Springtime Stroll at Swan Lake

Okay, so there's something about spring on Vancouver Island. Maybe it's the weather: we get so much rain the entire town has to converge outside when it's actually sunny. Or maybe it's something more sadistic, like the fact that we're secretly proud we have flowers when our Ontario friends are still shovelling snow. Or perhaps it's just due to the fact that deep down, we're all a bunch of fresh-air seeking, flower-picking, duck-feeding hippies. Or something like that.

Either way, after two days of steady rain and a few more of general miserableness, it was no wonder that the Galloping Goose Trail and adjacent Swan Lake were teeming with activity. The variety of people were endless: hardcore bikers alongside an elderly couple holding hands, laughing toddlers cutting in front of smooching pre-teens. Heck, we even saw a girl wandering around in nothing but a bra and panties, shooting a highschool movie.

With a thirst for Vitamin D, my boyfriend Noel and I decided that a short meander would be great. Armed with a camera each, we turned right off of Quadra Street and down the paved, winding Galloping Goose Trail. Sixty kilometeres long and named after a passenger car that used the now-abandoned CNR railline, the Galloping Goose is visted by nearly 150,000 people a year. It runs through Saanich, Victora, Langford, Colwood, View Roayl, Sooke and Metchosin.

We weren't going that far. After crossing the abandoned tressle ("Slippery if Wet" - well, it wasn't today!), we zipped over Saanich Road and made a right onto another trail. This one was unpaved.

Swan Lake. A nature reserve in the heart of Saanich, it even has it's own nature house. The lake offers spectacular views, a fabulous loop trail, great birdwatching, and a feeling that hey, maybe you're not in the middle of a big city after all. I especially love this. Deep along the trail, you can't hear cars on McKenzie Avenue. All you can see is a place bursting with nature - soft reeds whistling in the wind, or a sharp cry of a jay.

On a mission to bring back news of spring to Noel's Ontario parents, our eyes were especially keen to the signs. "Look!" Noel cried, pointing through the trail and off the beaten path. "There's something for you."

A patch of wild daffodils sat starkly among the snow-flattened reeds. Ignoring the sign to stick to the path, I tromped through the reeds (silently begging they weren't concealing any marsh water) and took a photograph. On my way back, Noel motioned me to stop again; there was a snake ahead of me, and another on my shoe. Ah, spring. Nature's wonders.

We wandered past the nature house, stopping to read an announcement that says Bird Walks are starting up again, Wednesdays at 9am. I watched some kids chase a disgruntled male mallard duck, wanting to feed it but wanting more to touch it's soft, waterproof feathers. I found more flowers, in reds and purples and golds. And an American Coot duck, whose silver beak and red eyes would dissapear for a few moments as it dove to find sweet vegetation under the marsh. After reaching the boardwalk - a spectacular moment where you walk on top of the lake itself - we decided to turn around and head back home.

Besides our time, this hour-long stroll cost us nothing. In return, I got a lot of what I expected from a walk - excersise, good photographs, sunshine - but I also got something else. Even though it's the last week of school and I'm up to my neck in final assignments, I found I was able to calm myself. And this sense of calmness lasted well-beyond our ascent from the lake paradise onto the busy McKenzie road. Maybe it was the vitamin D, but I think perhaps the little birds and flowers worked their way into my heavy mind and left me just a little bit of light. Either way, hearing the noise of the cars was a disappointing shock. I'll have to go back on the next bright day.

Besides, it was a great date walk. Seriously.

Let the sun shine in, baby!

Exams: Better On a Full Stomach

Augh. Just around the corner, post-secondary students from everywhere are about to be bombarded with final assignments. Whether it's a ten page essay, a play performance, a movie shoot or a plethora of exams, research shows that you will do a better job on a full stomach. And not just any full stomach; no, one full of healthy food.

