ISSUE NO. 5 | MAY 2022
GAZETTE
WORLD OF FANTASY & IMAGINATION
VANCOUVER FUNGI
INLET SPRING REGATTA COVER PHOTO BY LUM3N
CONTENTS pg.3
pg.8
THE WAY WE ARE
MEET YOUR FRIENDS AND PEERS
Vancouver Fungi
Rebecca Ramlugun Unal
pg.4
pg. 10
OUT & ABOUT
PROFESSIONAL TALK
World of Fantasy and Imagination
Inlet Spring Regatta: Dragon Boat Racing
PHOTO BY ALISON BURRELL
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PHOTO BY ANNETTE SUN
WORLD OF FANTASY & IMAGINATION - YUNONA GOGIA, BHM TEACHER
There are many things that are proudly and charmingly Canadian. What tops my list is not hockey (sorry, I know, and my son has played it ever since he was a little over the size of his skates, but for some people, it’s the artistic form that is best suited for their colourful imagination.) My all times favourite is Cirque Du Soleil. Did you know it is one of the best and the largest performing circuses in the world? The only show I visited in person here, in Vancouver, was Luzia. The tickets were discounted to just $30 per person. The show started, and the power of imagination that expands the boundaries of consciousness swirled us in and never let go until the very end and maybe even beyond because I felt like a butterfly with big, vibrant wings for some time after. It wasn’t just the halcyon colours and a beautiful story and music, but also the remarkable power of human abilities displayed in motion,
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contortion, transformation, illusion and all sorts of visually stunning acrobatic tricks We all know that humans can fly without wings, right? I mean, in the Avatar movie, that was the special effects, but in this case, they were flying and jumping across the stage onto moving platforms or swings without any visible effort. I know that Cirque Du Soleil is now playing Alegria in Vancouver, and I hope to get discounted tickets again and let my imagination float in the magical world of fantasy brought to us by one of the best performing artistic crews in the world – Cirque du Soleil from Quebec, Canada.
Meet your friends & peers
REBECCA RAMLUGUN UNAL -
YUNONA
GOGIA,
BHM
Age: 29 Originally from: Mauritius
Other people can describe you as: Delightful, friendly, helpful Anything else we should mention/ Fun facts: Danced professionally for 11 years (Chinese modern and folk dance)
Hi everyone, my name is Rebecca (aka Beckie) and I came from a paradise island called Mauritius. I speak 3 languages: English, French and Turkish. I am currently in my second term at Acsenda, majoring in Hospitality Management. In 2013-2015 I had been living in Dubai where I worked for a prestigious airline as a VIP services agent and met lots of highprofile personalities and celebrities. I have met the love of my life there, and we decided to move back to my home country where we opened the first Turkish restaurant and had been managing it for almost 2 years and also got the chance to be trained and work in a 5-star hotel where I acted as a F&B supervisor for their Turkish restaurant. I then moved to Turkey where I had been staying for 4 years before moving here to Vancouver in February of this year.
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Loves to: Self-care, dance, discover new cultures and places, and food Wants to be: Hospitality professional and be a member of Les clefs d'Or
TEACHER
Q1: Dear Rebecca, was it an easy decision for you to go and study abroad? What motivated you?
Q2: Is the life of an international student in Vancouver just what you expected? How did you connect with this city? I am very new to the city; I arrived in February 2022, and so far everything is
Q3: What do you miss the most about your home country? Is there any way to recreate it here? Two things I miss the most from Mauritius, my home country, are the pristine beaches and some foods only available there. Well, so far I can enjoy the beaches in BC, but for the food, I'll have to wait until my next vacation. But most of the ingredients I need to recreate a dish from home, I have to say, are pretty easy to find in the local markets.
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It was an easy decision for me to go and study abroad as I left my home country in 2011 at the age of 21, and since then I had been living in Dubai and Turkey respectively for 3 and 4 years. Considering my past professional experiences in the hospitality industry, it was time for me to up my game and aim higher professionally, and studying for a bachelor's degree in Hospitality Management at Acsenda will help me achieve that.
going well. Being a student again after a long time has been a bit challenging but I am happy to notice that my performance has not gone down, and it is amazing to see lots of international faces in Vancouver, especially at Acsenda. Somehow it feels like home away from home.
