I started the preparations for my exchange only one week before I left. Or, the part where you start packing the suitcases, that is. The mental part of the preparation had started long before that. I must say I was a little sceptic about everything we had been told: the cultural differences we would have to face, how we would have to be prepared for those, the culture shock we would undergo. But during my time here, especially after I had just arrived, I was happy to find comfort in the idea that there were theories that predicted my little miseries that I experienced from time to time. That they were normal, that everyone experienced those.
So, Canada. I did not know anything about the country, except that it would be winter and that it would be cold – very cold. I only thought of packing clothes that would keep me warm enough and did not really focus on packing much else. The content of my suitcases primarily existed of T-shirts with long sleeves, warm sweaters to wear on top of them, over-sized vests to wear on top of the sweaters, jeans, and leggings to put under the jeans. Now that it is spring and it was 28 degrees last weekend, I really regret not thinking further: that Canada was not Alaska, that it was not likely I would freeze to death as I would go to a city, not a forest, and that there was going to be a spring after the winter.
One of the first things I noticed when I came here was how different the people were. They seemed to be more open to and interested in the people around them. Everywhere I went, people asked me how I was, whether it was in the bookstore, people I met on campus, or in the supermarket. A funny fact is that I misinterpreted one thing. I eagerly told everyone who asked me how I was doing all about how I had just arrived in Canada to do my exchange
The pride of Canada: Ice hockey semester and how everything was new to me, happy to have found someone to talk to. But after a few days, and after I noticed that most people stopped listening and started doing other things while I was still talking, I figured that people did not really care about how I was doing, but that it was rather a form politeness than it was an actual invitation to start a conversation, which made me feel a little embarrassed.
Classes started almost immediately after my arrival. Already in the first week I found out that teachers did not like students talking to each other during class. I had never been in a classroom that was so full of students and yet so quiet. When I tried talking to someone next to me, they gave me the shortest answer as possible and then focused on what the teacher was saying again. Moreover, although there were more than a hundred students in class, everyone was participating. They all seemed so much smarter than me, making comments on what the teacher was saying, answering questions, discussing with each other. And it was all willingly. It is almost the opposite of the attitude of an average Dutch student.
Finally, the Canadian students like partying. In a group of about 40 students, half of them exchange students and the other half Canadian students, parties were organized every weekend, every birthday was celebrated, and, moreover, huge house party’s took place – the ones I had only seen in American movies.
Overall, I would definitely recommend Canada to go on exchange to. It is a nation with very kind people. It is as if people trust each other here more easily than people do in the Netherlands. They are very willing to help you, especially when they know you are from somewhere else. They invite you easily to their homes, without even knowing you or asking any questions. Furthermore, Canada is a perfect place to study in both English and French. Of course, the weather is not fantastic and it is not a completely new environment you’ve never seen before. But if you’re not afraid for cold, if you like practicing your language skills, and if you like being around kind people, Canada is the right place to be.
One of the things I learned from my exchange is to adjust to a culture that is not your own. Even though Canada’s culture at first sight seems to be similar to the Dutch one, it actually is a whole different culture. Maybe the differences are not as big as when you would compare a western culture to for example an Asian or African culture, but Canada’s culture definitely has strong elements that make it a unique culture of its own. It is good to know how people from different environments think different about things. Furthermore, because I could not fall back into my comfort zone, being on exchange helped me to get to know myself better and rely on myself.
