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International Students Gather at the Forks September 2019

February 2, 2022

For thousands of years, The Forks has served as a natural meeting place: first for early Indigenous people, later for fur traders and Canada's developing railways. Today, the junction of the Assiniboine and Red Rivers continues to serve as an important landmark that helps define Winnipeg.

WSD's International Education Program students met at The Forks on Sept. 25 as part of their Welcome to Winnipeg event and inaugural field trip for the 2019-20 school year.

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"When it came to welcoming our International Students to Winnipeg, we thought what better place to meet than The Forks," said International Education Program Director Debra Parker. "We have 8 schools represented here today. This is the students' first time meeting as a larger group, so it's a chance for them to get to know each other better while they're also learning about Winnipeg."

As part of their experience with WSD's International Program, the group of students—who hail from 17 countries around the world—will meet periodically as a group to learn more about Winnipeg and Canadian culture.

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The Sept. 25 event included a visit to City Hall, a photo scavenger hunt for local historical landmarks at The Forks and a visit to the Canadian Museum for Human Rights.

"Many of these students have seen photos of the museum and The Forks, many before they even arrived, but this is a chance for them to finally see it in person," Ms. Parker said.

Students said they were impressed by what they have seen of Winnipeg so far.

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"They also have a lot of restaurants and shopping malls…I like it here," said student Nana Kawasaki, who hails from Nagoya, Japan.

For many of the students, studying in Winnipeg helps strengthen their English language skills, and the field trips are an opportunity to interact with students who are also continuing to learn the language.

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"Sometimes it's difficult to speak in English, it all depends on the day. To speak in English, you have to think in English instead of Spanish," said student Ines Sastre Enjuto, who comes from Valladolid, Spain.

The International Program students will continue to connect for further cultural experiences throughout the year; their next plan is to attend a Manitoba Moose hockey game.

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Ines and Nana, who both attend Daniel McIntyre Collegiate Institute, said they were looking forward to seeing winter first hand.

"We have winter in Spain, but it's not as cold as it is here," Ines said.

Winter, hockey and human rights… all a part of WSD's international program student experience!

To learn more about WSD's International Education Program, visit here.

To learn about hosting an international student through WSD's homestay partner, Canada Homestay Network, visit here.

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