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Eerie Waterloo

©1999 Zhan Huan Zhou, Fall 1998, Issue 1

Have you ever felt lost in a place you could navigate blindfolded? Have you ever been in a place that was almost home, yet felt like you didn't belong? This is exactly how I feel this term as I walk through the university campus, but especially engineering. In my first two years, I would usually be wandering the halls with people I know or at least run into people know. Everything is the way it should be. Then all of a sudden, in a little less than a month, the halls are filled with faces you don't even recognize. The buildings are the same, but the feel is just different.

This is my experience so far on a work term in Waterloo. I have an eerie feeling whenever I am on campus that I shouldn't be here, that I should be somewhere else, far away. That's not to say that I don't like it here, but I was just starting to get used to moving to and from Waterloo once every four months. Now, I'll be in Waterloo for two academic terms sandwiched around a work term for a grand total of one full year.

I think as the term wears one, I will feel more comfortable wandering the halls of engineering. For the mean time, I have found certain perks to working in Waterloo for the work term. The big thing is that I have much more free time to do the things that I don't have during an academic term. This includes such things as athletics and participation in clubs and events. Furthermore, this is the first time you since 1A that you can hang out with your friends from the other stream. To top it all off, you actually have the time and money to go out so you don't have to feel guilty about doing it.

I'm sure you've heard enough of my random babbling for now, so I'll stop after this short note. The name of the column is pronounced "Take A Chance" because my name is pronounced with the 'Z' as a 'C.' This column has appeared in every issue of the off-stream version of "The Iron Warrior" since September 1997. If for some reason you have a very strong urge to comment on this article, feel free to email either myself or The Iron Warrior.