Experience Report by Bernd P.
Cultural Connection is an organization that offers leisure activities related to student life at VIU. In addition to road trips, the Cultural Connection coordinators organise a Cultural Couch one day a week. Cultural Connection is also the organiser of the “Global Groove” in the Student Pub, which is also located on campus.
Cultural Connection Trip To The Corn Maze
The Cultural Connection Road Trips
On the Road Trips, you as a student will have the opportunity to do activities at a reasonable price and at the same time you can explore Vancouver Island. In addition to local cultural events, there are exploration trips as well as the visiting of tourist attractions. These include a day trip to Victoria and Butchart Gardens or exploring the Horne Lake Caves. The Horne Lake Caves are among the largest cave systems in Canada. We were able to explore the caves through guided creep passages and climbing insoles. Furthermore, we made an excursion to McNab’s Corn Maze for Halloween. We could walk through the corn labyrinth and afterwards we sat together around a campfire with hotdogs and marshmallows. In the end, the activities that Cultural Connection offered were all relaxed excursions where you could get to know other students relatively easily and quickly.
Depending on which semester term you are at VIU, the Cultural Connection offers different activities. You can register for the activities four weeks in advance at the “sign-in hours”. It is important that you bring the dollar amount in cash with you when you register. I also recommend that you register as early as possible for activities such as bear or whale watching, because these (as well as all other activities) have a limited number of places and are booked out relatively quickly.
The Cultural Connection Cultural Couch
German Cultural Couch
The Cultural Couch takes place once a week in a room at the university. Each week at the Cultural Couch, a different nationality is introduced by the respective nationalities of the students. In addition to games and fun, there is often a snack. We, the Germans, also brought our country closer to the other interested nationalities by showing a map and explaining the various traditions in the individual areas. We also prepared potato pancakes with apple sauce and played German music in the background.
The Cultural Connection Global Grove
The Global Groove event format takes place once a month in the Student Pub on campus. Artists from all over the world perform music. This is the perfect place to meet fellow students and bring the week to a close. In the pub, you can enjoy dishes like burgers, french- fries, chicken wings and nachos. There is also a large selection of non-alcoholic drinks, beers and spirits. You should be at least 19 years old to go to the pub. Besides the monthly Global Grove events, the pub is open every Thursday evening.
Finally, I recommend that you consider the Cultural Connection and take as much as possible with you. You will get to know other students very quickly; you will come to places all over the island and you will be able to take part in various activities at a reasonable price.
