By Keiichi Inai

Every year the English Department sponsors an overseas study tour during the summer vacation. This year I was one of the twenty five students, led by Professor Miyoshi and Mr. Joe Dobson, who teaches at The University College Of Cariboo (UCC) and who once taught as a part-timer at Sapporo University. We studied mainly English conversation at UCC, and did a four week home-stay with local families. We also visited some cities and tourist spots. The main purpose of the study tour was to use English in an English-speaking country, but the most memorable thing for me was Canadian nature. The mountains, rivers, lakes, and forests in Canada are quite beautiful and remain intact.

UCC is just one of the universities where Sapporo University students can study abroad. Two students are now studying there as exchange students. UCC has many facilities such as a library, a swimming pool, a gym, and a few cafeterias. Besides studying English at UCC, we also studied Canadian culture, history and traditional cooking. After class we talked to many people at restaurants, the local museum, and a downtown gym. The four weeks of study at UCC were very short, but very significant.

During my studies I stayed with Stefan Fiedorowicz (my host father) and Michaela Stangl (my host mother). Stefanﾕs hobby is drawing modern art. I saw about thirty of his works, which were very curious and got me interested in modern art. They both told me about Canadian culture and lifestyle, and I told them about Japan. This home-stay was great and I will never forget my experiences with this family.

The students on the tour visited two big cities in Canada. We stayed in Vancouver, where the Olympics Games will be held in 2010, for two days before attending school. Vancouver is a picturesque city with skyscrapers, parks, and the sea. After studying at UCC, we went to Victoria. We visited the Butchart Gardens where there are millions of beautiful flowers, and the Victoria Statehouse, which was illuminated by 3,000 lamps at night. Many people love and visit these cities because they are comfortable all year round, with very little snow in winter.

We also took a "Canadian Rockies Tour" during which we saw the unspoiled nature around Banff, a beautiful town in the mountains. We then visited other famous sightseeing spots. I felt the harsh nature at Athabasca Falls, the mysterious nature of the Columbia Ice Field, and the grand nature of Lake Louise. One of the attractions of Canada is its abundant unspoiled nature.

I went to Canada to study English, but I became fascinated by nature in Canada. Its greatness gives people unforgettable emotion and an awe of nature. Nowadays, people live in cities and we tend to forget that no one can live without water, trees, wind, and sun. We should remember a world in which we live with nature.

Nowadays, people use cell phones, cars, and computers, so they are dependent on machines. In addition, some people forget to respect nature and cut down trees and pollute the ocean―all for money. However, we need unspoiled nature, whether it is the grand nature of Canada or the small nature of Japan. You will experience the greatness of nature, have awe of nature, and know that people have no power over nature.

I will never forget the kindness of my host family, the teachers of UCC, the beautiful cities, the Canadian people, and the great Canadian nature. I enjoyed learning about Canadian culture, and I also learned to apperciate the importance of nature.