I have 5 different classes: 4 in business, 1 in sociology. The bad point from having taken business classes is that we have already studied many of these classes. Most of the concepts seen in class, I have already heard about them or learnt them in Esdes or in high school. But on the other hand, it is easier to understand, and I don’t need to do all the readings or doing all the exercises to do understand what the professor tells. So it is all a lot of work less.

International business: Globalization is studied, how companies deal with different cultures, international exchanges, the different actor of  globalization… The professor is interesting, he speaks on a rather slow way, with a good accent (I mean, understandable). There is readings to do for every classes and an assignment in group also, report or oral presentation.

Business Decision Making: it is management; so it is very wide and many different domains are taught: finance, managing a team, managing money… The professor that I have is very boring and speaks always on the same voice, on a boring way. Nobody is listening to her. So classes are not pretty exciting. As an application of the theory, there is a enterprise managing game, as Kalypso, that we play in group. It is called “Mikes Bike”, and as Kalypso, we have to decide the amount of production we want to do, the investment…for every year, in competition with the others group from the class.

Consumer Behavior: It is a marketing class, as the title expresses it, focused on consumers. The teacher is very dynamic and interesting. We quite often have little assignments to do in group, in class or to prepare, and to present our result to the class. It is stimulating and so people get easily involved in class. We also have to do a presentation, in team, for the exam.

Marketing communications: It is a marketing class, focused on communication channels, the message, how delivering it, in content and form. The professor is nice, always kidding and joking with students. He often shows us an ad at the beginning of the hour, so that’s entertaining. Meanwhile I find the content pretty boring, as it is concepts that we have already studied at Esdes.

Tradition in Social Thoughts: The title from this course could seem very boring, but actually, it is really interesting. It is the no-business subject, that I picked up and it is my favorite one. The whole sociological thought is reviewed here, from the industrial revolution to nowadays, with all the different thinking movements and great historical sociologists. The professor likes his job and his subject, and it shows! Even if there is a big clock upon the board in the classroom, I forget time running in every class. The bad point: an essay has ti be written by our own (so not in group), and that’s is not the shortest! (6-11 pages). And readings have to be made for every class (as for every classes, actually), and it is not the easiest ever since it is the original author textes. And as I have not obviously studied the concepts before, it is better, if I want to well figure out the things in class, to read them on a previous hand.

I have also attended to catholic studies classes. Friends from the JAM told me about it and as I was curious to see, I came. The teacher is really nice, calm and speaks on a slow and very understandable way so that is really amazing to get all the informations. The class is about the catholic history and religious concept: great characters as Mother Teresa, Jean Paul II or famous saints, but also catholic principles/fundamentals (virtues, sins, holy spirit…) are here taught. It my recreation class, because I am free to attend or not, and it is really relaxing (above all thanks to the professor’s way to talk).

Besides, I met the international students. There are not many new exchange students this semester, only 8, including 5 French students. But in the group there are many foreign permanent students or some who arrived in September. Parties are organized in a house, off campus, or in a flat on campus, very weekend.  Many Canadian people are invited and join us, that make often a good atmosphere, with more or less 30 people. There is a pub on campus, called “the inn”, with different kind of parties: rather calm and informal, people are sat around table and drink, talk…with a band who plays guitar, as in a bar, so or club atmosphere with electro music, to dance. There are also bars downtown. I have never tested yet, but I’m planning to do it.

I have met also other people, students from teamwork, or by acquaintances, or through societies or parties, and I get in touch with some of them: I went at their place or had a coffee together. I met quite a few Chinese people also, really nice, and as many are in business, we are often together in work groups.

Meanwhile, it is not easy to get integrated with Canadian people, because they already have their friends, their habits. They don’t try to meet new people and to make new friends. Moreover, they are here to get their degree, they work more than us so.  Fortunately, there was the JAM, and it was a great opportunity to me. 

The Chinese New Eve Event.

Now, I am in Canada for one month.

