APA Format

So I took my own advice and enrolled in a Summer University course. It is called EAHR 201: Introduction to Training and Development. It is very much an introductory course but seeing as I haven't taken one for awhile it is probably good for me. And the most difficult thing for me will be writing papers in APA format!

For those of you who haven't taken an University course yet, know that you will become VERY familiar with APA format. It is the style requested by many profs at the U of R. According to Wikipedia it is:
"a widely accepted style of documentation, particularly in the social sciences. APA style specifies the names and order of headings, formatting, and organization of citations and references..."

By the way, I would never be allowed to use Wikipedia in a University paper! So yes, I am once again struggling with not only getting down my ideas, but making sure they conform to the APA standards.

But I am really enjoying my class and it is fun to be in student mode again. I just have to get my brain unclogged :)

Queenie and Hiawatha

When I was at the Think Regina event in Edmonton a couple weeks ago they had a Tourism Regina display simulating Wascana Park. Wascana Park is one of my favourite things about this city. Did you know it is the largest urban park in North America, larger even than Central Park in New York? And the University of Regina has the priveledge of being right next to it!

The Tourism Regina booth had a story about two Canadian geese written by Ralph Stueck, a Saskatchewan farmer and naturalist. I would like to retell that story.

There was a female goose in Abernathy, Saskatchewan named Queenie. One summer a flock of geese flying North landed in Abernathy and Queenie found a mate from this flock, Hiawatha. Hiawatha and Queenie became mates for life and produced families every year. They were moved to Regina to the waterfowl conservatory in Wascana Park and continued to live happily together with their families. Unfortunately, Hiawatha was badly injured one night, probably by some kids playing a stupid prank and throwing stones at him. His wing was broken and he was taken to an animal hospital. Queenie was brought along to keep him company. Well things didn't fare too well for poor Hiawatha and he died in the hospital. A couple of days later Queenie died as well. An autopsy was done and they could not find a cause of death - she died of a broken heart.

The waterfowl conservatory is still open and you can find many of Queenie and Hiawatha's relations in Wascana Park. And this time of year is the perfect time to walk around the lake and visit the geese in the park.

Summer University

The winter semester is officially over and the summer one hasn't started yet. This means that campus is completely dead, which has its pros and cons. Pros: no line-up at Tim Horton's, no pushing through throngs of people in order to get to your meeting on time and staff tend to be more relaxed. The main con is that the place seems to have no energy. One of the best things about working here is the energy that the students bring with their constant chatter. My office is next to "The Pit", a popular hangout for students. On any given day there will be a card game going on, someone playing a guitar, a game of hackey sack and of course lots of studying and group discussions about course material (at least some of the time I am sure).

Summer is a much quieter time than Fall and Winter, there are still students around but it seems more relaxed. It is a great time for the staff to destress before the busy fall hits. And it is great for students taking classes.

I did a full semester of summer classes and I absolutely loved it. The classes were very small, around 15-25 students each. This is ideal for class discussions and I got to know everyone in my classes very well. I also had a couple profs who taught at other Universities but were spending their summers at the U of R as sessionals. They brought a great new perspective and taught courses that wouldn't necessarily be offered in other semesters. Also, the summer semester is broken down into two two-month periods, which means that you are learning at an accelerated pace. I liked this because it seemed like you didn't have to review the material as much because there weren't any breaks in learning it, classes are often every day. But the absolute best part of it was studying by Wascana Pool.

The U of R is offering more and more summer classes all the time through Summer University. If you are interested check out:
http://www.uregina.ca/cce/creditstudies/summer/

Think Regina and NEWS!

Well today I am off to "Think Regina" in Edmonton. The Regina REDA puts this even together for Regina businesses and services to attract Albertans back to Saskatchewan. So if you are in the Edmonton area and have any questions about the U of R be sure to come out and see me tomorrow at the Edmonton Shaw Conference Centre (Hall C). More information can be found at:
http://www.thinkregina.com/



One of the great things about my job is it takes me to cities like Edmonton. I have a couple of friends there I am going to visit and of course I will take advantage of the shopping in the West Edmonton Mall, and probably make a trip to IKEA too! I am actually very excited about this trip. I need to get some maternity clothes.



On that note, I would like to let all of you know that I am expecting a baby on September 4. Those of you who have seen me at UR Ready Workshops and such would already know this as I have quite a noticeable baby bump. I had an ultrasound last week and would like to share it with you.


Isn't he/she cute? I am getting pretty excited to be a mom. The baby moves around quite a lot, especially in the evening, and it is a really cool feeling. If all goes well I plan to work until August 15 and then take a year long maternity leave.

