True North, Strong and Fun
I was down in Texas during Canada Day this year and it got me thinking about something. What makes being Canadian unique? What stuff do we do that separates us from everyone else? Well, one thing that has been mentioned to me a few times since getting to Texas is that it would be amazing to have our health care system. If we get sick we don’t have to worry about going to the hospital for fear of outrageous medical bills. But less politically, what is it about the people? Well, maple is a big one. We have the iconic red maple leaf on our flag and, as stereotypical as it may seem, many of us do love maple syrup and all things maple-flavoured. On the topic of food, we can’t forget poutine. We’re certainly going to be making poutine while I am down here so I can show them how it is truly done. And lastly, whether you love it or hate it, you cannot deny that hockey is a true Canadian pastime. However you celebrated your Canada Day, I’m sure it was fun.
Cam Stephen
An apology to Chilliwack
I owe Chilliwack a huge apology. I’ve lived here my entire life but never really explored the area until this summer, when work and life combined in a perfect way to allow me to spend more time after hours in my hometown. I’m realizing that it’s so easy to get to a beautiful, relaxing, and peaceful place. I can drive 10 minutes to Cultus Lake for an evening swim while watching the sunlight slowly fade from the sky. I can make the short trip to the Chilliwack River right behind the Chilliwack campus for a late night riverside fire with friends. If I’m feeling a little more ambitious I might take the 45 minute scenic riverside drive to Chilliwack Lake. After another stressful academic year, I’m happy to be in a place that makes it so easy to unwind. So thank you Chilliwack for being beautiful. I’m sorry for taking so long to figure that out.
Miranda Louwerse
Mornings though
Whether or not you are a morning person, some mornings are just the last kind of morning. After a long night of working, playing, or whatever it is that keeps you up late, the feeling that your body is so aware of itself and all its flaws; all the aches in your limbs, the buzzing in your brain, and the inane desires to fall back into your warm bed accompany these kind of mornings. When your stomach doesn’t want food in it for at least an hour, and even coffee hasn’t crossed your mind, because you are already dreading the day. These are the days we have come to expect. The new semester is coming soon, and a slew of those kind of mornings is sure to sludge along with it. So revel in the final months of summer; take a nap, sleep in a bit. Treat yourself to a vacation — and why don’t you have just one more beer.
Mitch Huttema
Night is spooky. Go to bed.
In the summertime it’s easier to stay up until ungodly hours of the night because there are fewer assignments to worry about and it’s really bright until really late.
And so I stayed up. Home alone in a house that doesn’t belong to me. It was dark and there were noises and, in short, I was afraid. Too paranoid to move to another room where there might be a ghost, I stayed in the living room with my laptop until the sun came up again.
Don’t be like me. I was tired and cranky the whole next day, and all my people got pretty sick of it. If I had just gone to my goddamn bed at a normal hour I wouldn’t have been so afraid of nothing. If I had taken a snooze at dream-o’clock, I would have had a smile on my stupid, sagging face.
If if if. We should all try to set a bedtime, especially when we don’t need to stay up to finish last-minute assignments anymore.
Alex Rake
