Welcome to Canada

Trent University opens arms to 225 students from more than 75 countries with outdoor orientation activities

International students attending Trent University this fall explored the campus outside the classroom Wednesday.

About 225 students from more than 75 countries took part in activities planned by The Land Canadian Adventures, a local outdoor adventure company.

The program took students outside to learn about the area’ s natural and cultural heritage.

Groups paddled a canoe along the Otonabee River, ran an obstacle course, played Indigenous games, engaged in a workshop and enjoyed a bonfire.

The event aimed to settle international students in before campus-wide orientation starts next week.

It also helped students so far from home to loosen up and make connections with fellow pupils who’re in the same boat.

Hareshamjit Kaui, 19, made friends who’re just as excited to make snowmen as she is.

“I’ve never been to any country that has snow,” said Kaui, who’s from Malaysia.

She’ll be studying forensic science and psychology. The jointmajor program is one of the reasons Kaui chose to study at Trent. She was also impressed by the river running through the campus.

But paddling along that river was a different story. Kaui had never been in a canoe before. “It was OK ... scary,” she said. K au ire ally enjoyed the day, saying it gave her a chance to meet students just like her.

“You can meet people as weird and as lost as they are because all of them are new,” Kaui said.

Jinal Somani will be studying environmental geo science.

When Somani arrived in Peterborough from Tanzania she didn’t know a soul. By the end of Wednesday, Somani was surrounded by new friends as she got ready to run the obstacle course.

“It’s helped me really socialize; I’ve met a lot of people today,” Somani said.

Like Kaui, Somani had never paddled a canoe before.

“It was amazing, we were kind of lost, but it was fun, “she said laughing.

The 19-year-old said she picked Trent because it’s a green university with a great reputation.

“I’m more than thrilled to be here,” Somani said.

You can meet people as weird and as lost as they are because all of them are new,” Hareshamjit Kaui

CLIFFORD SKARSTEDT/ EXAMINER A student is tossed in midair on an Inuit throwing blanket as 225 students from more than 75 nations participated in Trent University’s International Orientation organized by The Land Canadian Adventures on Wednesday. See more photographs from the...

CLIFFORD SKARSTEDT/ EXAMINER Students take part in an obstacle course on the Lady Eaton Drumlin as 225 students from more than 75 nations participated in Trent University’s International Orientation organized by The Land Canadian Adventures on Wednesday. See more photographs from...