Canada || What I learnt from my year abroad.

I am so excited that my first post is on Canada! I cannot rave about this country enough after a year living and studying in Ottawa I am in love. In 2015 I packed my passport and headed to Heathrow with the family in tow - it feels just like yesterday. There are a few things that I learnt from my time spent in Canada's capital and for anyone going on their year abroad this year or thinking about doing it I hope this blog post helps - but even though it's a cliché a year abroad really is life changing.

1) Push your comfort zone!

I don't know about you but I am the worst for being homesick. When I was younger I hated going away on activity camps if it meant that I would be away from home for a few days. I was homesick when I moved away from home into university halls in Sheffield, all but an hour away! So I had no idea how I was going to cope being a 6 hour flight away, in a different time zone and culture. But I did it and if I can anyone can. The best piece of advice I can give to anyone who gets homesick like me is don't be afraid and just get on that plane and do not look back! It was the best thing that I ever did and opened so many doors for me and my future travels! So push your comfort zone, grow learn and most importantly enjoy yourself! 

2) Get involved! 

During my first few weeks in Ottawa I learnt very quickly that if I didn't get out and go to events to meet other international students I was going to have a miserable time. In the intro week I went to every event possible and just got stuck into Canadian life. This involved going to football games, BBQs and of course drinking - I will tell you now international students know how to party! But just getting stuck into life in another country and meeting new people who are in the same situation will help you to settle in quickly. I can confidently say that I made friends for life on my year abroad who I still see, which often involves reminiscing about our travels around Canada! An added bonus is that you'll have international friends so if you're like me and are always looking for the next opportunity to travel it's a win win situation. 

3) Travel, Travel, Travel

I CANNOT emphasise this enough! The best thing without a doubt that I did whilst in Canada was travel across the country and in the US. Getting to experience Canada with the friends that I had made there will always be a special memory of mine. Also when will you ever get another chance again to travel without guilt and responsibility, you probably won't or not for a long time anyway! So grab the opportunity with both hands and run with it. If I haven't managed to persuade you I'm sure the picture below that looks like a Windows screensaver will push you in the right direction! 

I hope you enjoyed this post as much as I enjoyed putting it together! 

Are you going on a year abroad this year?