My name is Leia (yes, like Leia Organa in Star Wars) Hermesdorf. I'm majoring in English, and I'll be starting my sixth semester at the University of Trier in April. I'm currently studying as an exchange student at the University of Manitoba (UofM), Canada. UofM is located in Winnipeg, the capital of Manitoba and the birthplace of the Métis Nation. Winnipeg is located within Treaty No. 1 Territory, the traditional lands of the Anishinabe (Ojibway), Ininew (Cree), Oji-Cree, Dene, and Dakota.

Winnipeg, or "Winterpeg" as it's also called, is the coldest city in Canada, though we had a mild winter this year with 'only' - 25°C (with the wind chill, it feels more like - 35/40°C). One of the winter's highlights is definitely ice skating at the Forks, the junction of the Red and Assiniboine rivers, and its Nestaweya River Trail! Ice skating on the frozen rivers is an essential part of winter here and offers a great meeting place for Winnipeggers.

The Exchange district (nicknamed the "Chicago of the North") is a National Historic Site of Canada and an arts and cultural hub. On "First Fridays" (every month), art galleries and museums (like the Manitoba Museum) are open late and for free if you are interested in seeing more of Winnipeg's incredible arts scene! If you want to enjoy its film and music scene, I recommend checking out the Dave Barber Cinematheque, a small cinema showing independent films, and getting concert tickets at the Centennial Concert Hall (both offer student passes).

For my studies here at UofM, I arrived in early September and will stay until the end of April so that I can do the entire academic year. I've been taking a mix of classes since, and thanks to Ms. Ebbert-Hübner, I was pretty free to decide what I wanted to do to receive my required credits. So, I ended up taking classes in gender studies, film studies, linguistics, and literature. Last term, my favourite classes included "Film History," "Asian North American Feminisms," and "Language and Gender," whereas this term, I'm really enjoying "Creative Writing" and "Mediating the Mystical" (film again). It took a while for me to get used to my life as a student here (for example, having these classes two to three times a week and a different workload), but I'm enjoying my time here! Besides great classes, UofM offers many extracurricular opportunities and social clubs! I've met some amazing people by joining the Rainbow Pride Club, the climbing community, and the UM Student Writers (a group that a friend of mine only recently started!).

If you rent a car or find a friend here who owns one, you should definitely explore Canada's Prairies and Manitoba's rural spaces, including Lake Winnipeg, Hecla Island, Spruce Woods Provincial Park (sand dunes!), and Whiteshell Provincial Park. Gimli, a community on the west side of Lake Winnipeg, is known for its beach (as you can see in the picture), harbour, and Icelandic heritage.

Text and pictures provided by Leia Hermesdorf.