The year was 2017. The date, Saturday September 2nd.
A 20-year-old trini gyal disembarked from the 124 Sunnybrook bus with two suitcases in hand, followed closely behind by her younger sister, mom and dad, all holding things ranging from a mini fridge, to bed sets, dorm decorations and more suitcases.
The one emotion she felt over everything else: Excitement.
She was me, "fresh off the boat."
I did so much research prior to landing in Canada, that my head was overflowing with information when I was finally able to step onto the Glendon Campus for the very first time. (Technically the 2nd time since I'd gone to pick up my student card a few days before, but that didn't really count.)
My family and I hustled past the round about, down the car park, turned left, passed the security station, one last right turn and there we were, in front of Hilliard residence.
Inner me was screaming. I was so excited to finally take another step towards my whole North American University experience like I'd been watching on TV for years.
We were greeted by the screams and cheers of more senior students dressed in an array of colours; pinks, yellows, oranges, blues and more - They were the orientation leaders, or Frosh leaders as we call them at York University.
They helped guide us to the front desk so I could pick up my room keys, and then led us up the two flights of stairs to my floor, B floor. (Glendon's a little old, so at the time I was there, there were no elevators.)
The hundreds of dorm room videos, tours, hauls and more I'd watched before arriving were coming to life before my eyes as we walked down the hallway, seeing everyone's doors wide open, rooms filled with students, their families and friends helping them move in.
All the way down to the end of the hallway, little room B214b was mine, with a blank whiteboard on the front of the door waiting for me to scribble my name on it.
My family and I spent a hot minute prepping the room, wiping every single thing down and unpacking, as the volume levels on the B floor increased as more and more people moved in, paired with the mixture of music pumping through the speakers outside.
There was genuine joy in the air, with most of us sharing in the excitement of taking that next step in the journey of life - University.
When we were done moving in, I followed the signs to find my orientation week kit pick up, where I was assigned to the white team. That year there were about 8 orientation teams, grouped by colours at my college, Glendon.
My family and I said our goodbyes, and I made my way back to my dorm room to go through the orientation week package. It came with some wristbands, t-shirts, coupon books, a water bottle, a fidget spinner and more. If you ask me, the free shirts are the best part of University - I haven't had to buy new pajamas in quite a while.
A couple hours passed and it was time for my first orientation week event, the introduction to all the teams, colours, leaders, and a general welcome to Glendon and York University.
I'll never forget, they sang the funniest raunchy song. That was the first time I'd heard senior students of the school cursing, right there in the middle of the cafeteria - and that was my first of many culture shocks over my time at York University.
Coming from a very traditional school setting where you could get demerits for saying a 'bad word' (also known as order marks and conduct marks which could lead to detentions, or worse yet, suspensions) cussing was unheard of.
At least in a very open space where the whole room can hear you.
In Canada however, at that moment, at that very first introductory event, they spat out some of the harshest, raunchiest curse words while singing the songs without even blinking an eye.
I already knew I was in for a wild ride.
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A number of universities and colleges up here offer orientation days/an Orientation week filled with activities to help get you more familiarized not only with your university/college, but to also help you get more familiar with your new home, the surrounding city of Toronto and the GTA, those people in your graduating year, in similar programs, or just students who go the same school as you, who you may just end up forming friendships with.
At York it's referred to officially as Frosh week, and unofficially as the social orientation week since there are also academic orientations to help with that academic-focused transition to post-secondary education.
I would say the main setback to the social orientation week activities, is that they tend to come with an additional fee. However, if the price is within your budget, I would strongly recommend attending your orientation activities!
The price for my orientation week/frosh week in 2017 was $135CAD + tax.
This fee covered university swag and merch, tickets to certain locations, bus rides to all the spots we were taken to, and depending on the location, it covered a meal or two.
Back to back for 8 days, we were out and about in Toronto.
We were going about touring popular locations downtown for the first time, like Nathan Phillips Square and Graffiti Alley, while also attending university specific events with other colleges at York University (Brief history: York University is comprised of 9 colleges and 11 faculties with specific program focuses, but my college, Glendon, is also York's second, and smaller campus.)
York specific events ranged from the Glendon Carnival, Lip Sync Battles (where I got to see drag queens perform for the very first time in person and I was in pure awe), a trip to Canada's Wonderland and a 'Pit Party' which was like a late night festival (or rager they would probably call it if we were on a TV show, minus the alcohol) that was packed with people.
One thing that rang true to the university themed shows you may have seen on TV, was that community feeling, as well as the hyped interest in partying.
Let me tell you though, the way the North Americans/Canadians party compared to me and my Caribbean folk back home isn't the same (unless you're attending an actual Caribbean influenced party) but hey, it was all part of the experience, and if there was a time to have a open mind, this is it.
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While you can meet new people at anytime, orientation activities in particular are specifically tailored with the intention of helping you meet people and learn about the institution you're about to receive your degree, diploma, certificate etc. from.
As someone who was new to Canada and knew not a single soul at York, I saw orientation week as my moment to not so much re-invent myself, but rather try not to fall into my shy persona default mode and really push myself to be more social and meet new people.
