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Dear readers… this year, we did not do our advent calendar. Nevertheless, we would like to share some holiday themed writings with you in a special issue of our little magazine. As always you can read and download the pdf under this link.

Whatever you may celebrate in whichever way, we hope you can find some peace and quiet, some time to relax. Take care, lots of love from us to you and happy holidays!

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We have uploaded the fifth issue of our magazine to read and download as PDF. This semester it’s all about faces! Follow this link to read it. :)

“I have always liked riding on trains. They form this strange space where strangers’ paths merge for a while. All these different people with their own stories that cross my own, just like I cross theirs. More than once, I have found myself wondering about them. Wondering about what text message just brought the broadest smile to their face, what made them tear up that official looking document and frown at the scraps they keep, what exam is waiting to be crushed by the concentration staring out of their eyes. And then there are the reflections in the windows. That eerie calm after a long and exhausting day; way after dark, you find yourself sitting in a window seat. Outside glimmering traces, like string lights, illuminate the smears on the windowpane that countless others have left before you. The train is much emptier, much quieter then. And from the outside, it looks lit, almost clinically so - were it not for that one passenger still staring on. Wondering. For this issue, dear reader, we went out wondering about faces. Of people, of the world, of experience and emotion - and we invite you to wonder about them with us.”

- cover photo by Ash this time! :)

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This is the Goose of Outrageous Self Assuredness.  Take from her example, her ludicrous and excellent poise in the face of bullying, and be confident in your place, your course, your equal validity.

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These are a few impressions from my time in Vancouver - I was so happy to see trees with leafs again since snow had only just melted when I left Regina and everything was still a little grey :D

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From on the Road I

Things to Do in Vancouver 

Because I have realized that it has now been a year since I flew to Canada, I have been a little sentimental. Nostalgic even. Looking through my photo-album (Yes, I made an actual photo-album with large paper pages. Old-fashioned, I know :D), I figured I could write about what I was up to while traveling through Western Canada for three weeks. I’ll split them up into manageable post-lengths.

So here’s part 1: Some Things to do in Vancouver. I was in Vancouver for a week that I spent with one of my best friends whom I met in Regina and who happens to be from Vancouver. So we went touring around his hometown. Funny enough we had great weather! Lots of sun, only one day of a tiny bit of rain - lucky, considering that Vancouver is apparently known for its rain. No idea whether that’s accurate since I only know its sunny side now. :p

Rent a bike and make your way along the sea wall

Stanley Park is huge. It’s bigger than Central Park in New York. (Not that I have ever been there to get an idea of what that is even supposed to be, but still. It’s what all the tour guides kept mentioning.) Downtown, pretty close to the park, are several places where you can rent bikes and tandems. My tip — do what a friend and I did: bring a picnic like sandwiches or something and spend your afternoon biking along the seawall. That’s the path that goes around the coastline of Stanley Park. You will get some beautiful views of both the city and the nature of the park. You can also go right through Stanley Park, zigzagging your way through the forest. If it isn’t raining, I would absolutely recommend biking in Stanley Park.

In the Park, there’s also an aquarium which I really enjoyed. Penguins, otters, lots of fish, frogs… we had fun checking out the aquarium. Coincidentally running into a lot of fun shows. They apparently work with wild life preservation, too. The dolphin we saw had been found injured in the wild and can’t be released anymore because the one fin was damaged too much. Super interesting visit.

Capilano Suspension Bridge Park

Capilano is one of those touristy things that I found over Vancouver’s tourism website. Admission is quite high (regular some 40something dollars, with our student IDs we payed around 30 I think), so if you really love nature and can spend hours walking among rainforest trees and enjoy the sight of that beautiful canyon — it’s totally worth it. The bridge itself is super large and swings under all the feet, funny feeling. Then there’s a cliffwalk which was super cool. You get to walk on this super slim path over the cliffs. Finally there’s the treetops path, too, which was cool. I enjoyed it a lot. You can reach the park easily with a free shuttle bus that takes you from downtown Vancouver all the way to the entrance and back. However, don’t expect it to be too punctual because of Vancouver traffic. Our way back took forever because of an accident on a bridge. So patience and you’ll be rewarded with a beautiful day in nature. Around Christmas it’s also supposed to be really nice in this park since they put up all kinds of lights.

