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BASE Program
March 20, 2017 | Volume I, Issue 4
Let's Spoil Ourselves
By Judy Zhu, Zayana Garcia, Gabriel Robles, Josue Peralta
If you are the kind of person who loves nature and enjoy looking at a great skyline, Columbia Lake is a perfect place to visit.
Do you ever feel tired? Do you feel exhausted by the same daily routine? Or you need a short time break, however you do not want to go so far. We would like to invite you to Columbia Lake, which is the perfect place for you to relax, forget about your troubles, and interact with nature. When you're there, I promise you, you will have a wonderful time.

Columbia Lake is located at 100 Columbia St. West, which is only two miles from UWaterloo. You can enjoy various activities at the park, such as fishing, hiking, swimming, and picnicking.
- Judy Zhu
Walking around Columbia Lake
There is a lot of work to do during the week at the University. As students, we need to give ourselves time to relax and enjoy the small things in life, such as hanging out with friends or take part in community events. Personally, I enjoyed each single step walking with my friends around the frozen Columbia Lake while feeling the crunch of wet soil under my feet, and listening to the geese honking at each other.
The fields around the lake were perfect to sit on and look at the skyline. Closing my eyes and listening to the birds singing made me feel as if I was back at home. Reminiscing about family was a great relaxing experience and it doesn’t even take long to settle into the ambience of the lake. I recommend you to take a relaxing break at least once a week. Always remember that you are here in the world to work hard for your dreams, but do not forget to spoil yourself enjoying the simple and beautiful nature.
- Zayana Garcia
Not to mention that getting in touch with nature has various benefits for you. Feeling stressed and overwhelmed? Take a walk, breathe, and listen to the voice of nature. Feeling stuck in an assignment? Go out, clear your mind, and take a break. When you come back you will find the search for an answer easier. Moreover, you can do some exercise to take care of yourself.
Winter is giving its farewell as the days become warmer, so take your jogging suit or a hoodie and go for a walk or a run. You will feel more recharged and ready to tackle those assignments. Additionally, exercising will benefit your mental health. If you are feeling sad, angry, or homesick, go out and enjoy the beauty that the Columbia Lake has to offer.
- Gabriel Robles
Columbia Lake
As with the others, my visit to Columbia Lake was an amazing experience. Ever since I came to university, I never thought that visiting the lake would be a relaxing experience that would allow me to forget about stress. The environment at the lake is very inviting, encouraging you to take a walk around, which is exactly what I did. There weren’t many people at the park, maybe since it’s still Winter and cold outside. The few people present were walking, jogging, or just taking their pets out for a stroll.
If you aren’t in the mood for walking, the lake invites you to lie on the small slopes that are in front of the lake and observe its beautiful landscape. However, there weren’t as many seats to sit on this site as one would expect. Adding more seats would definitely allow more people to enjoy the beauty of the park and lake. This place is also perfect for picnicking with your friends as there are enough areas where you can do this activity.  I recommend that you visit the lake if you want to distract your mind or explore nature.
- Josue Peralta
Photo Credits: Zayana Garcia & Gabriel Robles
Saint Patrick's Day: The Green Day
By Alejandro Haro, Kevin Jimenez, Bryan Guilcamaigua, Geisson Velasco Arteaga, Josue Peralta, Ronny Paredes
Saint Patrick’s day is a Catholic religious celebration that originated in Ireland. It is celebrated annually on March 17, commemorating the death of Saint Patrick, the patron of the Irish.

How did this celebration begin?
Saint Patrick, who is the national apostle of Ireland, lived in the fifth century. He was born in Roman Britain. When he was just 16 years old, he was kidnapped and brought to Ireland as a slave. Managing to escape and return to Ireland some time after, he spread Christianity among its inhabitants. After his death (believed to be on March 17, 1461), some myths about his life and feats became more ingrained in the Irish culture. One example of the legends surrounding him is the well-known event when he explained the Holy Trinity (Father, Son and Holy Spirit) to the Irish with the three leaves of the native Irish clover.
 
The first parade
Since the end of the ninth century and beginning of the tenth, Irish people have considered the Roman Catholic feast day of Saint Patrick to be on March 17. Surprisingly, the first parade held in honour of Saint Patrick did not take place in Ireland, but in the United States. This parade was carried on March 17, 1762, when Irish soldiers who served in the English army marched across the streets of New York City. The parade helped the soldiers to reconnect with their Irish roots and fellow Irishmen serving with them.

Although Saint Patrick’s Day started as a religious celebration to commemorate the arrival of Christianity in Ireland, it has acquired popularity among young people. What at the beginning was a feast day in the 17th century has turned into a variety of festivals all around the world celebrating the Irish culture with dancing, food, music and, especially, parades full of green.

Symbols and tokens related to St. Patrick’s Day
ShamrockShamrock
Small-three leafed herb which appears on the British coat of arms. A legend states that Saint Patrick used the three-leaved shamrock to explain the Holy Trinity to Irish Pagans.

