Issue 5, Vol. 151, The Brunswickan by Brunswickan Publishing Inc

VOLUME 151, ISSUE 5, JANUARY 2018

The Brunswickan Editorial Board

About us

Editorial Policy

Letters to the Editor

Editor-in-Chief Emma McPhee

The Brunswickan, in its 151st year of publication, is Canada’s Oldest Ofﬁcial Student Publication.

While we endeavour to provide an open forum for a variety of viewpoints and ideas, we may refuse any submission considered by the Editorial Board to be racist, sexist, libellous or in any way discriminatory.

Letters must be submitted by e-mail to editor@thebruns.ca. Include your name, since letters with pseudonyms will not be printed or posted online. Letters must be 500 words at maximum. Deadline for letters is Friday at 5 p.m.

Business Manager Katie Kim News Editor Emma MacDonald Arts Editor Ryan Gaio Sports Editor Caroline Mercier Art Director Book K. Sadprasid Copy Editor Tristan Hallihan Multimedia Editor Cameron Lane

Staff Assistant Art Director Maria Araujo Reporters Erin Sawden Tiziana Zevallos Brad Ackerson Photographer Maria Araujo Book Sadprasid Alex Landine Ad Manager Pouria Poursaeid

We are an autonomous student publication owned and operated by Brunswickan Publishing Inc., a nonproﬁt, independent body. We are also a founding member of the Canadian University Press. Now a magazine, we publish monthly during the academic year with a circulation of 4,000. We publish weekly online at Thebruns.ca.

The opinions and views expressed in this publication are those of the individual writers and do not necessarily reﬂect the views of The Brunswickan, its Editorial Board or its Board of Directors. All editorial content appearing in The Brunswickan is the property of Brunswickan Publishing Inc. Stories, photographs and artwork contained herein cannot be reproduced without the express, written permission of the Editor-in-Chief.

@Brunswickan Cover: Quito, Ecuador - view from top of its CathedralBook Sadprasid

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Letter from the Editor by Emma McPhee

News Briefs

by Emma MacDonald

Artsy Things to Do This Month

New Brunswickâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Syrian Refugees: Where are they now?

by Ryan Gaio

An Adventurous Semester in Fredericton

by Emma MacDonald

by Huilin Li

Thoughts from the Arts Editor by Ryan Gaio

Fashion Friday Abroad by Tiziana Zevallos

Road to the game: The effects of travel on athletes by Caroline Mercier

Discover Ecuador by Book Sadprasid

Bruns Crossword Win Free Pizza!

Letter from the Editor Words by Emma McPhee Thoughts from NASH 80 The theme of the issue you are holding is travel. Within this volume of the Brunswickan, you will find many facets of travel, but there is one underlying aspect that weaves throughout all of the features—that of a more personal journey. In her feature, Emma MacDonald traces the journey that Syrian refugees have faced since arriving in New Brunswick. It is a story of struggle but also of joyful success. Huilin Li recounts what she has learned through her experience as a Chinese exchange student at UNB, while Alex Landine shares how he found excitement in the “unfamiliarity and uncomfortableness” of his travels in Morocco, as well as what he has learned from the fashion of a different culture. Arts Editor Ryan Gaio reflects on his own experience abroad and how he “found himself” in his monthly installment. On this note, and in the spirit of this travel theme, I would like to share a journey that I, as well as the Bruns, have embarked upon this year. Last weekend, I and five other members of the Brunswickan staff were fortunate enough to attend the 80th annual national conference (NASH) of the Canadian University Press (shoutout to UNB Communications, UNB Conference Service and the Dean of Arts for sponsoring us!). From the opening keynote, it was evident that the conference and its speakers were going to challenge us to rethink our role as journalists and our duty to the public. Ginella Massa, both Canada’s first hijab-wearing television news reporter and major newscast anchor, delivered that first keynote. She talked about the importance of representation in the newsroom, especially when it is still often seen as a risk to place people of visible minorities in public positions. Towards the end of her address, Massa reminded the room full of student journalists that, by virtue of being journalists, we have a form of privilege. We choose what to cover and whose voices get heard, and we need to open the door to to more of these voices and their stories. This challenged me, personally. Coming in this year as EIC for a second round, one of my goals was to tell the

stories that might not otherwise be heard. One thing that is unique about the campus press is that we are not confined to covering stories that might drive more online traffic or to choosing topics that might traditionally be more appealing to our audience. We don’t have to worry about selling our content (since we offer it for free). This gives us greater freedom to chase after whatever stories we feel led to cover, ones which we feel students should know about. I wanted to run with this freedom and take it as far as I could, because when else will I get the chance to do so? I tried to approach this by simply saying yes more often. This meant that I readily agreed to the majority of the stories pitched by my editors and reporters, instead of trying to lead them to the stories I was primarily interested in—the ones that were visible within my sphere of lived experiences. My background at the Bruns—I suppose you could call it my beat—has been anything to do with UNB’s governance and labour issues. I’m drawn to these stories, and the last time I was EIC, I definitely pushed my staff to write more articles on the topic. However, while these types of stories are important and still worth coverage, they are not the only ones that need to be told. This year, I’ve been trying not to lead my staff in our choice of coverage. As such, the Bruns has covered many stories over the past few months that have pushed me out of my comfortable bubble as a white, straight, cis editor. We’ve done features on the Nike Pro Hijab, Drag Bingo, and Indigenization, among others—all stories that I would not have thought to cover on my own (to my very great discredit). While we at the Bruns still have a long ways to go, it’s a small start in a direction that more accurately represents the diverse experiences of the UNB community. And after our experience at NASH 80, I realize that we need to put much more effort into this endeavour. What really jumped out at me at the conference was that the simple approach of saying yes is a passive way of attempting to bring more diverse voices into the Brunswickan. Through the many sessions I attended at NASH, I’ve realized that I, and the Brunswickan as a whole, need to be far more active in seeking out such stories. We need

to be looking for the voices of the under-represented and giving them a platform for their stories, should they wish to have one.

excitement to be found in allowing oneself to be uncomfortable and to experience the unknown, so I hope that you will join us!

As Massa said in her keynote, “we fear what we don’t know.” As journalists writing for the UNB community, it is our duty to write stories that better represent the whole of this community, rather than highlighting the voices of privilege that are more often given such a platform. We need to make it so that there are fewer unknowns among our readers when it comes to the diverse experiences on this campus—much like travelling expands our personal horizons.

