Hey, collegiettes! What’s up? Some of you may remember me from last year’s Cuties articles (they were fun, weren’t they?). This year, however, I have momentarily left City and London for an exchange at Ryerson University in Toronto, Canada. As we all knew you were going to miss me, I decided to update you every month with a diary of my experience. In the meantime, our lovely team will still be on the hunt every week for their ‘cutie’, so beware!
Since I am so used to the cutie question-answer sample, I figured out it would be very cool for me to start off with a Q&A so that all of you girls get to know me better!
Name: Claudia Romeo
Year of Study & Major: Journalism undergrad, 3rd year
Country of Origin: Italy
Relationship status: In a complicated relationship with my suitcases!
Why on exchange? Discovery. This was the main reason why I chose not to continue my studies in my home country in the first place. I just wanted to get my hands on a different culture, and of course London is the perfect place if you are on the lookout for a change! After two years of it, however, I felt the need to go exploring some other places, and right after that feeling the whole exchange opportunity came up and… It just was too hard to say no!
Why North America? I grew up watching American movies and TV series and reading about the New Continent almost every day. Being in Journalism, my main concern was also related to the kind of media atmosphere that I would have experience abroad. I have to admit that the whole application wasn’t easy: it took me a while to figure out which was the best option among all the destinations for me and my academic goals, but it was Ryerson at the end. And honestly, girls, after seeing all the TV and radio equipment they have, I wish I could finish my degree over here!
Culture shock coping: In terms of culture shock, I have to say it has been a little bit more difficult to settle down here than in London. First of all, I got here on my own after a 10 hours flight. That’s my first time outside Europe and, well, I guess I had underestimated the power of jetlag! In the first week, I used to wake up at 4 or 5 in the morning every day. Too bad since I had to enjoy the Frosh welcome week that was taking place at Ryerson. Even if I am technically not a fresher, I decided to attend it in order to get into the university life straightaway. Helping all exchange students get together, there’s also a great team of Ryerson students and coordinators that organises several activities in Toronto and also outside the city. For example, a couple of days ago I’ve been to my first baseball game, watching the Toronto Blue Jays playing the Baltimore Orioles. I also found myself studying baseball, hockey and American football for dummies kind of videos on Youtube to help me prepare to the sporting scene over here and subscribing to a trip to the Niagara Falls, (needless to say the place is just awesome). My advice is: get involved in every opportunity that steps in, you’ll have the time of your life!
Missing home? To conclude this long diary article about my exchange, it seems reasonable coping with the simplest difficulty that all students abroad have: missing the comfort of their own home. Again, this is not my first time alone in a new country, having moved to England when I was 18 years old to start my degree at City. However, when in London I could keep in touch quite easily with my family and friends at home, here time difference is very hard to deal with sometimes. You have to plan your calls and catch-ups in advance. Also, it is actually very weird to see my brother in his pyjamas ready to go to bed while I am having my afternoon snack!
Beware, however, that time difference could easily become tricky: if you start procrastinating your activities because of Skype, you’ll start missing what the world outside has to offer. In addition, missing home of course means also having somebody that takes care of you and your needs. I will tell you something amazing, my dear collegiettes: you start off your day better if you make it your own way. After more than two years living away from my family, I can say that there’s no better feeling than taking care of myself. I now have a clearer picture of how I want my life to be and I know I have to work my butt off for that!