When I got to Montreal, I didn’t feel comfortable right away. Like any college freshman, I was somewhat anxious about being away from home for the first time, but there was also the added element of culture shock.
I’d become friends with a French exchange student at my high school and spent some time in France, but I soon found the language and expressions used in Quebec were a lot different. I also didn’t know much about Canadian culture — the slang, the history, the education system, and the way of viewing the world.
At first, as I met groups of students who all knew each other from high school, I felt like it would be hard to find my place at McGill. Still, after a while, I found a good group of friends, got involved in city activities, and began feeling at home.
Starting my career abroad
After receiving my diploma four years later, I knew I wanted to stay abroad.
I applied for a post-graduate work permit that allowed me to stay in Canada, and found a job at a marketing agency where I had to speak French every day. At first, I felt intimidated. I didn’t get some of the jokes and cultural references made around the office, so socializing was hard. Still, over time I began to feel more comfortable working in a second language.
After a few years, I decided to move to Berlin with my partner at the time. It was hard to find work, learn German, and navigate the immigration system, but I drew on my previous experiences to help and found a remote job teaching English online. We continued moving around Europe until I settled in Spain in 2018, where I started a career as a freelance content writer and journalist.
Moving abroad for my degree gave me the courage to pursue my own path. As I learned to figure out confusing visa situations, new cultures, and foreign language environments, I became more resilient and motivated in my career.
Not having a student loan to pay off was an added bonus.
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https://www.businessinsider.com/college-overseas-abroad-canada-mcgill-university-no-debt-2024-7