Some Sad News

I have some sad news friends. I am not going to be able to blog as much any longer. I have graduated from York University and I am will not be working at York's RED Zone. Since RED Zone is a work study job (meaning you have to be a student to work in this position) I have to spread my wings and find a different location to work. Since I am not blogging as much anymore I wanted to give you the option to read some of my lovely co-worker's blogs.

Here they are, check out their blogs and twitters to find more information!

Monika (The new RED Zone LEAD!!!) @MonikaSoniaG 

Michelle @_michelle23

Nicole @nuriasz 

Tori @torijwilcox

In other news, you can still follow me in a different way if you choose! My partner and I have been writing a different kind of blog, so if you still want to connect with me you can look at our blog. :) Thank you all for being so awesome and let me know at any time if you have any questions, I would be happy to answer it! :)

Your Task If You Choose To Accept Is....

Your task if you choose to accept is this....

I challenge you to complete all of these tasks by the end of your first week of school. Let's see how you do and be sure to let me know how it goes!


1. Meet someone new in all of your classes and get their email or phone number.
2. Go to a random building that you do not have a class in and explore.
3. Try a food that you have never had before on campus.
4. Pack your own lunch for at least 3 days of the first week of school.
5. Bring a water bottle, so you can refill your bottle at the hydration stations.
6. GO TO FROSH WEEK!
7. Compliment someone by first dissing them and then be nice to them after (This suggestion came from Yusuf, a student I was chillin' with in the RED Zone Lounge).
8. Have someone listen to your IPOD or music on transportation to York (if you live in Res, have one of your roomies listen to your favourite song).
9. Smile at at least 15 people during this week.
10. Do at least 5 hours worth of physical activity in your first week.

HAPPY CHALLENGE and GOOD LUCK!

Tours on Campus

Want a tour of Keele Campus?

The tour of campus is really awesome and something I highly suggest doing. This is done by the Bennett Centre once a day (the times vary each day). You can meet the student ambassadors in the central kiosk the day you plan on coming in. If you would like to see the schedule just click here for the tour times. They also have information about parking for the day if you plan on driving to school to take this tour. The Bennett Centre is number 41 on the campus map. 

Want a tour of Glendon Campus?

Glendon campus conducts their tours daily, as well as on the weekends! If you want more information on how to sign up and when they are please visit here. Need to find where Glendon campus is? Here are directions!

Want a tour of Residence?

Want to see your residence room before you actually come on move in day? Residence tours take place each day at 2:30pm in McLaughlin College. This is number 51 on the Keele campus map, so check that out.

Here is the MAP for both the Bennett Centre (number 41 on the map) and McLaughlin College (number 51 on the map). 

*If you get lost, find us at the RED Zone and we will direct you to the correct place! :)

New Swag in York's RED Zone!

RED Zone just got some new swag! Aren't our I Heart YU shirts awesome? Do not worry we still have our rugby shirts too! :) Stay tuned for how you can WIN one of these awesome I Heart YU shirts throughout the year! 

Italian Sodas Are Where It's At!

For the past few weeks, I have been a little obsessed with Second Cup's deal! They have Italian Sodas for 1 dollar. So if you are looking for something cool and different to try, who can go wrong with $1.13?

*** Nicole and I enjoying our delicious Italian Sodas***

***We are trying to get all of the flavours, do you think we can do it?***

I will see you there! Any other deals you know of on campus?

5 FREE Ways to Stay Healthy on Campus

I thought I would take us back to our childhood with this gem of a commercial! I still remember sitting on the couch with my family watching Body Break commercials! As silly as my memories are, Hal and Joanne are completely right, you have to do the little things (especially in University) to keep yourself active and healthy. 

Here are 5 FREE ways to stay healthy on campus:

1. Free fitness classes at Tait Mackenzie Gym
2. Bring your lunch to school instead of buying something that brings down your energy levels. Or check out Health Education and Promotion for healthy options on campus
3. Join Health Ed's Running Relief Program 
4. Start a Yoga group in your Residence common room
5. Intramural Program with your College 

5 ways I stay healthy everyday:

1. I keep a healthy eating journal to track the awesome food I consume each day and I make left overs every night so I can have a lunch at school

2. I try to get at least 6 hours of sleep each night

3. I complete morning exercises, jog, and do ab exercises daily

4. I try to work out at least 3 times a week

5. I read Zen Learning books in conjunction with my school readings to keep my mind and body healthy (meditation and mindfulness is kind of my thing)!

What are you going to do to stay healthy??

Dinner on a Dime!

You may not completely know yet, but sometimes having money to buy food when you are a student can be difficult. To be honest, there are quite a few places on campus that you can go to that are on the cheaper side.

I was able to buy many meals on campus for under 5 dollars! To make things a little bit cheaper I would usually bring my own drink (my water bottle) and have my own snacks that I brought from residence. They other way I saved money was just making my own food and bringing it to class instead of buying. I always had a budget for myself that would keep me in check as well. 

***Food Glorious Food!***

Worried about spending too much money at school? Maybe I can help you with more ideas I did throughout my University Career. Let me know what you are worried about the most and I will come up with a strategy for you!

Connections and Meaningful Conversations

Want a friendly experience at YorkU before you come to York University?

Last summer I had a lovely experience with one of York's incoming students on YU Connect (If you have not checked out YU Connect yet here is the link!). YU Connect gave me the opportunity to correspond and converse with my new friend Deserey. It was a great experience because she lives abroad and I was able to pass on information to her the whole summer about her transition into University. Once September came, it was amazing because we actually got to meet each other in person! It was awesome to get to know someone on a personal level before even meeting them, and then being able to actually meet them!

***Deserey chillin' at the famous Seven Mile beach in Grand Cayman (Jealous!)*** 

***One of Our First Interactions together!***

Are you looking for a similar opportunity to create community and engage on campus? Just because you might live far away, it doesn't mean you cannot have meaningful interactions throughout the summer! Check out our blogs, twitter, website, and facebook if you want to connect with any of the RED Zone Ambassadors! Or, if you live near campus, come by the RED Zone anytime. Have a friendly conversation with us. Ask us whatever questions you may have. We’ll even help you get set up on YU Connect so you can reach out and meet other York students.


I am looking forward to connecting with all of you very soon! :) 

Making Some Beats in the RED Zone Lounge!

Nicole, Joy, and I were getting our groove on in the RED Zone! The new stomp crew potentially??

**Post some awesome videos that you have made with your friends! It is the summer, get crazy!

AHHH! What Do I Need For The First Day???

The night before my first day I had butterflies and the anxious feeling about what was to come the next day. Luckily I lived in Residence and many others had similar feelings, so do not worry, you are not alone!

Here is my first year checklist:

• Wake up early and make sure you print off a map so you know where your class is or Visit Yorks RED Zone, we can give you directions!
• Have a good breakfast so that you do not get sick or pass out in class! (I have seen this happen before, so eat it up!)
• Arrive 15 mins before class so that you can grab a good seat (sit near the front).
• Try and make a friend beside you so you can grab notes from someone if you are sick!
• Attend your first class, there is awesome information that you may need to know, so do not skip!
• Bring Paper, Pens, and Highlighters (I did not have a laptop so this was my way of keeping notes!)
• Water and Snacks (My first day I had 3 classes so I made sure I brought enough food for my belly!) We have many hydration stations so make sure you bring a water bottle! 
• Ask questions if you are not sure what your Professor or Teaching Assistant (TA) is talking about, I did not ask and then I was confused for a couple of weeks...or research other services to help you. (Ie- York's Learning Commons)

**See why I had to bring paper and pens to class? My computer was massive, we all named it Big Bertha!**

Just a reminder: University is a different experience than Highschool, please make sure that you ask for help if you need it, there are so many resources available for you to use! Take advantage of them because they are all FREE!!! The Yorku Search-bar was my best friend!

