Some news from a future-like country (aka I had just finished this article and it deleted itself so I had to write it all over again)

Martha posted an article on her experience in Canada, which summarizes my experience quite accurately too. I am going to tell you more details about some aspects of my daily life here.

First of all, it feels absolutely incredible to finish school every day at 2:15pm. But I got easily used to it. I only have 4 classes, that last 1h15 each. I chose Maths, Chemistry, Canadian Families, and Fitness. I learn new things in Maths and Chemistry, that might be very useful for the French syllabus. I now master 180° trigonometry and molecular + empirical formulas (Terminales S you already know the struggle) !!! 

Waiting for the bus in the freezing air at 7:21am...

For the two other classes, I got to know the two nicest teachers I have ever met in my life. Oib teachers, I love you too. Fitness class is extremely tough because it has nothing to do with the tennis tables lessons we take in Lycee. One day we do some CrossFit, lifting huge tires and squatting with sandbags on our shoulders, another day we benchpress, deadlift as much as we can. My body has been constantly sore for 18 days now, but the full, round sensation provided by endorphins is stronger than this little disagreement.

Also, we get to take the school bus! From the outside, it looks like the typical yellow school bus that we see in American movies and series. Inside, the seats are too close to each other for us to sit straight, we lay our legs diagonally, nobody speaks, everyone is leaning against the window, absently watching the landscape, earbuds solidly stuck in their ears, probably to avoid the torture of the crackling loudspeakers broadcasting a country music radio morning show. Although I might not sound so, I really like the bus trip. It is so authentic. I hate country music but I couldn't now imagine a school bus trip without this awful background music.

Canadians use milk bags
rather than bottles, which is,
though weird, a brilliant idea

As I start at 8AM and as there is a lunch break between the 2nd and the 3rd period, it means that I get to eat my lunch at... 10h45! But again, I got really quickly used to it. So quickly that at 9 in the morning I can already feel my stomach gently ask for food...

I must mention the fact that I eat wonderful dishes here. My host-family is half Japanese, so we eat a lot of delicious Japanese food. I finally know how to properly eat with chopsticks! I now eat rice with chopsticks. 

About food, it is true that Canadian eating habits are very different from the French ones. A lot of people snack all day long. I also feel like everyone is completely addicted to coffee.

I didn't imagine there were so many fast food restaurants. So many, everywhere. Harvey's, Mcdonalds, TacoBell, KFC, are everywhere. BUT above all these stands the Canadian god of fast-food restaurants: Tim Hortons. This Canadian company serves pretty good unhealthy food and is absolutely everywhere. Tim Hortons defines the limits of Canadians' comfort zone. If there's a Tim Hortons within sight in an unknown place, Canadians know that they are still in a safe, friendly area. I got to taste a specialty from Canada called 'Poutine', which is basically composed of French fries and cheddar cheese covered with gravy. It is very good, though very, very heavy.

I was told that from now on there would be snow until spring 

By the way, I don't know if any of you knew that, but CANADA IS A COLD COUNTRY. Surprising eh? ('eh' is something Canadians say all the time) Last Wednesday we went down to -15°C. I had never experienced such a temperature! But I still esteem I like cold.

I didn't get sick yet; that might explain the previous affirmation. Until last Friday, we'd only had a little bit of snow, that we could see at dawn while waiting for the bus, sprinkled over the fields, a thin white frosty blanket that would melt during the afternoon. But during the night between Thursday and Friday was a storm. 15 cm of snow had fallen, so school was cancelled because the roads weren't plowed enough for the buses to ride. That is called a 'snow day'.

A random cool pic from Toronto

There are plenty of other things I could talk about, but this article is getting a bit long (it's been now 2 weeks since I first started writing, so it is time to finish !). I will just add that we went to Toronto and Niagara Falls, and it was absolutely amazing.

I am having a great, wonderful time here. Thinking about coming back to France makes me anxious, almost as much as receiving Edmodo notifications during my stay (or any time actually). But I enjoy my Canadian experience as much as possible, and I still barely realize I am here, 8000km from home.

I miss you all a little bit though, and when I come back I will have plenty of things to tell you !

Jabrielle