At McGill, From Abroad

So you’re all packed up and ready to go to university. You’ve brought sheets, you have a brand new laptop, and you made sure to buy a laundry bag. But once you get to rez and you’re all settled down, you realize there’s a small kitchenette in your rez and you need some plates or the room isn’t quite as well air conditioned as you thought and you need a fan. Maybe you just want to get all your school supplies before school starts to get it over with. Have no fear; I’m here to impart some wisdom acquired over years of keeping my eyes open and an ear to the ground.

There are basically four stores you can rely on for all supplies related to life and school. The first is Canadian Tire. I love Canadian Tire. For those of you who don’t know, it’s like a hardware store that has everything you could every want packed into cramped aisles where every shelf is overflowing with trash bags, cookwear, and yes, fans. Canadian Tire is where I bought my first George Foreman Grill and a reliable coffee machine that has lasted until now. It has all the brand names you would expect in a hardware store with knowledgeable staff who can help direct you toward anything you’re looking for. The closest one to McGill’s downtown campus is at Place Alexis Nihon on Avenue Atwater.

Just across the street from this gem is “Bureau en gros,” otherwise known as Staples. At Bureau en gros you can get any and all school supplies. I tend to buy all of my notebooks, pens, pencils, etc. from here and they even have corkboards and printers. They usually have good back to school sales and I would highly recommend making the trip to stock up.

The Dollar Store is good for any loose odds and ends you may need. Notebooks, glasswear, and trinkets will run you $1 to $2 depending on what it is. The quality is usually ok. I still have a glass from my first year at McGill that has survived more than one fall. If you’re having trouble finding something or don’t know where to really start looking, hit the Dollar Store. In fact, it is the only place so far that I’ve been able to find a box of Cheez-Its, the snack of my childhood. The closest to McGill residences is in the Galeries du Parc mall underneath La Cité Apartments at the corner of Rue Prince Arthur and Avenue du Parc.

Finally, a little less important first year is IKEA. You could spend a whole day at the city of furniture located at 9191 Boulevard Cavendish. I would highly recommend going here in a car if you have to at all. It is possible to get to IKEA by public transportation if you take the orange line to “Du College,” the penultimate stop in the “Côte Vertu” direction and then transfer to either the 175 or 202 bus. Again, avoid at all costs if you have another means of transportation because I’ve heard stories of people spending their entire day getting to and from this IKEA by public transportation.

Between these four, one could live perfectly content to the end of their days.

You haven’t had the true Montreal experience if you haven’t used the métro system. Yes, the metro system is indeed an integral part of the whole experience. Did you know that the métro system comprised of 68 stations along four lines. There’s the orange line (the longest of the four, from Côte-Vertu to Montmorency), the green line (from Angrignon to Honoré-Beaugrand), the blue line (from Snowdon to Saint-Michel) and last but not the least the yellow line (with just 3 stops, from Berri-UQAM to Longueuil–Université-de-Sherbrooke). Other than the above-mentioned end-points of the four métro lines that are indicated with larger circles on the STM map, there are 2 key transit points, namely Jean-Talon and Lionel-Groulx, which are also indicated with larger circles on the map.

How to use the métro system? That’s easy as pie! Just remember that planning out your trip in advance will make your journey less stressful and more fruitful. All you have to do is make sure that you head in the right direction. There are plenty of signs on all métro stations that guide you in the right direction. Just keep a tab on the direction, that’s all you need to do!

So, did you know that as a student, you maybe eligible for discounted prices? For that, you need to get a special OPUS with your photo on it. How to get that? Just follow the instructions on the link below:

http://www.stm.info/English/tarification/a-etudiants2.htm

These discounted prices are great when you have to travel frequently. For others who don’t need to travel frequently, there’s the option of single-fare tickets that can be purchased at any metro station. A piece of advice! Did you know that the OPUS card (regular) costs about $6 and can be used for 4 years? Plus you end up having a smaller carbon footprint since you are using an OPUS card and avoiding the paper tickets! Also, if you buy tickets in bulk, such as the 10 tickets pack, you end saving on a lot of money. If you recharge your OPUS on a monthly basis, then remember to keep the receipts handy, as you could be eligible to apply for tax credit.

All set to go?! Have a safe trip

More information on the métro system and in general on STM can be obtained from the following links:

