“I miss BCIT”

I never thought I’d miss that colourless building… Photo from here

It’s something I never thought I would say – but it’s true. I miss waking up at 6:30AM and trudging through the pouring rain to my bus stop, getting soaked while I waited to get on that cramped vehicle to begin my hour and a half commute on a packed bus, full SkyTrain, and yet another packed bus, all while being surrounded by other half asleep commuters, some of whom have never heard words like “deodorant” or “personal space”. I miss getting a morning latte and donut (a habit that made me gain ten pounds), before getting to my class and struggling to stay awake.

What I miss most of all? People.

Yes, the bulk of my interaction with my classmates was sitting in a lecture hall or a classroom in complete silence, listening to our instructor drone on over a PowerPoint lecture, but there felt like there was some sense of community. The feeling of “here we are” experiencing this thing together. Even if the “thing” was incredibly dull.

When I spoke to my classmates – well, I mean. I made a Facebook post, which is basically the same as talking to someone in this “new normal”. I found that a lot of them felt the same way:

“I miss seeing my friends before class and getting coffee”

“I miss going to the pub before classes”

“I miss singing with my classmates”

“I miss going to the pub between classes”

“I miss falling asleep on the bus ride home”

“I miss going to the pub after classes”

It’s the little things that help us stay sane. Now that everything is online it’s harder to meet up with friends to blow off steam. I found that grabbing a coffee with a friend and chatting about things other than BCIT’s workload helped to keep me grounded. Some of my best memories from my first year were sitting in the Habitat pub between classes (I was just getting lunch – I swear.) and chatting with my new classmates, people from all walks of life, some much older than me and some younger. Facebook and other forms of social media used to make up a tiny percentage of how I interacted with people, but now it’s close to 100%. It’s strange to me to think there are people I’ve spoken to online that I likely won’t get to see in person at all this semester, or maybe even this year.

Now that all of my classes are being done at home on my laptop, it feels as though the line between class time and home time has been blurred. When classes were in person, you could leave campus and feel like the day was done. Sure, there was still homework to be done and tests to study for, but being home felt like a break from academic life. I used to love getting to my house after a long day at school, having a hot shower, changing out of my cold, rain-soaked clothes, into some comfy sweatpants and a baggy t-shirt and relaxing for a few hours, letting myself unwind and decompress. I can still do that, I can wear whatever I want for an online class, but that’s what I mean when I say that line has been blurred. It no longer feels like there is a distinction between when I am at home and when I am in class.

My kitchen was once a space solely meant for eating, preparing meals, and seeing friends and family. My kitchen table has slowly been covered with papers, notebooks, different chargers for my electronics, and various pens and hi-lighters. My room used to just be for sleeping, reading, listening to music, general relaxation. Now my room has become a space where I attend lectures, make notes, and study. The only place in my house that BCIT hasn’t touched in my bathroom; some things are just too sacred, but maybe it’s just a matter of time?

All of this has made me realize how important it is to look after my mental health. It’s tough to feel “normal” in this so-called “new normal”. It’s crucial to check in with yourself and seriously evaluate how you are doing. Acknowledge that these are stressful times even if you aren’t fully aware of it. Stress can sneak up on you and hit you hard. It’s beneficial to take a few hours out of the day just to focus on yourself. Read a book you like, watch a comedy you’ve been meaning to watch, take a walk outside for an hour, anything that lets you take your mind off of school and reduces your stress. Some people tell me they don’t have time to relax because it would impede being productive. Ok, well, how productive can you really be when you’re barely able to function because of stressed out you are? I feel as if we live in a world that glorifies this behaviour. Don’t believe me? Take a look at Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram. Nobody ever posts about getting 8 hours of sleep. It’s all about how little sleep you got, how long you spend on projects, and how stressed out you are. School shouldn’t be a competition of pain, especially not now.

Maybe you’ll take something away from this article, maybe you won’t, or maybe nobody will even read this. If you are reading this, if you have come this far, I just ask you do me one favour; please take an hour out of your day to check in with yourself. Examine how you are really doing and rather than just shrug it off, look for ways to can reduce your stress. Call up a friend and talk about something other than school, journal it out, read that book you’ve been meaning to get to, anything but cram for your midterms (Shoot, I should really start studying for those).

Make time for yourself and trust that you’ll be able to get through this. We all will.

I’ll see you on campus when we do.