Last updated: October 15, 2023

September 2, 2023. The last day before moving out for university. Saying goodbye to the place I’ve lived for the past 15 years. It wasn’t a permanent goodbye, but it was still going to be a massively new experience. The last time I could recall being away from my parents for more than a day? Grade 8 grad trip. Living on my own for the majority of the next 8 months? Aw hell nah. It’s one of the things which you cannot tell if you are prepared for or not. The experience itself is the answer.

And before I knew it, I was on a car, hurtling through Toronto, then Mississauga, Milton, Kitchener, and finally:

WATER WATER WATER

LOO LOO LOO

We had arrived. After eating a final dinner together, I was left on my own. Sink or swim, fight or flight, whatever you want to call it, but I was now the master of my fate, the captain of my soul. As much as this moment indicated a new chapter in my life, It felt nothing but. To me, it was all just an extended school day, friend meetup, or bike ride.

It was a great blessing to not only have a supportive family, but many friends who I was close with. Not an ounce of homesickness, just a hopeful outlook for the future. The extra time and freedom took hold, and university life quickly became vibrant and full of novelty heading into orientation week.

We didn’t know it then, but orientation week presented the one and only unique opportunity to enjoy campus life as a student without the worry of looming assignment deadlines and job searches. Some of the friends I made during orientation would stick around, but the vast majority of those I saw I would never see again. Being a non-cohorted program, this was expected, and it was better to focus on the present rather than the future.

As school started, we were pelted with assignment deadlines left and right. Lectures were intense and fast-paced, unlike anything that was done in high school (it didn’t help that I am taking advanced-level courses). But for the first time in quite a while, the content was fascinating. There were concepts that I never would have imagined learning beforehand, never imagined myself beginning to comprehend, and here it was being presented to us in an hour-long lecture.

We still had time to have fun. Friday and Saturday nights were times to chill out and vibe with people, making time for a school-life balance. A sense of freedom but also a sense of responsibility.



The weeks pass quickly, and here we are, reading week over, staring down the barrel of a midterm and quiz tomorrow, not knowing what lies at the other end. But the answer is not to sit idly, for time doesn’t stop for anyone.

pjsk airi momoi