Ireland flagIrish flag
Green stands for Catholics, orange for Protestants, and white for harmony.

leprechaunLeprechauns
A leprechaun is a mythological creature described as a little old man who will reveal the location of a hidden crock of gold to anyone who catches him.

ShillelaghShillelagh
A shillelagh is basically a stick cut from a tree. There is evidence that shillelaghs were widely used in Ireland up to the early 20th century.
   
Saint Patrick’s Day at UWaterloo
The student community at the University of Waterloo also celebrates Saint Patrick’s Day. This celebration usually takes place at Ezra Street. The past Friday, March the 17, over 15,000 people joined the wild street party. Historically, several individual house parties used to take place on this street but over time it turned into a tradition of taking over a whole street and hosting one large party for thousands of people.

Since early in the morning, a massive crowd of students, mainly from the University of Waterloo and Wilfrid Laurier University, started to show up with their green clothing and cheerful spirits.

The fact that this tradition has become more popular encouraged the police to guard the area in order to avoid problems with people damaging private property. The police officers were encouraging students to drink, but strictly  on private property because it is prohibited to have open containers of alcohol in the streets. By 6pm, the party was over and the students were heading back to their homes to continue their days.
St. Patrick’s Day at The Bomber
The Bombshelter Pub at the University of Waterloo hosted a variety of events during the day and night to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day. It offered four main events, starting at 10 a.m. with a “Pancake Breakfast”, followed by “All Day Green Beer”. In the afternoon, a Celtic Fire Live Band Performance took place on the patio. The events aimed to praise and show the Irish culture, including musical dances and the “indispensable” green beer.

BarThe final event was a “Green Party”, which was expected to start at 9 p.m. and to end at 2 a.m. As with all popular Bombshelter events, a long line was awaiting latecomers; you had to be there very early if you wanted to get in and party! Despite the considerable amount of staff present, standing in line took at least two hours, such that many students were only able to get in at around 11 p.m. It can be understandable that the staff wanted to keep space at the club to avoid any problems caused by a crowded area.

BomberThere was a lot of space to dance, drink and enjoy with friends. The pub was full of green decorations including lights, leprechauns, clovers and rainbows. The bar served all kind of alcoholic drinks as well as non-alcoholic drinks, so if you do not like to consume alcohol, that would be alternatives that you could order. As expected, green beer was the most sold beverage in the event.

However, the event was not suitable for photography since permission was required. Finally, this event is recommended for you if you are a very patient person, as two hours of waiting time can be far too long. If you are eager enough to get admission and party the night away, all the waiting will have been worth it and you will have a great  opportunity to experience St. Patrick’s Day in a safe environment where you are able to have a good night along with friends - or meet new friends.
Experiencing the Soul of Korean cuisine
By Zayana Garcia, Christian Álvarez, Gabriel Robles, Israel Moya
Healthy and delicious
Seoul Soul BBQ is the kind of place that you will love if and only if you love food. It is a great place to go with friends and share a huge hot pot or huge, delicious pork or chicken.

Talking about the food, it was healthy and delicious because most of the ingredients were vegetables, rice, soup, and of course, some protein. The taste of the food was amazing, the mixture of the pork, veggies, and a strange scrumptious sauce, frying in the middle of the table in a huge pot made the experience exciting. Overall, I can say it was healthy and enjoyable. 
- Zayana Garcia
A cozy environment
If you want to try Korean food in Waterloo or you are just a Korean gastronomy lover, you should definitely go to Seoul Soul in University Plaza and enjoy their huge variety of Korean soups and stews that delighted our group during our visit. The restaurant offers a cozy environment and lots of sharable dishes, which makes it the perfect place to have a good time with your friends while enjoying a healthy delicious meal and improving your chopsticks skills playing with the pieces of meat and the noodles. I will definitely go back to this charming place someday.

But watch out, Korean food can be pretty spicy. ;)
- Christian Álvarez
Embrace the Korean culture
Seoul Soul is a perfect and complete experience for those wanting to discover new cultures. You can have some delicious Korean dishes while you embrace the Korean culture of sharing food.

Have you ever had to complain in a restaurant because your food was cold? This will never happen in this restaurant since the food is constantly heated at your table as it is served over a mini-stove. Additionally, music videos of Korean Pop are being played, enhancing the Korean-like experience. So, if you want to discover this amazing culture at an affordable price and close to campus, Seoul Soul is the place for you.
- Gabriel Robles
A high variety of options
Located at University Plaza, Seoul Soul restaurant is a great option to think about when wanting to try a different food style from the ones which are offered in the university residences. Besides, the high variety of options which can be found in this restaurant give the guest the opportunity to go with their family and find what they want. 

The restaurant presents such a nice environment that is authentically designed for the clients to feel comfortable. That is why it would be worth visiting the restaurant and try the different options which are offered daily.
- Israel Moya
Registration still open for International Peer Community
Are you on campus this summer? Build your English with International Peer Community (IPC).

IPC matches you with upper-year UW student mentors who can answer your questions, take you to events on campus, and practice conversational English with you. By joining the IPC, you can meet other students and try new things together in a supportive environment.
Register for International Peer Community
BASE Events This Week
» CHECK-IN MEETINGS
Monday, March 20
Tuesday, March 21
Thursday, March 23
Check the BASE Bulletin Board for time/location

You must attend your meeting.

