I’ve been here since four weeks ago. At the beginning I thought it would going to be difficult because it was like a university program. I remember the first day, we were all nervous because we didn’t know each other very well. I was good because I said that unless I had my cousin with me. After the exams that the teachers put us to see in what level we were, my cousin and I found some friends that were from Mexico and Spain. Since that day we start to make a lot of things together.

The first week was to adapt to our school and new families. That days my cousin and I were inseparable; we did almost all the things together. We start chilling out with our new friends, and start knowing each other. We went to Niagara on the lake to know the other Niagara College campus in where they make beer and wine. I think it was interesting because I didn’t know that Niagara College had that kind of programs. I liked that trip and I learn a lot. This first week I was very tired because I didn’t wanted to go to school again (because last month I was in Toronto studding too) but after knowing my teacher and my classmates I realized that it wouldn’t be that bad. That weekend my friends and I went to the Iluminacua in it was a quiet new and interesting experience. By the time we arrived there we realized that we had to pay the entrance and it was quiet expensive so we decided to be outside in the grass, but were tired and thirsty so all the boys went to a store that was far away to buy some things. By the time they arrived we stay there just for a few minutes and then when we wanted to go back to our homes a drunken guy started following us. I was scared because I didn’t like drunken people. Even if all this bad things happened I had a good time.

The second week was better because the school started to be easier for me. The school trip was at the Niagara Falls. I loved this trip! We went into the ship to see the falls very near and we got wet. I like the idea that the school has this kind of free trips because this is a good, new, unique and excited experience that I thing I would never going to experience again. And I also like that idea that the day we have the school trip, the teachers in the class explained all about the place or the trip that we were going to. Just to have an idea of what we were going to do. That weekend the school planned to go to Toronto. I didn’t go there son I was with my family the entire weekend. It was good. I like to be with my “family” because sometime they show me things that the school can’t.

My third week here was good too. We went to Niagara Falls at night to see the fireworks and the falls illuminated by different beautiful colors. We also saw the edge in where the water falls down. It is beautiful. In the school we start to do presentations because the teachers had to grade us. I didn’t like that too much, even if it was not a lot of homework I didn’t wanted to do it. But is better to do all at the beginning and don’t at last. At the weekend my family took us to the drive in to watch a movie. It was awesome!!!! I never had been in that kind of cinema, and being there was like very excited XD… I felt like if I was in the grease movie or something like that.

This last week has been not that good because I’m trying to do all the last things that I can do here. I don’t really know if I want to go or not. We were presenting our last classes and the teachers are giving us our grades. I hope I can do and buy all the things that I need!!! And that this 4 days that I have can be as awesome as the last weeks!!!!

This week has been a very tired, excited, sad, and emotional week. This is my last week in Canada, so that´s why I have a lot of emotions getting out of me. I have to take all the opportunities to do all the things that I would not going to be able to do in my country and in my city.

This week started very good, on Monday I play basketball and dodgeball with my friends. It was really fun and there I met new friends. At night we went to a friend´s house to be in the pool, but we get lost. We walk to the opposite way that my friend´s house was, so we walked like 3 km. By the time we arrived we were very tired and we didn´t wanted to do anything but the plan was that after the pool we were going to eat some buffalo wings in a bar near there. When we arrived the waiter told us that me and my cousin couldn´t be without our parents because it was after 9 or 10, but our friends talk to someone telling them that we weren’t going to drink alcohol. After dinner we all returned to our houses.

On Tuesday after class some friends went to a friend´s house to see a basketball match. I really like basketball but I prefer play it than see a game. In the house we started to see the game but after 30 min. my cousin and I were tired, so we decided to go to the seaway mall and to Tim Hortons. We were there and bought some things and then we returned to our house to eat dinner and at 9 pm we decided to meet everyone at the residences because we wanted to go to see a movie. At first we wanted to see Batman, but some others decided to see another movie that was at the same hour and decided that they were going to wait for us because their movie finished before ours. After the batman movie some people were very disappointed because they didn´t understand the movie, but some others, like me, were very excited because even if we didn´t understand what the characters said in the movie we understand what was about and we were also excited about how it ends!   

Today we made the lip dub. We were like 20 or 30 people so the video were not that good. However we expected that so no problem. After filming the video we went to walk. Even if we were tired it was quiet good. My cousin was scared because she found a snake when she was walking so she was scared all the way back.

