December was an exciting month, as the winter holidays approached, preparation for the final exams got intense, and the climate got harsh. It was my favourite month out of all that I have spent so far.
As the weather gets colder every day, our surrounding environment starts to have an influence. The lake situated only 10 minutes from the Dorm by walk, has gone frozen. Now, people are allowed to physically walk on the lake as long as the ice is thick enough. My friend and I went to visit the lake one day, and it was such a fun, but weird and scary experience, as both of us had never seen or walked on top of a frozen lake. Surrounding the lake were signs put up to indicate the thickness of the ice, so that people would be aware of when the right time to walk on the lake would be.
On the 2nd of December, my fitness class went on a trip to Calgary to experience boxing. We went to a boxing studio, where there was an instructor who taught us basic boxing knowledge and skills that we would use during the session. We boxed with the rhythm of the music, and we all had so much fun. It was very tiring, but at the same time refreshing, as it was icy cold outside of the building.
I went to watch the Junior Girls Basketball team competition that was held in Strathmore High School on the 6th of December. My friends and I cheered them on and supported them by shouting, clapping, and holding up posters with their names on them. All of the players looked so cool and confident, and it gave me motivation to focus on sports and join the sports clubs.
The High School “Snowcoming” dance party was on December 12, and many students from the school joined the party. The boys wore suits, and the girls wore skirts and dresses. Even the teachers in the school joined and danced with us. There were drinks and snacks sold, a photo booth, and a DJ in control of the music and the vibe. It was the first time I joined a party with friends close to me and at the same age. The party was fun, and such a good experience. I would join the other party planned during the spring at school.
On the following day, we went to Nakiska ski resort on a Dorm-organized trip. It is located in Banff, Alberta, which is part of the Rocky Mountains. There, I got to ski for 5 hours, and it was such a great day. Since I hadn’t skied in 2 years, I was a bit afraid if I’d be able to ski as I did before. However, it turned out that that wasn’t the case, and I could ski freely without any freight. The ski resort and the view of the mountains from the area were magnificent and were like a piece of art. The mountains were very rocky and pointy and had no trees at the peak. This form of the mountain is something that I haven’t seen ever in my life, as they look different from the ones in Japan, and are way more wild and breath-taking.
On December 14, my friends and I went to school on the weekend at night to see the lighting up of illuminations. There were many Christmas trees decorated, Santa and his fellow reindeer, free hot chocolate, free horse rides, fireplaces, and lots more to enjoy. The quality of the lights was as good as the ones we saw at the Christmas market we visited in Calgary about a month ago, and perhaps better.
I had 2 weeks of winter holiday, and it ended in a flash. I visited Vancouver for the first 8 days and spent the last 5 days in Calgary together with my family. I had a great time exploring parts of Canada that I always wanted to go to, and gave me excitement for my future.
Vancouver is a big city that is located on the west coast of Canada, just 4 hours by car from Seattle, America. The climate there during the winter is very humid, cloudy, rainy, and mild. However, the city itself is very enjoyable. The city is big, with many tall buildings, restaurants, and entertainment. It felt like a bigger version of Calgary. I walked around the city center, went to shopping malls, visited Stanley Park, and lots more. The night lights of the buildings were beautiful and the view from the lookout tower was amazing. During this time, I also went to the University of British Columbia, because I wanted to see the university that I am working towards firsthand. The campus itself is humongous. It has a residential area with apartments for students and other people, clean and well-maintained huge roads, modern and iconic faculty buildings, and an atmosphere of winning and success. I was surprised about all of this, as I was not expecting too much. After this visit, it made me more motivated to pursue my goal; to get accepted into UBC. At this point, it had been 4 months since I had come to Canada, and obviously, it would make me desperate for Japanese food. We had dinner at many Japanese cuisine restaurants that serve ramen, sushi, and all sorts. I was again surprised at how authentic the taste of each dish was and made me feel like I was in Japan. I miss Japan. Finally, on the final day in Vancouver, I went to Whistler; a small town located north of Vancouver, known for ski resorts and mountain courses. It was snowing consistently, unlike Vancouver, and was nice. There were shopping stores, hotels, restaurants, and lots more to look around. It was a surprise to me once again, as Whistler was more developed and popular than I thought it would be, as there were tourists everywhere, transportation systems were stable, and the buildings were stylish.
After the stay in Vancouver, I took a flight to Calgary and spent the next 5 nights there. During this stay, we celebrated New Year’s and moved into 2025. We went to Prince’s Island Park – a huge part located north of the city – to look at the New Year’s Day festival, and to move into 2025. There, people skated on the frozen river, danced to the music, joined the dragon parade, and had a fun and cold time. As midnight was approaching, many people gathered near the skating rink on the river to have a clear view of the fireworks that would shoot up at 0:00 am. Luckily, I got a clear view of the whole thing, and it was such a magical time. There were so many fireworks that kept shooting up consistently for about 10 minutes; every one of them was unique, interesting, and huge. It was such a great experience, and I thought that more cities in Japan should do the same every year as well. During the cold winters, walking around and getting to different places in Calgary is tough, as the weather can be extremely cold at times; ranging to -20 degrees Celsius at times. This is why the city has built indoor bridges that connect tall buildings in the city center so that people can stay inside in the warm air while moving from one place to another. I like this idea, as it is convenient, there are stores all around the area, and all of the bridges are different and unique. It also gives people the chance to explore different parts of the city while reaching their destination. On the final day in Calgary, we visited Banff, located west of Calgary in the Rocky Mountains. Banff is a small town, similar to Whistler in British Columbia. There are stores, restaurants, lots of nature, and touristy activities. It was my second time visiting there, and I had a good time.
