My name is Alicia I am 16 years old and I have been in Victoria, Canada for 4 months. I got along very well with my host family right at the airport and was welcomed very warmly. My host family consists of my host mother, host father, host brother and two host sisters, my one host sister is also from Germany. So we are two Germans in one host family. I know you are thinking that you are not allowed to do that and the answer is actually yes. With Corona, however, this is all regulated differently, but for me it is perfect, because we get along super well and have a great time together here. Also, sometimes I go hiking with my host family or we play games together or watch a movie together. I enjoy all these moments very much, my host family has become like my second family and I am always welcome here. I also think that I will definitely visit my host family here in Victoria again and they might even visit me in Germany. The school here in Canada is really not difficult, so you really don't have to worry about that. But the subjects here are totally different, for example there are also food studies, dance, photography and many more. My subjects here are Spanish 12, Social studies 10, Food studies 10 and criminology 12. You are probably wondering why I have two classes in 10 and two in 12, I don't really have an exact answer for that. I got my timetable at the beginning and the subjects were already divided that way, so they thought of something ☺. If you have the opportunity to choose subjects, definitely choose subjects that you don't have in your school at home, like me for example Foods and criminology. The Canadians here are all super nice and totally open, just talk to them. A very important tip on the first day of school just ask if you can sit with them and in class as well, because the seats often stay that way the whole time. So just be open in school and everything will be fine. But don't worry about school and homework, you always have enough time to do something with friends.
From my organization Kulturwerke Germany I feel very well cared for here abroad, because I have a feedback conversation once a month and if I write them a message via WhatsApp they always answer quickly. The feedback talks are about my experiences here in Canada, how I'm doing in general and whether I need tips for something.
In general, I like Victoria very much and I feel totally comfortable. I can't pick out one particular experience that I liked the most, because I have already experienced so much. However, the best experiences were my trip to Banff and Lake Louise, skiing in Whistler, Vancouver and all the experiences with my friends. I am very happy that I decided to go abroad because I made a lot of new friends, learned the language better, gained a second family and saw a lot of new places. I would do it again and again!!! For these reasons I can only recommend a year abroad.
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