As graduation looms, I seem to have had thousands of conversations recently about what to do after university. What I’ve found is that there emerges one snarling, pesky paradox: you must have experience to get experience. This poses an obvious problem for even the most investigative of job-seekers, a problem which pervades career fields both elite and comical. You can imagine my dismay when, after weeks of searching through the listings of carnivals and traveling circuses, I found out that an entry level blindfolded chainsaw juggler position required two years previous similar employment. But all jokes aside, there is one saving grace, and it comes in the form of outdoor summer seasonal employment. 

While it may be winter now, it doesn’t hurt to plan ahead. In the balmy months of summer, seasonal job opportunities abound, since certain outdoor projects and organizations cannot function in persistent inclement weather. I discovered this when I turned my own employment crosshairs away from complete and utter cluelessness and began to aim at jobs in conservation field work. What I discovered were countless cadres of project leaders in search of an able-bodied short-term work force willing to break its back and sun-burn its neck for a few months at a time. In essence, the exclusivity so common in career-driven fields melts away and the impenetrable cycle of experience-begetting-experience is, for lack of a better word, penetrated.

Obviously, you have to know where to look. The following are just some examples of seasonal work which those of us facing life after graduation should consider for a first soiree into the real world. First off, let’s consider Community Supported Agriculture. CSAs have begun to pop up everywhere, and not just in small podunk towns. There are over 90 CSA farms around Montreal, each committed to sustainable agriculture, and most either supply local farmers’ markets or organize a farm-share, in which members receive produce directly from the farmers themselves. Emphasizing these aspects of sustainable agriculture is one thing, but CSA farms also tend to hire heavily in the summer. Although the pay is usually negligible, room and board is often free, and there’s no better way to squeeze into a local community than by bringing fresh food straight from your farm to someone’s fridge (think of it as your exotic European WWOOFing trip (Willing Workers On Organic Farms), just a little closer to home). 

Another option is to be a wilderness guide. Odds are you wouldn’t want to do this in Canada during any other time than the summer anyway, and let’s face it, in ten years we won’t have the energy to trek into Banff with a 30 kg backpack, some Mueslix, and a broken compass.  So take the time now. King Pacific Lodge, Treetop Trekking, and NovaShores Adventures are just three top names which are hiring now, and new openings come out every day.  

You might be saying to yourself that my future me will have nothing to do with outdoor work, so the whole seasonal experience argument is useless. Don’t listen to yourself. For example, leadership retreats abound in the summer, and while most are premised upon outdoor skill-building, the main takeaway is an unchallengeable forte in organizational leadership and people skills. These are transferrable to any job, and for the price of a bottle of sunscreen, you could avoid a mind-numbing management training session in a florescent room at your future cubicle job.

Perhaps you have your dream job laid out in front of you, and this is all nonsense. But for the rest of us, taking the time work outside the proverbial box will, I believe, prove invaluable.  Do yourself a favour and leave McGill ready, as it says in a sea-kayaking guide position which just opened up, to “work in the world’s largest tides.”

Don’t let those winter blues get you down. Just because it’s cold outside doesn’t mean you should stay inside all day at the library. So, to bring some variety to the snow-filled months that lie before us all, the Tribune has compiled a list of the winter activities Montreal has to offer.

Tubing

The exhilarating feeling of whizzing down an icy slope on a piece of plastic never seems to get old. So, if you want to go tubing, it’s nice to know that every year Mount Royal grooms the hill near Beaver Lake into organized tubing lanes. You can bring your own $5 Canadian Tire sled, or rent an inner-tube at the hill. Get your friends together and see who can make the longest run or race each other down the slope. Loser buys the drinks later. 

Renting an inner-tube costs $9 for the day, which gives you access to the exclusive inner-tubing lanes. The hill is open from 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. on weekdays, and from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on weekends.

Montreal’s Ice Village 

For the first time in North America, an ice village has been constructed at Parc Jean-Drapeau. This village consists of an ice hotel, igloos, an ice restaurant and ice bar, snow sculpture exhibit, snow labyrinth, a giant snow slide, and replicas of Montreal buildings.

Unless you feel like splurging $195 per person to stay in a Polar Igloo for the night, or $295 for a standard room in the Ice Hotel, make a day trip to check out the village for a much more affordable price of $17. While their activities program has yet to be officially released, visitors can look forward to a snow sculpture contest, outdoor evening dancing with guest DJs, and live music.

Having just opened this month, the ice village is here until March 31. To get there, just take the yellow metro line and get off at the Jean Drapeau stop.

Skating

Montreal has two excellent skating venues to suit your fancy.

Frozen during the winter, Beaver Lake on Mount Royal turns into an outdoor rink. Grab some friends and go for a few laps around the lake, day or night. Frequented by families and groups, there’s absolutely no pressure to perform a triple Salchow or to dress to impress. Practicality is the name of the game. Make sure to bundle up well and wear good gloves, since it’s pretty difficult to skate with your hands in your pockets.

You don’t need to worry about owning skates, as they can be rented on-site for $8.50 for two hours. 

Beaver Lake is open to skaters from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., Sunday through Thursday, and 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. You could make a full day of it by adding some tubing into the mix.

If you prefer to remain indoors, make your way down to Atrium Le 1000 located at 1000 De La Gauchetière Street West. With an admission price of just $6 with your student I.D., you can enjoy a smooth rink and lively music. 

Different nights bring a variety of activities such as Girl’s Night Out on Tuesdays from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. where admission is two-for-one. Wednesdays are Date Night from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. Couples can enjoy two-for-one access and romantic music while they skate. Also, two-for-one admission is available to couples on Valentine’s Day. Then, on Thursdays, all students can enjoy two-for-one access starting at 4 p.m.

