By Fiona Lee
Hello again, everyone! Galway has seemed to be buzzing lately, with clubs and societies starting up, 2020 cultural activities taking over the town and nights in the Róisín that make me momentarily homesick. Saying that, I’m really enjoying my time in Ottawa so far and I’m definitely keeping myself busy.
I’ve joined the women’s Ultimate Frisbee team in the University since I last wrote here and it has added more stability to my life in Canada. I tend to get quite tense and restless if I go a few days without fresh air or exercise, so I’m glad to finally have a set routine in place in that regard. Frisbee has also been quite a staple in my routine over the last year, so it has been missed! Joining teams here isn’t as easy as it is in NUI Galway, in a financial sense, so I’m now quite grateful that I can just show up to a training session in the Kingfisher without a penny to my name (which I recommend you all do, frisbee is pretty great; Thursdays at 5pm). The girls on the team seem to be good fun and amazing frisbee players, so, hopefully, I’ll absorb some of that while I’m here.
Getting involved in university clubs is always a great way to feel more at home in a new place. Even if the people there aren’t your absolute best mates in the world, a friendly face every week is nice to have, and then maybe you’ll become best mates with them too! Events are a must too, the homecoming football game (Panda Game) is on next weekend here, and while I’m not particularly patriotic towards our mascot, it should still be good fun to see what it’s like!
I’m starting to plan more trips outside of Ottawa now; Quebec City this weekend and hopefully Montreal and Toronto in the next month or two. I have always been really impressed with ‘Study Abroad’ students visiting Ireland, when I see them going on trip after trip, exploring parts of Ireland even I haven’t been to. I didn’t really understand where their energy came from until I came here, and part of me can’t wait to get back to Ireland just so I can start taking advantage on my weekends off there too. I fully intend to remember and adopt the adventurous mindset when I’m back on Irish soil, but as it’s easy to fall back into old habits. I intend to take many photos while I’m here to remind myself of what I can do in a weekend if I bother to make an effort. The weather is pretty nice here for the moment, too. Any day I’m free, I make sure to get outside! It’s meant to get cold pretty soon, though I won’t understand how cold until I experience it, so, wish me luck. Saying all that, Netflix nights are just as important. We all need a breather from the excitement of travel and the stress of assignments. That’s all for now, enjoy your week!
