Canada
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Countdown to Canada: Nine days to Go
By Deborah Oshidero, University of Calgary, Canada With my flight just 9 days away, the countdown is starting to feel real. It still hasn’t fully sunk in that I will be spending a year in a completely new continent and honestly I don’t think it will till I set foot in Canada. It feels surreal, but as the days get closer, my preparation has shifted into full gear.
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Getting ready to move to Canada!
By: Aleksandra Wozniak, University of Calgary Canada An exchange from the UK to Canada is an amazing choice, but you must ensure you come to North America prepared. From heavy snow to multicultural cities and an insatiable amount of maple syrup, there are certain things you must bring to derive the most out of the experience. Here’s an essentials checklist to make packing just a tad bit easier! Important Documents: Clothing for All Seasons If you’re staying through Dec–March: For other seasons: Tech Must-Haves: Helpful Extras Things to Set Up Once You Arrive 1. Get a Canadian SIM CardTo avoid crazy roaming charges, grab a Canadian SIM as soon as…
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Academic Cultural Shocks in Northern America
By Aleksandra Wozniak, University of Calgary, Canada. Landing in Calgary, I thought my cultural shocks would come mainly from the food, weather and people. What I didn’t brace for was a wholly different academic culture. Although united in language, Canada and England differ significantly when it comes to their learning. Hence, when I first saw the letter “B” on top of one of my papers I had a mini panic attack. What I didn’t realize at the time is that Canadian institutions prioritize your learning and growth over grades. Having been comfortably nestled into the first-class zone at my institution, I had to rewire my whole thinking when I moved.…
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Ranking Banff’s top hikes for Canada’s exchange students.
By Aleksandra Wozniak, University of Calgary, Canada. Although Calgary offers great sights, Banff and its surrounding areas are so close that you must visit them, whether for a day trip, camping or a weekend getaway! With many ways to get there (Brewster express bus or carpools being my favourites), you can make multiple trips to the region during your exchange. However, the trouble with such a vast space is that you have so many choices on things to do you may sometimes be unable to choose just one! To help with the decision, here’s my ranking of some of the top hikes to complete. 1. Kananaskis Country (45-90 mins from…
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A Review of Student Accommodation at Concordia University
By Katharine O’Hearn, Concordia University, Canada Having finished my semester exchange at Concordia University living in on-campus student accommodation, I thought that a review of the accommodation would be useful for future students considering living in on-campus accommodation. Overview: At Concordia, there are only two on-campus student accommodation halls- one at the downtown campus (the Grey Nuns Residence), and one at the Loyola campus (Hingston Halls A and B). I found on-campus accommodation at Concordia to largely be very similar to at Manchester, but the most noticeable difference is that they were not divided into flats, and all on-campus accommodation is catered. There are both single rooms and shared rooms,…
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The Unpacking you don’t hear about: Reverse Culture Shock after Canada.
By Aleksandra Wozniak, University of Calgary, Canada. And alas, the year came to an end! Once again, I traded snowy campuses, poutine and copious amounts of maple syrup for rainy weather and obligatory cups of tea. But coming home felt strange. In fact, home didn’t feel like home anymore. I found myself comparing everything to my life in Canada: the weather, grocery stores and even connections with my friends. This is an experience commonly overlooked by travellers: the unexpected reverse culture shock. Although some may not notice this nostalgia for months, it hit me a week after coming home. I was back in my hometown, in my room, surrounded by…
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Navigating the Canadian Housing Crisis.
By Aleksandra Wozniak, University of Calgary, Canada Having received my Visa and been accepted to my host university, there was only one thing left to do before my departure to Calgary in Canada, finding housing. Having been put on a waitlist for residence, I had no choice but to find an alternative place to live. I began my search by considering my options. I could live with a family, rent an apartment, or a room in a house. I decided that being close to the university was of top importance, and began my search by looking at surrounding roads. I was lucky enough to find a student house, just 10…
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The Canadian Cold: is it manageable?
By Aleksandra Wozniak, University of Calgary, Canada. After spending Christmas in England, I was welcomed back into Canada with -37C weather. Although I was shivering the whole way back to my accommodation, I could see people outside going about as if nothing happened – some even walking around in shorts! Depending on the region of Canada you are in, you’ll likely be met with temperatures ranging between -40C in the winter to 35C in the summer. Still, the cold weather tends to come in waves in the winter. Although you will almost inevitably be met with colds of -30, these don’t usually last longer than a few days before Chinook…
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Studying Abroad as an Introvert
By Katharine O’Hearn, Concordia University, Canada One thing I didn’t expect about studying abroad was dealing with the pressure to be spending so much time with other people as an introvert. For me, I sometimes felt like if I didn’t have the energy to be doing something every day or constantly making new friends, I was failing. I thought I’d provide some advice here for people in the same boat to ease the pressure a bit and feel a bit more like you’re making the most of studying abroad, even if spending all your time with other people doesn’t come naturally or you prefer to stay home a bit more. Hopefully…
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How to survive the Canadian winter
By Katharine O’Hearn, Concordia University, Canada
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Vancouver
By Andrew Mortimer, University of Toronto Mississauga, Canada I arrived in Vancouver early and very tired on the 16th of May, having taken a 24-hour train ride from Jasper in the Rocky Mountains. I then took a quick bus ride across the city to my hostel (HI Jericho Beach) and met up with my friend, whom I saw a few days previously in Canmore. After dropping our stuff off, we headed to UBC Vancouver, which I knew had a picturesque campus right on the coast. Unfortunately we couldn’t visit their Museum of Anthropology, which has amazing indigenous displays, due to major renovations, but the Japanese Garden we stumbled across was…
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Banff & Jasper
By Andrew Mortimer, University of Toronto Mississauga, Canada In order to make the most of being on the other side of the world, and with the enthusiastic recommendation of my housemate from Calgary, I decided to go even further from home by flying out to Western Canada. I decided to go on the 8th of May, a week after my final exams had finished, so that I had great weather and minimal fellow tourists. Although I wouldn’t be back in Toronto until the 21st of May, I was only in Banff and Jasper until the 15th, so I had to make sure I made the most of my time whilst…
