I attended the University of Regina from the fall of 1991 to the fall of 1996. I didn't know what to expect when I first set foot on campus. I think that in September 1991 I was expecting it to be simply a larger repeat of high school. This caused me a great deal of angst given that high school hadn't exactly been my cup of tea. I had all kinds of worries... Would I come into contact with people that I had difficulty with from my previous school experiences? Could I actually handle the courses? I had been a decent student but not an extraordinary one. What truly were my academic weaknesses and could I overcome them? Would I meet new people who were nice and would become lifelong friends or would I just get lost in a huge sea of people? It turned out that all of my worries were silly. I had challenges to overcome for sure but that was part of the experience.
The U of R wasn't the largest or most prestigious university but it was close to home and relatively affordable to attend. This, coupled with the fact that I had absolutely no idea what I wanted to do with myself, made this school a good choice. As I sit here right now writing this, it is absolutely clear that attending post-secondary education, and university in particular, is absolutely one of the best things that I've ever done. Part-way through my university journey I had my doubts. I was a bit lost and I considered quitting. My mother made it very clear that she thought this was an insane line of thinking. I'm so glad that I didn't quit. I don't know where I would be right now, what I would be doing for a living, or who I would surrounded by.
Although it is cliched to state that the university provided me a platform that transformed me into the person I am today, this is absolutely true. I didn't reach all of my goals but I did wrestle with my weaknesses and demons and, I hope, overcame some of them. I did meet great people, some of whom I am friends with to this very day. I met international students that had a profound impact on my life. I also had a number of experiences through friend groups at the U of R that eventually led me to the spouse and family that I have today.
Recently my children were attending their bi-weekly Japanese school class at the U of R. I had some time to hang out and walk around while I waited for them. So, I decided to take a stroll and do some reminiscing about spots where I have memories. The first place that I went to was Lecture Hall 110 where I had numerous undergrad classes. This is one of the largest lecture theatres on campus. I have so many memories in this room - lots good, a few not so good. My earliest memories of the first couple of years of classes are intimately tied to this space.
As I walked through other buildings, it became very apparent how much time has gone by and how much has changed on campus over the past 35 years. 35 years!! Where did all the time go? It's astonishing to me how much time has gone by since this extraordinary period of growth and learning that took place in my early 20's.
In the mid to late 1990s and then again in the late 2000s there was a bit of a construction boom at the U or R and so many of the spaces where I sent time have been changed beyond recognition. From the Ad-Hum building pit to the business school classrooms in the Education Building to the old cafeteria in College West, and even the parking lot where I parked for years have all changed. The parking lot is now occupied by another set of residence towers that the university erected in order to take advantage of the boom in international students and the full tuition that they pay. I took some pictures of all of these new areas. Some really nice buildings have been added.
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| New Lab Building |
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| Corridor near the Paskwa Towers |
So much has changed though that I'm not sure that the campus is really something that I fully relate to anymore. Time waits for no one... I shared some of the pictures with a friend who also attended the U of R but moved to Vancouver years ago. He said he doesn't recognize anything that I sent. I guess nostalgia is something that can only go so far. It was a nice way to spend an afternoon but it made me realize that you can never fully go back again. Time to end the nostalgia and think more about the present and the future.
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