Phoenix and her friends in Canada (The one with white shirt)

How are you in Hong Kong? It's hard to imagine that I have already been in Canada for three months! I believe applying to go on an exchange programme for one year must be one of best decisions in my life. Not only do I meet different people every day, I also gain precious memories every second!

In exchange I really learnt a lot about our own culture, some parts which deserve appreciation and some parts which require improvement.

My host university is University of Toronto, a university full of students with any nationality, from Chinese, Japanese and Koreans to Indians, Europeans and Americans. Can you imagine the cultural difference? On one hand, while we Chinese love to make friends who share happiness and sorrows with each other, Americans prefer individualism and they just treat most of their friends as acquaintances. I feel frustrated in the failure of making what I perceive as “true friends” at the beginning, but not anymore. It is a challenge to realize that we are just holding different approaches to meet “friends”, and this experience makes you understand your own perspectives more. On the other hand, while I am appreciating the great promotion of recycling in Canada, I found that although natives do sort out their glass, plastic, paper and garbage into different bins, some old Asians simply put newspaper in any bin they can find. With these comparisons, I can see the room for improvement and make an effort to be a better self.

Moreover, learning to be independent is also an important process. Can you imagine a year that you have to take care of yourself? Every packet of food you eat, every drop of water you are drinking, every piece of clothing you have to wear, every utensil you need to use... everything you need to prepare and pay for yourself. You will soon realize how much your family has done for you which you are not aware of, and start to miss the presence of your family who always help you on washing dishes or repairing the broken computer (and paying the rent!), or talk to you whenever you face difficulties.

Besides personal growth, there are still a lot to see overseas! There are various activities organized by the International Student Centre at my host university, introducing various Canadian seasons and celebrations to us. I still remember we had turkey for the delicious and exciting thanksgiving dinner. And except activities organized in school, there are still a lot more to explore! The experience of treasuring the first touch of snow in my hand, the experience of reaching and feeling the water drops and the roar from the beautiful enormous Niagara Falls which I have only seen previously in my Secondary Geography book, and the experience of standing in a sea of a mixture of red, orange and yellow maple leaves in Algonquin Park in autumn are all perspectives of nature which cannot be seen in Hong Kong, which adds to the exciting life of my exchange year.

I would absolutely recommend you to go on and exchange, flourishing your personality and at the same time, enriching your vision! Wish you a happy new year!

Love,
Your Good Friend