Canada – Following the Trail of Maple Syrup – Agata Rutkowska
Published: 25 May 2023
When I embarked on my plane to Canada little did I know that the biggest adventure of my life had just started.
When I embarked on my plane to Canada, little did I know that the biggest adventure of my life had just started. I chose this country as I wanted to explore its stunning nature and wildlife. As I study a joint degree in French and German I went to the French-speaking province of Quebec, to the city of Montreal. It’s a very unique place as people here are mostly bilingual, speaking both French and English. However, the French language is more dominant. It may seem that we already know a lot of things about Canada. However, during my year abroad I discovered a lot of new cultural and historical facts which I wouldn’t be able to do without travelling there. I would like to share a piece of my experience there to encourage you to get out of your comfort zone and go abroad.
Studies
I went to the Université du Québec à Montréal which is a French-speaking university. Thanks to this and living in Montreal I immersed myself in the French language which was one of my main goals for my time abroad. Although the beginning was quite challenging as the accent here is much different than the one in France, after a few weeks I quickly managed to get used to it and communicate with others without problems.
Having all classes in French was very interesting and helped me develop my linguistic skills. One of the most interesting subjects I studied was ‘Culture et débats de sociéte au Québec’ (Culture and Social Debates in Quebec) whereby we watched TV series from Québec province and we had to explain cultural references and specific words used in this region. It was a very unusual approach as during classes at Glasgow University we mostly focus on the French accent from France.
The National Archives in Montreal
Life in Canada
The best part of my stay was participating in events organised by the association for international students ‘Allô’ at my university. One of their main aims was to introduce us to Canadian culture. Thanks to this student society I managed to meet a lot of people which made me feel less lonely in a new city. During our meetings, we managed to get a taste of typical Canadian activities such as watching a hockey match, ice-skating, and snowshoeing. Even though it was sometimes cold, we spent a lot of time outside taking part in these sports and we enjoyed them. Moreover, Montreal is a city with many festivals that take place even during winter. One of them is ‘Montréal en Lumière’ (‘Montreal in Light’) in which I participated with my friends. I feel that Montreal is a perfect destination for students as there are many diverse cultural events. Furthermore, another way I spent my free time there was attending improvisation shows or comedy clubs. Thanks to doing this I could get to know the sense of humour from this region as well as many cultural facts.
Hockey match in Centre Bell in Montreal
Food
Wherever I go, I always try local food as I feel like it says a lot about a country. When we think about Canada, the first thing that comes to mind is maple syrup. I had a chance to go with my university to a traditional québécois restaurant called ‘cabane à sucre’ (‘sugar shack’). We had a delicious traditional meal which contained: pea soup, traditional omelette, sausages in maple syrup, maple taffy, and many other things. I would definitely recommend trying these dishes if you ever go to this region. Another famous fast food from this country is poutine which I often ate with my friends as our comfort food.
Traditional Canadian food in cabane à sucre.
Visiting
As a person who loves travelling, Canada was a perfect choice for me. Montreal in particular has a lot to offer, ranging from beautiful parks like Mont Royal and lots of interesting museums, like the Museum of Fine Arts, to the beautiful European-style architecture of the Old Port.
Furthermore, the association for international students also organised a lot of trips outside of the city which was very convenient for us. Amongst others, we travelled to Ottawa to visit the Canadian parliament where we learnt about this country’s political system. We went to Mont Tremblant National Park during autumn where we saw beautiful mountains and maple trees with autumn colours. We also visited Québec city which is one of the oldest cities in northern America which is reflected by European style architecture. In the park Omega, I had a chance to feed animals such as deer and moose while being in a car. This was an amazing experience as I’ve never been so close to these species.
At the end of the year, we visited Toronto where we saw a beautiful view of this city from CN Tower as well as Ripley’s Aquarium where we admired different marine species. The highlight of this trip included going to Niagara Falls which has been always my dream. I must say that this place was the most breathtaking nature wonder that I’ve ever seen. Moreover, I also enjoyed a trip to national parks such as Parc National du Bic, Parc National des Grands-Jardins and Parc National Jacques Cartier. In these parks, we could admire various magnificent landscapes such as mountains, valleys, and rivers.
Trip to Niagara Falls, Canada.
Recently while looking at my photos from Canada I recollected Marilyn’s Gardner words ‘Our homes are not defined by geography or one particular location, but by memories, events, people, and places that span the globe’. I completely agree with this statement as this country became my second home because of the people I met there and the places which will always remain in my heart. I wish that you will also feel this sense of home or familiarity when you will go on your exchange.
First published: 25 May 2023