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Winter 2015

Seasonal

The Rideau Canal in Ottawa, Canada during winter.

The experience of landing in Canada for the first time was unforgettable, not only because it was the first time, but also because it was winter. In February 2019, we landed in Vancouver with much luggage and checked into a four-star hotel. The winter in Vancouver was still above zero and did not feel cold. During the next few days, we visited Stanley Park, Chinatown, and the beach. We were impressed with Vancouver, which is surrounded by mountains and sea. It wasn't until the last day, when we took a taxi to the airport and unloaded, that we realized one of our suitcases was missing. After two months of investigation, we found out that our luggage had been stolen by the staff in the hotel's luggage room. I was very sad because I lost my mobile hard drive and many precious photos in it.

Our second stop was Ottawa, where we really experienced the severity of Canadian winter. For the first time, we saw 20-30 cm of snow and experienced a temperature of more than 10 degrees below zero. My son was very happy and excited when he saw the snow he always wanted to jump in it to play. In all the excitement, he had no idea of the risks that would follow. My husband also did not have the experience of walking on the ice and snowfall, he fell heavily and lost his memory at once, he was sent to the hospital for examination. Fortunately, there was no big problem, and his memory recovered the next day. But then we got a $2,000 bill from the hospital. We didn't have a health card or insurance at that time, so we had to pay it ourselves. The first winter we came to Canada gave us a big lesson. Now we are used to the Canadian winter, we have more experience to cope with the winter life.