CANADA - SHERBROOKE

Do you know those typical American movies and TV shows about high school and university stories? I've been feeling just like that for over a month now. It’s like the American Teenager Dream but in Canada.

I was very nervous when I got off the plane in Montreal alone, looking for my shuttle, my first time traveling alone and so far from home. While everyone in the shuttle was speaking French, I couldn't take my eyes off the window because I couldn't believe I had actually started my semester abroad. When I arrived at the university, the student ambassadors greeted me warmly and took me to my room on campus. I got a room in the oldest dorm, with old wooden furniture where the drawers were hard to open, and a roommate in a small room and a unisex shared Bathroom. I was a bit disappointed because I wanted a single room for privacy, but my mood wasn't down. The next morning, I went to our cafeteria called "Dewies" because everyone living on campus is required to eat there. There are different food stalls and many variations, but after a while, it starts to feel like you're eating almost the same thing all the time.

Right on the first day, the student ambassadors reached out to me, and I met other exchange students from different countries, some of whom are still in my group of friends today. I walked around the campus to explore everything, and it all seemed so huge in my eyes, even though it's a smaller university for the people here. We have seven different dorms, our cafeteria, a large sportsplex with a pool, gym, an ice rink, a fast-food store, and much more, a big library, classrooms, a supermarket, and a disco. On the very first day, I went to the pool with eight other exchange students and realized that everyone was very open and friendly. I was most afraid of not making friends or not finding the right ones, but there were about 180 international students, and we were all looking for friends because we were all alone. I also came out of my shell a lot in this short time since I was very shy at the beginning, and it was hard for me to talk to new people or approach them, especially because of the language barrier. But in just this short time, I've made a lot of progress.

We had orientation days for international students for the first three days, where many university staff gave speeches and prepared various activities like a scavenger hunt and icebreaker games for us. I got to know more people day by day and in the first few weeks, I talked to several new people each day, and everyone was extremely friendly, whether they were students or professors and university staff.

After the first five days on campus, I met the other Canadians, and on the same day, the OWeek began. An incredible experience. We had to choose a team with our leaders, selected by higher semester students, and each team had a name and a song. We got T-shirts and small gifts, and there were many activities and challenges throughout the day. I was only in my room during this week to change and sleep briefly. We did everything for our team to earn coins, Melisa Dincer from having foam and mustard in our hair to eating five garlic cloves or being tied to others for two hours. Of course, there was also a party almost every day in the tent, and the weather was still very warm. Canadians in Quebec really enjoy country music, and it's a must to own cowboy boots and a cowboy hat. It was incredibly fun to bond with people even more and to talk to the Canadians. It's common here for almost everyone to wear sweatpants and slippers or Ugg boots and even go to class like that. Don't be surprised if you go to the library and see many students taking naps on the sofas. Just like seeing squirrels everywhere and encountering deer on the campus. You get to know most of the people living on campus, but it's hard to become close friends with the Canadians since we exchange students will go back in a few months, and the first-year students on campus want to make friends for the whole academic year. That's why my closest friends are all exchange students from different countries, and I'm not only learning about Canadian culture but also many other cultures. But I never thought that I would form really close friendships here with people I definitely don’t want to lose contact with after my exchange and that makes the whole experience much better.

Before my classes started, I was still very nervous because I was afraid, I might have a hard time due to the English language, but I must say it was very good from the start, and I quickly immersed myself in the language. The level is not as challenging as in Liechtenstein, but we have many tests and assignments throughout the semester that are quite time-consuming. The classes are relatively small, about 20-25 people, but I'm used to that from our university.

I spent the first few weeks on campus because we have everything we need there, and the city where the university is located is very small with not much to do. I go to my classes, to the library with friends, to the gym with them, and see and talk to many people in the cafeteria when I'm there for lunch or dinner. In the evenings, we either watch a movie or just chat. We also have many sports teams at the university, and I have figure skating training every Wednesday morning and occasionally go to the university's tennis club. It's also nice to watch the athletes play on the weekends, as everyone is dressed in school merchandise and purple, and you feel like a big family while cheering on the players, even though I didn't understand much about American football at the beginning.

So far, I've been also traveling to Montreal, a beautiful city just an hour and a half away from campus, Quebec City, and Toronto over the Thanksgiving weekend. Canada is a truly beautiful country, and I really liked Toronto. There are many  opportunities to plan small trips, and I'm excited to see which city I'll visit next. I had never considered visiting or living in Canada, but I'm extremely happy with the decision to do my semester abroad here. I build close international friendships, feel comfortable at the university because it's small and personal, I’m evolving and getting to know myself better and I can visit many beautiful cities during the semester.