Hello readers,
After a three week break we are back with another issue! I hope everyone who had midterms so far did well on them, and best of luck to those who still have some to write. The explanation for the three week break is twofold: Thanksgiving and midterms. They followed in such close succession that this was the most ideal way to do things. Once again I’d like to thank my staff for providing the wonderful content in this issue. I’d just like to remind everyone that anyone who wants to help out is still free to do so. Just show up for our weekly Tuesday meetings at 6:30PM in E2-2347.
This issue, Peter H. Roe, director of exchange programs for engineering, sent in a piece showcasing exchange opportunities in France. The PCP this week is on the ELPE, and its effectiveness or ineffectiveness. Also in this issue is an article that people may already have seen online. I have printed Meagan Cardno’s article on the Fukushima Nuclear Disaster at her request. It did not make the previous issue because of spacing constraints. Finally, Yasser, our current EngSoc President has revealed the results of this term’s EngSoc elections in his report.
Once midterms end, many of us can take a well deserved break and relax a bit. But it’s important to remember that finals are right around the corner. I personally find it a little scary that we’re already more than halfway through the term, and that in just over a month, we’ll be taking final examinations. In addition, courses often get faster after midterms, as the professors have to cover a set amount of material, and there is less time to cover it. So don’t slack on your courses now that midterms are over. In fact, it’s even more important to study hard and pay attention. As important as finals are, they don’t hold a candle to the importance of the final examinations. Stay alert.
Other than the hustle and bustle of midterms, another event passed last Friday: rankings came out. I’m sure many people felt joy when they checked JobMine on Friday, and some felt disappointment. Keep your head up! There’s still two months of continuous phase for you to land a job. Many people will find their jobs during the continuous phase, and you will likely be one of them.
Oh, I almost forgot. This newspaper will be coming out on October 30. The day after that is Halloween. If you’re reading this on the day it comes out, make sure you have some fun on All Hallows Eve. Go out trick or treating, or at least make sure you have some candy to give to kids that knock on your door. If you’re reading this after Halloween, well, I hope you had a good one and that you didn’t spend it inside studying. Unless you had an exam the next day. Or on Halloween. That would suck. In that case, good work studying.
I’ve been home once since the beginning of the term. I probably won’t go home again until after exams are done. It’s been quite the experience. I lived on residence last year, but I went home every weekend I could, so it didn’t affect me as much. This term has been different as I’ve much busier, so I’ve barely been able to go home. It’s only after having not had any contact with my parents for a month that I realized how much I took them for granted. I’m sure not everyone had the same relationship with their parents that I did, but my parents always supported me in my many endeavours, and I often leaned on them for their support. I can no longer lean on them as often, and it’s been a little tough to adapt to that feeling of loss.
However, this was not entirely unexpected. I always knew that I would not be able to rely on my parents forever, and that my relationship with them would grow and change as I grew up and matured. Knowing this did not stop me from being affected by it. I had ways of adapting. I’m currently rooming with 5 friends in a house, four in the same program. They’ve been a huge help to me and have been true friends so far. My parents have also come up to Waterloo twice while I’ve been unable to get back home, which helped a lot as well.
However, there’s still been immense pressure on me as I have to deal with six classes , the heavy workload that being EIC brings, and a few other extracurriculars as well. The pressure was at its most intense a few weeks before midterms, and I felt I was going to collapse from it. Still, thankfully that week passed pretty quickly, and after that I felt reinvigorated.
Change is the driving force behind growing and maturing. Often we’d like for things to stay the same because we are familiar with it. But where’s the fun in that? Life quickly becomes boring and stale when things stay the same for too long. I’ve been immersed in both change and familiarity, as has everyone, and I personally would take change every time, with both its positives and negatives. It’s natural to be afraid of threatening, unstable things, but you cannot have anything exciting or fulfilling without risking negative consequences. It’s these things that make you alive.
Of course, it isn’t always good to live life on the edge. Familiarity and stability have their places too. It’s just important to remember to balance the two, as when things stay the same for too long, it becomes hard to imagine life being any different. It’s easy to imagine life always going on in the same manner. If life actually did this, that’d be great, but inevitably you will face a big shake up that will destroy that stability. When that happens, if one has been complacent for too long, one has a hard time adapting to the change and it will be hard to get around the feeling of instability and loss.
At the end of the day, I feel that balance is the key. Don’t have too much or too little of anything. Have just enough. Balance on its own already implies change, as humans tend to operate in cycles. As long as we don’t moderate risk and unpredictability with comfort and stability, you’ll handle everything life throws your way with and adapt quickly.
I’ve heard it said that what doesn’t kill you only makes you stronger. Every now and then I am reminded of how true those words are in many situations. It’s important to remember that even when things seem to only be getting worse and worse, there will come a point where it will get better again, and that you only need to hang on until that time. And then, your burdens will feel bearable again.
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