In general, it's just a great time to really take in the fact all that planning and preparation you may (or may not) have done is over, because you're finally here, in university/college!
There were so many firsts for me during orientation week alone. One of my main perks of the week was getting to ride one of those generic yellow school buses you only ever see in American movies.
Going downtown for the first time (without my family) and seeing the city of Toronto, I wore that tourist badge on my sleeve like a symbol of honour.
The orientation leaders are always on 100% when it comes to energy as well.
As someone who's both been in the shoes of a first time orientation week attendee, as well as being an actual orientation leader, the energy is always at the top tier.
My main takeaway during that entire orientation week, was just the mild but consistent culture shock. The cussing, the super high energy all the time, just being in this new country on my own. It was a fun environment to really tackle that mental transition I was going through and helped push down any homesickness that would occasionally bubble up.
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Be mindful of a few things should you decide to participate in your university/college's orientation days/week.
1. You don't need to attend every single event
The way York's orientation week goes specifically, they release a calendar around August with the events happening per day. It's up to you to decide which events you want to go to, whether all, or none, or some per day.
The most you'd have to do is just inform your orientation section leader if you wouldn't be attending something. Just pace yourself, and enjoy the activities that the leaders have prepared for you!
2. Stay with the group
Especially if you're new to the city, it's very easy to get lost in Toronto, even if you have Google maps. If you're not familiar with the transit lines or don't know where you're going, stay with your group. I've seen people get lost. I have personally gotten lost.
Even if an event is on campus, if you're still new to campus, there's still a chance of getting lost. Some of these campuses are HUGE, so save yourself the headache and stay with the group. If you need to venture off somewhere, let one of the orientation leaders know so they can take you if needed.
3. Most events that run in the night have multiple departure times if the event is being held in another location that isn't your campus.
This is case specific to my experience with orientation week at York University.
From my experience as an orientation leader, there tends to be about 2-3 buses, an early departure before the event is over, a bus departing as soon as the event is ending, and perhaps a final bus leaving a little after the event has ended for anyone looking to hang back for a bit a mingle. Some events tend to run a little late, beyond midnight, close to 1am sometimes, so it's up to you to decide when is the best time you'd want to leave.
4. HAVE FUN!
The events are planned specifically for incoming students, whether you're brand new to post-secondary education, transferring from another school in Canada, or another school in the world.
One of the many purposes of orientation week is to show incoming students that post-secondary education doesn't have to be constantly dull, or only focused on academics, and help you mingle and meet people.
It's a great way to break into that new life chapter as a university or college student, so I would recommend to anyone if you can, get involved in orientation week
(Plus they usually call it a 'dry frosh' because every single event is alcohol-free, so there isn't any additional peer pressure which can pop up from time to time in university/college.)
If finances are an area of concern, don't worry! Orientation doesn't stop at the social orientation days/weeks, and there are always a couple free orientation events as well beyond that first week.
At York - it was notably the orientation day, welcome back ceremony, where the school's president does a formal welcome for the academic year in addition to a welcoming from the student federation. There's bagpipes, performances, cheers, and a very large firework display.
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If you're unable to attend the social orientation days/orientation week at your institution for any reason, don't be discouraged because there are always activities happening. Things may look a little differently at the moment as we continue moving through this global pandemic and the new variants that seem to be popping up on a regular basis, but there will still be virtual 'orientation' type events happening. Especially in that first semester.
At York, the York federation of students hosts a welcome week with numerous events, including clubs fair, which can be a great place to find out more about clubs on campus (it's even been held virtually.) Other events offered in the past ranged from dirty bingo, to yoga and paint nights and more.
Again, it may look a bit differently now, but any events being put on are great ways to continue becoming more familiar with the school you're going to, and just one of many ways to meet new people!
There may even be events specifically tailored to international students which can be another great way to meet other international students like yourself who are probably going through the same means of culture shock as you are.
It's never more than a quick search away to find out what's happening on campus, whether in-person as things progress, or virtually as we still continue to find the best ways to operate in the safest manner through this whole pandemic.
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Just to close off, whether you did, or didn't participate in your orientation week, I'd also suggest signing up to be an orientation leader in your following year(s).
It's a great way to get involved, get some volunteering experience (since it doesn't pay - at least at York it doesn't) and overall, its a really nice experience being a student leader, meeting all the incoming students, being able to help them out, seeing the shy people come out their shells, and just giving back to the student community in one of the most anticipated events for the academic year.
I got involved as an Orientation Leader in my 3rd year. I went from being on the white team in my first year as a 'froshee' to one of the orientation leaders of the yellow team!
I will say, it's a lot of work behind the scenes being an orientation leader, but at the end of the day, I would say it's worth it, if you put in the necessary effort required. Plus you get to attend some of the events too which is always fun.
Being an orientation leader, I think it's just one of things everyone should experience at least once if given the chance to.
Plus, at York, you get (to buy) these really cool orientation jerseys that only the orientation leaders get, and its a really nice souvenir to commemorate your experience.
When I buy my super fancy house in a couple decades I'll be sure to frame my shirts from the years I was an orientation leader.