My First Two Weeks in Montreal!

By Katie Dolan, McGill University, Canada

McGill’s Redpath Museum

Wow, I have completed my first 2 weeks in Montreal and what an amazing few weeks it has been!

If I am being honest, I wasn’t all that excited for my study abroad year when it finally came around to it. I know that is not usually how people feel. It wasn’t nerves or fear that was causing this, it was more the effort of having to reinvent your life – making new friends, finding a new favourite study spot, a new grocery store, or a new café that you love more than the rest of them. I found the thought of this quite daunting. I couldn’t quite shake the feeling that a study abroad year may not be worthwhile, so if you’re feeling that way trust me you’re not alone.

But wow, these thoughts could not of faded quicker. From the second I sat on the plane to now after my first two weeks I can honestly say there has not been one second of regret. The atmosphere in Montreal and the buzz around McGill’s campus has honestly been inspiring (as cringe as that sounds it’s true).

From my experience, I would say sleep well on the plane because your first few weeks are going to be absolutely hectic (in the best possible way!). From the day I got here until now I haven’t been bored for a second. There is so much to do and see, so many people to meet, events to go to, and oh yeah, I guess there is actually studying during a study abroad. Who knew!

The day I arrived I was running purely on adrenaline. I landed around 11am in Canada and then made my way to my apartment which is Downtown. I have found that students live quite spread out in Montreal, it’s not really a Fallowfield situation. I personally have enjoyed living Downtown so far because it is very close some main areas – McGill Campus, Le Plateau, La Vieux-Montreal. I unpacked a couple things and met some of my flatmates, before heading out to do a little exploring. Having had very little sleep the night before I flew and a 5 hour time difference, that first night was the best sleep of my life – I was knocked out by 9pm.

La Vieux-Montreal

I quickly grasped how much bigger Montreal was to Manchester and knew that there was so much exploring to do. I went for a run on my first morning down to La Vieux-Montreal (The Old Town) and it’s safe to say this is one of my favourite areas of Montreal so far. There are many cafes, restaurants, independent shops, and beautiful views (it honestly feels like you’ve stepped into France).

On my second day, I went to a ‘Discover McGill Fair’ with my flatmates and explored the McGill Sports Complex. I don’t know if it was all the red and white or the North American school spirit, but I half expected Troy Bolton to jump out at any stage with “breaking free” playing in background. But jokes aside, McGill’s sport complex has everything you could need between a swimming pool, running track, and what felt like 102 squash courts.

Molson Stadium

McGill Hall of Fame

Leonard Cohen Mural

The rest of that week consisted of lots and lots of exploring – going on a chocolate tour, trying my first beaver tail (pictured below), accidentally signing up for what felt like the hottest hot yoga in the country!! I saw the Leonard Cohen Mural, which was quite impressive, and even more so when you accidentally stumble upon it! And of course, if you’re in Montreal you need to walk up Mont Royal. It is a beautiful hill in the centre of Montreal with amazing views of the whole city. I will definitely be doing this walk during the different seasons.

BeaverTail (A cinnamon dessert, 10/10)

View from Mont Royal

I also tried to find a supermarket which proved to be more difficult that you would imagine. Be prepared, they don’t exactly have a little Tesco or Lidl downtown. Although, I do have a Dollarama (like a Poundland) across from my apartment which has most things you could ever need. Luckily one of my flatmates has a car so obviously we had to go on a day trip to Walmart.

Mandatory Walmart Photo

If you thought moving continent was overwhelming just wait till you try and do a food shop in Walmart, it’s no joke.

Something else we explored was McGill’s Open Air Pub (OAP)! Petition for Manchester to host one of these in Whitworth Park?? I think yes! Basically, OAP is a free on Campus, student-run music festival with a barbecue tent that is on during the first 2 weeks of the semester. As embarrassing as it is, I will admit that I stood in line for 2 hours to get in on the final day. And even more embarrassingly, it was actually more like 3!

McGill’s OAP

We also found loads of great bars and restaurants on Saint Laurent Boulevard. Big tip – MAKE SURE YOU HAVE DATA! Especially when you are going out in an unfamiliar place, but that’s a story for another time.

Of course, I was also starting classes during all of this and getting involved in student life. The different teaching and assignment style here will definitely take a bit of adjusting to which I will talk about in more detail once I wrap my own head around it! I had the opportunity to volunteer at McRace which was a 5km Race around the campus. One of my flatmates ran the race too and another flatmate came to watch! Safe to say it was a very wholesome Sunday morning!

McRace 5KM

So that’s a little snippet of my first 2 weeks! I feel like I could write so much more and I could without a doubt add more photos (I am going to have no storage left by the end of the month, never mind year!). Overall, I could not of imagined a better first 2 weeks and I am super excited to see what the rest of my time here brings. Talk soon!