Chatting with: International Students at Lakehead
Cover image sourced from Lakehead International’s Facebook page.
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Lakehead University welcomes over 1,500 international students, representing over 70 nations around the world. For a small Institution, it certainly is a worldly place.
This semester, I had the pleasure of sitting down with a few international students at Lakehead. I was fortunate enough to learn about their unique experiences and perspectives. I was also able to ask them the burning question…” Why did you choose Lakehead?”
I first met up with Stephanie and Silvia, two exchange students from Colombia who arrived at Lakehead this September. The two met on campus one day when Silvia was walking and overheard a group of people speaking Spanish. She quickly introduced herself to Stephanie and a few of the other Latin American exchange students she was with. Instantly, she was added to the WhatsApp group chat, and they became friends.
Stephanie is from Cartagena, a port city on Colombia’s Caribbean coast, and she is currently studying at the Universidad Tecnológica de Bolívar. Stephanie is in her fifth year studying political science ( her exchange at Lakehead is the equivalent of a thesis).
Silvia’s hometown Cali is located in southwestern Colombia, on the Pacific coast side, and she is currently studying at the Universidad del Valle. This semester at Lakehead she is completing an internship at the Centre for Education and Research on Aging and Health. (CERAH)
When they first arrived, Stephanie and Silvia admitted they were both awestruck seeing so many trees! Looking out the airplane window, the Nor ’Wester mountains welcomed them upon their descent into the city. Mount McKay certainly caught Stephanie’s attention when her plane landed at the Thunder Bay International Airport (little did she know, she’d be hiking that very mountain in a few weeks!)
Stephanie and Silvia made a point of telling me how they’ve felt supported since they arrived on campus. From the International Orientation when they arrived, to the check-ins from Student Health and Wellness, Lakehead has felt like a home, away from home.
Upon her arrival at the Lakehead campus, Stephanie was touched by a random act of kindness.
It was her very first day on campus and she went to the cafeteria to get something to eat. At the time, the cafeteria was only accepting debit and Stephanie just had cash on her. Noticing her predicament, another student at the cafeteria offered to pay for her meal with debit. When Stephanie went to pay him back, he told her it was “no problem”.
At the time of our interview, Stephanie and Silvia had visited Kakabeka Falls, Centennial Park, Mount McKay, and Fort William Historical Park. Engrossed by the natural beauty of Northwestern Ontario, both Stephanie and Silvia mentioned they were looking to extend their VISAs to stay another semester. Since our interview, the snow has arrived, so I am sure they are now enjoying some winter activities!
When I finally asked Stephanie and Silvia the question “What made you choose Lakehead University?”, they both quickly responded in seemingly pre-rehearsed unison “why do you say it like that?”
‘Like wha-... oh. Why did I say it like that?’ Taking a moment to reflect, I realized I had unknowingly added a bit of a biased tone to the delivery of my question. To me, Lakehead was just the University in my hometown, but to them, it was an entirely new experience!
I left the Study Coffee House after my interview with Stephanie and Silvia, feeling a new appreciation for Thunder Bay. Our conversation allowed me to see the city I grew up in from a different point of view.
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Curious to hear from other international students, I attended an International Education Week Webinar hosted by Lakehead International. After the webinar, I reached out to Javier, one of the guest speakers, to ask him a few questions about his experience so far.
Javier is in his first year of a master’s in Environmental Engineering at Lakehead University. He was born and raised in Guatemala City, Guatemala.
Javier says he chose Lakehead firstly due to the program, but when it came to choosing between other Universities that offered the same program, the location of Lakehead’s campus helped him decide. “Many other universities were an option, but Lakehead U is located in a beautiful place surrounded by nature.”
Just like Stephanie and Silvia, Javier’s first impression of Thunder Bay was an admiration for the landscape. Upon arrival, Javier noticed how Thunder Bay is a small city, with many houses and very few buildings; certainly, a change from the cityscape of downtown Guatemala City.
“Something important I have to mention is the quality of the air here in Thunder Bay,” he explains. “When I took my bags and went out to wait for the cab, I felt that change, it is the purity of a small city where nature is more than urbanization.”
Javier explains a few differences between Guatemalan and Canadian cultures. Firstly, the language difference: “In Guatemala, the official language is Spanish, in Thunder Bay, there are very few Latin people, I have met a few who speak Spanish”.
In addition to language, Javier noted some minor differences in footwear customs: “It is not customary in Guatemala to take off your shoes when you enter a house, for me that was a little different, but not difficult to understand.” Javier was also delighted to celebrate Thanksgiving and Halloween, two holidays that are not celebrated in Guatemala. “For me, celebrating those two holidays in Canada was one of the best experiences I could have here”.
Javier has certainly had a great experience so far in Canada; he explained that he is impressed by the Canadian culture, “they are very respectful and friendly. They always greet you and ask you how you are.”
Interested to hear from more international students, I thought I would reach out to some student-athletes. Lakehead University has eight Varsity Sports teams and welcomes recruits from all around the world. I was fortunate enough to meet up with Paula and Eva, two first-year international student-athletes from Spain who play on the Varsity Women’s Basketball team.
Between their busy practice schedules and Eva’s 7 course-semester, the duo managed to sneak in some time after a morning practice to sit down for a quick interview with me.
Paula and Eva first met at the airport in Barcelona shortly before departing for Canada. 3 flights and over 20 hours later, they’d gone from complete strangers to best friends. Both traveling alone for the first time, Paula said they found comfort in being together: “If we got lost, at least we were together!”
Paula is from Zaragoza, the capital of Spain’s Aragon region. She is studying Bioinformatics at Lakehead. Eva is in Electrical Engineering at Lakehead, and she is from the coastal city of Barcelona. During our interview, she checked the weather back home and it was 18C. That’s their “cold”. Sigh…
Paula and Eva both shared that they’ve had a pleasant experience in Thunder Bay so far. Living in residence, they have had the opportunity to meet lots of people on campus. They both made a point of saying how nice everyone has been to them.
I asked them a little about some of the differences between their own culture and Canadian culture. The first thing they brought up were the cars, more specifically, “why does everyone drive those big trucks?!” (I truly wish I had an answer.)
Paula and Eva agreed that the biggest difference and adjustment they’ve had to make is the organization of their day, notably mealtimes. Typically, in Spain lunch is around 2:30-3:30 pm and dinner later in the evening around 9:30-10 pm. Living on campus and eating at the residence café, they have had to adjust their mealtimes to a more North American schedule. Working around the cafeteria hours and their practice schedule, they’ve found themselves having meals at obscure times. “Sometimes I’m eating dinner here at the same time as my parents 6 hours away!” Eva added.
It is in learning about our differences, (linguistic, cultural, religious, etc.) that we are truly able to come closer together. I thoroughly enjoyed meeting and chatting with Stephanie, Silvia, Javier, Paula, and Eva. Not only did I learn about each of their unique experiences studying abroad, but I also made some new amigos.
Are you interested in meeting international students at Lakehead? You can chat with a current international student through Lakehead’s website. Just click the link below: