Playing Tourist in Your Own Town

In my last post, I talked a little bit about travelling while you’re away on exchange. Travelling is a lot of fun, but I neglected to mention one important detail…it is EXPENSIVE. With the end of the semester coming, and my bank account balance looking sadder and sadder everyday, I think my travelling days are over for now. But, fortunately, I came up with a solution. Being a tourist in my own town! No airfare to worry about, no hotels to pay for, no expensive meals out – just me and my camera wandering around Edinburgh.
Pretending to be a tourist at the National Museum.
Pretending to be a tourist at the National Museum.

Expanding Your Network!

Establishing your network is important in every profession. This is noted within the professional faculties as well as within other disciplines including engineering, business and research to name a few. Even as a student, it’s important to engage in networking events in order establish rapports with leaders within your given field. It's the first step in getting your name out there!

Eating Well to Stay Well

I am a lover of food. I tend to be one of those people who scoff when friends stop to take a photo of their food before they eat-- I am too busy lovingly staring at it to ruin the moment with cameras and clever hashtags. This week, I made an exception to my "no-phones-at-the-table" policy to capture my food choices and share them with you.
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Given the chance, my food (and the lighting in the room) rose to the occasion. Work it, noodles, work it.
Food is my first line of defence against all the sickies that are going around on campus. I focus on maintaining a balanced and nutritionally vibrant diet (way of life) of three meals a day, plus healthy snacks when I get a grumbly tummy between meals.

Good Food comes in Boxes

I recently discovered the wondrous phenomenon that is the Good Food Box. It is a program started by FoodShare, designed to bring cheap, fresh, and high-quality produce to Ontario residents. They source locally whenever possible and choose their products based on quality, sustainable agricultural practices, fair trade, and environmental conscientiousness (i.e. less packaging). The UTSU organizes this service specifically for U of T students - it is a service that I had no idea existed until now which was surprising considering how neat it is.

A selection of fresh produce on my dining table including a bag of carrots, potatos, bananas, pears, applies, spinach, lettuce, a bag of onions, and a singular tomato.
What I received in my Good Food Box: more than enough produce for me and my two roommates. The one tomato was very amusing.

That Forgetting Feeling

You know that thing that sometimes happens when you’re about to fall asleep but then all of a sudden you feel like you’re falling, you jerk violently, and you’re wide awake again? That’s how I feel when I realize I have forgotten something. I don’t usually forget things; I’m a reasonably organized person and I have systems that I use to keep on top of things.
Pictured: string tied around my finger
An oldie but a goodie
Every now and then, though, the occasional task slips through the cracks. One such occasion was just a little while ago. I’m taking this really interesting Legal Workshops course; I get to attend a few workshops at the Faculty of Law throughout the year. At the beginning of September, I chose the workshops I was interested in and signed up. I marked the workshops I signed up to attend in my calendar. I put them on my phone. You may have guessed, however, that I recently missed one.

Library Da[y]ze

As a student who ‘double-dips’ in both the arts and sciences here at U of T, I can tell you that sometimes a full library day is something you can’t avoid. My kitchen table is where I do the majority of my school work, but occasionally I need the focus and academic-y aesthetic a library provides. The many reasons students end up at the library vary, but I’m sure we all have one thing in common: we don’t really want to be there.
A picture of my kitchen table littered with notebooks, textbooks and my MacBook.
A typical Madeline-at-home work space.
I once made made a trip out to Queen's University to visit some friends who studied there. It was during the impromptu library tour (it didn’t take long, they only have seven) that I was told if you were going to get anything done there, you must get a desk with an outlet not for your computer charger, but for the mini kettle that would apparently provide enough sustenance to read for hours on end with instant coffee and Mr. Noodles. And while I have never seen a person with a kettle at Robarts, I still think of this every time I pack up my bag for a full day of studying.

How I overcame my Astronomy 101 exam blues

In my first year at U of T, I took astronomy to fulfill my breadth requirements. When the first midterm came around, I studied really hard because the topic was out of my liberal arts comfort zone. I reviewed the lectures and the reading notes and made flash cards, and I felt like I was on track. I went to the midterm early, flashcards in hand. Looking around, everyone seemed nervous and stressed, and I was overhearing people quizzing each other with questions I didn’t know the answers to and started to panic. I put in my earphones and listened to some music and tried to take deep breaths.
Stacks on stacks (of flashcards). Image by benjamingolub via Flickr.
Stacks on stacks (of flashcards). Image by benjamingolub via Flickr.

Travelling on Exchange

Hello from Copenhagen! You might remember that in my last post, I was feeling a little bit down. School stress was mounting, I wasn’t having much fun, and I was getting overwhelmed trying to balance my workload with my desire to just have fun on exchange. Luckily, I managed to hand in all of my assignments, dig myself out from my mountain of books and readings, and take a break for a few days. And what better place to take a break than Copenhagen? Streets of Copenhagen

Where the Magic Happens.

Every year, the Faculty of Pharmacy puts on a talent show which showcases pharmacy students and their talents. The show is affectionately called “Phollies” and is one of the most-anticipated events among the student body in pharmacy! Whether it was playing an instrument, singing, spoken word or beat boxing – Phollies has it all!