Nawal F Adde’s Semester Abroad
King’s University College at Western University, Canada (2020)
As I first entered Canada, I was shocked instantly at what I felt when I left the airport – the cold weather. I had to put my jacket on just to compensate for the cold air and gushing rain. It made me re-evaluate my packing… It seemed I packed too lightly. The moment I got to the campus and placed my stuff down, I quickly set off to explore the grounds.
During my first few days in Canada, there were various activities to keep me entertained, which were organised by the international office. These activities included a trip to CN Tower and Snow Tubing. This meant that I got the chance to meet other international students while touring between two cities – London and Toronto, ON.
Going up the CN Tower, my first assumption went out the window. I hoped to see Toronto entirely and the beauty of their skyscrapers. Unfortunately, due to the extreme weather I did not see a thing but towers blanketed with fresh snow. However, we got the chance to walk around the city and soaked up a Winter Wonderland scenery. Despite the difficulty of travelling and the bitterly cold weather, only the amazing cuisines and friendly Canadians were the memories that stay with us from that day.
I am now halfway through my semester abroad in Canada and it’s safe to say that I’m still loving every minute of it. I do not regret a single moment – despite the anxiety, nerves and academic stress of taking such a big leap. I have been exposed to an amazing culture, seen wonderful landscapes and fallen in love with this maple-syrup country.
However, it doesn’t mean that every day of every week was amazing. There were some days that were really boring just like at home. At times it would be stressful to balance the workload with tourist activities. There would be weekly assignments, quizzes, mid-terms, projects, essays and final exams. Also, it took a while to adjust to the different methods used in Canada in comparison to England.
However, as a whole, my time in Canada has given a strong desire to travel and continue to gain new experiences. Hand on heart, I can definitely say I’ll be returning in the future – but only in the summer…