REBECCA COSTELLO

Coming to Saskatchewan as an international student can be daunting, but here are some tips to help get yourself accommodated to prairie living.

From takeoff to touchdown in the middle of Saskatoon, it’s a heck of a ride. Once you land, don’t worry too much about the insanity of city driving — it’s the norm — and pretty soon you’ll be driving the roads or enjoying the ride on a bus like you’ve done it your whole life. You’ll learn a whole new meaning to roads once you’ve taken a trip around Circle Drive.

That is until you leave the sanctuary of the city and discover the true dilemma of driving with lakes, sloughs and ditches — on either side of you — and gravel roads that make for a rollercoaster of a trip. However, you’ll soon wish yourself back in the sanctuary of Saskatoon, where the most terrifying trip to make is trying to find the Centre Mall.

The most interesting weather in Saskatchewan is wintertime. You’ll be sitting in the sun one day, out on the green and catching a tan, and then be freezing in no time. Soon, October rolls in and brings with it the snow. Take it from someone who moved in the middle of winter — if you spot a winter jacket on sale when you first get here, buy it and treasure it.

Winter is harsh and the winds can seem severe but if you come here from a place where the winters are damp with slush-like snow, it’s not so bad. The air is dry and breathable and the winds encourage you to move faster. Though it seems like a neverending Christmas nightmare, the sun is almost always shining, except during the few snow storms or the occasional hail the size of one-dollar coins — loonies, as the locals call them.

October brings Thanksgiving Day, a time for celebration and family, which leads into December and the holiday season. Lights and decorations are usually put up in November and then not taken down again until April or May when it starts getting warmer — probably to avoid frostbite!

Usually — as someone prone to complaining about seeing Christmas in November — the lights add to the cheer and magic of winter. If you’re from a place that gets little to no snow, you’re in for a show. It’s bright, it’s white and it’s everywhere.

Don’t worry about all that though, as April brings the beginnings of spring. Farmers of rural Saskatchewan are eagerly waiting to plant, students are not-so-eagerly writing exams and it’s creeping above zero degrees now.

There are so many amazing things that come with spring and summer. Festivals take place, the lakes are thawing out and businesses that were shut down in winter are starting to open again.

Saskatchewan lakes are a great discovery — take a group of friends and go find one. Swimming, fishing, boating — the options are endless. Once you’ve taken a dip in a lake, you’ll never look back.

If you’re a hockey fan, it’s time to say goodbye to the rink and hello to the sports fields. Canadian football is a strange and foreign thing to any newcomer. Trying to understand how a game has to keep pausing to restart is mighty confusing to those of us struggling to keep up. There’s no easy way to say it — if you don’t understand it now, it’ll take a while or it may never happen.

If you’re living off-campus or going to one of the off-site campuses of the University of Saskatchewan, like St. Peter’s College, you’ll likely be near or in a small town. St. Peter’s, located in Muenster, Sask., is a lovely sized college for preparing yourself for university. You’ll be in smaller class sizes, have great access to local resources and you’ll make great friends.

Overall, have no fear about coming to Canada or to Saskatchewan. University is one of the most important and key experiences for a person to have. There’s no right or wrong way to do things and finding out how it all works is a part of the process. The U of S offers helpful services and you will quickly grow to love the area. It’s a journey and a half — sometimes terrifying — but isn’t that what growing up is all about?

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Image: Jeremy Britz/Graphics Editor