If, however, you think that’s way too much admission than you can afford or than you are willing to pay for a canyon — Lynn Canyon is free last time I checked. No idea what it’s like since I didn’t make it to it. Considering how pretty most of British Columbia is, though, it’s probably super nice there, too.

VanDusen Botanical Garden

This is another one for those who enjoy the outsides, especially flowers. VanDusen is a beautiful and pretty large botanical garden that we visited twice — simply because we had lovely weather and enjoyed walking around the flowers so much. There’s a maze and different sections for plants from different parts of the world. You can also get free tours of the garden. We just walked around though. When I left Regina on May 1st there were still barely any leafs on the trees. So VanDusen was a moment of… just… such a wow effect. From snow that just melted and bare trees into the sunny green and colorful flower seas of Vandusen. Amazing place.

Granville Island

Again — I wanted to see some of the touristy spots. Granville Island was definitely one of them. It’s pretty cool, though super crowded when you go on a sunny Saturday like we did. There’s a lot of restaurants, a brewery, some markets, and tiny little shops. Really nice place. Some cool art worked into the industrial parts of the island. I loved the look and feel of the place. 

Museums? How about these two

So, I wanted to go the Museum of Anthropology on campus of the University of British Columbia. A friend had recommended it to me and I wasn’t disappointed. Since I’m doing cultural studies at home, I found it super interesting. Quite a large part of the MoA is on First Nations cultures, languages, and life. It was really cool to learn as much as I did. And then there’s a large exhibition on all kinds of cultures from around the world, too. On the outside area right behind the museum you also get a beautiful view. (Is there any place in BC where you don’t get a beautiful view at random?).

The other museum we went to — spontaneously — was Science World. It’s a science museum probably, originally designed for kids. There’s lots of stations where you’re asked to try out things, play a game or try to make music and such. I hadn’t really thought of it, first, but the friend I was with was curious since he hadn’t been to Science World since he was much younger. We had a lot of fun in there. I really believe you can’t get too old for that kind of thing. It’s always fun. Especially with the right people to join you in your shenanigans.

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Random impressions from the last week in Regina. I left for Canada a year ago. Weird how time flies.

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When the snow started melting…

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Coming Home Is Odd

When I left Canada, I was both sad and excited. Leaving all my Canadian friends was hard. There were a lot of tears and long hugs and goodbyes. (I’m also terrible at goodbyes. I never know what to say or do…) At the same time, however, I was excited. Excited for my three weeks of travel across Western Canada. Excited to enjoy some essay-free time in a beautiful country. Excited to eventually go home and see my family and friends again, to hug my mom again. It was a very strange mix of anticipation and melancholia.

And then, the day came. After spending quite some hours in Calgary’s airport I got on a plane. About nine hours later I was in Frankfurt: super tired but with a stupid grin on my face. I walked through customs, and here was my family, live and in person and not on a screen. It was great. My grandma cried a bit when I walked through her door and I slept in my own bed again. Gosh, being home is nice!

After the jet-lag wore off, the mix of feelings became a little more shaken, though. As great as being home was — is — coming home is also hard. It is confusing and strange. I went away for three quarters of a year, quite some time. When I came back, nothing seemed to have changed. The construction sights in my sleepy little hometown are still the same; about a week and a half after my arrival, I was back in my old job (which is also amazing and I’m grateful that they offered me to come right back into the team); uni issues never seem to change much… while the lack of change is not really an awful thing, it is just weird to find everything so unchanged when I have changed. Nothing seems to be different, but me. In a way. A time like mine in Canada is bound to change you in some way or another. It takes some time to figure out where you are now, once you are back.