Every year, The Brunswickan’s staff has an opportunity to attend NASH, the Canadian University Press’ national conference. The conference gives us a chance to learn from some of the brightest journalists across the country, meet fellow student journalists, network, trade ideas and represent our masthead on the national stage. This January, we are sending ﬁve representatives to the 80th annual CUP NASH in Toronto, and we could not be more excited. We would like to acknowledge that this opportunity could have never happened without our generous sponsors: the Dean of Arts, UNB Communications and UNB Conference Services. Without your support, we would not be able to send our editors and reporters to this valuable learning experience.

Those of us who attended NASH 80 are returning challenged to do more to better represent all of the UNB community in our coverage. For the sake of accountability, we are recording this pledge publically and we hope that you follow us as we head in this new direction. If you think that we are misrepresenting or neglecting any voices, please let us know—it’s your paper, after all. Like Alex Landine discovered in his travels last month, there is

Thank you.

Although the Brunswickan signed off for the winter break, the holiday season didn’t stop the news from happening. Here’s a quick recap of what you missed during 2017’s final moments:

Release of UNB’s annual report The President’s Office sent out the university’s annual report on Dec. 11, which featured various initiatives UNB has been pursuing over the past year and a message from UNB president Eddy Campbell. Campbell said in his message that the 2016-2017 year was one of reflection—one where UNB took some time to consider how they want to move forward based on where they’ve come from. Part of this, Campbell noted, meant acknowledging the mistakes made with regards to Canada’s relations with First Nations, and examining ways the university can contribute to reconciliation. Exemplifying his optimism for the times ahead, Campbell parted with a quote from Anne Shirley of Anne of Green Gables fame: “Tomorrow is a new day with no mistakes in it yet.” Divided into six sections, the annual report provides commentary on countless UNB stories—from innovative research initiatives in Smart Grid technology and 3D metal printing to celebrating continued success in the athletic and entrepreneurial worlds. For instance, UNB has incubated 55 startups in the past two years. In addition, back-to-back national champions,

the UNB Varsity Reds men’s hockey team, will be joined in 2018-19 by a reinstated varsity women’s hockey team. The report highlighted the construction of new infrastructure on both campuses: a new kinesiology building in Fredericton and a multi-research greenhouse in Saint John. The report also provided a financial update that included plans to balance UNB’s budget by 2020-21. “I am incredibly proud of the work that is being done here every day by our faculty, students and staff. Please take some time to read a few of their stories as an illustration of the impact we’re making in New Brunswick, in Canada and around the world.” said Campbell in an email sharing the report with students. The annual report is available on the UNB website. UNB’s Ofﬁce of the Campus Sexual Assault Advocate releases ﬁrst annual report During the middle of last semester’s exam period, the President’s Office sent out an email sharing UNB’s first annual report from the Office of the Campus Sexual Assault Support Advocate (CSASA). The Office of the Campus Sexual Assault Advocate was established in accordance with UNB’s new Sexual Assault Policy and Procedures, which was released in May 2016. “The Campus Sexual Assault Support Advocates are specially trained to support people who have experienced sexual violence. They maintain confidential records of incidents of sexual assault and assist in the creation of educational resources and policy development.” said Campbell in his message to the UNB community.

Maggie Forsythe is the CSASA for the Fredericton campus, hired through the Fredericton Sexual Assault Centre (FSAC); she also serves STU and NBCC as of the June 2017 tri-campus sexual assault strategy announcement. “This tri-campus model allows our advocate to serve the whole Fredericton campus community and has gained attention across the country for its innovative approach to addressing sexual violence.” said Campbell. The CSASA for the Saint John campus is April Jendrosch. Due to the smaller student population, Jendrosch performs CSASA duties alongside her regular responsibilities as part of UNBSJ Counselling Services The annual report includes the activities of both CSASA’s from Sept. 1, 2016 to Sept. 1, 2017 and the data is reflective of UNB student-connected cases. The report shows a significant increase in the number of reported acts of sexual violence. Of the over 60 incidences received by the advocates, 38 were affiliated with UNB students and 92% of that 38 were students from UNB Fredericton. 94% of the CSASAs’ clients over the year were female and 96% of the identified perpetrators were male, which the report states is reflective of the gendered nature of sexual violence. Due to privacy concerns raised by small numbers, statistics regarding UNB’s transgender population couldn’t be disclosed, but the report states that their representation in the CSASA’s clientele highlights “their increased risk to this type of violence and a need to create stronger preventative measures and cultural change.” The advocates also reported on their work around intervention and response, prevention and education, policy development and research and evaluation. A full copy of the report can be found on the UNB website. “I’m proud of the work that’s been done over the past year in creating more safe and welcoming spaces for our students. There are many people across the university who have worked hard to ensure that those who experience sexual assault have access to support and that those who commit a sexual assault are held accountable.” said Campbell. Potential plans to extend life of Sir Max Aitken pool On December 21, CBC reported news of a potential life expansion for UNB’s Sir Max Aitken Pool, which was slated for decommission this upcoming Fall—a long-anticipated fate for the costly, crumbling building.

According to the CBC article, UNB vice-president academic George MacLean said that in a desire to provide some “certainty” to their aquatic programs, UNB would be willing to keep Sir Max Aitken open for another year if the city of Fredericton committed to sharing costs for the construction and operations of a new pool. The Bruns did a feature on the pool closure in our November issue, which highlighted the stress that would be put on the various pool user groups if the city’s only competition pool were to shut down with no replacement, and the lobbying efforts of groups like the Capital Region Aquatics Facility Team (CRAFT) to prevent this from happening. At the time of the Bruns feature, MacLean reported that the university and the city were having discussions but that no decisions had been reached. “I think that there were issues at the time for the city and we certainly recognize the pressure the city is under,” said MacLean in an interview with the Bruns. “The level of community support and demand for a new aquatic center I think has maybe refocused city hall a little bit on how this is actually more of a priority than they might have been thinking about before.” CBC’s updated information is that the university presented their proposal to a closed city council session before the New Year and are awaiting a response early this month. UNB student charged in Shoppers ceiling stand-off incident Tommy Cousineau, the UNB engineering student arrested in a break and enter at a Shoppers Drug Mart last November, was charged in provincial court on Dec. 29, says CBC. The 26 year old was found hiding in the ceiling of the Shoppers Drug Mart on Prospect Street on Nov. 13, but Cousineau resisted removal, eliciting a “barricaded person call” to be made following the initial call. The situation turned into a three hour standoff, with onscene assistance from an emergency response team, patrol officers, canine unit, crisis negotiators and the Fredericton Fire department before Cousineau finally agreed to come down. Cousineau will appear in court again on Feb. 20 to defend himself against charges of break and enter, having instruments for the purpose of a break-in, and having his face covered with a mask. In the CBC news article, Cousineau’s lawyer David Lutz said, “I won’t be commenting on this case until we are clear what

