Do I first year?
Vaguely.
Could I tell you the names of everyone on my residence floor?
Probably not.
Would I be able to recite the flavors of ice cream Ban Righ had to offer?
Most definitely.
Ah yes, first year. The year where you actually buy all your textbooks for all your classes, you believe having many friends is better than having good friends, and where being a cheap drunk isn’t cool.
At the time, I didn’t think much of first year. The Cocamo does eventually lose its novelty and one can only eat salad and bowls of cereal for so long.
But in hindsight, I can’t help but question the type of person I would be had I not had the experiences I had in first year.
My mindset when I came into first year—a mindset I am sure I shared with many – was to meet as many people as I could. This obviously went hand-in-hand with finding the love of my life or, if need be, just take on various casual relationships.
Of course, I wasn’t alone. Hoardes of shiny-haired, wide-eyed, flat-bellied first years often enter Queen’s University on a scavenger hunt for loads of new friends and significant others.
And in order to achieve this, you have to morph. On Mondays I was a vegetarian.
Tuesdays I practiced ballet, and we can’t forget Sundays when I was a devoted Black Sabbath groupie.
Was I ashamed of my newly chameleonic ways? Yes—yes I was.
However, the better question is – did I succeed in making new friends and find the love of my life?
No. No I did not.
About a couple of months in, I realized that this multiple-personality thing wasn’t my bag, so I threw in the towel and opted for a different approach—just be me. So I decided to give “me” a chance.
Being me turned into a very non-stressful event. The sleepless nights of wondering when was the best time to go to the PEC were replaced with beautiful dreams of my flourishing rock star career.
I mean, as myself, I wasn’t that bad. In fact, some people even went so far as to say I was cool.
This process of just doing what I wanted to, when I wanted to do it was pure gold.
Not only did I connect with people who had a strong impact on my life, but I learned a lot about Veronica Graham.
Who knew she could sing? Who knew she could eat with chopsticks? I wouldn’t have known those things had I stuck to my Monday night veggie burgers followed by Tuesday’s intense plie sessions, because seriously, who was I kidding? Ballet?
Have you SEEN me?
And the funny part is, by not forcing myself to find friends and lovers, I just naturally started to meet people who complimented me quite nicely. My phone wasn’t ringing off the hook and I didn’t hang out with new people everyday but this lady cared no more.
Let’s assess: I didn’t leave first year with fifty new friends. But I left with a handful of people I couldn’t imagine my life without, and a new best friend—myself.
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