October 24 2012 - Over the Edge

FLYNN IN SCOTLAND

DEVON FLYNN
CONTRIBUTOR

It’s not easy being an
exchange student. I’m not
talking about the school
work. No, I’m referring to
the constant  tug-o-war
match between being a
traveller and a student. It’s
easy to get caught up with
the excitement of meeting
new people, having every
place be new, and being in
a community where you
want to explore everything
and everywhere. There are
sO many more distractions
when you are on. an
exchange than if you were
a local student, especially
when lots of events and
activities are catered
toward you specifically as
an international student.
I've been fortunate to have
been to an abbey, several
museums, numerous castles,
like Urquhart and Glamis
(the latter being haunted). I
haven't found Nessie in Loch
Ness, nor have I worn a kilt,
but there’s still time.

Even with a_ plethora of
activities to do and people

to meet, all of which make
great competition with
class work for your focus
and attention, you may
still find yourself depressed
some days. Some might
consider it homesickness,
others might label it culture
shock, both of which I have
experienced before. No, this
syndrome doesn’t occur for
lack of a social life where
you are lonely or weary to
experience a new culture,
although extreme — shut-
ins may experience this as
well; it may be that you’ve
been so busy’ meeting
people, going to dinners,
and attending pub crawls,
bus tours, and_ lectures,
that you’ve neglected your
physical health.

I’m notsaying all those things
are bad, but they are hardly
physically demanding. When
you finally do get a break,
you do what most of us tend
to do - just chill, watch a
movie, or go online. This can
be troublesome for exchange
students who may find
themselves on a computer
more frequently than normal

- Skyping, uploading your
many photos to show your
family back home, googling
the area for places to check
out and how to get there,
communicating with your
school back home, etc. Next
thing you know, you find
you may have gained a few
pounds and just feel blah.

Despite the haggis,
numerous chip shops, and
deep-fried foods of Scotland,
I don’t think I’ve gained
weight since I’ve been
here; however, my physical
activity level has definitely
declined. I rejected joining
the university gym due to
the staggering costs and the
fact that my living situation
would find that my going to
the gym would not be ideal,
convenient, or frequent.
Fortunately I was able to
find a promotional deal with
the fitness centre in the town
where I’m staying. I’ve also
made it a point to buy and
cook healthy homemade
meals for supper as often as
I can. I try to pack lunches as
much as possible, as I don’t
have the facilities to cook

while at school. With very wet
Scottish winters on their way,
I'll be inside even more often,
so being physically active in
partnership with eating well
(or at least avoiding the deep
fried Snickers) has become
even more of a priority for
me. Considering the risk
of seasonal depression due
to the lack of sunlight and
Vitamin D, maintaining a
good diet and a decent level
of physical activity seems
almost as important as good

JRCE DEVON FLYNN

q

studying habits.

So I give this advice to my
fellow students, not just
those abroad: if you find
yourself in a slump one day,
unmotivated to do anything,
try to motivate yourself to
do at least two things - go
for a run and cook a good
meal. You may find it makes
a hell of a difference when
you finally crack those books
open.

GRAD STUDENT SPOTLIGHT

LEILA MAHEIDDINIBONAB
STUDENT LIFE EDITOR

i As ait
ame: Serena Black (Pictured: her dog, Brisby
Age: 24

Program: Natural Resources and Environmental Studies

Who is Serena Black?

I’m a student, a dog owner,
a market manager, a cyclist,
a northerner, a knitter... and
a lot of other things.

What are you studying/
researching?

I’m working on a
multidisciplinary study
looking at agriculture in
northern BC. I’m_ doing
a greenhouse study on
ten cultivars of barley, in

relation to responses to
varying levels of moisture
stress, as well as looking
at the cultural practices of
northern producers. The
producers were active in
determining the direction of
the greenhouse study.

Why did you choose this
topic?

I think agriculture is often
overlooked in our society
today, as people are so
busy. It’s something that
impacts everybody, and I
think there’s a definite need
in the region to build applied
research around agriculture
and the people responsible
for feeding the rest of the
population. I also have
family history connected to
the topic, so I feel that had
a huge implication to my
interest in the research.

How was the research
conducted?

I’m working up in the
Enhanced Forestry Lab to
do the cultivar trials. For
the cultural piece, I’ve
been doing farm stays with
different producers in the
Omenica region. I stay with
the producers and work
on the farm as they need
help, to get a better idea of
their day-to-day activities.
I also conduct interviews
with producers, and journal
about my experience.

Where would your re-
search be implemented?
What are some applica-
tions for this research?

The intent is that my study
is generating baseline data
that will be used to develop
future, multi-year field
trials across the Omenica
region. The results of my
greenhouse study will be
relayed to the producers,
and they will work with
researchers to develop
future research priorities.
The goal of the research
is to develop applied agri-
research in the region,
and work to characterize
crop adaptive capacity and
production potential.

When _ will
graduating?
I’m planning to graduate by
December 2013.

you be

If you could give one
piece of advice to the
new grad students this
year, what would it be?

I would encourage new grad
students to really engage
with their peers and with
Prince George. I’ve had
such a positive experience,
and I credit that to have a
strong support system from
my peers, and in taking
advantage of the positive
aspects of Prince George. I
would also suggest investing
in some home-brew.