In January of 2016, New Brunswickers were busy preparing for an influx of newcomers as over 25,000 Syrian refugees entered the country, fleeing their war-torn homes. New Brunswick, a province whose immigrant population is 4.6 per cent—quite low compared to the national average of 22 per cent—broke province population records when it settled the largest number of refugees per capita in the country. A province that sees so little immigration, however, was not equipped with settlement services for such a large newcomer population; Alex Leblanc, executive director of the New Brunswick Multicultural Council (NBMC), said that communities have played an essential role in providing support in the newcomer’s integration. “New Brunswick recognized quickly that we needed to leverage the goodwill and the capacity of our community and so they got involved—and now it’s a great combination between the formal government-funded supports, but also that natural support from community.” says Leblanc. A Syrian family in Saint John offers one example of how their community created a welcoming environment, going above and beyond to ensure they felt safe and secure in their new home. The difference of a helping hand Mohamad and Latifa Aldaher lived in a refugee camp in Lebanon for four years before they came to Canada on Jan. 1, 2016, along with their three children Saada, Hasan and Sally. The couple welcomed a new baby boy, Youssef, born in Saint John a year after their arrival. UNB alumna Catherine Chiasson and her husband Paul-Emile, former UNBSJ professor in the Faculty of Education, were one of the four welcome teams assigned to the Aldaher family upon their arrival. “The Saint John YMCA is usually the organization that welcomes any immigrants, refugees to Saint John. Because there was going to be 500 refugees arriving in a very short period of time, they put a call out to social media, friends of friends—anybody that can come and help us,” said Chiasson. “[They] put on a training session at the Y beforehand and they had some people that had come previously from other parts that were Arabic-speaking and knew a little bit about the Muslim culture. They told us a little bit about their customs—that we would probably expect to see the women with their hijabs and modest dress…We learned about halal foods and that sort of thing.” Chiasson says the initial volunteer commitment was only a six-week period following the Aldaher’s arrival—but that the welcome teams grew close with the family and have stayed involved in their lives to this day, as they quickly realized the integration process would last much longer than six weeks. “One of the differences that we really found with our Syrian family was that they were very open and very trusting. Like the day after they arrived, I had their kids in my car and I left! And they said, ‘okay, see you later.’” Chiasson noted. “Like they didn’t know me, they didn’t know where I was going and I had two of their children in my car.” For the Aldahers—who arrived in Saint John very tired and very confused about how they were going to function in this strange country with its different language and culture—the love and support they’ve received from their welcome teams has made all the difference in the world.

Latifa says that the first time she saw Catherine and the others, “my heart [saw] my family.” Mohamad recalls emerging from the airplane and seeing the welcome teams clapping and waving flags—but at that time, he didn’t believe they were there for the Aldahers; he agrees with Latifa that they are family now and have helped their transition in countless ways. “Because I don’t know anything here. I cannot speak English and I want to buy some food for my children, [would I use] that road, or that road or that road? I don’t know.” Mohamad explained, regarding his initial confusion. “[The welcome teams] help me with anything: food and areal house, and for education for my children, and the hospital; with anything, they help me…I think this gives me trust. I trust—when she took my children, I trusted her.” Last fall, one of the welcome team families co-signed a mortgage with the Aldaher family on their first home, after they had moved between a couple of apartments. Mohamad drives the family around in their van, which Latifa is now learning to operate. Two months ago, Latifa got a job in childcare—and in the past two weeks, Mohamad began working in construction. This is quite a different reality from their life in Lebanon, where the whole family (plus the families of Mohamad’s two brothers), slept on the floor in a ten-by-ten foot room. Their refugee status provided them no claim to education or healthcare—and while their oldest daughter Saada was able to attend an American school for two months before they left, Mohamad’s nephew died of illness in their home after the hospital refused to admit him without payment. “When you’re a refugee, it’s just like you’re in a holding space; nothing happens until you can immigrate somewhere.” says Chiasson. “So it’s really hard being a refugee; basically it’s survival.” While they’re still in the process of learning English, classes at the YMCA, conversations with their welcome teams and now at their workplaces, plus translation assistance from Saada—who is almost 10 and quickly becoming comfortable with English in her new school environment—are helping the Aldahers make progress. Creating a culture of immigration in New Brunswick The Multicultural Association of Fredericton’s (MCAF) First Friends program and the Family Connections program coordinated by Moncton’s Multicultural Association and municipality provided similar support to the Saint John YMCA for refugees settling in their areas. The settlement agencies in New Brunswick’s various cit10

ies are all member-organizations of the NBMC, which Leblanc says is an umbrella to thirteen associations and three provincial ethno-cultural organizations. The NBMC works to promote, support and connect immigration services throughout the province. “Right now [we’re] developing an action plan to address five priority areas that we think will help improve the integration experience for newcomers, and kind of educate and build capacity within the provincial public service,” said Leblanc. “Those priorities are training and education for adults, transition to education and employment for youth, essential services like Service New Brunswick—getting your driver’s license, medicare, making sure that that’s a streamlined process and it’s sensitive to a newcomer client—health and mental health and transitioning off of social development services.” According to Leblanc, many refugees require income assistance, housing subsidies and health cards as they begin their settlement process, and the province has begun examining ways that it can help newcomers become more financially independent. However, Leblanc believes that with the right support, the newcomer population will be an important addition to the province—particularly the newcomer youth. “The average family size for the Syrians was like 6.3, so there are many more children per family,” said LeBlanc.”Those children are going to integrate, they’re going to get educated in our high schools and our universities— they’re New Brunswickers for all intents and purposes, and so they’re going to contribute to our province in important ways.” “That’s an important opportunity we can’t lose sight of; this is bringing new energy, new people, new perspectives to our province, which is really important.” Refugee and immigrant youth offer new opportunities for New Brunswick labour market Farah Ali is a Grade 12 student at Fredericton High School (FHS) and a Syrian refugee who came to Canada on Jan. 16, 2016 from Jordan, where her family had lived for three years. Unlike the Aldahers, who moved to Canada less than a month after the UN found out Mohamad fought during the Syrian civil war and was not safe in Lebanon, the Ali family had to wait four or five months and go through several rounds of interviews before they were allowed to come to Canada.

