Separating self and struggle
After two and a half years of surgeries, chemotherapy, and dwindling odds, my mother died early on a Monday morning in November. My dad broke the news to my brother and me, and we went on a hike to the stream a few blocks from home while someone came to take away her body. The… Keep Reading
A cloudy future
I am one of few people who owe a great deal to cigarettes. My parents met in the smoking section of an airplane and got married soon after. Unfortunately, I won’t find the love of my life in the smoking section of an airplane. As of May 2018, I won’t find my cigarette-toting life partner… Keep Reading
Montreal: La belle ville de movie dorks
“We were shown, as in some strange phantasmagoria, scenes from different places in France. First there was the arrival of a train at the Lyon-Perrache station […] you could clearly see each individual. It was most lifelike: you really were at the station. The train left and everything disappeared […] And the sea? We saw… Keep Reading
A foot on either side
In March 2017, Andrew Potter, former director of the McGill Institute for the Study of Canada (MISC), resigned after publishing a column titled “How a snowstorm exposed Quebec’s real problem: social malaise” in Maclean’s magazine. In addition to causing a rare McGill snow day, the blizzard also sparked a decidedly less rare debate over the limits of academic freedom.… Keep Reading
A utilitarian approach to student wellbeing
McGill’s Counselling and Mental Health Services have come under fire in recent years, as changes meant to improve care have instead focused on reducing wait times and seeing as many patients as possible. Interviews with current and former counsellors at McGill Counselling Services—some of whom would only speak off the record because they feared repercussions from their employer—reveal… Keep Reading
With Time, a Task Force
Nearly 200 years ago, James McGill, a fur trader and one of the most prominent slave owners in Quebec’s history, founded McGill University on land traditionally held by Indigenous peoples. On that land, enslaved Indigenous and Black labourers built many of the edifices which still stand on campus, including the Arts building. To this day,… Keep Reading
Using and abusing
In no place is the “work hard, play hard” attitude more present than at McGill. As one of Canada’s most prestigious universities, known for its competitive acceptance rate and diligent student body, one might not expect the school to have a considerable number of drug users. However, in a city where hard drug use… Keep Reading
The middle way: Finding the path to Buddhism in the Western world
In my second year of university, I decided that it was time to get serious about school. I had felt like I could always be working harder, and when I wasn’t working, I felt guilty for it. My life became consumed by school work. I would wake up early to study, go to class, and… Keep Reading
Psychics in Montreal
When I was six years old, I had a knights-and-princesses-themed birthday party. I remember seeing my mom dressed up as a fortune teller to ensure that my best friend and I would have an authentic and magical medieval experience. As a kid, I wholeheartedly believed that there was some kind of magical future-predicting force out… Keep Reading
