My name is Lishika Lange. I am a senior at Maryville College studying biology abroad at the University of Regina in Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada. I've been here for just over a month and I'm not sure I ever want to leave.
So, my experiences so far: Canada is awesome!!! Pretty much everyone here is so kind and caring, and it is just so wonderful. My first week here, I met close to 60 people and all of them were amazing and so nice. The international crew (which consists of the exchange students) at the U of R have basically become one big family. We, of course, have some organized events that we can go to as a group such as a hockey game; but what I found funny, was that about 30 of us in small groups made plans to go to the Legislative Building on the same day and ended up going as a giant mass of foreigners to one of Regina's main attractions. (It was honestly really cool!)
So, my experiences so far: Canada is awesome!!! Pretty much everyone here is so kind and caring, and it is just so wonderful. My first week here, I met close to 60 people and all of them were amazing and so nice. The international crew (which consists of the exchange students) at the U of R have basically become one big family. We, of course, have some organized events that we can go to as a group such as a hockey game; but what I found funny, was that about 30 of us in small groups made plans to go to the Legislative Building on the same day and ended up going as a giant mass of foreigners to one of Regina's main attractions. (It was honestly really cool!)
International Crew in front of the lake near the Legislative Building in Regina, SK. I am the second from the left. (Most of the international exchange students are from Mexico, hence the Mexican flag)
(Image Credit: Fanito)
One of my biggest worries for studying abroad was that I would not make friends and would spend the entire semester doing things by myself. Boy was that silly to worry about. I have made so many friends and rarely do anything by myself. One of the coolest people I have meet here is Agnese from Italy. We are even planning a trip to Banff National Park during our "spring" break (where almost everyone else is going too). I've gone so many cool places that I probably would not have gone to if not for various people inviting me to join them on their adventure. I've been on the other side of that, too. I invited some friends to come with me to a cat cafe (called Excalipurr.... how great is that?!?).
Now, I can't very well write a blog about studying abroad in Canada, in winter, without talking about the weather. I love it! That may seem weird since most people who choose to live here (even exchange students who chose to spend winter in Canada) hate it. But I am in love with the weather here. I've never really liked the heat; summers in Tennessee are just hot and muggy and gross, (I can hear people from Florida, my dad included, laughing at me right now) and the winters are just sad. The snow we get is just a dusting and melts almost as soon as it falls. In Canada though, winter is an entirely different beast. The snow never really leaves. Once it falls, it just stays and I think it is wonderful. Of course, I haven't had to drive in it, so it is probably just a pain to everyone else but not to me. The landscape is beautiful and seems so peaceful. That's mostly because the snow traps sound which is wonderful.
It may seem crazy, but I've gone out for late night walks around the lake that is by campus even in -30°C weather (don't worry, I bundled up. No frost bite yet). I love seeing the city across the lake all lit up and watching giant white rabbits run around in the dark, quiet night. So, yeah. You could say my favorite thing about Canada is the winter weather. I'm so excited for my trip to Banff; It's going to be beautiful in the snow.
Of course, I would have never experienced any of this if not for the amazing people at the Center for International Education at Maryville College. They helped me realize that I really could study abroad and encouraged me to do whatever I needed to to make this experience happen. I truly can't thank them enough for all of their help.
I have a YouTube channel where I am posting vlogs and Instagram where I will post all my pictures and document my adventures. Feel free to follow me on one or both.
https://www.youtube.com/user/catsandbuffalos238
https://www.instagram.com/sleepinggaius/?hl=en