I did these 7 things to overcome homesickness

Canada is a beautiful country, everybody knows it, but things aren't always so beautiful as it seems. Moving to a completely different country is very tough, from cultural shocks to learning a new language, from a "perfect weather" country to wild winters, from arepas to poutine. It's really hard to fight homesickness, and a lot of people ask me "honestly Katherine, how the hell do you do it?" well, here are 7 things that I did to fight homesickness and stay motivated in my first year away from my country. 

1. Visit the CNE! 

Something crucial when you're a newcomer is to get involved with their culture! And the CNE in Toronto is a perfect opportunity if you're new to Canada. The CNE not only gave me the opportunity to learn more about the Canadian culture, but also to learn about a lot other cultures that are also part of Canada. 

2. Volunteer at the Guelph Jazz Festival

Volunteering was a great opportunity to learn more about the city of Guelph, practice my English, and make new friends! Plus, volunteering experience can look great on your resume, and you can enjoy amazing events while helping others.

3. Visit Niagara Falls

Listen, visiting Niagara Falls is obviously a must do. Niagara Falls is amazing, and there's a lot of fun stuff to see! 

4. Working for a Canadian campus-community radio station

As a radio nerd, working for a station was definitely an amazing opportunity for me to learn about radio, sound, music, and so much more. Working for this station was a blessing and it made a huge difference in my first year in Canada. It gave me the opportunity to meet new people, enjoy new music, explore new places, learn new skills, and open doors for my new future. 

5. Getting Venezuelan products at Walmart

It was a bizarre thing to see this product translated to three different languages, but it was SICK. It was a little exciting experience at Walmart, I'm not even going to lie, and it warmed up my heart to be able to make authentic Venezuelan arepas at home IN CANADA. Super fun.

6. Hillside Inside Festival

This was another super cool opportunity that I got from working with the station! And it was a cool experience since this festival has the word "Inside" in its name for a reason. Hillside Inside is a music festival organized during the winter (yes, when it's very cold and snowy out there) and they do this whole thing IN A CHURCH!! How COOL is that? Great way to fight the weather and lack of sunshine.

 7. Hillside Festival

And for the summer, there's a Hillside festival too! The summer edition of Hillside Festival is beautiful. The music festival takes place in this big park in Guelph, right beside the Lake, and the headline is always full of amazing local bands and lots of fun. 

Yes, moving to Canada has been tough, but there are so many great opportunities and places to go to in this amazing country, so if you're new to Canada, don't worry! You're definitely not alone. 

Visit my YouTube channel to take a better look to my adventures in Toronto: youtube.com/katherinethielen