The new life that I started in Canada this month has been not only adventurous and exciting but also unexpected and thrilling.
The first week of September would start with a week off before school starts. During this time, I organized my room and got cozy, spent time with my new friends to bond, and finished up some things that I have wanted to do for a while; reading books, calling family members, and studying the curriculum here so that I could get ahead by just a bit.
After the long week of mostly staying in the dorm ended, it was time for me to get ready for my first day at Strathmore High School; the start of a new and different school life. On September 9th, I got on the iconic “Yellow school bus” and headed to the school, feeling nervous but also ready for a change.
The day started with having a one-on-one talk with a school counselor to decide my classes, talk about my future and goals, and get to know more about the school. There were core subjects all of us had to pick which were English, Math, Science, Social, and P.E. Then there were extra classes that all of us also had to select. I went for Aboriginal studies, English, Math, P.E., and fitness for the first semester and Social, Science, French, Industrial design, and Management and Marketing for the second semester. The counselor would also introduce me to the school app they use in the school called “PowerSchool”, which is used for recording grades, schedules, and classes all in one. It is a convenient app and teachers also love it.
Afterward, I would have my first class at school; Math 10C – which is the top-level math class in the school (excluding Math honors) – and turned out that 3 other friends of mine were in the same class as mine. I was happy and relieved at the same time as I didn’t know any local people yet. As expected, the class was easy and made me think about how difficult the stuff I did and went through in Japan was. The teacher is such a cool and rather “Modern” side teacher; she understands us teenagers goes through the class very chill and is very open to questions and conversations with students.
I had my English 10-1 class next – which is also the top-level English class in the school (excluding English honors) – in which I also found 2 friends that I knew of from the dorm. The English classes were significantly more challenging and required time and thinking compared to the ones I have been through in the Public high school in Japan. There would be essays, comprehension questions, stories to read, and group work with people around you. This class is known as the most tiring class if you want to graduate with high marks; not because it is difficult to understand, but because of the amount of assignments and the speed at which we move on to the next task. The teacher for the class was somewhat similar to the math teacher I had; cool and chill and was close with the students.
My next class would be P.E., which would be a double block; the 3rd period would be a double block because lunchtime would come right during the class. The school gymnasium is located right inside the building – which was unexpected – and it felt like “the American gymnasiums in the high school movies”. It was very light colored with all of the banners and cheering messages saying “Go Strathmore Spartans”. The first floor is the gym and on the second floor is the training center. In class, we would play all sorts of sports; badminton, volleyball, soccer, handball, and so on. Out of all the classes I have, I have the feeling that creating friendship bonds was the easiest and most natural in this class; we would always be pairing up with people, competing against one another, and always interacting.
Finally, I had my Aboriginal studies class; which studies about the indigenous people and their history, lifestyles, and cultures. This is a sub-subject class, so the class and the atmosphere was more easy going, chill, and a class where I could get some rest:) My teacher for this class happens to also be my English teacher; the great one who is always positive and engaging. I chose this sub-subject because I wanted to learn more about Canadian history and Canada’s cultures and lifestyles.
A month has passed since I started life here, and I have surprisingly already gotten used to the new school environment, made lots of friends and bonds with teachers, and am enjoying it here. I have realized a few things about myself that I have changed during this time; I started liking playing basketball and volleyball with friends, started to understand and use words and phrases that I have learned newly here, got the hang of classes, and got used to how classes are proceeded and started chewing lots of chewing gum. There is so much more that I can’t list the whole thing down, but am pretty sure that more changes would go through me. I am enjoying the lunch meal served in the school cafeteria; pizza, chicken fingers, sandwiches, fries, salads, and more.
There are many amazing things to experience in Canada that also happen to be in the dorm as well. One of my favorite and most surprising ones is meeting with the squirrels 🐿️. They live in the yard behind the dorm where the playground and basketball hoop is. They live underground, and from time to time pop up in the open and run around the grass field. To me, it feels like I am looking at something unreal, as Japan has no wild squirrels in public, and because they are so much cuter than what they are in the cartoon movies I’ve seen.
Another thing that I have recently enjoyed doing is going to Tim Hortons – a coffee and doughnut franchise store – and Starbucks; I want to try the drinks that they don’t have in Japan and their seasonal drinks. I like how Tim Hortons sells their drinks and doughnuts at a low price and is good at the same time. By the time I had been there over 5 times, I learned a little trick that works and would be loved by many, especially teenagers and younger ones; one can get a free doughnut if done the following two: smile and great excessively at the cashier and the workers, and get a drink and a doughnut after 9 pm or so. Then, you can get free doughnuts and if lucky, a free drink! *However this is not guaranteed* Starbucks is somewhat similar; if you smile and greet them, and eat or drink inside their store for a while, they’ll get you free food and drinks (and they always are the new menus and taste amazing). *Again, not guaranteed* I am pretty sure that these are one of their marketing methods to boost profits, but it felt different from the service we get in stores in Japan.
Canada is renowned for its nature’s beauty all year long; its mountains, rivers, and lots more. The sunsets here have a different taste of beauty from Japan; since Alberta is located in the plains, no mountains roam the area, making the sunsets every day look like the ones we see in coastal areas – how the sun sets right at the horizon, with no mountains destructing the flat view – and looks like a piece of art. Also, I happened to already see a beautiful aurora in the night sky on top of the big pond in the neighborhood. It felt like it suddenly appeared out of the blues, so vast and beautiful. I looked just like the ones I’ve seen on the internet.
The dorm organizes monthly trips around the province so that international students can experience Canada during their stay. On the 20th of September, we went to Banff, and I got to see the iconic view that I saw on the internet and always wanted to see firsthand. It was amazing to see just how nature’s beauty and esthetics differ between countries; Canada has more rocky mountains, taller and pointy trees, and vast lands. On the next day, we had a trip to a mall in Calgary called “Cross Iron Mills”. There, we all had time to shop and get everything that we would need for the upcoming cold winters; huge jackets, snow gears, and so on. The stores in the mall were like any other stores you would be but it was nice to just go out of Strathmore for a day and roam around near Calgary.
A few days later on the 28th of September, there was a local culture festival where people from many countries gathered in the park and around the stage to enjoy traditional dance performances, music, and cultures of different countries. It was nice to watch them and to enjoy the festival feeling in Canada. There were food and drink booths, souvenir booths, and more.
