Anappetite: Experiences and Food from a Student

Codes and rewards are accurate as of October 2024 Wealthsimple  (for Canadians) The Wealthsimple Cash card is a debit Mastercard with no monthly fees, and most importantly no foreign transaction fees + 1% cashback, making it a really good option for spending money while abroad. The average credit card foreign transaction fee varies around 2%, which can add up to a lot of money over time.  I've used the Wealthsimple card to buy things in many places in the UK + Europe and it seems to have very wide acceptance. Their platform is also great (commission free, fractional shares, etc.) for investing in stocks, so even if you're not planning on traveling, it might be worth looking into. If you use my referral code to open an account and fund at least $1, you will get $25 for free. Use my code: V66QRQ 🎁 T&Cs apply.  https://www.wealthsimple.com/invite Wizz Air Discount Club Wizz Air is a very cheap airline in the UK and Europe. By joining the Wizz Air Discount Club (Standard...

These also apply for almost any destination/host country, so read on! Having mentally prepared myself for some things to go wrong, I'm very relieved with how smoothly my arrival and first week at Oxford Brookes University for my study abroad semester went (and hopefully it continues this way!). So, here are just some quick tips I have about things I did before and during my arrival for anyone else doing a student exchange! Send plenty of emails If you have any questions at all, your host institution will be happy to answer as long as you find the correct email address for your concern (accommodation, student services, etc.). Make sure you always mention that you are an exchange student so that they can best support your situation. Some examples of things you might ask about are: Specifics about your modules/course scheduling Special accommodation options Questions about what's included in your room Map important stores Find some grocery and household stores near where your acco...

I know, I know... summer is almost over already and it feels like it's barely started. Regardless, it's only a bit more than a week before classes start again (less if you're doing Block Week, which I tried last year ), so here are some reminders before the school year begins. Set up your calendar For UCalgary students, download your class times through the D2L portal and  import your them to your preferred service (mine is Outlook) : Personally, I like to colour code and label lectures/tutorials/labs separately on my calendar like so: Of course, many people also just take a screenshot of their timetable and set it as a wallpaper or save it somewhere easy to access; that can work too :). Put in your Course Overload Request(s) This is a pretty urgent and important one: make sure you check your degree requirements. If you're still waitlisted or not enrolled for a course that you need  to take this year, then you should submit a course overload request ASAP. At UCalgary fo...

Trying to decide between the 5-day unlimited, 7-day unlimited, or the 120/250 swipe options? Then you've come to the right place! I'm going to share some tips and tricks to make the most out of your meal plan, as well as insights into which option you might want depending on how you like to eat. Meal plans aren't just for first years living near campus, which is one of the reasons there are multiple options you can choose from. There are plenty of people from all years and/or living at home who hold meal plans. So which option should you choose based on your situation? Link to the calculator later in the article... Unlimited vs. Swipes First of all, the meal plan webpage already provides some great information that can help you decide and learn more about the meal plans. Here's a cost breakdown they provide: Typo in 5-day meal plan, I believe they mean 5 days/week As you can see, if you think you'll be eating 3 or more substantial meals a day throughout the semeste...

Every year around June, IKEA hosts a Midsummer Buffet full of fish, meatballs, salad, and more. You have to be an IKEA Family member (which is free) and buy a $25 ticket in person on a previous day. I attended the Calgary buffet, and here is my full review!

These aren’t necessarily things you need to pack in advance (you could buy them after moving in), but they are things that I personally found useful which aren’t usually listed in traditional packing lists. Earplugs or Sleep Sound Machine Dorms unfortunately often have the issues of noisy neighbours and loud garbage trucks or snow plows at strange hours. If you find this bothering you, invest in some earplugs (much cheaper at Shoppers or Amazon than in the on-campus pharmacy) or a sound machine. If regular earplugs are uncomfortable for you, you can try “women’s” earplugs (they might fit better for you regardless of gender). Humidifier

Like many uni students, coffee helps me get through my courses, but now that it's summer, something more refreshing and seasonal is a welcome change. I had the chance to try some floral tea lattes, courtesy of CoCo in Chinatown Calgary, and here's my review. Firstly, the location is quite nice with a spacious seating area and large windows for a nice view. 

Whether it's software, hardware, or art, we've all heard that making projects in our own time can help our resumes/portfolios stand out. Not to mention, it can actually be fun and certainly provides valuable experience. But how can one stay motivated and get the most out of personal projects? (This post is focused on software projects since that's what I'm familiar with, but I think this advice can apply to most types of projects). Maybe Speed Button Game is not my proudest work... Find Contests Not only do contests provide motivation through deadlines and $$$, but they can also make it easier for you to come up with an idea since they usually have a theme or other restrictions. Being part of a contest community can make it easier to get help and be inspired, and receiving any accolades from such contests can help give your project credibility. So where can you find such contests? DevPost   - Tons of online and in-person Hackathons ranging from a couple days to a few mo...

I thought I had it rough last semester, but this semester I was daydreaming about those 'hard' times. I really hope I don't have to say that again later... I also feel like Winter semester is tougher in general because there was no long break and the lack of sun hits hard.

I'm sure you're already aware of the same old time management and productivity tips - goal setting, daily scheduling, and more. In this blog post, I hope to give you some more unique, practical, and specific tips to try out!

