“This place is too small! We will live here for three months,” my mom said when we first moved to the campus.
It’s been over 10 years, and we haven’t left yet. Ten years of amazing hikes, sensational bike rides, fun educational events and countless enriching experiences.
Growing up on a university campus has been an incredible experience. I’ve always had things to do: UBC’s Geering Up science and engineering camps, watching outdoor movies, attending occasional lectures.
The university neighbourhoods are a vibrant community, and I have had opportunities to develop wonderful friendships.
Growing up here, I have enjoyed many academic events led by students over the years. For example, I attended a paper-making workshop led by graduate students. I also attended other fun events like the Science Rendezvous street festival this past May.
I like hiking and the campus has a lot of places to do that, including my favourite, the trails in Pacific Spirit Regional Park.
The park has 55 kilometres of trails. Over the years, I have visited time and again. Coast Salish is my favourite trail, a continuous up-and-down route that makes it less strenuous but still changes elevation. The most challenging trail I have done is Wreck Beach, as I had to go down 490 stairs to the beach. I once went down the trail to watch the sunset from the beach. It was amazing!
The campus has a lot of sports facilities: the tennis centre, the aquatic centre, the skating rink, the baseball centre, a climbing wall, the hockey centre, soccer fields, and more.
There are sometimes Thunderbird games in the UBC skating rink, which I watched a few times, cheering as hard as I could for the home team. The sports facilities on campus are the best in the city in my opinion and offer children an unparalleled experience and opportunity to shine.
One of the most memorable experiences I’ve had since moving here was my involvement with raising the reconciliation totem pole in 2017.
Many other people and I helped raise the pole by pulling on ropes. The pole tells a story about the Indian residential school system and the people who were affected. The top half of the pole shows the time after the residential school system and shows spirits, family, and a canoe. On the top of the pole is an eagle about to take flight. I felt proud to have the opportunity to raise the pole, but I was also sad for all the people affected by residential schools.
Growing up in the university neighbourhoods has been a blessing. I’ve made everlasting friendships, created incredible memories, and learned so much. It’s truly a magical place to grow up.
SYON BHUSHAN IS AN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL STUDENT LIVING IN THE UNIVERSITY NEIGHBOURHOODS.