“Catherine Chiasson (far right) and her husband Paul-Emile (far left of top picture) are part of the Welcome Team that was assigned to the Aldaher family (bottom left photo), who came to Canada as Syrian refugees in January 2016. From left to right the Aldaher’s: Mohamad, Hasan, Saada, Latifa and Sally. Missing from photo: baby boy Youssef”

When Farah started at FHS she knew very little English, and was placed alongside dozens of other Syrian students in English language classes—slowly taking fewer until this year, where she has none. Farah says it was difficult at first because the school was confusing to navigate and their lack of English language skills made it necessary for the new Syrian students to help one another—especially newer refugees. “In the beginning it was hard, like it’s hard to make friends when you don’t speak their language; you can’t say anything more than hi—but, like, with time it gets better,” says Farah. “Teachers were trying to do their best to help us, but you know it takes time to adapt with the language and new things, but they were trying to do their best and they did well.” Farah is the oldest of four children and was accepted to UNB last November, where she plans to begin her Bachelor of Science this fall. “Sciences and math are my favourite courses. I don’t re-

ally like history and memorizing things. I just like things I have to understand in the class. I like chemistry; it’s my favourite,” said Farah. She has dreams of becoming a doctor, but is waiting until she begins university so she can weigh her options. Farah’s family also benefited from help within the community. Peter Gross and his wife Gisele were assigned to help the Ali family for three months after their arrival— but like the Aldahers’ welcome teams in Saint John, they formed a friendship that continues to this day. “In the beginning, [Peter] was helping us to find things in Fredericton because when we came, we didn’t know like where [the stores are] and where we can find our groceries and other things; he was helping us, like with the medical things and [...] with everything,” says Farah. “Like he doesn’t have to stay with us until now, but he is like a friend now.” Gross is currently facilitating a visit to UNB for Farah and her friends, who are nervous about embarking on this new journey—especially the potential barriers that limited English and larger class sizes might create for them. 11

“[The visit is] just to know UNB more and trying to figure out how we will start in September, because we don’t really know how the university works. It’s definitely different from the school and we want to see some people and ask questions we have,” said Farah. Just getting to attend university is an exciting prospect for Farah, who went to school in Jordan but wouldn’t have been able to afford secondary education there, which she says was a discouraging reality.

It is important that services such as this exist for integrating marginalized youth into the economy, said Leblanc, who cited a government policy study that discovered immigrant and Aboriginal youth face extensive barriers to success in the labour market. If these barriers are not alleviated, costs associated for Canadians would range from $72-236 billion per year.

“I’m studying all these years and getting good at it all, and then, like, not going to university... there is not a reward for my hard work; you feel like you are studying for nothing and now it’s completely different.”

Although some may express concern about the possibility of immigrants “taking our jobs” or abusing our social assistance services, Leblanc believes these are tired criticisms that come from a “perspective of scarcity”.

Facilitating a place for newcomer youth in New Brunswick’s future

According to Leblanc, these perceptions come from the idea that there is a pie in New Brunswick that every new person who comes needs a slice of, forcing us to allocate precious and scarce resources.

While Farah is finishing high school, the NBMC has been facilitating a work-placement program called Skills Launch to help newcomer youth who have been unable to obtain their high school diploma. According to Leblanc, they were able to identify 317 youth that had “finished or aged out of high school, were unable to get a diploma and were in varied circumstances,” according to data from 2016. “They have tremendous motivation, skills and potential; they just needed some focus, some support, some education.” Leblanc said. “Right now there are 27 youth across Fredericton, Moncton and Saint John that are in work placements, so they’re in the end of their one-year program.” Leblanc says the program has been successful—and in Fredericton, they were able to put several young Syrian women in work placements despite initial reservations from their families. The NBMC runs another program for high school newcomer youth called Imagine NB, which is engaging 27 leadership-oriented participants. “We’re helping them to build their confidence with training and tools and networking with established business leaders and community leaders across New Brunswick, to help them see a future in New Brunswick—and moreover, to see a potential for playing a leadership role.” Leblanc said. According to Leblanc, the idea came from a need for visible minorities in New Brunswick’s public sector, with the

hope that by encouraging these students to reach their leadership potential, they will one day begin filling those gaps.

“That paradigm is totally off when it comes to immigration.” Leblanc noted. “It’s really more about growing the pie, so we grow the pie there’s more pie for everybody.” “There’s more people working, there’s more people who need to buy groceries, who are buying houses, who are buying clothes, who are getting haircuts, who are going to the doctor... You know, all of those things actually help us all directly and indirectly.” The Aldahers say they see a place for them in New Brunswick and are looking forward to their children attending university and creating a different life than the one Mohamad and Latifa had, who both began working at age 11 to help support their large families. “Yes! So excited for kids, I’m happy for kids.” Latifa said. Halfway through the interview with her family, Saada Aldaher brought out a scrapbook made by their welcome teams commemorating their first year in Canada. The pages were full with pictures of the Aldahers trying Canadian customs and traditions—skating and swimming for the first time, celebrating Canada Day and Christmas, to name a few. But it also showed pictures from when the Aldahers reversed roles and shared their own culture with their new Canadian family, cooking them traditional Syrian food and celebrating Ramadan. “It has been joyful.” says Chiasson. “We have gotten as much from them as we have given to them.”

Thoughts from the Arts Editor Words by Ryan Gaio “When you’ve got no destination, any road can take you there.” I once saw this adage hanging in a hostel somewhere in Europe. It might’ve been in Paris, could’ve been in Rome…Well, it doesn’t really matter much, does it? It’s been years since I’ve been over there, but the line has always stuck with me. I was overseas for a semester abroad at the University of Leeds in Jolly Ol’ England. I’ll never forget my first night there: after a long bus ride from London Gatwick, I arrived at the residence I was staying at and was just barely able to be checked in by the security guard before he left for the evening (“What if you were already gone by the time I got here?” I asked. “Yuh’d be out-uh luck,” he bluntly responded, my first exposure to the Yorkshire accent I’d eventually come to somewhat decipher). Having let me into my room, he quickly left me to spend several sleepless hours (thank you, jetlag!) alone, staring at the ceiling, dwelling on how impossibly far away from home I was and restraining myself from booking the next possible flight back to Canada. But, of course, the night ended—literally and metaphorically. The sun soon rose and I soon grew accustomed to my new surroundings. I found my way around the city, I mastered the mental math required to convert dollars into pounds and I (mostly) understood the accents. I met many wonderful people from all around the world too—people who became wonderful friends that I still talk to regularly all these years later! Most importantly, though, the semester overseas had an intense effect on me. Before I left for England, many people told me how much the experience would “change me,” how travelling abroad would allow me to “find myself” and so on and so forth. I just rolled my eyes at these clichés. I’d seen enough shared Facebook posts to have heard all these fortune cookie philosophies already—but as I soon discovered, there’s a reason these statements are as oft-quoted as they are: there’s truth in them. In my six months abroad, I grew, I explored, I discovered and I came back different—not drastically or obnoxiously, but nonetheless changed.

