Uncharted waters: International students try ice fishing for the first time
CBC
It's March break — and a group of international high school students spent part of it doing a uniquely Canadian pastime.
On Wednesday, a group of international students from St. Malachy's Memorial High School in Saint John took to Renforth Cove, in Rothesay, to go ice fishing for the first time.
"It's kind of like freezing. But it's fun," said Jessie Tran, who is from the southern region of Vietnam.
Naz Karaman, a Turkish student, is the one who instigated the trip. Her family lives near the sea in Izmir, so she's no stranger to a hook, line and sinker, but she finds fishing from a shack a little easier than in the Aegean Sea.
"When you fish from the seaside, I cannot throw the bait far enough. So I can't catch that many fish. But in here, it's fun," said Naz, who pulled a fish from the ice while chatting with CBC.
She asked their home stay coordinator to take the group ice fishing after she spotted the huts while being shown around Saint John.
"In my city, we don't get snow and it doesn't get cold. So I was really excited for it," she said.
And the group got out there just in time, as ice fishing shelters must be removed from provincial waterways by March 15.
They were led by Marijke Blok, the home stay coordinator assigned to their school by Atlantic Education International, an organization created by the province to bring students to New Brunswick.
Blok has about as much ice fishing experience as Naz or Jessie.
"The last time I fished was probably more than 50 years ago," said Blok. "And, you know, obviously I didn't take to it."
Blok said the activity is one of many held to give students a taste of the Canadian experience. The group recently went curling and will soon get to see a maple syrup camp.
She said accompanying the students on their adventures has helped her appreciate the province.
"We get to see our own stuff through other people's eyes and some of it's pretty impressive. You know, we just take it for granted," Blok said.
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