Week One- So it begins...

 This week has probably been one of the most overwhelming weeks of my life and to prove it I woke up this morning with a voice like Barry White; a sure sign that I need to slow it down a little! But it’s just so hard to see how. Between juggling the opening of bank accounts, finding and attending lectures, settling into my new flat and most importantly meeting people, food and sleep just seem to take a back seat! Yet somehow, there’s always time for one more beer… go figure!

my cross street!

            Arriving here late on Sunday night, I woke on Monday with a start at 6am (thank you jet lag), and I believe my exact thoughts were ‘Oh god. What have I done?!’ The previous night I had pulled up outside my new flat, pretty bedraggled after a long flight and an even longer wait at immigration, to find that there was still work going on in the building. I got a quick tour and realized that there was a fair amount of furniture missing or in the wrong place- not exactly what I had had in mind when I’d signed up for a furnished flat. However, I was ushered out onto the balcony by Elodie and Anne, two of my French flat mates, and offered dinner and drinks, which was great. We were joined by Anja and Marie who will also be living here and are on exchange like me. The evening was surprisingly warm and it was lovely sitting and chatting to everyone but eventually I gave in to the fatigue and decided that I would just figure everything out in the morning. However, a good nights sleep did not do much to clear my head!

Pancake Party with Ruth, Lennart, Elodie, Anja and Marie!

I was torn- should I stay in an unfinished apartment with flat mates that I knew were friendly and welcoming or cut my losses and find somewhere else? A tough decision that stayed with me for the first few days- all I wanted to do was unpack and nest in my new room, but with everything in disarray this wasn’t an option. As I settled in, I decided that the flat was (or would be) nice enough that it was worth staying and I’m definitely happy that I did. The building is split between two flats and in total there are 7 of us- Upstairs are Anne, Elodie, Ianis and myself and downstairs are Lennart, Anja and Marie. Everyone downstairs is also on exchange which has been great since we are all interested in getting out there and seeing as much of Montreal as possible! This weekend we had a flat pancake party and a flat BBQ which I think speaks of lovely things to come in the house.

McGill University itself could not be more centrally located. Slap bang next to downtown and at the foot of Mont Royal, it is amazing to walk through the campus as skyscrapers and the mountain pop up around every corner. The buildings are a mix of old and new focused around the lower field and lots of little shady spots to sit and catch up on reading. My only complaint would be that every building I have lectures in has more or less the same name- McDonald, McConnell and McDonald-Harrington- a cruel joke to play on new engineering students which has made me late several times and embarrassed me even more! When I eventually find the classes, I am not disappointed. Every lecturer I have I declare as the most intelligent person I’ve ever met, until I head to the next class and find an equally smart professor waiting by the blackboard. It’s not that my previous lecturers have not been clever, it is just that at McGill every professor is there to teach not just to have their research funded! Not only are they incredibly intelligent but they are also ridiculously enthusiastic, passionate about engineering and funny to boot. To be honest, this is a combination I wasn’t sure was possible in an engineer! It is safe to say I am incredibly excited for my classes this year and am struggling to see which lectures I can use to catch up on sleep after a big night out…

Lower field on campus, looking towards downtown Montreal

The Redpath Museum on campus

I’ve also decided to take a French class this year, which should be very helpful. If truth be told, Montreal is a lot frencher than I anticipated. I, of course, knew that the city is bilingual and has heavy European influences but I hear French more on the street than English. In shops it is in French that they greet you before quickly swapping to English when they realize you’re rather ignorant and all the street signs are written in French. In my head I had thought that the language was something I could opt in or out of in Montreal as it suited me, but now I realise I don’t have a choice, especially as I’m living with 5 French speakers- it really is everywhere!

OAP in the evening

 The best thing about this week though has to be OAP, or Open Air Pub to those not in the know. This is an event run by the engineers in the first week of each semester to allow people to catch up and have a drink or two between and after classes. A fantastic idea that has been crucial in helping me meet people this week! There are chairs and tables set up around a fountain in the centre of campus with a constant stream of people queuing for the BBQ and bar run entirely by volunteers. At 6 o’clock the fairy lights are turned on (not quite as impressive as ours at home!) and the live music begins. It was such an easy and relaxed way to meet people and I felt a pang of nostalgia seeing the empty space where it had been on my walk through                                              Uni this morning!

As for Montreal itself, the city is undeniably cool. Walking around it is easy to identify British and French influences in the buildings and roads, all with a North American twist. Funnily enough I am actually reminded a lot of Melbourne with lots of trendy and unique areas, an underground arts scene and all the perks of the big city! At every street corner you will find the most beautiful graffiti murals in fantastic colours and designs, some are commissioned and others just pop up over night- every day I find a new one! I already have a list as long as my arm of bars and cafes that I want to try, parks to picnic in and markets to visit!

This week may have been overwhelming but with the people I’ve already met and the places I have already seen, I am certain that this year is going to be amazing… or incroyable as the French would say!