Arriving in campus 2 weeks later than initally scheduled, my flat-mates were very kind and helped me to adapt with social life here. The flat is typical American style and I shared a room with a Canadian guy and 5 girls with diverse backgrounds. The spirit of the Residence is based on mutual respect and support for each other, so that you can experience the life of a more open environment. Almost all of my flat-mates had a Canadian base or was at least raised in Canada. There is a girl named Lily, who bakes every weekend which keeps the kitchen warm and she bakes really well. Lily has answered almost all of my questions about Canadian culture.

Canada offers a multicultural environment, even for food. You can find almost every dish from Asian cuisine with a deep connection such as Indian cuisine, Japanese cuisine and so on. Here, people are still influenced by tea-culture from British, and even if it is next to Brazil and Colombia.

Nanaimo and VIU is a spiritual and relaxing environment. I had some Japanese friends around campus by the Rockies Mountain trip, who are very friendly and open for new things as the blank paper. VIU is a popular destination for many Japanese students for their English-learning course. There are many from Okinawa and raised here, and some of them are my friends. There is a regular schedule for badminton in the gymnasium which offer two areas, one is the stadium for basketball, volleyball, and badminton, and one is for the gym. VIU students balance their social life and scholar life by the library and the gym. I like the lifestyle here, as daily life is in a deep blend of many experiences. Nanaimo is beautiful picture with colorful layers.