Settling in and Going Out

September 22, 2019

Settling in and Going Out

Okay, so the title might be a little bit of an exaggeration. I didn't really "go out" in the same sense a lot of college students do, but I did get off campus more this week and it made for a cool-sounding title. As the weeks go by (not that there have been all that many), my day-to-day life seems less blog-worthy, so until something really exciting comes by, these posts will probably be relatively short and just cover the week's highlights.

This week, I felt like I really made some strides when it comes to settling in and making UBC and Vancouver feel like home. While school was more or less a carbon copy of last week (with the addition of my first real chemistry quiz), I was able to spend my time out of class trying some new activities and study spots, and even getting off campus and going into downtown Vancouver and Richmond.

I was still quite sick Monday and Tuesday, so while I did venture over to the grocery store Monday morning, the rest of those two days was quite mundane. Wednesday, however, brought the first nice weather we had had here in a while, so I took advantage of it by getting ice cream with Amy, then spending some time in the rose garden which overlooks the mountains and water.

Thursday night, my Jumpstart orientation group got together for dinner at a sushi spot in Kitsilano (a neighborhood in Vancouver) called the Eatery. The restaurant was filled with tables set with candles, but the walls and ceilings were covered in neon-painted objects and posters, and big mobiles hung from the ceiling. The only lights besides the candles were black lights that lit up all the neon paint and any white you might be wearing. Rap music was blasting from speakers throughout the restaurant, and there was an uncountable amount of different sushi rolls and bowls to choose from, some more traditional, and some that made more sense given the decoration of the place. I got a cucumber, prawn tempura, crab, avocado, and coconut roll that was as nice to eat as it was to look at. Despite having had at least 3 people try to teach me how to use chopsticks in the past, I needed yet another lesson, and to my surprise, was actually able to use (and control!) my chopsticks by the end of the meal :) After sushi we went to a nearby 24-hour cafe called Breka to get dessert, or in my case, white hot chocolate. Seeing as Breaking New Grounds is now gone, I needed to find a replacement somewhere, and I think I've found it. It was nice to see my Jumpstart group again; I only have classes with a few people from it and hadn't really seen anyone otherwise so it was fun to hear about everyone's first few weeks.

Friday was not all that eventful; in the evening I hung out with Amy and our friend Jaidyn. Saturday, however, I made my way to False Creek to try out the UBC Dragon Boat team. Aside from one excursion the family took some years ago with my grandparents who both paddled, I have zero dragon boat experience, but I've been looking for some way to get back on the water without the commitment of the varsity crew team. We took the boats out into False Creek and spent the better part of two hours paddling down by Granville Island and downtown. I'm used to rowing down pretty rivers, but never in an urban setting and it was surreal to look over the skyline and mountains as we made our way down the creek. We'll see in the next week or so if this is something I am going to be doing for the rest of the year!

That night, Amy, Jaidyn and I headed back downtown to meet two friends to see the movie Hustlers. I liked the movie, but I won't spoil it here :) We got late-night pizza on our way back to campus, then I went to bed so as to be able to get up for yet another excursion this morning. I left campus around 9 am today to head into Richmond, the neighboring town that has a lot of the bigger stores in the area. I had a list of things I had been meaning to get since I got here (most crucially, rain boots) and I finally feel as though I have the basics I need for the rest of the year. Plus, it was an adventure in public transportation, and I took the SkyTrain (Vancouver's subway) for the first time! Now I just have to finish up a little homework before starting all over again tomorrow:)