In 2019 (which seems like it was five years ago), I was working at a job that wasn’t reflecting my worth. I had gained all I could from my position and instead of learning anything new, the lessons began repeating themselves over and over again like I was stuck in some sort of time loop.…

Did you ever have an idiosyncrasy as a child? I did this rather ridiculous thing as a child, where I saved the best for the last. It started off by saving the best bite of food for the end. Slowly, that habit bled into other parts of my life. For example, if someone gave me…

Over the course of our collective social isolation during the pandemic, I’ve noticed that it’s sometimes much easier for people to validate the struggles and stressors of others before acknowledging the toll of one’s own. I’ve seen how COVID-19 can intensify my friends’ very difficult living situations at home, put strain on years-long relationships, and…

In March 2020, I was in my first year and second term at UBC Sauder. I was caught up in running to my next class, going to Timmies and finding a quiet space to study. Then UBC shut down and my life became boring. Instead of walking to class, I walked to my desk and…

Barely a year ago, the COVID-19 pandemic began when the first case arrived in British Columbia. The restrictions in Canada escalated at a jarringly rapid pace. Coming home to Vancouver in February after four years of university (in the Netherlands and Victoria, B.C.), I returned to my old room in my parents’ house. With loving…

It felt reassuring to see the “two-metre” marks on the ground at the London Heathrow Airport. In late October, I was travelling from Paris to Vancouver with a layover in London. Back then, France had consistently more than 50,000 new cases daily and was on the brink of announcing a second lock-down. In Paris, I…

I never would have imagined experiencing such different weather conditions in a single year, and even less to be discovering them in Canada during lockdown. Last summer, as the heat increased and restrictions were relaxed and Vancouverites seemed to once again appreciate the city’s beautiful summer scenery, I had to pack my bags and leave…

I think it’s safe to say that most of us are ready to leave the year 2020 behind. It was the year that kept on giving. Month after month, there was always some type of new unpredictability. As a student, seeing the chaos that ensued due to the pandemic was, quite frankly, unnerving. One more…

In 1964, French novelist and former spy Pierre Nord wrote in essence that “if there was one thing that we should recognize in Anglo-Saxon culture, it is the genius of pragmatism. The proof is that they won both world wars by engaging only at the end.” This shortcut does not diminish the admiration I feel…

As we near the nine-month mark since COVID-19 took hold of what feels like every aspect of our daily activities, it’s beginning to feel like life as we once knew it is nothing more than a distant memory. For me, 2019 was one of the most turbulent years of my life. I had spent a…

When lockdown was first announced, I think I had the same thought as many in the world, “Great, more time to myself.” My mantra was: “I finally get time to do all the things I never had the time to do!” I took up baking banana bread every week. I saved my gym membership fees…

The first time I felt Canadian was this past March. In 2015, I landed in Ontario when I was on the brink of turning 16, having left my mother tongue and favourite cities (in Egypt), along with my closest friends and most formative years (in the United Arab Emirates). I became Canadian when I was…

I remember the joy I felt when my teachers first announced the extension of spring break due to COVID-19. As a high school junior, my days were filled almost entirely with school and extracurricular activities, and I was grateful that I would get this much-needed rest period. As it turned out, that spring break was…