Canadore College program connects international and domestic students outside the classroom
Mar 7, 2022 | Cindy Males, Public Relations and Communications Specialist
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Spending a winter day outside on a lake in the North Bay area has opened a door for one Canadore College international student.
“I thought I could only stay in my room during wintertime as the weather is super cold outside,” said Abby Nguyen, a Functional Genomics and Clinical Consultation student who has come to Canadore College from Vietnam. “The temperature where I come from is usually around 30 degrees Celsius.”
Nguyen is one of a group of international students who recently spent a day on Lake Nipissing enjoying the traditional Canadian winter pursuit of ice fishing. The Canadore International/Domestic Student Twinning Program arranged the opportunity.
“The Twinning Program seeks to provide a space for international and domestic students to meet, connect, learn from each other and develop friendships, all while experiencing the vast array of activities that North Bay and area has to offer,” said Dr. Aamir Taiyeb, Canadore’s Director, International.
The Twinning Program collaborated on this event with 101 Experiences, a non-profit organization that helps northerners develop their passions into tourism experiences and promotes them through social and traditional media. Al and Lynne Jewell hosted the Canadore students for a day of snowmobiling and ice fishing as well as a traditional campfire and a meal of hot dogs and chili.
“Sharing a Canadian winter ice fishing experience with international students was a wonderful opportunity,” said the Jewell Family. “The students were eager to learn about the region. We were impressed at how willing they were to try new experiences.”
“Being away from our families, and with all the COVID-19 induced isolation, it was a very refreshing experience to have had such a warm day with a family,” said Dakksh Nagpal, a student in Canadore’s Construction Project Management program from India. “Although we didn’t catch any fish that day, the whole experience was totally worth it.”
“Thanks to the trip, I met many kind people, learned how to fish, and about Lake Nipissing and cultural life in Canada,” said Nguyen. “One of the best parts was the chance to meet their cat and dogs, have a walk and cuddle with them. I would say it was one of my most memorable experiences in Canada.”
The next Canadian winter experience, this one later in March, will be skiing at North Bay’s Laurentian Ski Hill.