Personality

I have noticed many similarities in the personalities of recruiters. It must be that the type of job it is attracts like-minded people. I especially notice this when I meet with other recruiters. For example, today was our SUTIL Annual General Meeting. Now this meeting doesn't work like most general meetings. It appears not to have much structure or logic. However, we seem to be able to make decisions, and really great ones at that! And this is all due to our personalities. Here are some common traits I have noticed:
- We are outspoken, but not in a bad way I hope
- We have spunk
- We tend to have many ideas and be very creative, but this sometimes means we don't have time to process all of our ideas
- We like to get things done, and this is more important to us than analyzing things

Now of course all recruiters don't fit all of these things and it is a mass generalization. But it got me to thinking about my personality type. I have done the Meyers-Briggs test and a few others, and know that I am generally an extroverted, people person. But for fun I decided to do some quick tests online. Here are some of them and the results. They are fun, you should try some when you are bored!

http://yourtotalhealth.ivillage.com/personality-colors-test.html
This is a simple test where you choose which shapes and colours make you feel most comforted. Apparently smudges of yellow, blue and orange mean I am extroverted. My second choice was a fuschia turtle which apparently means I have "low social motivation" and I don't care what others think.

http://www.cs.ucr.edu/~chua/test/test.html
This is similar to the first test. This time I am romantic, dreamy and emotional! Second choice - introspective, sensitive and reflective. Hmmm, these are quite different from the first findings!

http://web.tickle.com/personality/?sid=2005&supp=search_personality&test=personality
This is 50 questions, and at the end they make you register at the end. it turns out I am a Socialite! It sounded bad to me but I liked the description they gave:
"This means you're confident, dependable, and goal-oriented — and when you make a plan you stick with it. Your natural friendliness and charm mean you're great at meeting people. And chances are you handle this popularity with grace since you take your personal life very seriously."

So the outcome of the personality test story? Well, I like all of the descriptions and would like to think they all apply to me in some way! Now, I better go see which car I am most like, what my beauty aura is and which movie star I most resemble.

Are you ready?

So, I know that most of you Grade 12 students have already applied or will right away. (www.uregina.ca/admissions) This is a really exciting time in your life and one of the biggest transitions that you will ever make. I remember my Grade 12 grad very well. I cried my eyes out and felt like life as I knew it was ending. It turned out that I was right, but the change was very positive and University was the most exciting time in my life.

You know, the best part about University for me was that it was so different than high school. At my graduation, my dad said this to me about University: "You will be average. There will be people that are smarter than you and people that are not as smart. There will be people that dress better than you and people who don't dress as well. You will fit in no matter what because there is no standard that you have to meet." I found this advice to be comforting, and true! What a different world from a small-town high school with its cliques and its push to be the smartest or the most popular! At University you are average, but you can find other people who are just like you and have the same interests, whether it be a club, the Students' Union, or some type of athletics. For me, it was being a member of the Business Administration Students' Society. Also, I never felt that I was being judged in University. I wore sweats to school proudly! (and you will too, I promise).

If you are anxious about the next steps to becoming a U of R student, I recommend you attend a UR Ready Workshop. We'll tell you the next steps to becoming a U of R student, including things like making your advising appointment, paying tuition, getting your textbooks, buying a parking pass and more. You can bring your parents too, I know they are probably just as anxious! We will be in most of the Regina and area high schools during lunch hours in April and May, as well as in many locations around the province. Check out our web for more details: www.uregina.ca/newstudent/admitted/urready.shtml

And just for nostalgia sake, here is a photo of me at my high school grad with my best friend. Awww, the memories.......

A crazy couple of weeks!

So the last two weeks have been insane but really fun. Brandon Career Symposium was last week and it was great! Student Recruitment, along with six other faculties and colleges from the U of R had a big interactive display booth. We played "Are you Smarter that a 5th Grader" and found out that we are most of the time. The participants also loved this game, especially when they got the million dollar question and won U of R basketballs. Our mascot Reggie was also there. He got his photo taken close to 200 times! Here is a photo from the event.

On Wednesday we had our large event UR Connected! for Grade 10 and 11s. As usal, it was crazy fun and crazy exhausting. Other than some probelms with AV equipment, I think the day went swimmingly well. We had over 150 grade 10 and 11s who learned more about career possibilities, participated in a fun scavenger hunt and campus tour and had an excellent time at the social. We had an excellent band, Thee Hoolies, made up of present and former U of R students. They are actually in the running for the "Last Band Standing" contect put on by the Owl. We also had a mysterious fortune teller, Madame Esmeralda, a Saskatchewan quiz and a "Guess Where this is in the University" photo contest. I think everyone had a really great time!

