’m finishing up with an eclectic mix of electives. Honestly, I was excited to try something new.
That is, until I got my schedule.
On my first day back on campus, I got off the R4 and walked carelessly north towards the shining Buchanan headlights that guided me home when I stopped dead in my tracks.
This was not where my class should be. I gulped, fear seeping into every pore. Was I supposed to go to… the other side of campus?
I wiped away the tears that began rolling down my cheeks. I reminded myself that I was brave. I took the R4 at 9 a.m. after all, and stood the whole time.
I glanced at my schedule and saw my fate: FSC.
What? The? Hell?
I plugged the acronym into WayFinder and took off, southwards into the unknown.
As I walked I looked around at the buildings around me. I had never been beyond the fountain — I didn’t know there was more campus. As I proceeded the people around me began to change. I noticed no one was wearing slouchy Dickie’s or cardigans. I gasped when I realized I hadn’t seen at least one claw clip in five minutes. I was in a sea of worn Patagonias and Hokas — so efficient and dependable, I almost felt silly in my clogs.
To my left, a giant skeletal creature appeared. Was it a dinosaur? I shrieked, audibly terrified. Clutching my chest I vigorously looked at pedestrians around me, and to my amazement no one shared my reaction. They had seen this creature before, I supposed, where they’re from.
Where was I?
I reached the Forestry Science Centre only 25 minutes late to my lecture and opened the heavy door. My jaw dropped as I took in the greenery around me. Thoughts of “Wow, so aesthetic” and “am I in Costa Rica?” swirled through my head as I took in the building.
My golly, was it ever clean in there. I stepped into the bathroom and not only did the door lock, but the toilet had also been pre-flushed. I had never seen such a thing back home in Buchanan. I didn’t need one but for good measure, I checked the tampon machine, and it was fully stocked!
I didn’t go to my class that day, because it was over by the time my meanderings were done. But I’ll never forget the day I went out of my comfort zone and explored the other side of campus.
The Dingbat is The Ubyssey's humour section. Send pitches and completed pieces to blog@ubyssey.ca.