I’ve had enough time to get used to my schedule, to get an opinion about my classes, to get to know new people, to do some parties, to do sport, to get into a society, to go to a hockey… to be a Canadian student!

I’m rather glad from my experience here, especially because I got in touch with new people.

 As I am christian, I went to the JAM, the chaplaincy group of the university. I met quite a few nice people, really welcoming. The second weekend of January, there was a retreat with them in a center, led by sisters, at the edge from the town. It lasted two days, and it was really amazing. We were around people. We have especially thought and discussed about our faith, in little and bigger group, prayed together, but also acted in sketch, ate together, talked, laughed, played…have fun!

First school days, first observations

The class has begun on the Monday 6^th January. The first classes from each course were shorter: it was just introducing the topic, the teacher, and how the semester will go on (exams, evaluations, work, group presentations, book…).

I will spend almost my entire courses with Caroline and Jérôme Oudert.

The timetable is really light: there are just approximately 13 hours of class a week. But more preparation for each class is asked, by reading some pages of the book before each class. That’s why teachers wait for us more participation and implication in their course, and a grade on participation is dedicated.

Moreover the academic system is also different. It is much more independent than ours. People are not spread in classes, that mean they don’t stay with the same people for their whole courses. Here, as each student can choose his subject, they have their own timetable. It is a very independent way to work. Students come often alone or in small group in class, and don’t speak between each other during the lesson. In that way, they are more respectful towards the professor. But it is harder to speak to the others and so to meet people.

And I was rather disappointed about it. I knew before coming that academic system was more independent, but I did not think of this consequence. In fact, people meet each other more through the associations, evenings, parties, housing, than in class.

As I really wanted to meet people, I went to the “wellspring group”, that means the chaplaincy of the university, on the Monday evening. It was great! I met quite a few people, really nice and welcoming.

Concerning the apartment, the Canadian girls are really nice, really helpful. They inform us, when we need to have some pieces of information (about how getting that, where is that building…) and we went together to shop some stuffs. That is just a pity that we don’t eat together. The social aspect of the meal is not part of their culture. It is part of the adaptation process.

About the language point, that is not so easy, above all for the beginning. To understand, the professor in class or people in general, it is not so difficult. But to speak and to be understood it is harder, especially due to my very French accent. Even if we are French and come from “the country of luxury, fashion and gastronomy” and so on that people are quite “impressed” and pleased to welcome us, as we don’t speak very well, it is harder to meet people.

But things would come step by step. Let’s wait and see…

From Halifax to Antigonish

Blog’s goal: to show the students a view of the country and an experience in a university abroad.  

Before going to Antigonish, to begin my semester at StFX, I spent three days in Halifax, the main city of Nova Scotia. I arrived there on the 28^th December, I stayed until the 1^st January. I was in a youth hostel, where I met quite a few people, including foreign people who were in travel, all very nice. It was a great experience.

Then I took the maritime bus, to Antigonish. Caroline Delepoulle joined me in the bus, at the airport station. Brenda Riley, the lady from the international exchange, welcomed us on the campus. The campus was totally white, completely recovered from snow. It is quite impressing! We visited it by car, she gave us some piece of information about the accommodation, the courses, etc, and we moved into our flat. It is an apartment for 4 people, that we share, Caroline and I, with two Canadian girls. Ii is situated in the residence Power Hall.  It was the Wednesday 1^st January.

Then we occupied ourselves for 5 days, until the end of the week. The campus was totally empty, as all the students were gone back at home for the vacations. We got to shopping, to buy some foods and products at the Sobeys just near. There was a snow storming on Friday, so we stayed the whole day inside. It was exceptional! During the whole day long, it did not stop to snow and to blow. The window from the living room was completely covered by snow! We heard that this storm was coming from the east coast from United States and has moved on Canada. It is an exceptional weather situation that has occurred for a few years! Without being aware, we have attended to an historical event!

During these few days, the hardest was the adaptation to the weather. It was often less than -10°C. I have had the impression to go to ski each time I went outside!