Q4: What advice can you give to an international student who is just thinking about going to study abroad or coming and studying in Vancouver? Just go for it! It is a whole experience that you will be gaining from the visa processes and settling down. The path will be hard and challenging, but this is going to make you stronger than ever. Looking back from where you came from and having topquality Canadian education is one of the uttermost motivations. Q5: What was the hardest for you to adjust here? Or maybe everything was easy? My transition of moving to Canada has been very smooth, I am thankful for that. As soon as I stepped out of the plane, the people around me have been very helpful and polite. I have to say that the stereotype of people being polite here is true. I also expected the weather to be colder, considering the geographical position, but to my surprise, I have been living in colder places than here. It might be cold for people coming directly from warmer places such
as tropical humid weather. Socially, I do not call myself an introvert person, but sometimes I love my personal space and do not like too much interaction. For example, back in Turkey, I had to adapt to the warmth and friendliness of people, but that was something I experienced in Mauritius too. For example, when coming back from work, you might expect to have a 15 minutes chit-chat with your neighbor if you come across one, or even share food/desserts if they made some. But here in Vancouver, I have noticed that everyone is minding their own business, so I should be happy about not interacting too much but somehow I kind of miss that now.
Self-discipline and good organization skills help me to achieve and perform well while studying. I believe that success in overcoming challenges is to have good ethics and discipline. Staying focused on your goal and making yourself proud of the little achievements motivates you to reach higher.
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Q6: The life of an international student is exciting and full of meaningful, shaping the character events, but it has many challenges too; what helps you to stay focused and achieve?
ng? i o g u o e y r a e r e Wh
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VANCOUVER FUNGI -
ALFONSO
SALINAS
I, like many others, was trapped by this documentary and was made aware of the fantastic world of mushrooms because of it. I’m an absolute beginner in this field, and this article intends to share a few of the things that I have found in the last two years in the hope of interesting more people in this fantastic hobby. One of the most fun activities to try is mushroom foraging, and living in BC is a blessing if you like outdoor activities. However, there are a few things to know before venturing into the wild looking for delicious myco-treats to go with your risotto and a nice bottle of oaked Chardonnay.
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Ever since the release of the documentary Fantastic Fungi, directed by Louie Schwartzberg, there has been a growing interest in mushrooms from the general population. Personal Instagram accounts are showing more and more pictures of our fungal friends, and the presence of mycological societies, magazines, and other resources is stronger than ever. The film presents mushrooms from three different perspectives: “For the planet,” where they elaborate on the symbiosis between mushrooms and the planet’s life cycle, “For the body,” where the health benefits of mushrooms are discussed; and “For the spirit” in which they present recent academic research about the use of mushrooms in psychiatry and psychology. It is a must-watch if you haven’t already.
guide about when, where and how to pick mushrooms legally. Basically, you are not allowed to pick mushrooms in: - National or provincial parks - Conservation Lands, including Wildlife Management Areas - Department of National Defence lands - Protected areas, such as ecological reserves or special reserves - Recreation areas, including provincial recreations sites and trails - Areas specifically closed to protect sensitive resource values or for the purposes of public safety.
Take a peek into a day in the life of budding artist Stella Young, and how she improves her craft
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The first thing to know is that mushrooms can be poisonous, and you should never eat a mushroom you come across without confirming with an expert that it is edible. Luckily, the Vancouver Mycological Society always accepts new members, and it’s a great place to start learning and getting closer to the community of mushroom hobbyists. They meet on the second Tuesday of the month from September to June, except in January in the Floral Hall of the VanDusen Botanical Garden. The second thing to consider is the local regulation, and the government of BC has put together a very comprehensive
Protected areas & special management zones in BC
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This might look like it is pretty hard to find a place to pick mushrooms legally; however, this is not the case. You can safely pick mushrooms -not so safe to eat them if you don’t know what you are doing- in all Provincial Forest Crown Lands in BC. However, these lands are also subject to public access regulations, and you should check on that when planning your road trip. The government of BC provides an interactive map you can check to find legal places for mushroom foraging.