Not only that, but February 27th is an “all-nighter” evening with the rink open from 5 p.m. to 2 a.m.

Skate rentals are $6.50.

Hot Cider at Else’s

After spending the day out in the cold, it’s always nice to finish the evening off in a warm, cozy environment. There’s no better place to do this than at Else’s. 

Located in the Plateau, at 156 Roy Street East, Else’s small space, dark walls, and dim lighting creates an intimate atmosphere. The music is of the jazz/blues variety, and isn’t so loud as to stop conversation from flowing.

Not only does it boast a great beer selection as a microbrewery along with good food, but Else’s hot alcoholic ciders just might be the best thing to warm your insides when it’s cold outside. Not only do they taste great, but they look good and keep your hands warm too. 

The closest metro to Else’s is Sherbrooke metro on the orange line. While you may have to dress warmly, the walk to the bar will be worth the trip.

Decadent hot chocolate at Juliette et Chocolat 

 If you’re craving chocolate, Juliette et Chocolat is the place to go. With over 20 chocolate drink selections, there’s something for everyone. Their many hot chocolates will surely have you saying ‘mmm’ as you seek refuge from the cold.

Boasted as one of the best in the city, their hot chocolates come in three varieties–traditional, dark vintage, and milk vintage–each with a number of options to choose from. For those who want to mix it up, they also offer alcoholic chocolate beverages such as the Snow White, Chocolate Ruby, and Irish Chocolate.

On its website, Juliette writes that it all started with her search for the perfect hot chocolate: “I wanted a hot chocolate like our grandmothers used to make, a thick and velvety drink that warms, consoles and nourishes.”

And, if you’ve worked up an appetite after tubing on the mountain, they have plenty of food to choose from too, including delicious crepes.

Juliette et Chocolat is located in multiple venues around the city. The closest location to the McGill campus is at 3600 St. Laurent on the corner of Prince Arthur. In the Plateau you can find it at 377 Laurier West on the corner of Parc and at 1615 St. Denis.

The average university student is aware of the crippling effects suffered by after alcohol consumption. They call it: The Hangover. As the years progress in my university life, I can’t help but notice that the day-after effects are getting worse. Our bodies are aging and our society is expecting more of our mental capacity and overall productivity, a combination that does not compliment the disorientation and lethargy that comes with a hangover. As the volume of groaning from discomfort, mixed with the unappealing sound of morning nausea after an evening of fun reaches new heights, the quest to find a cure for my fellow students and I commenced. 

I quickly discovered that there are two distinct schools of thought in hangover academia: hangover cure and hangover prevention. Prevention is focused on measures you should take before the liquid falls down the hatch; cure focuses on what to do when you’re crawling out of the next-morning hole of discomfort and misery. 

Wikipedia, my initial research pit stop, set the benchmark for the salient prevention and cure recommendations. Wiki describes hangovers as “the experience of unpleasant psychological effects” after drinking. The most common recommendations for prevention were eating a big meal, drinking a glass of water between beverages, and keeping to one type of beverage throughout the evening: your hangover will be worse if you sample all the bar has to offer.

As cures, the most common advice I discovered was to drink as much Gatorade and water as possible. Taking an Advil to curb the headache, while digesting a simple carbohydrate-heavy meal is an effective way to attain some energy without increasing queasiness. Some more nuanced strategies I discovered were drinking coconut water and eating sardines and chasing them with pickles (the food version of your routine the night before). 

Through my research, the only recognizable pattern was variety. There are many different things one can do to prevent or cure a hangover; each individual experiences a hangover differently and thus there is no one singular cure. Of course, the only way to truly prevent a hangover is to peel oneself away from that can of beer, bottle of wine, or mixed drink. 

But, since complete abstinence is seemingly not an option for many of us who have engrained the college culture of work-hard-play-hard so deeply into our identities, I sought to reevaluate my understanding by attacking the source. I went to my fellow students to ask them how hangovers affect their life. 

First, there is the responsible, enviable consumer, who does not experience hangovers at all, such as Whitney Smith (U3 Management) “I don’t get hangovers because I practice hangover prevention: I put coconut water in a smoothie or I have a Gatorade when I get home.” On the other hand, Jessica Firestone, U3 Management, walks away from a hangover feeling defeated “[hangovers] make me lazy and unproductive—I sleep in much later than usual so I waste away my day.”

And then there are the exceptions. There are those who find a way to appreciate hangovers, and those who even respect what hangovers offer us. 

Roxanne Voidonicolas, U3 Psychology, claims, “I actually enjoy hangover days. I indulge on all of the things I know I shouldn’t but want to. I watch TV for 18 hours straight and don’t move. Most importantly, hangovers renew my zeal for life— after being so immobile, I look forward to a day of productivity.” Like Voidonicolas, Jan Roos, U3 Management, understands hangovers in a positive light: “Hangovers are God’s gift to the true animal. They weed out the weak. If it weren’t for hangovers, talking to people at bars would be as inane as talking to them in the day. You need them to make sure the only people doing whiskey shots at 5 a.m. are the men and women of bravery and character.”

There you have it. You can have a big meal before you go out, drink a sports drink before bed, or have a big breakfast when you wake up in the morning—all the while being acutely aware that these procedures may not even work. Or you can learn to love hangovers for what they are: an excuse to relax all day, or a Darwinian method of abolishing the weak. Picking a coping method will be your first step from departing from that age-old weekend lie you tell yourself and your friends: “I’m never drinking again.”