Let me know how your first day goes or if you have any questions about your first day! Anyone have any other ideas??

Want to Know a Secret??

There are so many individuals on this campus that have no idea what the Absinthe Pub and Coffee Shop is or where it is!! I am going to let you know a secret ahead of time about this gem in the basement of Winters College!

The Absinthe Pub and Coffee Shop (The Ab) is one of my favourite places to chill on campus! It is full of energy, awesome people, and REAL plates and silverware!! You can hang out with your friends, play darts, watch some Discovery Channel on the TV's, do homework, or play at acoustic night on a Tuesday night!

*My Friends and I enjoying the atmosphere of the Ab in second year*

***Check the link for some photographs!***

http://food.apps01.yorku.ca/restaurant/absinthe-pub-coffee-shop

http://winters.yorku.ca/facilities/

The Absinthe Pub and Coffee Shop was somewhere that was a second home for me in first year (aside from residence). Maybe you will find that it can be the same for you, just promise me you will take the time to find it! It can be like a sweet version of a scavenger hunt with an awesome find at the end!

Orientation Chair Tip, here is Cassandra's Tips:
1. Wear comfortable shoes.

2. Be open to meeting new people! (You can do that at the Ab!)

Social Orientation...HECK YES!

Thinking about attending Social Orientation? You should not even be thinking you should just be yelling HECK YES I AM!!!

I can tell you that my first interaction with York University at Social Orientation remains to be my favourite part of my University career! This is how my story goes...

I arrived in my loaded van for residence and then all of a sudden people started taking all of my stuff upstairs to my room! There was a really awesome Frosh Boss (leaders during Frosh Week) that helped me get my key for my room, signed me up for Frosh, and then back to my room. Once I got settled I was off to the events, finally at around dinner I got to say bye to my parents. My mom looked at me and said "You are definitely in the right place, this will be a great home for you!"

Now that I look back, I know that it is one of the best decisions that I ever made to live in residence, go to frosh week and test my limits!

Here is a super embarrassing photograph from Frosh Week to show you the perks of Social Orientation. You can look back and remember how awesome you looked in your Frosh Week shirt (Aren't I soo pretty??, you do not have to answer that...) My roommate and I are just waiting for an event to start, cheerios were our favourite snack!

RED Zone Ambassador Tip, here is Kulsoom's Tips:

1. Do not be shy!

2. It is ok to ask for help...you are not alone! 

Dance Dares!

RED Zone is having some laughs today with doing the famous Ellen Dance Dares. Want to see my version of it? I personally like the ending...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p7lAiUs1Lr8&feature=player_embedded

Nervous? No Need to Fret, We Totally Have You Covered!!

How big are my classes??  Will I know my Professors?  Where are my classes??? Who is this person beside me on the first day??? Will there be places I can grab something to eat?? Do I bring a laptop??

Looking back on my first year experience I can confidently say that I was freaked out to the max and had many of the same questions! I was coming from a small town so my exposer to a huge University, was a scary situation! You may be having similar feelings and questions! Have no fear, our RED Zone Ambassadors and Orientation Chairs (The awesome individuals who plan Social Orientation) have some tips and tricks for your first day!

My Tips For You:

-Keep a campus map in your back pocket!

-Re-check your class schedule to make sure your classroom has not change.

-Find a friend in your class to be your study buddy!

**Photo taken from http://toriinthezone.blogspot.ca/ **

Here are some tips and tricks to keep in mind from some of the other RED Zone Student Ambassadors:

Nicole's Tips For You (http://1inreallife.blogspot.ca/):

-Don't be afraid to ask questions!

-Go to class!! 

Michelle's Tips For You (http://michelleinthezone.blogspot.ca/):

-Bring snacks to class!

-Get to know the campus ahead of time!

Every blog post from now on I will post different tips from a RED Zone Ambassador or Orientation Chair. If you have any other questions please do not hesitate to ask, I am here to help you out! :)