This blog post was written by Brook during his 3rd year in the Urban and Regional Environments stream.

 

 

 

One of the earliest challenges I faced in my time at York would be the transition from my high school lifestyle to the university lifestyle. Although I have always known that I had wanted to study abroad someday, the time went by faster than I thought and before I knew it I was packing my bags ready to leave my home. What made this process even tougher was the fact that I was an international student and this would be my first time in Canada.

The summer before my first year started, I had traveled to America to visit some family.  This was my first time leaving the continent of Africa. My parents hoped this visit would help me adapt to the culture shock early on, before I went to university. Although my time in the US helped me get accustomed to some of the visual differences between my home and North America, such as large shopping malls/ supermarkets like Walmart and Costco or even simpler things such as drive through fast food, a lot of the things I experienced in university were unique and I had to adapt on the spot.

When I first arrived at York, move-in day had already passed and I had missed the residence orientation. Although I was nervous at first that I had already missed out on the first steps, I was greeted by a friendly Orientation Leader who showed me how to get my keys and other documents I needed. Surprisingly enough, the Orientation Leader was also Ethiopian and knowing this reassured me a little more. As the days went by, I signed up for Orientation Week, also known as Frosh Week.  I met a lot of new people at Frosh Week, many of whom were in a similar situation as me and were international students coming from different places all over the world. This is when I started to realize how truly multicultural the York community is and that I had the unique opportunity of interacting with people from all walks of life.

Before I knew it, half the semester had passed by and I had already adjusted to the daily routine. At this point I realized another major difference between high school and university which was the level of independence. In university, there was no one telling me to wake up every morning or attend classes. In high school, my teachers would constantly check up on me if I was slacking and push me to be better while in university it was all up to me to stay focused and motivated with my studies. Although I enjoyed all the independence at first I also realized how challenging it was for me to keep myself in check as I hadn't done this as much before. With time, I realized that this was an early introduction into real life.  Learning how to keep myself organized and in check at this stage would benefit me after I graduate and begin my professional career.