This last 4 days that I have I hope I can do more things. My friends and I were planning to go some places but we don´t know very well where and when. I hope I can make all the things I want to do before go back to Mexico. Having fun is the most important thing in these last days!!! 

My first impression of Canada…

Last summer when I was visiting my sister in Mexico, D.F, my family and I went to her school because she wanted us to go there and see how her school was and where she was studying. When I realized that that school had a culinary program called Cordon Bleu I insisted my parents to go there and see the how was it. We started asking some questions about the school and the program and we realized that this was good school. After that my family and I start talking about my college. Even if I was just in my second year of high school I realized that I had to start seeing some schools for college. After, we started searching in internet for different programs in different countries. Finally my mom found this school, Niagara College, and we started to see the entire program. My parents realized that I liked very much, so they started seen some English program in that school so I could go there and see how it was.

The first thing that comes to my mind was that, because it was in Canada, it would be always a cold weather and that everyone and everything was like in America. However when I arrived here all my expectations were gone. The first day was raining all time and the weather was hot and humid. I thought that I would never go to be able to travel all around Toronto or Welland by myself, but I was wrong. It´s very easy to move in Toronto and easier if you go on subway.

My month in Toronto was amazing; I met a lot of people there from different countries, so I had the opportunity to practice my English. The first day of class I was a little scary because I´ve never been in this kind of school so I thought that I would not be able to speak very well and to be in a good level. After the first day and all the tests I was more relaxed. The next day I realized that I was in a good level and with good peers so after that I had no problems.

The next month (this month) I came to Welland to study here in Niagara College. Everyone told me that this city was quiet, but I here is quieter that I thought. When I arrived I thought that here would be more like Toronto, with a lot of people and a lot of things to do, but now I realize that I was wrong. I also thought that my classes here would be like in the English program that I had in Toronto, but here is very different. However I´m going to stay here two more weeks, so I think that all my expectations that I have about Canada and Welland are going to change or to be right; I don´t know.  

Hi! My name is María José García, but I prefer Majo. I´m 17 years old and this is my last year in high school. I´m from Saltillo, a small city in Coahuila (a country from Mexico). My family is formed by my father, my mom; they both own a school. And I also have two sisters. My older sister named Ana Ljuvika (she is 19 years old) and my little sister named Cecilia Ixchel (she is 10 years old). In Saltillo I like to go out with my friends and family, watch movies, cook, play with my dog, listen to music, play some sports, watch some more movies, etc. 

Right now I´m in Welland, Canada, studying English in Niagara College. I´ve had been here since last month. I was in Toronto studying English too but in a different school named ILSC. There I made a lot of friends from different places in the world like Japan, Brazil, Korea, Colombia, and Turkey. And I travel a lot too; I went to New York, CN tower, a beautiful island in the north of Toronto, and many other places.  And  I changed my studies here because next year, when I finish high school I would like to be a chef and I´d heard that Niagara College have that school,  and that´s why I came here, to see if I like the school, the system, the program, the city, etc. This Thursday I´m going to Niagara on the Lake College to see the school. I was there before and I like it, but I´m not sure if it’s the same as I imagine.

At first I was a little bored because I came from Toronto, which is a big and noisy city to this small and calm city. I´s quiet different between them, but now I can see the good things that I can do here and in Toronto I couldn´t. For example, in Toronto if I wanted to go out with my friends at night, I couldn´t because the streets are more dangerous there. Here I can be at 11:00 pm with my friends and I´m not that worried. In the other hand there are some other things that I don´t like very much about here, and it´s that here is very quiet and far away. Here I can´t hear anything, even the birds and that is a little stressful for me, but I have to keep going and take all the good things of being here and have fun.

While I´m in Welland I´m going to travel a lot with my friends and cousin because I´m just going to be here for three more weeks and I have to do everything that in Mexico I can´t. I already have some plans and places that I think I´m going to visit but I don´t know, it all depends on what´s going to happen. I hope that the next days it could be better and better every day. See you soon!!!

Majo García XD…

HOLA MAJOO ESTOY ALADO DE TI :)

Hi! My name is Maria, but I prefer Majo. I'm from a little town in Mexico, Saltillo. I'm here studying in the Niagara College, ESL program. Hopefuly next year i can come here to study in the culinary program.