The Clear Lake Integration Weekend is AIMS' largest event every term, where some 35 of us embark on a bus trip to the Riding Mountain National Park, bunk in cabins near the infamous Clear Lake and engage in various games and activities. The park sits atop the highest part of the Manitoba Escarpment, and is home to a variety of wildlife including wolves, moose, black bears, bisons and hundreds of bird species, amongst others. We were headed towards the townsite of Wasagaming at its southern end, which is also the only commercial centre within the park boundaries.
Map of Riding Mountain National Park, well-known for its gun-shaped landscape
Interior of our cabin (complete with couches and kitchenette), little cottages and souvenir shops
The past 3 days were a good break from the city and school - not that Winnipeg's that bustling nor I've been studying much on exchange - but the fascinating sights, gorgeous scenery, fresh air and refreshing touch of nature were rejuvenating for a change. There was something beautiful to admire any time of each day - quaint town sightings, waters and clouds at dusk, the awesome night sky embellished with uncountable twinkling stars (I've never seen that many stars before, and it's a pity nothing we had on us could capture those sparkling pictures effectively).
The only thing that probably made the weekend less enjoyable at times was the chilly weather, it was so cold (about 8 deg C or less) that frost formed on the grass at night. Coupled with the evening windchills, even the Canadians themselves couldn't quite withstand it!
I really love the unique combination of both deciduous and evergreen coniferous vegetation in this part of the world. The pictures below are that of Clear Lake, a popular destination for swimming, scuba diving, fishing etc. especially in the summer.
A really breathtaking view of the vast, limitless horizon at dusk
Of course, we took the opportunity to interact with many others as well, especially people whom we haven't really met (since our closer friends preferred to study and not join us over the weekend). Js and I were the only Asians who made it for the trip, and the AIMS people (having interacted with Singaporeans for a couple of terms to date) really enjoyed our company, haha. We managed to find 2 Mexican girls who were interested in going to Calgary/Edmonton/the Rockies next weekend, so we'll most prolly go together! :) And yep, over the weekend I also got to know 2 girls (Dutch and French) on more personable terms, so it was heartwarming and nice to go beyond the basic small talk and reminisce about things back home with them.
In the daytime after breakfast, while waiting for games (such as Scavenger Hunt around the town and relay games) to start. You can see that everyone's pretty wrapped up even though it was super sunny!
That's what you call "coming face-to-face" with a wild bear in Canada, haha.
The AIMS executives witnessed all our silly shots in action and joined in! We even taught them how to do the SMU jump, especially Dylan and Natalie, who were previously in SMU on exchange, heh.
Another highlight of the trip was the 2 consecutive nights of partying at a random bar near the park, themed Neon Night and Superhero Saturday respectively. It was indeed amusing and a testament to everyone's creativity seeing one another don all sorts of innovative costumes and accessories..!
Oh, we also played "I Never" - though they call it "Never Have I Ever" here and instead of drinking we had to run across a circle and swap spots with others - but yep, it was somehow difficult coming up with more "taboo" topics simply because of the more open North American and European cultures. Hence everything we usually consider quite shocking back home is common here, haha.
Neon Night
All squeezed into the mini bus that shuttled us to and from the bar, and people loved my clip-on neon hairs and funky tie that night. Haha..
Superhero Saturday
See my Wonderful W logo that's hand-made from aluminium foil!
It's true: Superheroes "save the day" but turn to partying and fighting each other at night.
Wonder Wini, Super Condom and Wonder Woman
Kungfu Panda, Bubbles, and Chantale (I dono what she is, haha)
Finally, these are some of the scene-shots I caught on the bus trip back. The Prairies landscape offers such unique and amazing sights of waters + farmlands + skies; it has become a pleasure just gazing at vast acres of land without a slight tinge of noise nor pollution.
The Prairies tagline - "as flat as flat can get"
Hay rolled-up in bushels for easy drying and storage in the barns