Unpacking the Bags: The inside journey of the international student

Moving to another country can transform all aspects of your life.  When I was preparing to come to Victoria, I was ready to face the language barrier, the change in social relationships, and even a new way of studying. The only aspect I was not prepared for was the changes that would happen to me […]

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Write to Rise: Go ahead, be the purple cow

Why did I write a column called Write to Rise? Because if you write and get published, not only will you stand out amongst your peers and get the promotion over someone who has not been published, you will also build your own self-esteem and self-worth. For years, I kept my writing a secret dream […]

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Getting There Together: Cycling should be a no-brainer

Getting There Together is a new column exploring alternative modes of transportation. The car dominates most public space in North American cities. The rest is divvied between property owners. The lines between properties need to be efficient pathways to get between those properties. Streets and sidewalks are our public space—if it weren’t for getting between […]

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Communication Error: The importance of nonverbal communication

Imagine a bird, or a plane. Now, everyone has a different image in their head of what a bird looks like (or maybe you’re just picturing Superman). Yet, everyone knows the definition of a bird, of a plane, and what they are. So, why would everyone have different representations of the “same” word? When we […]

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Communication Error: A few simple words

Hello, everyone. I’m excited to announce that this is my first of many editions of Communication Error, where I will shed light on the common ways we fail to communicate to each other properly and how taking a few extra steps can save us time and pain in the backside. We underestimate how crucial communication […]

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Write to Rise: Traditional publishing vs. self-publishing

You’ve inched your way into writing. First, you wrote for newspapers, magazines, and journals; now, you have a collection of short stories or even a poetry book (yes, someone did say poetry is making a comeback) ready to publish. But now what? Your expertise is growing and writing is getting easier for you. As mentioned […]

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Unpacking the Bags: Managing cultural time

Managing your time on a day-to-day basis is a difficult task in any culture. However, when we move to another country—with different realities—we go through a deep process of adaptation. This process involves finding new ways to do familiar activities. What happens is that some activities or situations that we’re used to now take a […]

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Let’s Talk?: Are we confusing you?

It has been brought to my attention (by a cis white male) that it is a very confusing time for cis white males.  They’re feeling vulnerable, unsure if their actions are going to land them in a situation they didn’t want. They’re scared that what they say or do will be twisted, painting them in […]

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Mind Matters: The next step

The end of another school semester has passed; for many, this means their programs have come to an end, or, at the very least, ended for the summer. It can be a time full of promise and excitement, but it can also be a time of great stress as students and grads try to launch […]

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Write to Rise: From articles to novellas

Now that you have published your first article, and perhaps a short story, what’s next? How about a novella? The word “novella” is an Italian word referring to a new art form. It’s recently become more popular as a literary genre; novellas are sometimes referred to as “rapid reads.” A common definition of a novella […]

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