Something happens when you remove yourself from all that is familiar and routine, and you force yourself into a situation where you know no one, nowhere, nothing. Someone emerges: not who others expect you to be or who you think others expect you to be, but somebody a little closer to who you actually want to be, who you are deep down at the bottom of everything. Your self—or something like it is revealed to...yourself. This process is, of course, perpetual. It’s not as though you step off the plane and suddenly you’re “true self” is fully unleashed and untarnished; that might not ever even be possible—but insight is given and info is accessed. Simply put, something can be found if you’re willing to look for it. The stories in this issue are all about experiences like these—about exploring new countries, different places, other cultures; they’re about travel and exploration, and all the wonders to be found in this great big world of ours. But more than that, I think, what these stories are ultimately about is what can happen when you leap head-first into the unknown. This doesn’t even require leaving your home country—not at all. I mean, I was terrified when I first moved to New Brunswick from Ontario; I was only a few provinces east, yet as I slept on an air mattress in a Charlotte Street apartment with two wrestlers I feared would throw me in a headlock if I didn’t do the dishes, I felt as far away from home as I did that first night in England. In my mind, I might as well have moved to another planet. But again, as with my time in Leeds, Fredericton has ended up being great to me and I’ve been happy to call this place home. And so, hopefully, as you read the stories in this issue, you’ll reflect on the things you want to do in your life—things that, perhaps, you’ve been reluctant to leap into—and you will, at last, jump into them. Maybe that means studying abroad. Maybe that means moving to a new part of the country. Maybe that simply means trying something new right here in Fredericton; it doesn’t matter where you end up—because that’s not the point. What matters is that you head somewhere new, however you choose to get there. After all: when you’ve got no destination, any road can take you there.

Ten Artsy Things to Do in Fredericton This Month Words by Ryan Gaio Editor’s Note: These ten listings are hardly—hardly!—the only Artsy Things To Do this month; while I have selected ten that I think are interesting and eclectic, always remember that there are many other wonderful things happening in and around the city all month long. To let us know about an upcoming Artsy Thing To Do, email arts@thebruns.ca— we may feature your Thing in an upcoming issue! For more information about any of the following listings, please use your social media lurking skills and/or consult Google. All Artsy Things can be very easily found.

Jan. 13: Led Zeppelin tribute by The Tortoise, The Hare, & the Millionaire and friends. Come check out this Fredericton blues rock trio’s homage to one of their biggest influences—the almighty Led Zeppelin. The band will be joined by various guest vocalists and musicians throughout the evening, including members of The Hypochondriacs, Dub Antenna, Sugar Bomb and more. But can they nail “Stairway?” Portions of the show’s proceeds will help support The Brunswickan’s upstairs neighbours, CHSR.

The Capital Complex, 362 Queen Street, Doors at 7:00 p.m., show at 8:00 p.m..

Jan. 19: Matt Mays and July Talk.

Jan. 18-21: Shivering Songs. Stave off those winter blues with a celebration of songwriting and storytelling, as this multi-day festival hosts such renowned artists as Timber Timbre, David Myles and music journalist Bob Mersereau in a variety of unique venues—including the Wilmot United Church, the Charlotte Street Arts Centre and the Fredericton Public Library. Performances guaranteed to warm your spirits even more than a growler of Picaroons!

Various locations.

Two of Canada’s greatest current rock acts are bringing a co-headlining show to UNB! With Mays supporting his recent album Once Upon a Hell Of A Time and July Talk promoting their latest single “Lola + Joseph,” both acts are sure to be at the top of their game. Plus, for all you folks in residence: it’s only a short walk home!

Currie Centre, 15 Peter Kelly Drive, 8:00 p.m.

Jan. 18-Feb. 3: Architectural Scavenger Hunt. Get up close and personal with many of downtown Fredericton’s finest heritage structures, as the Fredericton Heritage Trust, in conjunction with FROSTival and Heritage

Week, are launching a free scavenger hunt that will force participants to look up, down and all around Fredericton’s architectural features. Entries with the most correct answers will be entered into a draw for prizes. History has never been so fun!

Jan. 20: The Daily Gleaner Old-Fashioned Skating Party. Winter in Fredericton may be long and (very) cold, but there’s no reason not to enjoy some of the season’s finest activities! Head to Officers’ Square for a skating party presented by our journalistic compatriots, The Daily Gleaner. Hot drinks and baked goods will be provided by Boyce Farmers Market vendors, while Maggie’s Farm Revival will provide a killer soundtrack. With an event like this, you’ll be sad to see spring!

Ofﬁcers’ Square, 575 Queen Street, 1:00-2:00 p.m.

Jan. 26-27: Banff Mountain Film Festival World Tour.

Jan. 23: Big Wreck In Loving Memory Of… 20th Anniversary Tour.

Jan. 21: FrostiBeer Yoga. In this unique collaboration between Hopped Yoga and Maybee Brewing, participants will spend 60 minutes in a light-hearted and all-levels yoga class followed by a delicious craft beer tasting. No experience necessary. If only all exercise ended this way! Dress warmly, as weather permitting, the yoga class may be held outdoors.

Maybee Brewing Company, 559 Wilsey Road, 1:00-2:30 p.m.

The Boyce Farmers Market will be rockin’ and rollin’ as Canadian rock icons Big Wreck celebrate the 20th anniversary of their classic debut, In Loving Memory Of…, which featured three top ten singles, including “Blown Wide Open” and “That Song,” by performing the album start-to-finish. Some of their biggest hits from the five other studio albums they’ve put out since will also be thrown into the mix. Long live the glory days of 90s Can-con!

Boyce Farmers’ Market, 665 George Street, 9:00 p.m.

Jan. 25-27: Branch Out Productions presents Oliver! Local theatre company Branch Out Productions will bring Olde London Towne to Fredericton with their wildly entertaining musical adaptation of Charles Dickens’ classic novel, Oliver Twist. The group is offering several performances—yet you’ll still leave asking, “Please, sir, I want some more.”

Tom Morrison Theatre (FHS), 300 Priestman Street, 7:00 p.m. daily with a 2:00 p.m. matinee on Jan. 27.

This acclaimed film tour makes a stop at the Fredericton Playhouse, offering audiences sevento-ten of the world’s best mountain sport, culture and environmental films. These high-adrenaline, thought-provoking films promise to inspire—whether you’re an adventurer, a weekend-warrior, a conservationist or simply a film fan. So exciting you won’t even need popcorn!

Fredericton Playhouse, 686 Queen Street, 7:00 p.m.

Jan. 27: M’Michèle: Between Fingers. The performances of M’Michèle, a harpist, pianist and singer, immerse audiences in a unique, colourful and poetic world. With the accompaniment of her multi-instrumentalist musical partner, M’Michèle combines percussive samples, string instruments and various keyboards to create groovy textures and catchy themes—with many unpredictable surprises in store!

