As of the
end of April, my first year at the College is officially done. Finals have been
written, projects have been marked, and books have been put aside for a couple
of months. People always told me that the time you spend at school is time you
should enjoy, because it’s one of the most fun periods out of your life. I have
to admit that I always thought they just told me that so I shouldn’t drop out
of school, but I now realize that they were right. After working for a couple
of years, I decided to go back to school in order to live my dream…and I
honestly had the time of my life here! I am of course not always motivated to
write essays or read some chapters, but knowledge definitely is power in the
changing world we live in. I’m grateful for the things I’ve learned about the
tourism industry and I’m definitely looking forward to taking on more courses
in order to become a tourism professional!
During the
Awards Ceremony, held at the College on Wednesday, April 29, approximately 150
students were showered with flowers either for their academic achievements or
for their active commitment within the city of Cranbrook. I received one of the
5 International Students’ Excellence Scholarships, donated by the College,
based on my GPA score of 9.0. This means that I have an average score of 9 out
of 10 for every course I took during the past 2 semesters. I realize that
receiving $2000 in tuition fees for my second year at COTR is a huge deal and I’m
therefore thankful for everyone who supported me along the way. My teachers,
both my International and Canadian friends, the International office at COTR,
and all staff members at COTR all have a place in my heart and I probably
couldn’t have done it without every single one of them. So thank you all! It is
great knowing that I’m appreciated and valued for the efforts I made.
Although I
don’t have to go to school anymore, my life is still pretty busy. I’ve helped
Clair from the International Office out with the Orientation week for new
students and I’ve also helped my teacher Grant during a regional tourism conference
held here at the College and at Saint Eugene Mission. I’ve started going back
to the gym (since my body is in desperate need of some physical efforts) and I
still work about 5 shifts a week at A&W. Guess it is safe to say that I don’t
have a lot of time to get bored, which is a good thing since I have a mind and
body that don’t know how to relax. I’m still enjoying every minute I get to
spend here and I wished that each and every one of you who reads this once gets
the chance to visit beautiful British Columbia!
