Things We Take For Granted in Canada
I was going to write a post about Orientation Week here and how it’s different from Canada, but most of that just fits into this post.
1: GINGER ALE: In Morocco, they say it takes about a month to get used to the food and spices. As such, your stomach becomes a battleground when you least expect it. What’s the best cure for a stomach ache (or just a refreshing drink on a hot/cold/any day) Ginger Ale.
2: Good Canadian Poutine: The reason this is on the list is because a bunch of us (mostly Canadians) went out to a pub and saw poutine on the menu and naturally got SUPER AMPED, and obviously ordered it. However it was the WORST poutine I’ve ever had. The gravy was sweet and only on the bottom and there was just melted cheese on top. And to make matters worse, my stomach became the worst battleground after it (see point 1)
3: Laundry Machines: Just like how we were promised a three bedroom flat, we were promised laundry in the flat. And there are only 2 bedrooms and no laundry. As such, we tried to do laundry this week by going to a pressing place. Here they do laundry by the kilo, and also fold the clothes for you. However when we got our laundry back a couple days later, everything was poorly folded and smelled very average. The pressing place also STAPLED a little tag into every garment, so taking them out was an absolute pain. Really missing coin op laundry
4: Wifi: Here most people don’t have wifi. Instead they go to one of the millions of cafes which offer free wifi and work there, or they buy a little USB stick for internet. We opted for the latter. For about $40 for three months, we got unlimited internet (not missing Canadian internet prices). The downside to it is that we are always using data at home instead of wifi. This is why I haven’t been on snapchat or instagram much because those two use an unreal amount of data. Thankfully there is wifi at the school!
5: School Spirit: In Canada, and especially at Queen’s, our orientation week is almost entirely school spirit. In European and Moroccan schools, it isn’t a thing people do. Here, schools are more like high schools; a place you go for classes then go home. University here isn’t like a small city in that people are always on campus; hanging out in coffee shops, going to the campus pub, studying late at night in the library etc. Part of Queen’s spirit is about football and sports teams, but the university here doesn’t have teams because it’s so small. However, I’d imagine that even if they did, school spirit wouldn’t be the same.
On a final note, a bunch of us exchange students went to the beach yesterday and it was beautiful. Here’s a picture :)