Centre communautaire Sainte-Anne, 715 Priestman Street, 7:30 p.m.

When I received the acceptance letter from UNB telling me that I had been admitted for an exchange term, I was so excited. I am not a “plan-ahead” type person—especially academically—but exchanging to a foreign country during my third year of university has been my dream since Grade 12. With excitement, I landed at YFC on Sept. 2, 2017 after an unforgettable two-day visit in Toronto. Please forgive me, but seriously? The airport in Fredericton is definitely the smallest airport I have ever been to! Being new to a country and new to a city can be pretty frustrating at the beginning. I had no friends and knew no one here, and everything was just new to me. My fluent Cantonese and Mandarin, which could “jump out my mouth even without thinking,” were no longer applicable when I met someone interesting or who I felt like talking to and knowing more about. However, I kept telling myself “you got this! Nothing can stop you from making progress!” Many services offered by UNB helped me settle into Canadian life. Thanks to the International Students Advisor’s Office (ISAO), I began to feel the warmth of Fredericton and UNB as soon as I landed. After being picked up at the airport, I got to the campus without difficulty. I received a warm welcome from a lot of schoolmates who stood on the sidewalks, playing music out loud and cheering excitedly when I walked by. To be honest, though these kinds of cheers may seem a bit silly, they stopped me from feeling nervous for my new life at UNB. By volunteering later on with the Interna-

tional Welcoming Party and the ISAO Halloween Party, I made quite a few friends from all over the world—and they proved to be my best supports during the term both academically and psychologically. The orientation week was the most meaningful and unforgettable thing for me during the whole term. I had no idea I would be excited about this kind of “freshman activity” before I actually took part in it. Indeed, while I am a freshman at UNB, back in China, technically speaking, I am already a junior student! Still, all these activities were just so amazing and new for me. Students at my home university—or to be more specific most college students in China—will not have much fun during orientation. Comparing the O-Weeks between my home university, Xiamen University (XMU), and UNB, it is reasonable to draw a conclusion that what Chinese universities want to teach their students at the start of their college lives is “toughness and responsibility”—somewhat like military training!— while the Western universities tend to focus more on the students themselves and try to help them better adjust to the new environments through having fun. Before my exchange term at UNB, I had never heard of school associations like a “Writing Centre” or an “Accessibility Centre.” Having said that, I do not mean my home university “sucks,” and most of the teachers I had worked with in the past two years at XMU are highly dedicated both to their students and the academic research projects they have. They are always willing to help if their students meet any difficulty in their studies. The Writing Centre at UNB, however, is definitely something that was very helpful when I was working on papers and essays. As a matter of fact, the Writing Centre became one of my favorite places on campus (second only to the Harriet Irving Library) during my 18

exchange. Frankly speaking, I was not at all confident about my English proficiency when I first came to Fredericton. Since I was taking a lot of courses from the English department, I felt that my school life here was doomed to be very difficult. When I got a dozen essay assignments from my professors (and I mean it, there were 12 in total!), I was totally stressed out. I started to ask myself, “How am I going to do this? I can barely understand modern English perfectly; how is that possible for me to analyze old English texts in well-organized paragraphs!?” It was the Writing Centre that assured me my writing was not that terrible after all, and that it was realistic for me to understand those complex texts and express my opinions if I worked hard enough. Such kind support is more than helpful for international students like me. Coming from a prosperous city (Guangzhou, if you have ever heard of it) in China, I felt huge distinctions between the lifestyle in my hometown and Fredericton. People here live their lives at such a slow pace, while in Guangzhou people tend to be in a hurry all the time. In Fredericton, more people seem to “enjoy” their lives instead of just “living” through every single day. It might sound weird, but personally, I still prefer the more stressful—or to be exact, the faster—daily life in my hometown—because in this, the best age of my life, I would like to learn more, explore more and conquer more. I expect my life to be challenging and brand-new every day. The biggest cultural shock I felt in Fredericton, however, would definitely be something that I would like to call “the Western type of excitement.” It was the crazy blast-offs during the first few days in UNB that gave me an understanding of these kinds of “excitement.”

To be honest, even today, after having studied in UNB for four months, I still feel pretty awkward and sometimes even silly when people suddenly go wild and start cheering for no obvious reason. The party culture here at UNB reflects another dominant cultural difference between Chinese universities and Canadian (or western) ones. In China, hanging out in the malls, having nice meals outside of campus or perhaps watching some art performances at school are what college students usually do to entertain themselves. At UNB, however, I found that people love parties so much! Living in the biggest residence on campus, I never failed to bump into various social events on Friday or Saturday nights if I walked out of my room. Seeing how all of my fellow students were having great times, I just couldn’t help asking myself if I had been living an overly-boring and dull life for the past 20 years. The answer is no doubt unclear, but I do believe that the rather optimistic living attitude—revealed by how students here are often easily excited or satisfied by parties and other events—should be advocated and absorbed by more people. In the past four months, I not only finished all those essay assignments I mentioned previously, but also did something I am proud of and will always be proud of. During weekends and after-class time, I explored as many new things here in New Brunswick as possible. I have been to Killarney Lake, where I took a really nice walk in the forest, enjoyed the warm and beautiful autumn sunshine, and spent a cozy and relaxing afternoon. I have been to the walking bridge a few times, where I witnessed both the way that the St John River glitters under the sun in the bright Sunday morning and the breathtaking pink twilight sky turning dark bit-by-bit at dusk. I have been to the farmers market a

couple times, where I found the best cheesecakes and delicious macarons. I have been downtown several times, where I had a great time visiting the Art Gallery, library—and of course, the terribly small mall in town—King’s Place. I have also been to the Regent Mall an unknown number of times, where I did most of my shopping, hung out with friends I made at UNB and watched an awesome movie or two. I have been to many different restaurants in Fredericton, which include cuisines from all over the world. Finally, I have been to Saint John for a short but meaningful one-day trip on a Saturday, during which I explored the New Brunswick Museum, three malls and had a delicious dinner at the Saint John Ale House. I am proud of myself for doing all these because I made full use of my exchange opportunity, and proved that “life is all about adventures and explorations.” Yes, I did make it through the whole term safe and happy! I was more than surprised to hear quite a few Canadian locals saying that I was doing pretty well with my English—and in fact, some of them even said they totally had no clue that I am not a native speaker! When I now think back on all these memories, I just feel so grateful for all those who have encouraged or praised me during my early “struggles” at UNB. It is the unconscious encouragement of my schoolmates that broke down the barriers in my heart and enabled me to go further in this small but nice place.