"Eat your fruits and veggies" may be one of the most overused phrases ever, but even that doesn't dim its truthiness. While this is true all the time, during times of stress it is even more true. When you're stressed, your body produces high levels of adrenaline. While adrenaline is great as a short-term solution (such as if you're being chased by a pack of rabid wolves), too much of it over a long period of time decreases your bodies ability to properly respond to real emotional and physical threats. It also leads to irritability, muscular tension and our favourite: inability to concentrate.

While solutions such as minimizing procrastination and getting enough sleep are easier said than done, changing your diet even just a bit might help. For example, excess tiredness, paleness and lethargy might be due to something as simple as an iron deficiency. According to the U.K Food Standards Agency, "young women should be having 14.8 milligrams (mg) iron a day (men need 8.7mg a day)." Foods high in iron include red meat and dark, leafy vegetables like kale and broccoli. You can also chomp on nuts or lentils.

Another manifestation of the effects of stress occurs in simply not eating enough. When you deprive your body of the fuel it needs for energy, the first thing to suffer is often your creativity and concentration. That is why mum always used to tell you to eat a good breakfast before going to write an exam. Lack of food can also lead to an immune deficiency, which is why students most often get run-down and, consequently, sick during the end of semester.

Besides, when you're hungry you get grumpy. And with everyone else on a short fuse these days, it's best not to try anyone's patience...

While on a tight budget, it can be difficult to eat well. However, saving a few extra dollars and buying a bunch of spinach and tin of beans instead of pizza can be especially helpful during this time when mental alertness and concentration is everything. Taking a few extra moments in your busy schedule to whip yourself something up can help - and often be way cheaper than picking up ready-made foods. Some other stress helpers are:

Getting enough water.
This one has no money excuse, mainly a time one. "When you're dehydrated, you feel more run-down and react more negatively to stress," says Joy Bauer, M.S., R.D., C.D.N., author of The 90/10 Weight Loss Plan and according to a June 2002 article appearing in Men's Fitness Magazine. You can also become dizzy, lethargic and naseous from lack of water. This doesn't help with studying at all.

Blueberries (Also Kidney & Pinto Beans, Cranberries, Blackberries, Cooked Artichokes)
Really, any antioxidant-rich foods are especially great at this time. Antioxidants protect your health by preventing and repairing damage caused to your cells by a number of external factors. This leads to a healthier, less-sick you! Antioxidants also help prevent cancer, Parkinson's, Altzeimer's and heart disease.

Oatmeal
It's high in fibre, and according to Bauer "soluble fiber prevents volatile blood sugar, so hopefully you'll have less insanity. It also gives you better concentration and staying power and helps control headaches." I'm assuming instant oatmeal isn't as great as the on-the-stove stuff but hey, it's a start right?

Other foods which may relieve stress don't always fall under the "healthy catagory." But they can help. Chocolate contains endorphins, which can help calm you and make you happier. And Comfort Food can have charming, psychological effects too: Mac and Cheese, a roast, or just any home-cooked meal that you remember from your childhood.

While it may be difficult to scrape together enough money and wits about you to remain healthy through this stressful time, eating well is like a boxer in your corner of the ring. And if you can have a leg-up going into your biology exam, well, isn't that good enough?

More Fancy Dinners and Some Sad News

Radio station The Zone 91.3 is sponsoring a wicked event with Tourism Victoria called "Dine Around and Stay In Town Victoria."

From February 19 - March 8th, 50 restaurants around Victoria are offering three-course meals for 20-40 bucks. Apparently hotels are also jumping this bandwagon, offering discounted rooms. Personally, I think a dorm room can be just as romantic - and cheaper.

Menus available on the website.

In sad news, it seems that Felicitas pub on the UVic campus has ceased offering two for one appies between 2 and 4pm. Now they're buy one, get one half... but that's far less fun.

Grants, Not Loans!

On January 21st, student loan debt in Canada reached an all-time high of $13 billion. To call attention to this abomination, the University of Victoria Student's Society (UVSS) held a "Starving Student Soup Kitchen" in conjunction with The Canadian Federation of University Students, colleges and universities across B.C.

