Bonjour mes amis, allow me to introduce myself. My name is Aline, I am 20 years old and I have a confession to make: I don’t miss home. I have come to Concordia University in Montréal to study Politics and I am having the time of my life. I have always loved to travel and the chance to spend a few months abroad studying was too good to miss – especially with the Student Loans Company picking up the tab! (Yes – I know I’ll have to pay it back eventually…). I had never been to Canada before, and while this is not necessarily a method I recommend, I perused the list of possible host institutions and just had a really good feeling about Concordia. Their website and international staff confirmed my suspicions and so the decision was made! I am also absolutely desperate to see a bear and to improve my extremely rusty French, and where better to do so than ‘the Paris of the Americas’?
Concordia University, Downtown Campus
I have now been here for 19 days, 4 hours and 54 minutes, and lectures started a week ago. While I am thoroughly enjoying my time away, there are a number of things that I have noticed that the International Office, previous students and the Lonely Planet guides just don’t tell you before you go away. I have compiled a list for your reference.
Things you don’t realise about studying abroad in Canada:
• You will be super proud of yourself for managing to speak French for about two sentences. Just hope that they don’t ask you if you have an ‘Optimum Points Card’. Your blank staring face will ruin any of the mysterious French illusion you had going on.
• Speaking of ‘super proud’, you will suddenly start using words in ways you never have before. I bought a ‘super cute sweater for Fall’ this week. This from a girl who has spent her entire life in boring old well-spoken Surrey! Go with it. I just hope ‘tom-ay-toes’ isn’t coming next…
• Whatever your favourite food/drink/item happens to be, it will be more expensive in your host city. Mine is cheese, and those ‘SPECIAL OFFER: $7.99!!!’ posters advertising a miniscule square of the stuff makes me miss Lidl desperately.
• At least two people will mistake you for an Australian. I know not why. Your neighbours will beg you to read Harry Potter aloud to them and they will squeal delightedly when you finally agree to it. Milk your British accent for all it's worth!
• Local products are somehow pricier here than they were at home: I challenge you to head to the Sainsburys Local on Derby Road. In there, you will find a small bottle of maple syrup. You will balk at the price. Here, it’s nearly doubly as expensive. Why oh why?
• Your study abroad period will show you how unhealthy the UK is. In my entire two weeks here, I’ve seen about three obese people, and not a single paralytic drunk.
• At some point, you will scramble through your suitcase and realise that you have forgotten a vital item. For me, it was a belt. I could not wear most items of clothing without said belt. At this point, you will have a deep longing for Primark, Primani, Primarché, whatever you want to call it. You will scour ex-pat forums for an equivalent store, draw a blank, and then you will weep.
It is important to note that almost nothing will go to plan during your first days in your new home. I have been lost more times than I can remember, been forced to eat 6 foul microwaveable hot dog sausages, fallen out of my hostel bed and been frequently locked out of the room, survived for two days straight solely on chocolate chip cookies, been caught in two thunderstorms, queued for hours on end and embarrassed myself regularly. Despite these frequent mishaps, I am deliriously happy and excited about what this semester will bring. Even when I found myself sitting on a bus in the dead of night eating my way through a loaf of bread, I just couldn’t believe my luck that I was here, doing new things and meeting new people. I have:
• Seen views like this:
View from the top of Mont-Royal
• Developed an unprecedented level of ‘school spirit’ (GO STINGERS – FEAR THE SWARM!!!):
Concordia Stingers opening game - we lost 48-3!!
• Given up on finding an apartment, any apartment, even a hovel to live in, and then find a place more perfect than you could have dreamt of. I had honestly consigned myself to living in a 6-bed hostel room for four months when I found a great room and an amazing housemate right in the centre of the city.
• Thanked God for accurate stereotypes. Canadians truly are the friendliest, most helpful people that I have ever encountered and it is entirely down to the lovely bus drivers that I am in my cozy apartment tapping away on my laptop rather than wandering the streets of the suburbs wailing about how I’m sure the metro station was around here before…
That’s all for now folks. In the pipeline are trips to the Laurentian Mountains, Toronto and Boston and they will no doubt be reported upon soon. If you’re reading this from another university abroad, I wish you an exciting and fulfilling year full of study and fun! If you’re reading this from Nottingham, please pick me to be a Student Ambassador for North America! And if you’re my mum, I promise I do miss you really! :)
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