End of Summer Roundup

1. My fateful departure from Busan. In the blink of an eye, my year as an English Teacher came to an end. While I was ready to move on, I would be lying if I said I wasn’t having “some feels” about my time in South Korea. Thankfully, I left the country with a belly full of sundubu jigae, a pair of espadrilles full of sand and memories to last a lifetime.

2. Just as my chapter in Korea finished, a new book of adventures unfolded in Toronto! Admittedly, I hold a pretty big torch for Montréal (read: 5 à 7, poutine and smoked meat) but am genuinely excited to become familiar with a new city. So far, I am falling in love with Little Italy, Trinity Bellwoods and all of the brunch spots lining College Street. In this case, you really can take the boy out of Brockville and the Brockville out of the boy.

3. Speaking of, I went home to Brockville for a quick fortnight after returning from Korea. My time in Brockville started off pretty rocky – my mom broke her wrist and I shattered my iPhone – but after a couple of days I settled into my temporary (Onterrible) fate. Shoutouts to my lovely Brockville girls, my parents’ Netflix and fully stocked fridge and Mikhail Bulgakov for writing the longest saga known to man/putting me to sleep in my backyard.

4. I recently moved into my new apartment in Long Branch, away from the hustle-and-bustle of downtown Toronto (it is still to be determined if this was a mistake or not – will inform). That said, my initial expectations of Etobicoke as a crack haven stronghold for members of the “Ford Nation” were replaced with placid cul-de-sacs and consistent streetcar service. Long Branch even has a Burrito Boyz, proving I don’t need the College Street location to increase my mass this winter.

5. Despite last year’s unofficial mantra of “not needing an education to be, all [I] need is a Dream And An MPC“, I started my (last?!) year as a student in the #humberPR program. I’m SO lucky to be enrolled with my best friend and partner-in-crime, Susie (pictured above) and so far, I’m learning a lot of useful information. Like, for example, ALL of the Canadian Press grammar rules, the difference between an objective, a strategy and a tactic, and how awful I am(/someday will be) at investing in the stock market. Sometimes, learning is also about understanding what you’re not good at, right?

6. After three months apart, my beautiful Yusra came to visit Toronto! As you may recall, Yusra and I tore it up Busan in late June and this visit proved we still got it. I’m getting excited about my trip to visit her in British Columbia over my reading week in four short months. Best Coast – yeah!

7. I love all the helpful PR-related things I’m learning but I may just love my PRC-0LA classmates/crew even more. As if we didn’t spend enough time together during class time, group project meetings and study dates, we also organize super cute Thirsty Thursday events at the local watering hole, Brooklyn Haus. I think it’s safe to say I’ve ditched my official Korean mantra of “No New Friends”. It’s bae season and you’re all invited!

8. It’s no surprise that I love live music, but seriously guys, I have taken “Treat Yo Self” to positively 2K14 levels. Over the last four weeks, I have attended seven concerts throughout Toronto, namely Lorde, Sylvan Esso, Metronomy, Nick Waterhouse, Slow Magic, Tennis and Beach House. Life is a balance and I regret nothing: put it on my tombstone.

9. In a shameful turn of events, I have not practiced yoga since this photo was taken at the end of August. That said, this was my first ever flow led by my amazing friend/recently accredited yoga teacher Jess Sternberg! ALSO, I’m very excited to take part in my 2nd Annual #SOvemBER 30 Day Yoga Challenge. November will undoubtedly be spent in downward dog at my local yoga studio, Branch.

10. This is just a photo of the people who make me happy on a Friday night. Welcome home, Maddie and Jess. Welcome to the fray, Matt and Scott.

Sound Bites From My #humberPR Orientation

Earlier this week, I (very excitedly) attended my orientation for the Public Relations Postgraduate Certificate program at Humber College. The session was led by program coordinator, Annette Borger-Snel, as well as professors Kalene Morgan (Social and Digital Media) and Edward Wright (Corporate and International Public Relations). Orientation wasn’t mandatory, but I personally found it extremely helpful to know what was expected of me (and what I could expect) prior to the first day of classes.

While there was a plethora of useful information discussed for the upcoming 2014/15 school year, I picked the 5 most useful sound bites for incoming students looking to succeed in the program. Enjoy!

1. “Wave goodbye to the flexibility you enjoyed during your Bachelors degree.” Remember those carefree B.A. days of sleeping through your 8:30AM lit lecture or mid-day lunches with friends in lieu of your mandatory sociology conference? Well, hold onto the fond memories of those days because they’re gone. The program is only 8 months so every class counts, and there are only 80 students accepted to the program (subtext: the program coordinator and your instructors will know if you’re absent).

2. “Read the newspaper.” Besides the obvious advantages of being well-read and informed about what is happening in the world at any given moment, you’ll be taught and tested on these current events through the lens of PR in both your Writing Lab and Social Media classes. Recommended outlets include The Globe and Mail (which you’ll need a monthly subscription for) and The Huffington Post.

3. “Join the relevant clubs.” And I don’t mean intramural volleyball or zumba (although, yay fitness!) Sign up for memberships with The International Association of Business Communicators (IABC) and/or The Canadian Public Relations Society (CPRS). Memberships to these organization open doors to networking, volunteering and mentoring opportunities, but perhaps most importantly, solidifies your place as an ambitious and rising practitioner in the PR world.

4. “Show off your Z factor.” There is an expectation that you won’t simply be a wax statue or passive recipient of information during class. Annette, the program coordinator, called it a “Z factor”, which comprises 3 important things: being engaged, being energetic, and collaborating, not competing with fellow classmates. Now is not the time to fade into the background or to be shy or lazy, folks!

5. “Your brand starts today.” Hide those Facebook albums chronicling your first tramp-stamp or propensity for taking body shots. Delete those tongue-in-cheek or flat-out offensive tweets. Create a LinkedIn page or professional website to showcase your skills and experience and to connect with other industry professionals. You are your own advocate, so get out there and market the best you, babe!

There you have it – the five most salient sound bites from this year’s #humberPR orientation. I’m a crazy person, so you better believe that I’ve already written these points on Post-Its to be placed inside my laptop and agenda, and on my bedside table.

Good luck to all those future PR practitioners! I leave you with four important words from the program’s internship coordinator, Sara Taylor: “Don’t panic. Be awesome!”

A previous version of this blog posted attributed the “Don’t panic. Be awesome!” quote to program coordinator, Annette Borger-Snel. The author of this post apologizes to the clever and pithy Sara Taylor for this mistake.