I was welcomed with slices of brown bread and steaming vats of tangy vegetarian minestrone. A projector flashing statistics also welcomed me, statistics I was a part of. As I watched the live counter quickly adding numbers to student loan debt, I woefully speculated that $40,000 of that money was mine.

Not including taxes.

And I'm not even done school yet.

Tuition fees have more than doubled between 1985 and 2005. This is a rise of 14% to 30%. This is largely due to post-secondary schools having to charge students more because of cuts to their own government funding. Students studying in the Maritimes have the highest debt, but here in B.C. we're right behind them.

Watching the screen in the Micheal Pujol room, I was shocked and angry. This is usually what happens when I talk about my student loan. However, seeing others going through the same situation just heightened my disgust with the way our government takes care of its future brains and bodies. One in four students say that finances are impeding their post-secondary eduction. As debt rising from $1,000 to $10,000, completion rates drop dramatically. And when it comes to filing for bankruptcy, only those who have committed financial fraud have more restrictions than people with student loans.

At a table in the back, amidst "Lower Tuition" buttons and UVSS keychains, a station sat for people to write letters to Stephen Harper. You could ask anything you wanted - and indeed, some people were asking everything from better bicycle laws to greener cars - but the main point was to ask him to help post-secondary students out. My letter was two pages long. It didn't attack, it didn't lament, but it put in plain view that I'm absolutely terrified to graduate with 40 grand in debt.

I am a statistic. My student loans are preventing me from applying to graduate school at BCIT to become a broadcast journalist. This is the reason I took my undergraduate degree in writing and journalism, but now I'm not sure if I'll be able to move on at all.

I panic because I don't want to take a job I dislike after graduation just to pay off some of the loan. However, I'm resigned to the fact that hey, that will probably happen. I guess it'll be good training in bread-and-butter communications writing, at least. Something to pay the bills.

The students kept filing in. When I arrived, at the very start of the two-hour event, there were perhaps 20 people who were chatting and eating. After an hour, nearly 300 people had gone through, causing the UVSS to order more soup.

Seems like everyone is starving these days.

"We didn't think we'd get this many students," says Caitlin Meggs, Chairperson of the UVSS. "Hopefully we won't run out of everything because it's very important." While she doesn't have government student loans, she is taking out private loans to complete her education.

"Government should invest in education and ideas, especially during this economic crisis," she says, hand clutching more information sheets. "They keeps bailing out corporations, so they have the money. They should be helping students."

As I nodded - face flushed - I looked around me. More students, more debt. And how many students weren't here that wanted to come - or even students at university who had the grades but couldn't make the finances?

And why the heck can't I get into BCIT even with the grades and the drive? Why is everyone about bloody money?

Tracey Ho, UVSS director of finance, says that there is an increase in students using the UVSS emergency food bank.

"When the budget gets tight, the first thing to go is food," she says. "We need to pay rent and get books, but we can cheapen out on what we eat." The food bank is avaliable to all UVic students and is open Monday to Friday.

I said a spiel to CBC radio and was flimed for A-Channel's 11pm news. Happy that at least there was some publicity, I couldn't help wondering if this was going to make a difference. If anyone would even read my letter. If Stephen Harper would turn on his T.V. and see all these faces, the faces of the future, and decide to help them relieve their debt. Just a little.

I don't know. But that doesn't stop me from trying.

A Five-Star Valentine's

Okay. So we're all on a tight budget, what with the $500 we just had to drop on the new edition of our biology textbook. So rather than switch to a different degree (and I'm lucky I'm in writing - no texbooks for meeeee!), we do the inevitable: starve ourselves. Or, at least, starve ourselves of food that is any calibre above KD.