As little as everything has changed, there are still smaller moments in which an „Oh right, you weren’t here“ reminds you that there still was a lot of stuff you missed. And there were definitely occasions that I would have loved to be home for. In the same vain, there are moments that I would have loved to be in Canada for no matter how much I like being home. A friend’s wedding, for example, that I got to see in the livestream on facebook but it’s still not quite the same like being there with them.

So yes. Coming home is strange. Going abroad, I missed my friends and family in Germany. Now that I’m home, I can see all of them normally again. But ultimately, I went from missing my friends from home to missing my friends from abroad. I still don’t regret a thing — believe me. It was the most amazing time and I am so grateful to have made the friends I have. It is just as amazing to be home again and to continue the journey, wherever it may lead.

But still. Coming home is odd. Great, and weird, and odd.

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On Understanding Sports

A Note on Football

The circumstance that I usually call football "American football" probably gives away that I don't really know a whole lot about this sport. The football I know is actually played with your feet — except that in Canada most people referred to that one as soccer. Just to be clear — I am not a big soccer fan either. But when watching a soccer game, I at least understand most of what's happening. 

For (American) football, I can't claim that much. The one football game I saw was a U of R Rams game during welcome week last September. Apparently, the Rams won with quite some points more than their opponents (whose name escapes me… maybe the Thunderbirds?). I went to see the game with a friend who tried his best to explain to me what was going on. For example, I learnt that it is technically all about winning space. However, a lot of the game was still lost on me. I rarely noticed when points were scored. The game also dragged on for quite a while. We didn't even stay till the very end because our bus was scheduled to leave too early.

Ultimately, football still seems to me like a bunch of people running into each other, stopping the game, and starting over. I mean, I do realize that it's more than that, but still. It's hard to follow. Then again, people kept telling me that a) this particular one wasn't a very exciting game and that b) I should just go and see a Roughriders game instead. I didn't get to do that but honestly, I'm fine with that.

A Note on Hockey

Why am I fine with that? Because I got to see one of the probably most Canadian sports live — hockey. We went to the Remembrance Day game in Regina. The Pats from Regina played against the Moose Jaw Warriors — and lost. It was still an exciting evening though because hockey is paced much faster than football! There's actual stuff happening, all the time, it's super fast and easier to get into. The puck has to go into the goal. Pretty obvious. The Pats also came out onto the ice to “For Whom the Bell Tolls” by Metallica which was pretty awesome. I love Metallica. We also had amazing seats, the front rows.

When the winter olympics happened and Germany won against Canada in hockey, I was probably the most surprised person in the room. Not that we don't have hockey in Germany (we call it Ice Hockey, btw), it's just that Canada is such a hockey nation that I didn't think the German team would stand a chance. Then again, NHL players couldn't participate, so who knows how they would have changed things… 

Just in general, though, my stay in Saskatchewan has given me the impression that hockey is what connects everyone. Especially the people in the smaller towns and cities all over the province. Everyone seems to know hockey players or maybe they saw those teams play or worked with them or their families. The tragedy of the Humboldt Broncos' bus accident brought this to the surface more than anything. Everyone came together in support of the victims and the families, to hold vigils and pray. Knowing people who know the Broncos and their families, I have witnessed this immense tragedy differently than you would from the news overseas. And I have also witnessed how the people from these communities came together in support and grief because they all felt with each other. Looking back, I think that there is something wonderful in this sense of community. 

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We’re very proud to present you the very first issue of our biennial magazine “The Writer’s Room” where we explore the topic “(t)here”. You can download it for free here: http://bit.ly/thewritersroomissueone “Here and there. A topic which fills your heart with longing, with joy, sadness, melancholia, wanderlust. Maybe you are thinking of a place, a certain time, a certain person; someone far away, someone very close to your heart; a place you belong to, a place where you are completely lonely; a stranger, a voyeur. For the first issue of our magazine, The Writer’s Room decided to face an omnipresent challenge – a topographic one – to go beyond what the title may suggest. To existence in the middle, on the outside, here and there. Or maybe somewhere in between. Our group is an accumulation of local as well as international students. Those who have been abroad, those who are still facing the journey ahead of them, those who have always been torn between different places.”

