What is home?

That is me at Bowness Park, in Calgary

[By Daniel Rodriguez]

Sometimes we think that “home” is far away from us. At the beginning, when we get in a different place, especially a new country, the first impression we have is “my homeland, with all my family, my friends, my culture is very distant”. Over the first weeks, it looks like we will never fit in a place where people speak a different language, eat different foods, think and do different things. It can be very hard to find a spot in a new place, especially when we have the feeling in our heart that “home” is so remote.

After a few months, we start opening ourselves up to this new place where we are. We start calling friends, not only those ones we miss from the place we came from but also these new people we have met in the classroom, people we have met in the streets… Then, we discover that the new food is actually great: we delight and enjoy so much as well as we enjoy the one we miss.  We start to see a new way to think and a new way to do things, which brings us a new perspective of the world and a new perspective of the life.

Suddenly, we realize that this strange place is becoming now part of us – part of our memories, dreams, and feelings.  We realize this place is now becoming our home. Like a song that I used to listen a long time ago says: “the wisest man is the one who knows that home is as big as you can imagine”.

In a very simplified way, that is pretty much what has been for me since I touched down here. On August 2011, it has been one year since I arrived at the Calgary International Airport to study at SAIT, thousands of miles away from my country.  At the beginning, I felt like a fish out of its fishbowl. However, I have learned that I can be more than a stranger here, I can be at home.

Daniel Rodriguez is currently taking the Journalism program at SAIT Polytechnic. When this Venezuelan guy is not writing, he uses to snowboard and to take pictures. If you want to keep in touch, e-mail him at: daniel.rodriguez@edu.sait.ca

To do list

My friends and I (right) during a trip organized by SAIT

  [By Jaitun Sheth]

Hello friends, my name is Jaitun Sheth! I am an International Student from India and I would like to share my experiences of the places you could visit in and around Calgary which could be new, interesting, and most importantly: affordable! 

1) When I first joined SAIT, I was very excited about the new school and the new things to do on campus so I started exploring and realized there is so much to do in our own school.  There is a hot water pool for around 12 people as well as sports like basketball, soccer, table tennis, and swimming provided in the auxiliary gym. Plus: there are many volunteer opportunities by which you can make new friends. I have visited every corner of SAIT, which included the welding labs, automotive labs, and, of course, my own campus – the Art Smith Aero Centre, which has 9 aircrafts and 3 helicopters.

2) Banff and Johnston Canyon: for people who like natural beauty and skiing, Banff is the place to be.  Lake Louise Mountain Resort, Sunshine Village Resort and Ski Norquay are the 3 skiing places for which Banff is known for.  Now imagine this: you are in a swimming pool which has a temperature of 39 °C and surrounding you are the snow capped mountains.  How does it feel? I can tell you: it feels relaxing and it is the most beautiful view a person can ever imagine. That is the beauty of the hot springs in Banff, AB.

3) Calgary Downtown: this place looks beautiful at night!  Besides enjoying the beauty of downtown, you can also go to the Glenbow Museum, find any Chinese product in a Chinese Market, or stop by Stephens Avenue where you can find all kinds of restaurants and some sculptures. But my favourite place in downtown is the beautiful Bow River Walk which can be seen as you enter downtown. If you prefer, you can enjoy rafting in the river.  And of course there are some clubs, pubs, and many food places which are open late night and that you can only find in downtown Calgary.

4) Surprise place: Calgary is the largest city in the province of Alberta and there are many places to explore here. There are at least 15 malls to visit. Among them, CrossIrons Mall is worth visiting.  Besides this mall, places like The Calgary Tower and the Calgary Zoo should not be missed.  One of the exciting things I used to do was to go on a random bus or get off at a random stop and walk around, you will find so many different things to see and it would really be a new and awesome experience. Plus: it would be free because SAIT already provides you with the transit pass for the semester!

There are still many places which I explore on a daily basis and I think you can do the same and enjoy your stay in this beautiful city. Let me know if you find any new and interesting place and we all might go and visit together!

Jaitun Sheth is an Indian International Student who is taking the Aircraft Maintenance Engineering Technology program. If you want to contact him to find out more about Calgary and surroundings, e-mail him at: shethjaitun@gmail.com

The right choice

SAIT = people from all over the world

[By Felipe Alonso ]

Choosing a post-secondary institution is not an easy task, especially when it is in another country.  There are lots of things to worry about besides the institution itself.  For example, we have to be prepared to face culture shock in this new country as well as we must prepare for the new language, the weather, the local laws etc.  I had to think and consider all those things before coming to Canada.  After just over a year here, I can say I made the right choice.

Being a student coming from South America, I did not find Canada so much different from Brazil when it comes to culture or religion.  Aside from removing snow from my doorsteps or going snowboarding in the winter, I have been living a very similar life here in Calgary compared to the one I used to live in my homecountry.  Well, the weather can be a challenge sometimes… Coming from a country where it is pretty much hot all year round, I did find it hard to adapt to the winter time in the beginning, especially on my first day when I was faced with a snowstorm.  It can be fun though, and once you get used to it, you will realize that -5 °C is actually a pretty warm day here in Calgary.   And besides, there are lots of activities to do here during the wintertime such as skiing, snowboarding, ice skating etc. 

Even if you are not interested in any of that, SAIT has many activities for you to be engaged in during the cold winter days.  As an International Student, I found SAIT very welcoming.  The teachers are friendly and always ready to help.  I have met people from all over the world, even from countries I did not even know that existed!  And it’s always rewarding to work with them, because you always end up learning something new.  The campus is very lively and, as I wrote before, there is always something going on for everybody.  You know what? I really think that being left out is not an option at SAIT!

Felipe Alonso is an International Student from Brazil who is working hard on his second semester of Business Administration. He loves travelling, hiking, catching movies, and hanging out with friends on weekends! If you want to keep in touch with Felipe, e-mail him at felipealonsobr@hotmail.com