CANADA - SHERBROOKE

I can't believe that it's already been two months since I've been living and studying here in Canada, and I've seen and learned so much new stuff. After these weeks, everything already feels so normal here, and I get sad when I think that half of the time is already over.

I still remember Melisa in the summer, who was shy and talked as little as possible with people around her, especially after my arrival because I wasn't comfortable communicating entirely in English. My English wasn't bad, especially compared to other exchange students, but it wasn't very fluent either. I lacked a lot of vocabulary since I had never had to speak English frequently before and only took two English courses at home. I was also initially afraid that I would struggle in class and not understand much, but that fear turned out to be unnecessary. And the exams are also easily manageable since they are all multiple-choice questions (even though it can be tricky sometimes). Being surrounded by people 24/7 made it feel normal after a short time. Even though I made mistakes and had to think about words at the beginning, I can now say that I speak the language fluently without having to think, and I feel comfortable speaking it. When watching a movie with my friends, I only realize later that the film is not in German. The language also has changed significantly through the courses, which makes me really happy because English can be used everywhere.

.However, the greater challenge here was French, as most people in this region of Canada speak only French, and almost no English. My first negative experience here was when I had toothache and had to call various doctors to schedule an appointment. It wasn't easy since, as mentioned, most workers couldn't speak English, or the automatic answering function was in French. Luckily, my French friends could help me. But communicating with the locals here is always difficult, whether in the supermarket or on the street, to ask for something. Fortunately, I had studied French for four years in school and could speak and understand basic things. I was actually happy that I am not only in an English-speaking region, as I love the French language and could actually improve it. I started with Duolingo right from the beginning and learned also new phrases from my French friend.

Nevertheless, after the not-so-pleasant, stressful time after the midterms was over, and we had a week of holidays, we were happy to encounter more English speakers on our trip to the USA. The four of us rented a car and first headed to Boston, as it was only 5 hours away with border crossings and stops. Unfortunately, we didn't have much luck with the weather there, but it was still beautiful. After three days, we continued to New York, and it was simply magical for me. I remember the first evening when we went to Times Square, and I saw all the lights on the screens. An indescribable feeling. It had always been a dream of mine to go to New York, and I could fulfill it during my semester abroad. The weather was beautiful, and even though my feet hurt from walking after a while, I enjoyed every second. We also met other students from our university in the States and were able to finish the trip together at a rooftop bar. I am incredibly grateful that I could find such great friends with whom it worked well to go on trips.

Right after our arrival, I also got to experience Halloween here in North America. Halloween decorations everywhere, just as I had always imagined. On the first day, there was a street party where everyone from our university was dressed up, and you could talk to so many people and make new friends. On the second day, the big party was in our university club Melisa Dincer "Gait," where my friends and I had a partner costume and had incredible fun. Even though we didn't win the costume contest, I really enjoyed feeling like a Winx for a day. On Halloween itself, on Tuesday, there was a house party where everyone was invited, and it was incredibly fun to celebrate Halloween properly and also get candies from teachers and everywhere on campus. Because most people participate in our university events and also dress up according to the theme, it's always fun, like our Great Gatsby night at the Gait two weeks before.

Time flies, also because we do so much and everything is so much fun, even though we have to learn and work a lot during the semester. Since Montreal and Quebec City are not far away and easily accessible by bus, we went there over the weekend, which is a nice change from our small village and cafeteria food. Life here has become my everyday routine, and having my second family here, I enjoy every moment, even if it’s just studying together in the library or laughing in class.