Situated on the western tip of Point Grey Peninsula, the idyllic UBC campus is not just a place of mind or where “tuum est,” it is also the place where many relationships begin. While couples like to think their love story is special and unique, upon greater consideration, a thread of commonalities emerges amongst UBC relationships that makes this narrative less convincing.
Let’s consider the meet-cute. Was it in the library? Day one of first-year orientation? Were you partners in a lab or part of an icebreaker at a club? Was the opening line “Hey, can you watch my stuff?” or a comment on the rain in a desperate attempt to capture their attention?
This predictable start to the relationship is followed by a familiar set of challenges. Primarily, the scheduling conflict. Overwhelmed by the post-secondary workload and classes, you struggle find time to see each other. Ultimately, you compromise with "the joint study session," an opportunity to demonstrate both your dedication to each other and academic rigour. As things escalate, you engage in the walk to class along main mall. This becomes complicated when you belong to different faculties, but there is always "the sunset stroll along Wreck Beach" or "the meander in Nitobe Garden." On a special occasion, you meet for a classy dinner at The Point or Mercante, inevitably followed by Rain or Shine for dessert.
Whether your love story spanned two weeks of first year, the duration of a term, cuffing season or ended after one of you decided to go on exchange, the stereotypical nature of your relationship will be the ties that bind you eternally to one another and all other couples at UBC.