Study Abroad Diary | No.5 🍃 Echo Valley Provincial Park Adventure

This week, my classmates and I escaped the city and ventured into the breathtaking Echo Valley Provincial Park—and let me tell you, the prairie landscapes did not disappoint! (Though my photography skills definitely don’t do it justice 😅). 🌿 Why Echo Valley Stole My Heart Endless Horizons There’s something magical about standing in the middle of nowhere and everywhere at once. The grasslands stretch forever, meeting the sky in a seamless blend of emerald and blue. After months of staring at textbooks, this felt like a soul reset. Green Therapy Science says nature reduces stress—but you don’t need data to feel it here. The quiet rustle of grass, the occasional birdcall… it’s the opposite of Shanghai’s honking traffic. My brain actually slowed down for once. Hidden Lakes & Trails We hiked to Katepwa Lake—a glittering surprise tucked between rolling hills. The water was stupidly clear (and stupidly cold in November 🥶). Pro tip: Visit in summer for swimming! 🚗 The Journey There: A Road Trip Vibe Distance from Regina: ~45 mins by car (thank goodness for classmates with wheels! 🥹). Route: Highway 10 East, then winding roads past quintessential prairie farms (so many hay bales!). Wildlife Spotting: We saw white-tailed deer and a suspiciously fat groundhog. No bears—thankfully. 📸 Photo Failures & Lessons I tried capturing the vastness, but… iPhone panorama mode = a sad, flattened version of reality. Lighting challenges: Prairie skies change mood every 5 minutes (golden hour? More like golden 10 seconds). Solution: Just… be there. Some views refuse to be boxed into a screen. 💭 Reflections as an International Student Back home, "parks" mean manicured gardens with tea houses. Here? It’s untamed land where you might actually get lost. At first, it felt too wild—but now I get why Canadians defend their nature so fiercely. Also: Small-town generosity is real. My classmate refused gas money and packed extra timbits for the ride. Try that in a Shanghai Uber. 🌟 Who’d Love Echo Valley? ✅ Hikers (trails range from easy lakeside strolls to rugged paths). ✅ Birdwatchers (bring binoculars—this is red-winged blackbird territory). ✅ Anyone craving silence (the only "noise pollution" here is the wind). Next Up: ➡️ Winter Edition: Cross-Country Skiing in Wascana Park? ➡️ Regina’s Hidden Café Spot for Post-Hike Hot Chocolate To fellow nature-deprived city souls: Prairie parks > concrete jungles. Fight me. 😂 #ReginaLife #ExploreSaskatchewan #CanadianNature #StudyAbroadDiaries #EchoValleyPark #PrairieSunset #NoFilterNeeded