Arrived in Canada

Arrived in Canada. The first few days were a bit stressful. With getting used to the new environment, meeting people, and finishing my master's thesis, I had a lot to do. Of course, I didn't want to miss any registration deadlines or introduction events in Quebec. Fortunately, my sleep schedule still hadn't adjusted to the -6-hour time difference, so I always woke up before 7 am, whether it was a late night or not. I used that time to get my daily tasks done and be available for social events in the evenings. I also used the days over New Year's in Toronto to make good progress on my master's thesis. After my defense on Thursday, 5 am German time, I can say: it was worth it 😊! After that, we celebrated with Prosecco and homemade burgers. Tim, a Dutch student, also successfully defended his thesis on Tuesday. So it was another one of those long evenings...

In addition to the stress of my master's thesis, the lectures at Laval University had already started in parallel, to be precise, since January 9. But as a student, the first few weeks of lectures are generally excluded. They always start with a bit of delay due to all the organizational matters. In addition to 3 finance courses, I also took a French language course, which is currently the most challenging for me. I have marked the two buildings where the language course and the other lectures take place in the pictures as well. In general, the campus of Laval University is stunning.

With a campus size of 1.8 km², it's probably more standard for American standards, but as a European, you're really not used to such a dense urban area. Just the Peps (Pavillion de l'Éducation physique et des sports), as the largest sports center in Eastern Canada, includes two swimming pools (one Olympic-sized), a 200m running track with a climbing wall, two ice hockey rinks, a huge basketball arena, tennis and volleyball courts, and much more. In addition, there is a football/soccer indoor field next door, which is only separated from the Peps by a football field. The indoor halls were recently renovated for over $10 million, so the sight is always impressive. We have of course already supported the local basketball team and are looking forward to seeing the ice hockey team. Unfortunately, Laval University is not one of the top teams, as they also compete with American universities.

In the winter, the entire campus is completely covered in snow. This means that the football field is also transformed into an ice skating rink. During the night, snow machines work continuously to keep the streets clear of snow. In Germany, we would already have total snow chaos, but the Canadians are well prepared. This also applies to the connections between the buildings. The entire campus, with its 40 buildings, is connected by a 5 km long tunnel system. This also applies to the adjacent student dormitories and is particularly pleasant when the temperatures drop to as low as -30 degrees. The beautiful thing is that the "Old Quebec" city center is transformed into an ice landscape during the carnival. The preparations are already underway, as the carnival season starts here next week.