Reflections of many years of school at Waterloo Pt. 1/N

Waterloo was a crazy time in my life. So much happened. I am yet to reflect on it because I feel like any amount of words do injustice to the richness of experiences I had to fortune to live through at Waterloo. Yet I write do. Why you ask? I think I am now starting to realize that it’s not impossible to concieve of a reality where memories fade into the abyss and become distant with the passage of time. It’s a morbid thought but one grounded in reality. I desperately would like to grasp onto something to hold onto; to pay homage to this journey called life and the gifts called experiences. It kind of feels like buying life insurance. Don’t think that will happen but in the off-chance that calamity strikes, I am prepared. So without further ado, here’s my reflections.

Going to school at Waterloo was a masterstroke of luck. I don’t know how I got so incredibly lucky. I liked to think that in high school, I was equal amounts bold as hardworking. Equal amounts driven as I was ambitious. Even still, there are likely countless other people like me who also possess these characteristics. I somehow stumbled my way to win one of the biggest scholarships in Canada. And yes, stumble/luck is very likely the best word to use here. Not that I didn’t think I was capable - I just think there are so many cool and smart people in Canada; many of whom I was lucky enough to call my friends. This whole scholarship experience probably deserves a whole post but that’s for another time. Anyhow, prior to this scholarship, Waterloo was quite honestly not even on my radar. It was only after a few conversations with some folks associated that I got to learn of the school. And the more I learnt, dug deeper, the more hooked I got. And fast forward a few months, I found myself in the all too familar halls of UWP, roomming with strangers I’d never met, ready to embark on a journey of a lifetime.

First year was ROUGH oh so rough. I like many first years, was a bit of a mess, tripping my way through classes, adulting, life. Trying to acclimatize as best and as fast as possible. I chose to study Electrical Engineering and Computer Engineering (ECE). Learning the dark witchcraft of being able to build these magical machines that did things humans couldn’t seemed too appealing. And oh, not to even get started on the identity crisis.