6pm.What does it feel like to be an international undergraduate student in the U.S or Canada?
I was a former international student in Canada, living there from mid-2008 to mid-2011. Let me try to summarize my impressions:
Warmth: I felt very well received when I first arrived in Edmonton. People were clearly used to interacting with international students. Other international students were very curious about the others, so it was natural to interact more often with them. Canadians were very friendly.
Food: very weird, everything was different, including the time each meal is consumed. Being used to a hearthy lunch, it was difficult at times to just keep going through the day with a midday snack (quick meal instead of real food). Also, food felt a lot more expensive, except for fast food, which costed just as much or less expensive.
Daily schedule: again, very weird. Things happened quite early in the day, and ended just as early. Being used to late hours at stores, mall, and restaurants was of no help. I was surprised that restaurants closed 6pm. Not everything opened during weekends, adding more to the strangeness.
Classes: definitely (much) harder than I was used to. Took me quite a while to adjust. It felt that some of my international peers were struggling a bit to adjust, while it (felt as it) was business as usual for Canadian peers. I was quite impressed on how serious the students were about their studies, something that felt incredible to be around.
Way of life: way too different. At times (many), I felt like an alien.
Family overseas: strange feeling of abandoning them, so leaving Canada felt like the right way to go.
Work habits: outside the research environment, it felt much lighter. People were committed but not obsessed with work. Work hours were very balanced. Leaving home at 5pm was great, allowing for mundane tasks to be completed (groceries, cooking, bank, etc).
With regard to the cities I spent relevant time:
Edmonton: spent the most of my time while in Canada. A great (also literally) city to live. Would definitely return. Walking around the streets was always enjoyable. Extremely polite people.
Greater Toronto Area: not my kind of place to live. Felt like living over an area of many countries extremely close to each other, each with their rules. I don't feel I would enjoy living there again. Did not enjoy walking the streets.
Vancouver: dream city. Everything is close, and the surrounding landscape is incredible. Has a denser energy than Edmonton, probably due to closeness of everything. People are also very friendly and approachable.
My turning point was the distance to my family. Canada is such an awesome and welcoming place to live, but for me, it was not enough to continue there.
