Experiences unique to your host country/university
I never imagined that I would live for a short time in Canada, and I especially didn’t imagine living in Waterloo. Waterloo was the prettiest place that you could imagine for going on exchange. Since Canada is a popular tourist destination for outdoor recreation, I spent most of my time on exchange deepening my knowledge of leisure and recreation through courses focused on real-life practice. One of my most memorable experiences was holding a seminar for aging people and learning what they need from the perspective of tourism and hospitality. Other than that, I spent my time traveling around the many mesmerizing places in Canada, such as Montreal, Toronto, Quebec, and Banff. I even ended up crossing the border and going to Cuba! It was such an amazing experience to learn about the culture, the indigenous people and their history, and to interact with the very friendly locals. Poutine is one of my favorite Canadian foods, besides the rabbit meat that I got to try in Quebec! I also got to meet and network with other exchange students who came from different parts of the world.
Words of advice/encouragement for students who want to go on exchange in the future.
The advice that I would like to give is to try to start something, have courage, explore, and make new connections. That means connecting with new people who went on exchange at the same time as you, managing your time wisely, and balancing your social life (the experience of exchange) and your academics. Try to research the university and the environment before you go to mentally prepare yourself, too!
LANGUAGE:
Japanese
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