South American student got way more snow than he expected in first Christmas season away from home

A South American student studying in Sault Ste. Marie says his first-ever experience with snow this year has been unexpected, especially the amount, which far exceeded his expectations.

Raphael Medina is a 20 year-old student from Colombia who is studying in the music program at Algoma University. Last year, he studied remotely for his first year, but travelled to Sault Ste. Marie in August to learn in person.

For most of his life in Cali, Colombia, Medina has been used to year-round temperatures between 25 and 30 degrees Celsius.

“We didn’t have seasons, so the whole year was the same,” he said.

Winter temperatures and the snow that goes with it in Sault Ste. Marie is an entirely new experience for him.

“This is the first time I have seen snow in my life, so it has been very impressive for me,” said Medina. “It has been different than I expected and of course we get a lot of snow here in the Sault so it has exponentially increased.”

Medina has been too preoccupied with his studies to take advantage of the snow, but said he is looking forward to trying out some new winter experiences during the winter break.

“I would like to try skiing, snowshoeing, sledding and whatever else you can do,” he said. “It’s something new for me and I am excited about having something to do with my friends.”

Medina said he will miss some of the traditional Colombian traditions while he stays in Canada over Christmas.

Christmas Eve is when people in Colombia traditionally give out their presents to friends and family.

“There is music, people dance and we have a special dinner that day. There is also a lot of sharing with your neighbours, it’s a very festive time for us,” said Medina.

Pernil Asado is a pork leg that is a main dish for many Colombians for Christmas dinner.

“People put in stuffing and it’s really special. We also have a lot of traditional Christmas dishes, but you cannot find them here,”said Medina.

It is often accompanied by small fried dough balls called buñuelos and a Colombian custard called natilla.

“Those are some of the dishes we love to eat and they are not usually sweet,” said Medina.

Not only will Medina be away from family and friends back home this Christmas, but he hasn’t met any other Colombian students studying at Algoma. 

“I haven’t found a lot of people from South America at the university, but I know one Colombian girl who lives here. She is studying at Sault College,” said Medina.

Asked if he will be homesick this Christmas, Medina said, “a little bit, but not too much.”