What is your name, age, nationality and company?
My name is Julie, I’m 17 years old from Norway, and I’m traveling with AFS.
Where are you spending your exchange year?
I live in Saint-Lazare, which is about an hour from Montréal, Quebec.
Why did you decide to be an exchange student?
Since I was young I’ve been very fortunate to travel a lot with my family and discover new cultures, which I’ve figured out that i really enjoy. I had already done a type of exchange in Austria in 2014, and i discovered that the best way to really discover a new culture was to live with a local family. It was not until my sister did an exchange year in 2015/16, I decided that that was something I wanted to do too. I first applied to go to the US, but after a long conversation with my sister about what I wanted to get out of my year I decided to ask the organization to change country to Canada, which was the best choice I’ve done in my life, thank you Elise!
What did you think when you first stepped out of the plane?
I traveled to Montreal with three other norwegians who live in other parts of Quebec, and we all were extremely nervous to meet our host family. We were partly joking about taking the next flight back to Norway, that’s how nervous we were, but it all vanished the moment i met them. The second my host sister and me got eye contact she came running up to me with my host mom right after. From that very second I felt at home, and excitement took over.
What is the weirdest thing you have tasted so far?
Poutine, by far. For those who isn't aware of this extremely quebecoise dish, it is french fries with “squeaky cheese” (cheese curds) and brown gravy. After
the first time eating the famous poutine I was not sure at all if I
liked it, but now I’ve decided that it is one of the best things I’ve ever tasted.
What is the greatest thing you've tasted so far?
EGGOs!!! It all started the first time I went to the grocery store with my host sister, we spent about two hours there, and now it’s my favorite store here. The grocery stores are so different than the ones in Norway, and they have so many different types of food. There’s like 10 different types of Eggos and I’m working my way to find my favorite flavor.
Have you done anything so far that you never thought was possible?
Learn french. When I started school and had all my classes in French, without understanding anything. When I came I thought I was decent in french, but it didn’t take long time until reality hit me, and i realized that I knew about nothing. I heard from another exchange student who went to a spanish-speaking country that he went to school, stared on the wall for five hours and then went back home, I thought that that was a bit exaggerating, but that’s almost what happened. But the moment I realized I understood an entire chem class I was so surprised.
What has been the biggest challenge so far?
The language. In Norway I’m quite used to be able to pay attention in classes, and get good grades, and that was something that was important to me. So when I started school here and failed every subject and didn’t learn french as fast as I wished and what I thought I would, I took it harder than what I wished I would’ve. It also took me some time to realize that it was up to me to take initiative to speak french and I couldn’t blame it on anyone else.
How do you like the school in your host country?
I love it! My school is huge so there is so many people to talk to and such a variety of people. But my favorite part is that my first class starts at 9.30, every day. The system is different than what I am used to, which makes it a bit more fun too. I was imagining school more like High School Musical, but that is not what it turned out like.
If your exchange year was a song, what would it be?
My host sister showed me this song called Ultralife by Oh Wonder, and now it’s our song that we scream on the top of our lungs in the car together.
How do you imagine the day you are going home?
That is a day I’m dreading with all my heart. It will be a good day and a horrible one. Now when I realize that that day is coming dangerously closer, I realize how lucky I’ve been to get the host family and the friends I have. Over the last months I’ve got friends that I never thought I would have, together with the amazing relationship I have with my host family will make that day really hard. But on the other side I get to see my family and my best friends back home in Norway again, which I’ve off course missed, but I think it will be weird because I’ve changed a lot too, this experience has influenced a lot and helped me grow and mature me in ways I didn’t think was possible.