When I decided to apply for a Study Abroad opportunity, I thought choosing a university would be pretty straightforward. Instead, I found myself with 41 tabs open, knees-deep in options and trade-offs, and constantly changing what I thought was a great choice for me. Get ready to dive into the details with me as I share both the obvious and the not-so-obvious factors that can help narrow down your choices (and how to research them), and which university won me over!

It's that time of the year again! Personally, I feel like after a semester is over, I completely forget how hard it was to study for all my courses. So, I'd like to take this opportunity (once again) to reflect on how the Fall semester went and record it for posterity :).

Unfortunately for many of us students, most dorm rooms don't include a TV, you're not allowed to mount your own TV on the wall, and there isn't much space to use a TV stand. Hence, projectors are a student favourite: you can put a projector on a side table, and ideally point it towards wherever you want on the wall. Plus, there's $50 ones on Amazon, right?

Don't want to deal with the hassle of picking up a pizza delivery? Super hungry on campus and want something to eat ASAP? Wanna bring some food to a dorm party? PizzaForno aims to solve these issues of convenience for you with a fully automated "pizza vending machine" on campus that can serve you a hot pizza in just a few minutes.  Last week they put on a sampling event for students to see it in action and try it out, so if you missed that, here is my honest review!

may be an impossible task. Many students have tinges of regret over choices they've made throughout their time in university. Perhaps this is self-consolation, but there's only so much you can do to "make the most of your youth" during a time when you're also under a lot of pressure to do well in your classes and other areas of life. Not only that, but you may not even know what making the most means to you - especially among the influence of friends and social media. It's draining to try to keep up with what's going on, and difficult not to feel guilty  about taking an unproductive break. This is not meant to be a pessimistic blog post by any means, in fact, the conclusion I'm trying to show is that if you've made it so far to read this then you probably are making the most of your student life. Not because reading my blog is the most fun thing you could be doing (which it is), but because it means you are trying. And hopefully, these few tips ca...

Here are three fun things you can make in the UCalgary Dining Centre and my ratings of them (also known as the Landing among other things)! By the way, my numerical ratings are in comparison with average food from the university dining centre, I'm not saying anything is Michelin-worthy, just that I really enjoyed it as a student with a meal plan! Ice Cream Sandwich Inspired by the Marble Slab ice cream sandwiches where the outside is cookies instead of soft chocolate wafers, I grabbed two chocolate chip cookies from the dessert area and added two small scoops of classic vanilla ice cream on one of them. Then, I sandwiched the ice cream with the other cookie and sprinkled some crushed Oreo toppings from the pancake area onto the ice cream.

In case you're wondering, yes, there is a Star Trek themed town in Alberta which Leonard Nimoy (Spock) himself visited in addition to many other Star Trek actors! Vulcan is located about an hour south of Calgary with a population of ~2000 people and is a surprisingly fun place to visit. Make sure to plan a visit soon, because most attractions are closed from October to April. After driving through long stretches of farmland, Vulcan is instantly recognizable by its Starship statue and Trek Station Museum at the entry road.

Summer in Calgary is full of free cultural festivals, one of which is the Fiestaval Latin Festival! Held in Olympic Plaza all day Friday to Sunday (July 21-23 this year), it's a long weekend of music, dance, and food. I attended on Friday evening and was greeted by a lively crowd and tons of booths and food trucks. Initially, the amount of people and volume of music was overwhelming and I was worried that this event wasn't for me, but I found that I soon got used to it and enjoyed the atmosphere.

Disclaimer: This is meant to help UCalgary undergraduate students navigate how to use their insurance plan. The information here may become outdated and readers should always confirm this information online and by contacting the relevant parties. I'm not an insurance specialist, this is just from my experience and yours may vary. Do I need/have student insurance? All full time undergraduate students are automatically enrolled in the plan and you will see the fee in your student portal ( $211.12 a year at the time of this writing). You can only opt out by submitting an online form if you already have comparable health insurance coverage (you can also choose not to opt out in this case, and combine multiple plans). You are covered for the full 12 months, not just the ones during which you are studying. More info here:  https://www.mystudentplan.ca/uofcalgary/en/am-i-covered . Generally (if you start school in Fall), your coverage will start September 1, meaning your annual maximums w...

Despite being a co-creator of the game  Fartknight , I'm neither an avid gamer nor have I ever attended a con. So if you're similar to me and are just looking for a fun weekend family/friends activity this post is for you!

From it's name, you might not guess that  Bikaner Sweets House & Restaurant has a delicious savoury buffet at an amazing price. I visited its new location at  4310 104 Ave NE to try it out! They had about 9 different self-serve items, my favourites being the fried fish (tender inside, with crunchy spicy flavour) and goat curry. There are also two chicken curries and for vegetarian options - dal makhani (lentil dish), paneer curry, potato fritters, and a mixed vegetable dish with potato & cauliflower. All the dishes taste great, and they also serve some fresh cucumber/carrots which serve as a good palate cleanser.

If you're a first year prestige award winner at UCalgary, you have the opportunity to join the Scholars' Advantage community: a special floor of residence at UCalgary for prestige award  winners. The community has a very limited number of rooms, each one spacious and comfortable like a hotel room. Plus, you get a monthly cleaning service to keep your room tidy (as do other residents in International House)! Let's start with The Living Area