By now, you are probably aware of the vast world of mycophilia out there, and for those to whom the outdoor activities are not that appealing, there are endless resources to choose from and enjoy mycology from the comfort of your couch. While not extensively, I will try to recommend a few. The first one is a book titled “Mycelium Running” by Paul Stamets, one of the most renowned mycologists in the world and co-author of Fantastic Fungi. The book presents pioneering ideas of how mushrooms can save the world through Mycofiltration (Filtration of biological and chemical pathogens), Mycoforestry (symbiosis of mushrooms with plants), Mycoremediation (The use of mycelium, the body of the mushroom, for degrading pollutants, and Mycopesticides (using mushrooms for controlling insect population). A must-read if you are interested in mushrooms in other ways besides their nutritional value. Entangled life, a book by Merlin Sheldrake, is a book that explores the Fungi kingdom and our relationship with it. As described on the back, “bringing to light science’s latest discoveries”. It is a profound book that blurs the line between a tangible and a philosophical understanding of life and evolution.
There are many more resources out there and a quick visit to the kindle store will show just how many great books, societies, and groups of mushroom enthusiasts are out there. While there is still a lot to share and not a lot of time or space to do it, I hope I was able to get you excited about mushrooms. Happy mushroom hunting.
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Lastly, the Fungi magazine, printed 4 times a year is a nice resource for staying up to date with the new findings in the world of fungi. In it, you’ll find anything from hobbyists sharing their experiences to the more scientific article, to delicious recipes using unconventional mushrooms.
-
NAGOUR
SANDHU
Spring - A word that creates a picture of joy, green plants, flowers and a sunny day after a long cold winter. Most communities often celebrate spring to welcome the beginning of summer. This month our Hospitality Club members also took part in one of Canada’s local spring festival, ‘Inlet Spring Regatta’ at Port Moody.
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Inlet Spring Regatta: Dragon Boat Racing
Every year in spring, the event hosts a ‘Dragon
The event was a great success and was
Boat Racing’ event. Every boat or team has 22
appreciated by all the attendees. How could
members that paddle a tiny boat with a
someone have not liked it when you have
dragon head. Most of the team members
everything you need. Free food and drinks,
were aged around 50 and chose not to sit idle
music, a sports event, sunny weather and free
in their homes but to go out and do
entry for your friends and family. From an
something fun. Acsenda’s volunteer team
international student's perspective, it was
helped the management in every way they
really helpful to make new connections and
could. They helped people getting on and off
learn about Canada's local traditions. All the
the boats, kept record of the ongoing number
volunteers were thanked for their
of races, assisted the paddlers to their spots
contribution by the management and players
and many more. Beautiful sunny weather
and were given certificates for their
added even more joy to the event.
participation. I could not have found a better opportunity to gain volunteer experience and have fun with my peers and teachers. Watching all the teams competing with each this adventurous event, the faculty plans to expose us to more events like these where we can also develop outside the classroom. I assure you that investing your time in these events can give you huge returns in the long run. Goodbye for now, and hopefully, I will see you in the following newsletter telling your story about our next adventure.
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other and striving to win was exciting. After
Sustainable gifts for Mother’s Day
3
Candles with natural wax
Mother’s Day is just around the corner! Here are a few ideas of how you can pamper your mom with as little waste as possible. Sustainable and eco-friendly gifts will help your mom reduce her carbon footprint while still getting her something she’ll certainly love.
1
Palm oil free chocolate
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2
Recycled and/or ethically sourced jewellery
4
Potted plants instead of flowers.
5
6
7
Make her breakfast
Plastic-free skincare products made from natural ingredients
Spa facial or massage
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Don’t forget to buy from small businesses and choose plastic-free and sustainably sourced products.
HI, THERE! Want to share your ideas, photos and experiences with our Community? All students, teachers and members of Acsenda can participate! Send your proposal in an editable Word file with a minimum of 200 words, or your favourite photos with a high resolution to acsenda.hmclub@gmail.com
Editorial Team for publishing. Can't wait to hear from you!
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All collaborations will be selected by the
PHOTO BY IRINA ROJO
HC GAZETTE by ASM Hospitality Management Club
Issue 5 May 2022 Editorial Gabriela Banos Editor and Designer Contributors Alfonso Salinas, Gabriela Banos, Rebecca Ramlugun, Nagour Sandhu, Yunona Gogia Collaborations acsenda.hmclub@gmail.com
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Instagram @acsendahospitalityclub