Sadly, I am into the final few weeks of my time as a student at the University of Calgary, and I have genuinely had a blast.

Living in Calgary has been an incredible opportunity and has allowed me to experience so new many things. For example, lots of snow, ice skating, snowboarding, mountain hikes & a new found obsession for the Calgary Flames (Calgary’s team in the NHL).

University life as a student living on campus is so much fun. A friend is waiting with a cup of tea on each floor, with an update on their latest adventure & a group chat popping up inviting you on your next adventure. There are also weekly activities on alternate floors of the residence building. These range from pumpkin carving to pet therapy, to gingerbread house building.

There is a mid-semester break which is called ‘reading week’, in which myself and 7 other exchange students travelled to Quebec and Montreal. This was a great opportunity to explore cities in other provinces. My favourite place on the trip was Old Town in Quebec, it was almost like you had taken a trip to Europe! Plus, everyone spoke French which is such a beautiful language.

I wholeheartedly recommend this experience to all considering. It is an incredible opportunity to step out of your comfort zone and study amongst the Rockies (which you can see from the top floor of the library by the way). I’m so grateful to have had this experience & Calgary will always hold a super special place in my heart!

Until next time Calgaz!

Niamh Mannion, Bachelor of Disability and Developmental Education undertook an exchange to the University of Calgary during S2, 2019

Read her other blog post here!