Orillians might have seen Angel Palacios around town over the past month and, if he has his way, they’ll eventually see more of him.
Palacios has been studying the English language at Lakehead University. Why Lakehead was chosen — it was done so by officials in Mexico — is a mystery to the 24-year-old from Mexico City.
“Maybe God. Maybe the stars,” he said with a laugh.
This is his first time visiting a country other than Mexico, and it has made a big impression on him. He wants to move here and bring his parents.
“I want to get a job, make some money and come back here. I love Canadians,” he said. “I have the opportunity to learn other things here, other customs. I can learn from the people here as well.”
While there’s a lot of school work to be done during the students’ stay in Orillia, Lakehead has arranged day trips. Palacios was able to visit Niagara Falls — “a place I could only see in my dreams” before coming to Canada, he said.
This is Lakehead Orillia’s largest cohort of international students studying through the university’s English Language Centre. Seventy-three Mexican students were at the campus last month and 179 are there now.
On Friday, Lakehead marked the annual World Student Day, which was established by Languages Canada to celebrate international students.
International students are an important part of Lakehead, said Katie Fraser, international engagement specialist with the Orillia campus.
She praised both the visiting and Canadian students for making the past month special.
“Our Canadian campus community has been very welcoming to them,” she said, adding Orillia residents have been, too.
The visitors “are all enthusiastic and they want to make the most of their time in Canada,” Fraser added.
Palacios is doing just that, and it has only made him want to move here more.
It’s not like there isn’t room, after all.
“Canadians have a lot of space here,” he said, comparing it with Mexico City, whose population is almost a third of Canada’s.