Tonight I am going to see "The Importance of Being Earnest", an Oscar Wilde play being put on by the theatre department. The rest of the weekend should be pretty low-key, which is fine by me. I am looking forward to laying around and watching movies. I saw a great one last week, it was a musical called "Once" with modern indie-style music. I liked it so much I bought the soundtrack. You should check it out!

Well I am back for my last hot holiday for awhile. Let's hope that spring hurries in because I want to skip winter altogether. Mexico was absolutely fabulous! We stayed at a big resort next to Xcaret in the Mayan Riviera. All 35+ of us had a great time beachin, swimming and visiting, not to mention eating! Mmmm buffet, I miss you so much! The wedding was absolutely gorgeous and so stress-free. We were sitting around the pool in the morning and got massages at noon! The ceremony was a mere five minutes long and then we were free to eat, drink and be merry.

I hope you enjoy the photos. I like looking at them when I am cold. And yes, there is a lizard on my head - it wouldn't be Mexico if I didn't have a photo with a lizard on my head.




As for work, I am gearing up for a trip to Brandon next week for their annual Career Symposium. I am pretty sure this will be my sixth year in a row at that event! This year is going to be extra-cool though because some faculties and colleges are participating and we are going to have a huge interactive booth with some totally fabulous prizes and games like "Are you Smarter than A Fifth Grader?" I have even heard rumours that our Cougars' mascot, Reggie, may make an appearance or two! So if you are going to that Symposium be sure to stop at our booth and check it all out. Of course it will also be the place you can get all the information you need about the programs and everything else that you are interested in. I'll be sure to post photos.

My advice to you for this week:
If you are in Grade 12 or older: Apply! Now is the perfect time to fill out your application form and you can do it online at: http://www.uregina.ca/admissions/

If you are in Grade 10 or 11: Register for UR Connected! Spots are filling up so register online now: http://www.uregina.ca/newstudent/knowur/urconnected.shtml

Storm-stayed!

Well today I was supposed to go to Saskatoon for a counsellor update and then to Dalmeny for a Post Secondary Education Day (to give presentations to high school students). Unfortunately I won't make either because of this February blizzard! I have to say that even though I missed a month of winter I still wish it was over.

But that's enough complaining. Work is really great, we have been busy with application workshops and planning for UR Connected! We have some really awesome speakers lined up for March 12, including someone who works at the Saskatchewan Disease Control lab, the co-ordinator of the U of R's Women's Centre and an actuary! (If you don't know what that is, come to UR Connected!) The entertainment portion is also coming along. I don't want to say too much, but think fortune tellers and fuzzy balls! Make sure to register at: http://www.uregina.ca/newstudent/knowur/urconnected.shtml

As for my personal life, I have been really busy with my best friend's wedding coming up next week (in Mexico, yay!). We have been friends since birth so it is really special. We had her shower and stagette last weekend which was a blast. The theme was "figure skating" because she has a really famous video from when she was about 11 and totally wiped out during a skating recital - three times or so! We called her Bambi for awhile. Anyways, take a look at our fabul0us costumes.

I am really looking forward to escaping this weather for another week in Mexico! I will be sure to post some photos when I get back.

Getting Settled

I arrived in Regina last Tuesday at 6pm and wasn't too thrilled with the weather! That morning I was in Bangkok which was a beautiful 28 degrees and Regina was a not-so-pleasant -56! It was quite a shock to my system but I was glad to be home at any rate.

My trip was so amazing! I never thought I would be able to do so many cool things, like climbing the Sydney Bridge, petting a koala bear and riding an elephant! I saw many beautiful beaches and coastlines and got a good tan. I absolutely love swimming and there is nothing like swimming in the ocean. I also had a really great time visiting my friend Andriana and became really good friends with her friends and family. In fact, it was really hard to leave Australia. Thailand was beautiful though. I especially loved the fresh fruit and the gorgeous flowers that were everywhere. We had a great time shopping for knock-offs and getting Thai massages and pedicures on the beach. We also went on a safari where we almost got attacked by monkeys! It was such a fantastic trip, just the right mixture of relaxing and sight-seeing.


Now I have been back to work for almost a week and am starting to get settled. It took me a good four days to get over my jet-lag and start sleeping through the night. Luckily, there are lots of things to keep me busy at work to keep my mind off the cold weather!


UR Connected! for grade 10 and 11s is approaching very quickly and will take place the afternoon of March 12. I am on the entertainment committee, among other things, and that is exciting. We are brainstroming fun games we can play and maybe even some bands to play! An important part of the day is the career session portion where different people talk about why they enjoy their careers and the education and training that led them there. If you are in Grade 10 or 11 you can register now: http://www.uregina.ca/newstudent/knowur/urconnected.shtml


Here are a few photos from my trip: