By Rachel So (McGill University, Montréal, Canada).

I’ve been in Montreal for a month now but it seems like time has just flown by! I feel like I’m slowly settling down now and am feeling more comfortable in my new home. It was difficult transitioning into a new environment at first because everything is so different, but once classes started, I managed to settle myself into a routine.

In my last post, I mentioned that I didn’t think the cold was too bad. I was definitely mistaken! The temperature drops to -24 degrees sometimes, and if you include wind chill, it actually feels like -30 degrees! This kind of cold is something I have never experienced before! It makes even 5 minute walks so difficult. Thankfully, I live quite close to campus so I’m never outside for too long!

I have managed to do a bit of exploring during my time here. Last weekend, I went to Old Montreal which is a really pretty part of Montreal inspired by Europe. With the cobbled streets and old-style buildings, you could have thought you were walking down the streets of Paris. There was also a river but because it was so cold, the river was completely frozen over! I had never seen anything like it before!

I have also been able to try some Montreal cuisine. Poutine is a Quebec speciality which is made up of fries, gravy and cheese curds. It doesn’t sound that exciting but is certainly very delicious!

I hope to be able to do more exploring over the next few months!