But what about that night that's coming up? That's right, you're correct again: Valentine's Day. Chocolate. Flowers. Teddy Bears and flavoured condoms, blah blah blah. All stuff we can - and do - live without. However, food is something we can't live without. So this time, forget the Cadbury Creme eggs and take her (or him) out for dinner. And I'm not just talking about McDicks, folks. I'm talking something a little upscale.

While I pride myself on two-dollar boxes of Hamburger Helper, I found myself splurging a little for something out of the ordinary: a three course meal at a five-star restaurant. Am I crazy? No. Not when you can get it for 30 bucks.

Lure restaurant at the Delta hotel is offering something a little special for February: a special amendment to their menu that offers choices for a starter, main and dessert for $30. This isn't your regular Boston Pizza, either. This is a take-your-jacket, pull-out-your-chair, everything-but-wipe-your-face kind of place. The entire atmosphere itself makes you forget, just for two hours, that you're a struggling, homework-drowned student. They light your candles. There are different forks and spoons for things. It's relaxing, quiet, and complete with a guy playing a grand piano. Really, I could hear my own voice perfectly without having to shout over some annoying techno-mix. Perfect for that special occasion; great to get to know each other better. The view of the harbour was also lovely - a bit touristy, but you'll find yourself oggling all over again.

The menu itself was delicious. Start with either a sweet yet slightly spicy chipotle sweet potato soup or ahi tuna tartare (first picture). For your main, melt-in-your-mouth beef tenderloin on a bed leeks and caramelized onions, drizzled with a paprika hollindaise and succulent crab (second picture) It's okay to drool, because I loved it. I didn't even know what half the things were, but my mouth danced with happiness. You can also go with fresh arctic char in a tomato basil sauce, which both my boyfriend and mum highly reccommended. There was also a halibut "chowder" (the quotations, I assume, were meant to say it was a bit thicker than a regular, watered down version). For desert, three of us got a decadent brownie with strawberry salsa on an espresso and marshmallow drizzle. The other, a goat cheesecake garnished with an edible flower. Pretty. Presentation is key.

If you're worried about paying for your sweetie, talk about paying your own ways - that way you guys that enjoy each other's company without worrying about a $60 bill. And drink water. The cocktail menu is a bit pricey, at $8 a pop.

Sound a bit upscale? It was. But attached or alone, you deserve to treat yourself. And when you find out that the mains alone are over $30 a piece on the regular menu, you really know you're getting a good deal. So take advantage of living in Victoria and being able to dine sans tourists and check out Lure. It's a great way to experience five-star dining for a reasonable price.

Remember, food shouldn't a punishment. It's okay to enjoy it a little.

Class Begins! The Starving Student's Mission Statement

Yes, you can eat healthy on a modest budget. Yes, in Victoria. And yes, I did just walk out of Blenkinsop/McKenzie's grocer The Root Cellar with three bags of groceries amounting to $15 - the price of the 2.5 pounds of red peppers had I bought them at Thriftys.

So wait, you say. There's hope?

Yep!

Welcome to Starving Students Victoria, a place where you can come to get tips and tricks for groceries, dining out and entertainment on a low budget in B.C.'s Capitol City. Whether you're from across the country or right here at home, I want to provide you with things you didn't know and things you may have forgotten. I'm going to give you up-to-date information on the cheapest places to stuff your face and exercise your legs, to entertain your minds and kill your livers - er, drink in moderation. Grocery specials, pub menus, hiking trails - I hope to give hope you can have fun even if you've only lint in your wallets.

I also want to extend this further than a consumer blog. Being someone who has $40,000 in student loans (and I'm not done yet), I know how difficult it can be to conduct your academic life alongside a job and constant debt worry. I want to explore how the government is helping students, what you can do to help, and what kind of events are going on where you can get more information. School should not be a debt sentence. It should be available for anyone and everyone who has the will to buckle down and study hard.

So there we go! Enjoy the tips for living and my thoughtful commentary on this crazy thing called a 'Starving Student.' Cheers!