Moving on Up: The Decision to Move Off Campus

As the Fall term at SFU draws to a close this week, I will be moving out of the University accommodation on Burnaby Mountain and into a shared house in East Vancouver. A lot of thought, stress and anxiety went into both the decision to move out, and the process of finding somewhere to live, but next week all of that anxiety will finally be over! I have absolutely loved my time in University accommodation, but I am very excited about the prospect of moving out and living in Vancouver. Here is the thinking behind the decision.

Burnaby Mountain is a fantastic place for a newly arrived exchange student to live. Firstly, the mountain is absolutely stunning. Burnaby Mountain Park has a viewpoint from which you can see the entirety of Vancouver. On a sunny day the view is fantastic, particularly if you catch it in time for sunset. You can also spot Cyprus Mountain and Grouse Mountain and at this time of year, when they are topped with snow ready for the ski season, the views are phenomenal. Living on the mountain this past week has been particularly enjoyable, as we have been situated above the clouds, and while the whole of Vancouver has been immersed in fog, we have had glorious sunshine. Burnaby Mountain Park is a great place to go running, and it is also the home to a number of black bears, so if you are lucky enough you may even spot a black bear wondering onto campus.

Living on campus is not just about the stunning mountain views, however. Living in halls is the best way to meet other exchange students, and these friendships are invaluable. Home-grown Canadians are much less inclined to go on adventures (for the obvious reason that they are from here), but exchange students want to get out and explore just as much as you do. Every adventure that I have been on so far – to Vancouver Island, Lynn Valley, the Joffre Lakes, and Whistler next week - has been with other exchange students. And living in halls is the best way to meet these people! Besides making friends, there are other benefits to living on campus. Classes are just a 15 minute walk away, so you can wake up 45 minutes before class and still make it on time.  If you forget something you can just run home and get it. Having the Library and the Gym (which is free, by the way) so close by is also extremely handy. These are the luxuries that I am going to miss.

I know what you’re thinking: if living on campus is so great, then why am I moving off?

Well, there are quite a few drawbacks to living on the mountain. Firstly, you have to live in University Accommodation. I know I just went on about how accommodation is the best way to make friends – and it really is, I really recommend all in-coming exchange to try and get a place in halls - but once you’ve experienced the freedom of living in a house, moving back into halls is difficult. All the things you hated about student accommodation come back to haunt you: the expensive, shared laundry units; the absolutely spiritless and identical kitchens and bedrooms; the mandatory residence meetings; the monthly fire alarm tests that make your ears bleed; having a CA that will come and shut your parties down because they are too loud at 1am. Once you’ve experienced the freedom of independent living, halls can feel very suffocating. Back in October, my flatmate had a Halloween party at her home in North Vancouver, and when I stepped inside I realised it was the first time I’d been in a house for months! This made me realise just how much I missed it. I’m looking forward to having a home in the city, as opposed to a temporary and lifeless student room.

The next major problem with living on Campus: it takes ages to get anywhere. If you want to go Downtown, you either have to get the Bus or the SkyTrain, and the journey is going to take you at least 40 minutes, potentially even an hour depending on where you are going. When you are coming back from a night out this is particularly annoying. No one wants to be sat on a bus for an hour at 3 in the morning after a night of dancing. And don’t even think about getting a taxi – your poor student budget can’t afford that. The on-campus food shop is also very expensive, so if you want to go somewhere to do a more affordable shop, like Walmart or Safeway, you are looking at another half an hour journey. Once you get used to it, the journey to Walmart isn’t really a big deal, but gone is the luxury of having an affordable corner shop from where you can grab some milk when you need it.

But the main reason for moving out, besides all of the above, is to live and experience Vancouver.

Our future home!

As my friend Millie pointed out, I didn’t fly all of this way just to live in Halls and have a university experience similar to the one I have at home. I came to live in Vancouver – and now I am finally going to. I think my whole experience of the year abroad will be completely different due to living in the city. Rather than only knowing students, and mainly European and Australian ones at that, I will be living with 3 new people who work in Vancouver. I will be making the journey to university alongside other Vancouverites going to work. Moving to the city means there is the prospect of joining a running club, and being more involved with the community through this. Also, general living will be easier. There will be a supermarket right on my door step, and I am practically living on Commercial Drive, where there is a thriving life of bars, restaurants and coffee shops (plus, an excellent vegetarian scene). Generally I will be closer to Downtown, to Canada Place, to Gas Town, to Stanley Park, to the Airport… the list goes on! Everywhere in the city is more accessible. I can say goodbye to the 45 minute journey home after a night out! Plus I’ll be living in an actual house, which will definitely help me feel more settled in this metropolitan city.

So all in all, I am very much looking forward to moving off campus, and spending the second stage of my year abroad living in a house. I will still be able to enjoy the views from Burnaby Mountain when I go up there for classes 3 days a week, but this way I get to enjoy the mountain and the city. Fingers crossed moving goes well! x