When I applied to be a don, also known as an RA (residence assistant), in the winter of 2021, I had high hopes for the coming school year. I thought we would be going back to normal with no masks, capacity limits, and whatever else “normal” means (I honestly can’t even remember at this point). That, however, was not the case. Despite this, I’ve still had an amazing experience this year. So, what did residence look like?
To start, there was an actual orientation at my residence, even though Waterloo’s main orientation was online. We did it all: groups, outdoor activities, contests, scavenger hunts, and an outdoor movie with the whole residence. It was so incredible to be able to meet so many people and watch so many new friendships bloom; I also noticed the students’ eagerness to branch out and meet as many people as possible. Last year, it was so hard to get to know more than a handful of people in the building, but that wasn’t the case this year.
Masks were required for the entirety of the fall and winter terms, but now we can finally take them off in the residence wings (we’ll see what next term brings!). We had a lot of outdoor activities, which was awesome because we actually got to see each other’s faces.
This year, the food was good! Of course, this is a residence, so I think it’s unfair to expect five-star meals when so many people are being served. What I can say is that there were loads of options, and we finally had a serve-yourself salad and soup bar, which is by far my favourite part of the cafeteria.
I made so many new friends and connections this term, with the students on my floor and around the building, but also with my fellow dons. Since we could actually have floor events and go out and do more activities, we were able to go tubing, have dinner at a restaurant, go to escape rooms, and so much more.
Something else I loved about my second year was that we could go on campus, since all the buildings were open. This was great for finding new study spaces, but also for seeing the newly renovated gym. Another highlight of being on campus was getting to watch sports games, especially the women’s basketball team (go Warriors!).
One of my favorite things about residence continues to be having my own space and room, and that hasn’t changed from first year. Getting to put up my pictures and decorations and have the room exactly the way I want is one reason I love living on campus at my residence.
My second year isn’t over for me since I’m currently on my co-op term, however, I know that being on campus over the summer and being able to attend classes and see everyone’s faces will be such a delight.