After a 30 minute bus ride, 39 international students were anxious to enter the biggest snow playground in North America, located in the heart of downtown Ottawa.
Dressed warmly on the chilly night of Feb. 8, students were ready to enjoy the excursion arranged by Algonquin to experience the winter culture of Canada.
Snow sculptures, gleaming with the artificial lights, were a mystery to them.
“It’s pretty cool,” Fangyun Liu, an interactive media and design student told. “I am enjoying the ice sculptures here.”
Winter, snow and Winterlude are interconnected. The ice sculptures have no better display than this snow playground.
For students who live far from their families, Algonquin supports them, arranging outdoor trips every month. These trips are free of cost for all college students.
Yanni Li, an internet application and web development student from China, has been participating in a many events offered by Algonquin. She has found them all amazing.
“I really enjoy because I don’t know about places,” she said. “Algonquin College offer sources to make things approachable for us students.”
Indulging himself with hot chocolate and BeaverTail, Rajan Bharti; a student from India, said this was his first month in Canada and Algonquin, and it was his first time attending an event.
“Such events are very helpful because for international students it’s a chance to go out and observe the culture of Canada,” Bharti said.
He further described that such events are an opportunity for all the students to expand their knowledge about different cultures in Canada, he said.
For students away from home, such events are a way to make them realize that they are not alone on this journey.
Harman Singh came from India two months ago, and is now a student in computer programming, and has been enjoying all that Algonquin has to offer.
“Such events are a great idea for students,” he said.