Who am I?
Hi! My name is Manuela Ceballos, I know, not a common name but that ’s just because I come from Colombia!
This is my second semester of the Bachelor of Arts in Psychology so I don’t have as much time as other people at TRU, but #myTRU is just about that, about how sometimes we can talk about our experiences not based on the length of them but based on what we have lived and the people that have been by our side all along.
I wasn’t sure where I wanted to start this blog entry and I simply started thinking about how lately I have been feeling quite happy and then I started to ask myself, what is it about my current life that makes me feel so joyful and thankful almost every day?
Is it my friends? My classes? The place where I’m living? The independence? My professors? The opportunities to volunteer? The hikes in amazing places?
Or is it the idea that I can have all of these things in one same place?
Finding #myTRU
Starting from those 8:30 am classes that give me the energy to start the day… Okay maybe not – but maybe the views of Kamloops I get to see at that time of the day are worth the lack of sleep.
In addition, the fact that I’m actually taking courses that align with my interests and that I have had the luck to have great professors this term is such a great feeling!
What is greatest of all is that TRU has allowed me to meet the craziest, funniest and best friends I could ask for from many places around the world. They say that if you make at least one friend in your first days of uni, you will survive, and luckily I met a few people that have not only helped me survive but have made me happy every single day even when they seemed to get dark. Here’s to my #TRUfam!
I found a great group of friends at McGill Residence and in the first days when I was really lost and did not have many things to do, the McGill RA’s (Resident Advisors) were and still are always there ready to plan different activities for the entertainment of the residents. With every McGill family kitchen, video games competition, karaoke, movie or board games night, they know how to build a community and make you feel part of it.
TRU has also many opportunities for volunteering, a passion I discovered during my last years of school and that I came with to TRU. In my experience, until now I have only been able to volunteer with TRUSU but they are always planning amazing things to make each day TRU a better place and it’s really cool to be able to help them to make them happen!
Okay, now we get to one of my favorite parts: LEAP activities! This is a program implemented by TRU World to encourage students to engage in all types of activities starting from volunteering or participating in a haunted house in Halloween, to going up to Sun Peaks Resort to ski. LEAP, plus the TRUSU Adventure Club from the university, have allowed me to have great times hiking, skiing and discovering new places with my friends at a great price!
Finally, I’m really excited in this point of my life of having the opportunity to be a Social Media Ambassador and get to work with such a great team: Cynthia, Jason, Jollan, JY, Carolina and the rest of TRU World!
From home to Canada: you can do it too!
I love being here but it’s a fact that I do miss so much my home, my food, my family, my friends, my music and the hugs and kisses we Latin American people give to each other everytime we greet or say goodbye to someone. Oh, and the way we treat each other with tons of physical contact showing love! Something else that has been a whole new experience is having seasons; in Colombia, we have different cities with either hot weather of maximum 30ºC or a “cold†one of minimum 8ºC and this is where my city belongs. In Bogota, the city where I lived, the weather was usually 18ºC so, although I had already experienced seasons when traveling, living in a country like Canada was something completely different.
Canada, in general, is such a great place to be in. Recently it was even voted as #1 country in the ranking of quality of life, and I can certainly say that being here I feel safe and received by all the amazingly kind people that this country has and that arrives from all places around the world, not to mention the fact that education and job opportunities are great here.
I think the last things I can say is to you, the reader: although university experience is different for everyone and different in each university, as far as TRU goes, I can say that in this place you have tons of opportunities to find yourself, your place and to discover a whole new world; we’ve desired all along to feel part of something, to belong. I hope all of you, current or future TRU students, get the chance to go through the whole experience that makes all the sacrifices and efforts worth it.
I have only yet started this whole journey, but at TRU I feel I have discovered the best version of me!Â
I’d love to hear about your TRU experience too! Make sure to comment below and tag your friends. #myTRU
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