Larissa McLean BEd’05 and Russ

Well, I didn’t exactly meet my significant other at UBC but I associate the love and triumph of our relationship with Vancouver and UBC.

Where do I begin? I received my acceptance letter to UBC after two unsuccessful applications for UofC and UofL. The letter caught me off guard and I had a lot of life-changing plans to conceive of. I am a proud Albertan (ya know – beef and all) who had to get up, stuff everything in her car, and move to Kitsilano – talk about culture shock!

Problem: my boyfriend lived in Calgary and, from what everybody said about long-distance relationships, it would be a disaster! But we were determined to make this work. My days consisted of full classes and nights were spent working at Costco. That year felt like eternity, but the thing that kept me sane was the knowledge that my honey would fly in once a month to visit!

The closer it got to Russ’s visit I would light up. Visits were like tiny tastes of a fine dessert, and then it was back to the grind again. But it made me such a strong person. When he visited, we would go to the Japanese gardens or walk along Rec beach and spend as much time together as possible. The atmosphere was just right for two people in love. Many nights I would call him on my cell phone looking up at the stars or down at the ocean just listening to the waves. The moon was always apparent and Russ would say that at least we were under the same moon. That somehow reassured me and brought peace to my loneliness.

Since then I have achieved my degree and have moved back to Calgary where I am an art teacher. Just in the past two weeks Russ and I discovered a metalsmith from salt spring island who was at a trades show here in Calgary. His work is amazing and we found two rings that were perfect for us. Both had a moonstone with rippling waves carrying us back to each other. When I saw the rings I began to cry and knew they were the rings for us so purchased them right on the spot. We haven’t looked back since and the wedding is next August.

There’s a part of me that really misses the night life, the cafes, the eccentric people, walking on the sand, the vegetation of Vancouver. I think I may find myself visiting more often than I thought, perhaps to rekindle what will always be there: a beautiful setting for a perfect romance.