A warm welcome

Dalhousie President Tom Traves addresses students during the induction ceremony. (Danny Abriel Photo)

“Today, each of you takes your place as a member of the Dalhousie University scholarly community — a community with two centuries of proud tradition, scholarly excellence and academic achievement...”

Reciting the age-old Dalhousie pledge with hundreds of new students in the rows, it just hit me that I have officially left my high school days behind and was now in a bigger labyrinth called university.

Arriving in Halifax barely a week ago, I was greeted by the stillness and tranquility of the downtown area. “I take it you’re not a 24/7 city,” joked my mom to a taxi driver. Truth be told, it was a surprise, albeit a pleasant one. Compared to downtown Vancouver, it was like the remote control went from fast forward to slo-mode. Minus the mountains, Gordon Campbell and the impending 2010 Winter Olympics, I could even call this place home.

Transitioning to post-secondary is always a big step, especially for anyone departing the high school doors. Moving across the country, let alone another continent for many other students, at the same time is another thing.

Being born and raised on the west coast, I knew I would be leaving many things behind: friends, family and familiarity for the most part. I would have to start all from scratch and I would be on living my own for almost a year. The fact that this was also my first time in the Maritimes makes the situation all the more daunting.

(For my mother, the hardest part was looking at her bank account quickly depleting, with my residence expenses on top of tuition.)

Students pack the Rebecca Cohn for the Induction Ceremony. (Danny Abriel Photo)

These re-occurring thoughts popped up again fleetingly, only to be erased with a screeching of bagpipes as selected university officials, faculty, staff and student leaders walked on stage in ceremonial robes. This was the opportune moment for me to catch a first glimpse of Dalhousie's president Tom Traves, as well as faculty members I might never come across during my undergrad years as a science student.

As the keynote speaker, Josh Leon, the Dean of the Faculty of Engineering, delivered a speech on his own Dal experience. Student union reps supplied closing remarks and an a cappella version of O Canada ensued, the bagpipes screeching once again to signal the academic recession.

“Now THAT was a welcome!” says Catherine Chea, a fellow first-year as we left the auditorium. “I feel officially a part of the Dal community now!” Putting all my worries aside temporarily, I couldn’t have put it any better.