View this week's schedule.

» ARTS & ENVIRONMENT   MEET & GREET
Monday, March 13
4pm-5pm | Renison Cafeteria


» NEWSWRITING TEAM MEETING
Tuesday, March 21
3:30pm-4:30pm | Room 1928


» FINAL BASE REP TEAM MEETING
Wednesday, March 22
4pm-5:30pm, Room 2106
Correction
Last week's story "Celebrating diversity at Cultural Caravan" accidentally omitted Alejandro Haro Munoz and Bolivar Villamarin from the byline.

Ryan regrets the error.
Possible Disruption of Service to Public Transit

Members of the University of Waterloo community should be aware of a possible Grand River Transit labour disruption, which could begin as early as 12:01 a.m. on March 20.

Students are advised to consider alternative transportation arrangements in the event that transit service is unavailable.

More information will be provided as it becomes available at uwaterloo.ca. Visit the Region of Waterloo website for information.

Velocity Funds $5K Qualifiers
By Cecibel Tacuri, Stefanny Perez, Bolivar Villamarin
“Innovation is the specific instrument of entrepreneurship. The act that endows resources with a new capacity to create wealth.” -Peter Drucker
The University of Waterloo's Velocity Fund was created in 2011 when Ted Livingston, Kik founder and Velocity Residence graduate, donated $1 million to start an entrepreneurship program. More contributions were given the following years by the founders of BufferBox, Mike McCauley, Jay Shah, and Aditya Bali, and Waterloo Region investor, Mike Stork.

Velocity Fund is a series of programs on which the best seven teams receive about $125.000 in prizes. These prizes are divided into three programs. The biggest contest is called Velocity Fund $25K and only tech-related projects can participate. Following the main competition are the Hardware $5K, which is an additional prize given to the most innovative hardware idea, and the Velocity Fund $5K, where ideas from any field of study have the opportunity to win.

The Velocity Fund $5K Qualifiers was split over two evenings on March 15 and 16 in the Quantum Nano Centre. During these nights, about 40 teams comprised of UWaterloo and other universities’ students presented their innovative projects in a three-minute pitch to a panel of three judges, which were experienced members of nearby startups. The best five projects from each night were selected to compete in the Velocity Fund $5K finals that will take place on March 30 at the Student Life Centre.

After a previous written submission of their ideas, multiple team projects were chosen to participate in the event based on the creativeness of their ideas and market potential. Their objective at the event was to convince the judges that there are urgent problems to be solved in modern day society and why their idea is the best solution. To achieve this, they also had to explain the cost of operations, the sustainability of the project, the profits they plan on acquiring, and why their projects stand out among their competition. Not only did the students manage to appeal to the audience with the originality of their ideas, but they also charmed them with the quality the creative design of their presentations.
 
One of the projects presented a solution for time lost due to disorganization that people tend to have with their belongings. According to the presenter, drawers were designed for organized people. The group, CocoTech, suggested that its solution was a product that consisted of an intelligent box-like organizer that recognizes the objects that are saved on it and the frequency of their use, allowing people to dispose of  things that are not useful to  them. The users can be connected to the intelligent container with an app on their phone and request any object that they require, avoiding stress for lost things and save time.
A representative of ALM pitching his project.
Another project was ALM, and it was designed specifically for coffee lovers, like most university students. This innovative bottle can enable its users to drink their coffee at its perfect temperature, cooling it five times faster since it may take a long time until they can drink it without being burnt.
 
Although the majority of projects involved technological elements, it was possible to find some interesting ideas that did not necessarily require high-tech components. An example of this comes from a team that presented a soundproof room. This place is meant to provide a space for students that are stressed for their studies and want to scream a lot. This idea impressed everyone because it was an unusual, yet creative, project.
The presented concept of a soundproof room to cancel noise.
Velocity has been a valuable opportunity for students at the University of Waterloo to make their ideas become reality and solve challenging problems that plague the world. The funds provided can help with the creation of startups and help them to achieve success by providing them with the necessary resources for operation.

UWaterloo is characterized by its students’ innovation and entrepreneurship, which has led to the creation of successful startups, such as Chillabit, Kik, and Pegasus Aeronautics. Amazing ideas can exist in people’s minds, and are often lost or abandoned due to the unavailability of resources to produce and develop them. University students must be curious and ambitious about the solutions of the problems that they can observe in the society. It is only a matter of decisiveness and determination as the resources are already available, patiently waiting for the ideas that would impact the world and help create a better future for everyone.

Can you make the decision to contribute to a better future for the world? Remember, as Larry Smith said at the BASE Entrepreneurship Day event: the right thing to do is not to work hard, but to work hard for the right thing.
Social Media Champion 
Alejandro Haro is this week's winner! 

A new week has begun!
Find out Monday on the BASE Facebook Group what you can win this week.

Good luck!
Visit the Facebook Group
Copyright © 2017 Renison English Language Institute, All rights reserved.


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