Editor’s note: This was submitted as a personal reflection by the author and as such was only lightly edited for clarity.

“WHERE MY CREATIVITY COMES TO LIFE”: ALEX LANDINE TAKES ‘FASHION FRIDAY’ ABROAD Words by Tiziana Zevallos

For Alex Landine, a University of New Brunswick Bachelor of Education student, a trip to Morocco felt preordained.

A couple weeks before Landine’s arrival in Madrid, his friend sent him a webpage link for a seven-day trip through Morocco.

His grandparents, Bob and Debbie Landine, were in their early twenties when Bob received a scholarship to study Civil Engineering in London. The recently married couple from Saskatchewan boarded a ship that took them from Quebec to European shores. That summer, they travelled through Spain and flew from Gibraltar to Tangier in Morocco. It was their first plane ride and first time visiting an African country.

“I did a lot of research about Spain, but didn’t do much on Morocco—though it was definitely a place I wanted to go; it was on my radar,” Landine said.

“I feel like I’m following their footsteps,” said their grandson.

The ferry docked in Tangier the next morning. The air was humid and the city structures became visible just as the fog retreated to the mountains.

In early 2017 Landine planned to participate in the “auxiliares de conversación” program, where he would be an English teacher’s assistant in a Spanish school. He began researching all the places he could live and became familiar with country’s varied geography and rich history—even though he had never been there.

On Dec. 27, only seven hours after his snowstorm-delayed flight from Fredericton landed in the Madrid-Barajas airport, Landine got on a bus that took him to Tenerife, south of Spain, to cross the Strait of Gibraltar to Morocco by ferry.

“We had crossed the sea for not even an hour; it was a very short distance, and because of that a lot of things looked the same. The geography and the buildings looked the same—but all of a sudden, church steeples turned to minarets, signs were in Arabic and French, and the way people dressed changed.”

“I felt like I knew a country I had yet to visit,” he said. Although the original plan to live in Spain for a semester did not work out, Landine jumped on the opportunity to visit Spain this Christmas break when a friend, who is doing a year abroad in Madrid, suggested he come visit.

Morocco is located on the northern tip of Africa, separated from the rest of the continent by the Atlas Mountains and the Sahara desert. This often gives visitors the odd sensation of not quite being in Africa. This feeling is further reinforced by the country’s history of Indigenous Berber, Arabian and European

control and cultural influence. Landine set out to tour Morocco’s major cities including Rabat, Casablanca, Marrakech, Fes, and Chefchaouen, as well as the Sahara. Once in Fes, the second largest city of Morocco, Landine ventured into the Medina—the oldest walled part of the city dating as far back as 789 A.D. “You can see how over the centuries, they built these little streets and alleyways. Building one on top of another,” he said. It’s like a maze that stretches for kilometers, where if you get lost, you can walk straight for three days from one end to the other. Even Google Maps can’t keep a record of the narrow streets. Inside the Medina, every turn led to a new experience. One turn to the right and the smell of food flooded the street. A turn to the left and the walls were covered in tapestries and bags. Walk past a door and beams of light reflect on jewelry and copper items. But “it was not a tourist trap. Yes, there were tourists in it, however the majority of people were locals living their daily lives,” Landine said. Close to 250 thousand people live within the Medina. That’s five times the population of Fredericton—and that’s only within the old city; Fes has a population of 1.1 million.

As Landine waited for the 55-person touring group to reconvene, he struck a conversation with a vendor named Youssef next to his 3x1 metre store. Youssef told Landine he had owned the shop for 22 years and lives 15-minutes away. “He was so friendly,” Landine said. “Sometimes, culturally, with the shopkeepers, if you walk into their shop and start looking at things, there’s a strong expectation that you’ll buy something and then they want to get into bartering with you in order to make a sale.” But it was different with Youssef. Landine hadn’t brought money for that particular outing and was still invited in. Youssef said “I didn’t bring you into my shop just to buy something. Come in and see what I have: leather belts and silver jewelry.” Landine learned that tourism is a big part of the economy in a place like the Fes Medina—and in order to keep up, Youssef had learned English, as well as key words in German, Italian, Spanish and Chinese. Youssef was very proud of what he sold, and with a big smile told Landine that only 10 to 20 per cent of those who step into his store bought something. He noted that even still, it is important to always have a smile and be friendly to the prospective customer. “That’s my business, that’s my line of work and that’s what I’m here to do,” said Youssef. After walking through the maze of little streets and

alleyways in the Medina, the group took a five-minute drive to a three-story mall that had Pizza Hut and Burger King. “I thought to myself: am I in the same planet? It was so different to where we had just been.” For Landine, these contrasts revealed a few things: First, how an ancient city like Fes can also be so modern; second, how comfortable he felt in the mall and what he considered to be “his reality.” And how the unfamiliarity and uncomfortableness of the Medina is what made it exciting, because everything was new and “your senses were totally alive because you were just reacting to everything happening around you. It was so busy and crowded, and smells coming from everywhere. That was the magic of it,” he said. Next on the tour was visiting Marrakech, which is also known as the “red city” because the buildings are painted in an orange-terracotta colour that resembles the Sahara’s sand at sunset.

photos by Alex Landine

“There’s the old city and the new city, and it all flows together really well,” said Landine. The streets are wide and big avenues are adorned with palm trees and orange trees on the sides. You can see camels in the distance and a Range Rover waiting for the light to turn green next to you. The biggest attraction in Marrakech is the market square, Jemaa el-Fnaa. The market is composed of white tents where you can find food stalls that sell Tajine and Couscous—the country’s typical dishes—and is

surrounded by buildings containing small stores. “You could tell this is the way life used to be and yet still is,” he said. Walking through the market square and streets that branch out from it, Landine knew he wanted to buy something to add to his wardrobe, “because it is one of the most famous places in Morocco and [the market] makes it into different travel books. So I wanted to get a souvenir that I could use that would remind me of the market,” he said. While peeking into a store, a brown leather bag with a red-and-white-pattern carpet sewn into it caught his eye. “It was something totally unique, that I knew I’d never seen before and that I knew I couldn’t get anywhere else.” The vendor put his lighter up to the leather to show him it was real. Landine purchased the locally dyed and treated handmade leather bag for a better price than he had originally planned. The purchase was significant for Landine, who believes fashion is a way to get to know different cultures, costumes and people. “I think those type of exchanges give what you wear more meaning—especially since all of the stuff that we were looking at was handmade and intricately produced; you can see the detail and work put into it.” Like

the bag he bought in Marrakech and the belts on display at Youssef’s shop. “When you actually talk to the people who made it, every time you put it on, you think of them and of that story. Chatting with them about their products adds to that one-of-a-kind factor,” Landine said. Over a year ago, Landine began posting pictures of his outfits on social media every Friday under the tag “Fashion Friday.” Instantly, a couple hundred of his friends liked the pictures. So he continued to post them with a comment to accompany the outfit’s choice. He now uses this platform to share what he learns through fashion in the different places he visits. Landine looks forward to sharing what he learns in his upcoming trip to Bogota, Colombia, where he will spend eight weeks for his second practicum as a teacher’s assistant. “It’s going to be my first time living abroad and my first time in South America. It’s going to be sensory overload and that’s where my creativity really comes to life,” he said. He hopes to turn Fashion Friday into a more detailed account of his experiences, including pictures and written descriptions, through a blog.

