I hopped off the plane at YYZ
With a dream and my luggage to begin
“Welcome to Ontario!” the captain speaks
I wonder if I am going to fit in
My first time in Canada outside of British Columbia. I still remember anxiously fretting the night before my move-in, wondering what the coming years had to offer—what sort of friends would I make? How long would it take until Western becomes my second home? Would I finally figure out what I want to do with my life?
These questions swarmed my head. Now one month in, some have been answered while others remain as enigmatic as ever. This is my best account of the blur that was the first day, first week, and first month of my first year.
The First Day
Jumped in the car, on campus for the first time
Look to my right, and I see so many Western signs
This is all so crazy
Everybody seems so famous
The drive from Toronto was supposed to only be two hours, but heavy traffic doubled it to four. I rolled past farmlands into London and saw campus: the ivy-laced stone buildings and the sleekly stone-and-glass exterior of Ivey, the streams of students, the car line-up into the Essex Hall parking lot. An embarrassing first-year chant by the sophs later, I’m busy unpacking luggage and taking in my new home for the next eight months, feeling everything from excitement on how my new room could be decorated, to sadness when waving farewell to my parents. This would be my first time alone—I wondered what would be in store.
Perhaps what made my first day so memorable was the frantic energy of everyone. Although some didn’t show it, I suspect that everyone was just as anxious to meet new people as I was. Going up to people at the Health Science field carnival, I came to the realization that maybe I was not the introvert I had always thought I was—striking up new conversations with strangers was, somehow, easy for once. I still remember that very first night, when my roommates and I went up and down to every floor of Essex; wherever there was an open door, the group inside would happily welcome us in for a chat.
I was starting to believe that university would not be so scary after all.
The First Week
My tummy’s turnin’ and I'm feelin’ kinda homesick
Too much pressure and I’m nervous
That’s when the taxi man turned on the radio
And a T-Pain song was on
And a T-Pain song was on
And a T-Pain song was on!
O-Week is now in full swing. These days were marked by feelings of happiness, freedom, and confusion, often all at the same time. To be completely transparent, with all the activities and impromptu gatherings every hour, it was all too easy to forget that school had already started. A midnight karaoke session outside the football stadium, conversations until 5 a.m., and so many new faces: O-Week truly forced me to leap far out of my comfort zone, to engage with new faces and try out as many events as possible. I will never forget feeling exhilarated when inviting new friends to attend an event together or collapsing onto my bed each night exhausted from what felt like an endlessly long day.
But as time wore on, I felt like I was going through the same motions—reliving the same conversations, the same questions, the same answers. “What’s your name?” I would ask. “What’s your program? Your res?” Even though the vast majority of people I met during O-Week I have not spoken to since, being introduced to all potential new friends is what made my first week so special.
The First Month
So I put my hands up
They’re playin’ my song, the butterflies fly away
…
Yeah, it’s a party in a Western way
Yeah, it’s a party in a Western way
The transition from the end of O-Week into classes was not as abrupt as I feared, but heading into the first month was defined by marked changes. Socially, I have noticed friends tend to become much more apparent: the people I choose to go to class with, eat with, and talk with each day are more defined; I’m able to surround myself with those that I want to be surrounded by. Academically, I can no longer neglect schoolwork like I did that first week; with midterms on the horizon, I finally realized that I was not in an extended summer camp. I was in university! With an overload of club applications and meetings to attend, it became very easy for me to feel overwhelmed—but if talking to upper years taught me anything, this is just a taste of what’s to come.
The first day, first week, and first month of my first-year experience are all interwoven by a gradual transition from feeling like living in a movie to living in reality. I have met more people all at once than at any other point in my life, but that is perhaps the beauty of being thrown headfirst, fearless, into a completely new environment.
As the lyrics go, I’ve put my hands up and listened to them playing my song, and I now know that I am going to be okay. With my journey thus far, I have come to understand that first year is truly a time marked by numerous firsts—and I am more than excited to enjoy the rest of my time here in a Western way.