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The ‘Blog Curse’ Vol. 2: Another Entry in Three Parts

(1) The Curse

I wrote about this before… the way blogs go, there’s always this inherent curse when you forget to write or procrastinate or whatever. I don’t really want to abandon this project though because it started out pretty well. Posts actually appeared on a decently regular basis. I also hadn’t run out of ideas (I kept announcing this post on football and hockey, after all). So what I am doing here is saying, very elaborately and unnecessarily complexly, that I refuse to let the blog curse take over. I’m still trying!

(2) The Excuses

There are so many excuses I could come up with. The second semester, for example, was super busy. Work load, especially with regard to weekly readings, was a lot. I also made an effort to enjoy the time I had left with my Canadian friends as much as possible — after all four months go by too quickly. Then I was busy with paperwork and I became nervous about leaving Regina and all my beautiful friends there… so many excuses.

(3) The Updates

I’m home now. It’s been about a month since I could finally sleep in my own bed again but about two months since I left Regina. I traveled a bit before leaving Canada: to Vancouver, into the Rockies with Moose Travel, and finally to Calgary. The latter two I have had the pleasure to enjoy during reading week, too, with some of my favorite people. It was great seeing those places in the middle of Winter in February and compare it to mid-May. Either way Canada’s west is so beautiful, it’s always worth the trip. You might be wondering, so what now? Keep writing? Yes, I will try to. Write texts from the notes I never posted on here. Share my thoughts on coming home. Something like that. And hopefully, one day, I will share impressions and stories from going there again. Back to Regina, to Saskatchewan, to Canada. Seeing more of that loverly country. Most importantly, seeing my friends again in person, rather sooner than later!

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It's been snowing a bit... since Saturday, to be precise.

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8:30 classes get much better when you leave the building to a beautiful sunrise instead cold and windy darkness :)

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New Year’s Reflections

It's almost halftime. I have been in Canada for four months now. The first semester and the old year are over. So, how did all of that go? These past few days, I have been thinking about this past year and about my remaining four to five months in Canada.

This New Year's Day, I am grateful for…

… the amazing firends I have made in the last few months. They are awesome people with whom I can laugh and talk till late at night. People I trust and who have made me feel at home simply by being their awesome selves. … for this whole experience. I still feel incalculably lucky to be able to study abroad in the first place. … for my family and friends at home who support me in my occasionally crazy endeavors. I know I don't get in touch as often as I should and I'm so sorry about that. Still, know that I am thinking of you and miss hanging out with you in person. (My one new year's resolution: work on my "getting in touch more regularly"-skills.) … for the internet. Without it and its communicative possibilities this would all be so much harder.

Looking back on the past few months, I not only learned a lot about myself, and this beautiful country, but also that…

… a bunny-hug is what people in Saskatchewan call a hoodie. … "cold" is a very subjective concept. With this past week's extreme cold warning for almost the entire province, my perception of cold has definitely changed. The -30°C with windchill making it feel like -40°C is just so much colder than any winter I can remember. (Which reminds me, I should add my mom's self-knitted socks to the things I'm grateful for.) … I still don't understand football and find hockey to be more interesting (more on that in a different post, coming soon). … poutine is delicious. Just fries, gravy, and cheese. I had no idea what I was missing out on so far.

Looking ahead, I am excited for this new year because…

… I will have four more months to spend in person with the amazing friends I have made here. … I will get to travel a bit more this semester and see more of this beautiful country. … of classes that sound really intriguing. I just really like going to university and taking classes that interest me. So, yes. Classes actually join this list. … I will go home eventually. Don't get me wrong. I'm in no rush to leave Regina or Canada. However, I absolutely have my homesick moments, especially around the holidays they got more. So while it will be tough and sad to leave Regina, I also know that I will still be excited to see my family and my friends at home again — in person instead of on a screen. I can already feel the "smiling and the crying eye"* on the horizon. However, I try not to think about that too much. For now… I will enjoy the remaining time I have in Canada. It's only halfway there, after all!

Here’s to a happy new year! :)

*badly translated German saying