THANK YOU to all who joined us in celebrating the exceptional achievements of faculty of business administration students, faculty and alumni at our 30th Annual Business Awards Dinner held Nov. 23, 2017. Congratulations to the students who received scholarships and bursaries in recognition of their achievements and to our distinguished award recipients: 2017 CERTIFICATES OF APPRECIATION Great-West Life, London Life and Canada Life Accepted by Ross Ripley, Regional Director, Freedom 55 Financial SEAMARK Asset Management Ltd. Accepted by Robert McKim (CFA), CEO and CIO 2017 CERTIFICATES OF ACHIEVEMENT Julien Albert, BBA ‘74 President, NorthTaste Flavourings Inc. President, St. Laurent Gulf Products Ltd. President, Johnson Moving & Storage Group of Companies Thomas Liston, BBA ‘96 Managing Partner, Difference Capital Financial Thank you to all our sponsors for making this event possible: TITANIUM SPONSOR McCain Foods Limited PLATINUM Ignite Fredericton, TMX Group Inc. GOLD Enterprise Rent-a-Car, FCNB (Financial and Consumer Services Commission), Grant Thornton LLP SILVER CPA Atlantic School of Business BRONZE CPA New Brunswick

TH ANNUAL BUSINESS AWARDS DINNER

Road to the game: The effects of travel on athletes Words by Caroline Mercier Travelling for competitions can take a significant toll on athletes. At UNB, each team has anywhere from as little as three or four to as many as 20 instances of travel. The various Varsity Reds teams go far and wide to compete for their school—but how does this affect their performance?

give more emphasis on the task at hand despite the physical implications.

“It’s a nice way to stop thinking about school and focus on your races,” said Bea Lougheed of UNB swimming. “But sometimes it’s hard to keep your muscles engaged—espe“There is surely no doubt that travel has a great [effect on] cially during long drives the morning of competition.” athlete performance mentally, emotionally and physically,” said men’s soccer player Kristian D’Amore. Even though there are some mental benefits due to the necessitated team bonding of being on a bus for several hours, Varsity Reds Men’s Soccer had a grueling trip during their some athletes argue that the cons outweigh the pros. 2017 playoff run. Over the course of two weeks, they competed in Cape Breton to gain their USport tourna- “Same-day travel is hard because you have been sitting so ment bid, then flew across the country to Thompson Riv- long that it’s hard to get into a competitive mindset, which ers University in British Columbia. In order for this trip to is a challenge we all have to overcome,” said second-year happen, the team had to drive to Cape Breton, drive back Emma Berton of UNB swimming. to Halifax, then fly through Toronto and Vancouver—only to land in Kamloops and play no more than 48 hours later. The lack of home-field advantage while competing away This trip meant for more than 20 hours of travelling be- also plays a role in athletes’ performance. tween flights and busses, not including their delays and layovers. All of this said, the team feels as if their coaches “You don’t have the comfort of your home gym or the supprepare them well for these situations. port of your fans,” said women’s volleyball coach Jilliane Portelli. “I’ve noticed a positive difference in my players, in “We were the first team to arrive in Kamloops,” said general, when their loved ones are in the stands. The ball D’Amore. “[Coach Miles Pinsent] wanted to make sure we can move a little differently in different gyms—especially on had enough time to adapt to the time change, weather and the serve—so it takes a little bit of adjustment.” muscle stiffness.” Some athletes, however, like the challenge of competing in Third-year Matt Boem agreed. “[The coach] schedules in new places. team walks on extra-long trips to get our muscles ready and moving around from the moment we hop off the bus. “It doesn’t bother me as far as competition goes; it’s a great In my opinion, in terms of routine and mental prepara- way to be with the team and lets us compete in new places,” tion, trips are more beneficial because during home game said first-year Jennifer Moore from UNB swimming. days we would often just sit around at home playing video games until it is time to leave for the field. The bus ride Earlier this year, some UNB athletes had the opportunity to gives you time to prepare mentally.” compete at the FISU games in Taiwan. In this case, many of the competitors had the chance to travel to a place that they Boem and D’Amore felt as if their playoff run was differ- had never been to before. ent from other travel situations that they had been in. “With travel, it brings excitement to the individual attending “There is a special feeling collectively amongst the group these events,” said Marcus Lees, AUS multi-time All-Star. “I when you are all-in come playoff time, “ said D’Amore. “I [had] not been to anywhere in Asia and this definitely made actually think our long trips to Cape Breton for AUS, then the trip feel more intriguing. During my time there I got to to B.C for nationals benefited us as a team. It was a time to join a different culture, meet and live with Taiwanese peobuild further team chemistry—both on and off the field— ple, and experience all of this with my Canadian brothers with your teammates that you have to put everything on and coaching staff.” the line for. Sure, driving eight hours for AUS then taking three flights to arrive at nationals took a toll on our In addition to the cultural experience, Lees was in awe of the bodies—but overall, I am of the belief that being together competition itself. through all that made us stronger.” Disclaimer: The author of this story is a member of the UNB This tune rings true for other teams as well. Team trips swimming team. 26

How closely have you been reading the Bruns in the past month? Test yourself with this crossword puzzle, featuring answers from last month’s online stories and this month’s magazine. Submit your completed crossword to the Brunswickan’s office (Room 35 in the SUB) to win a prize! The first person to submit a correct puzzle will automatically win a free pizza from Domino’s. Everyone else will be entered into a draw for another free pizza, which will be held on Jan. 31. We will draw four winners. Best of luck!

Across 2 We “swear” it’s the name of this comedy group 4 Conference of the Canadian University Press 5 Alex Landine traveled here 6 Huilin’s biggest form of culture shock 8 Res Life director who resigned Down 1 Photo essay location 3 Possible new varsity sport(?!) 6 Ryan Gaio’s semester abroad was in ________ 7 Location of last year’s FISU games

If no one’s in the office, please slip your crossword under the door with the date, time, your name and your email written on it. Thank you!