Website:

http://www.stm.info/English/a-somm.htm

Map:

http://www.stm.info/english/metro/a-mapmet.htm

Metro frequency:

http://www.stm.info/english/metro/a-frequence.htm#orange

Fares:

http://www.stm.info/English/tarification/a-grilletarif.htm

OPUS:

http://www.stm.info/English/tarification/a-opus.htm

One of the things I was most concerned about when I moved to Montreal was winter. And I wasn’t worried about just any winter, but Canadian winter. I grew up in North Carolina where winters are mild, at best. A 40% chance that it might snow is enough to close down school. We have long, hot summers. Tall, magnificent pine trees persist year long, and sunny days are abundant. Prior to starting university, I had only been to Montreal twice. Once was during the summer, and second was in the dead of a snowstorm (so I thought) the previous February to do my voice audition for the music school. I remember at the time, that the mounds of plowed snow looked like mountains to my Carolina eyes.  I had a teacher who briefly lived in Montreal, and told me about an instance where she had to be dug out of her apartment because she couldn’t open her front door. By the time I moved to rez, I heard stories about how it goes down to negative 40 in the winter. I was mortified. I didn’t know how I was going to make it out alive! I had no idea how to properly dress for this kind of weather. Fortunately, I was able to get advice from older students, teachers, and good ‘ol google to figure out where to go. I settled on a white head-to-toe down coat from the Bay that made me look like the Michelin man and some heavy artillery waterproof snow boots. The funny thing is that it never dropped to below 40 that winter, nor the two winters that followed. But I can definitely say I always stayed warm.

Coming from the United States, one of the most disconcerting things about driving into Quebec for the first time is that immediately everything is in French. West becomes Ouest and signs that read “Speed Limit 65” begin to read “Maximum 100” (it usually takes a few minutes for us Americans to realize they don’t mean 100 mph). Rest assured, in Montreal, things do get a little bit easier. Most signs are translated into English, although in significantly smaller text, and people tend to speak both English and French at your preference…if they’re feeling nice.

The other thing that struck me was the landscape. When I travel by car or bus from my home in New England, I travel through Vermont where there are mountains and hills as far as the eye can see. However, upon entering Quebec it’s like someone took a magic rolling pin and flattened out the countryside. If you’ve ever done the drive you know what I’m talking about. All of a sudden, there is flat farmland in every direction.

After exiting the highway onto Rue University on Rez Move-In Day, we drove up, up, up the hill to Upper Rez where I had been assigned. As if the narrow winding road up wasn’t enough, I found out that I was relegated to the 7^th floor of my residence hall. And there was only one elevator. And it was broken. By the time we had unloaded all my stuff and made the numerous trips back and forth between our CR-V and my cramped room, my parents and I were sweating profusely. We then returned to the car and fought the traffic back down the one-lane road that was attempting to accommodate cars going in both directions.

Rez Move-In Day is exhausting and annoying and you’ll probably want to strangle everyone by the end of it. Just take a deep breath. You’re in an exciting new environment and you’re honestly about to have the time of your life!

August is almost over. If you are about to fly to Montreal, make sure you sign up for the welcome service at the Montreal Trudeau Airport.  This will shorten the time at customs for those students obtaining a Study Permit upon their arrival. If you are already in Montreal, here are some tips regarding daily life in Montreal and at McGill.

Make sure you go through the Welcome Center, located on the corner of Sherbrooke and McTavish St. Our welcome staff will provide you with all the information you need for your first visit. Get acquainted with the campus, its facilities, reference points, etc. If you will be studying at the MacDonald Campus, make sure you visit the Centennial Center for all the information you need.

We strongly suggest you visit the Service Point to pick up your Welcome Kit,  McGill ID Card and International Health Insurance Card. In order to do so, you must be registered for at least one course.  If you are participating in Discover Montreal 2011 (Aug 24-26), you will be taken to this place during the event.

If your parents are coming with you, they can ask all their questions at the Parents Tent, happening from Aug 26 to Aug 29. The tent will be located in the lower field, of the downtown campus (just inside the Roddick Gates).

If you are staying on campus, you should have obtained all the information you needed for a successful move-in day. If you are not staying in residence, the off-campus housing office has tons of information to help you in your housing hunt.

Remember that there will be countless activities from now until the end of August so don’t be afraid to discover McGill on your own, or with the help of the Student Services Units. You can review our FALL 2011 newsletter for a complete list of the orientation events happening on both campuses. The ISS team is here to guide and support you. So come and visit our office!

Once you take care of the McGill business, get to know your neighborhood. McGill’s main campus is located in Downtown Montreal. The commercial downtown area is full of modern buildings, underground shopping malls, victorian houses and of course St-Catherine street. There is also the McGill Ghetto, which is the area surrounding the McGill downtown campus. It is known for its countless cafe shops, student houses, depanneurs (convenience stores), restaurants, and biking paths.

Indeed, downtown Montreal is accessible through the main public transportation means. You can take the subway (called Metro) and get off at the Place des Arts, McGill, or Peel metro stations. You could also take the bus; you can take lines 24, 144, 107, etc.depending on where you are coming from.

The other way to get to classes is by bike or bixi. Montrealers share the road and biking paths on a daily basis so biking-in to class might be a smart option. Just make sure you wear a helmet if this is the first time you commute this way. You will notice that, despite the colder days we will have, some people will be biking all year long. Yes! some people exercise outdoors even in winter!!

Soon enough, you will realize that weather is a key factor in your Canadian experience so get used to checking the weather forecast at least once a week, if not more. We will be back with more details about where to shop for cloths, food, furniture, etc.

Ahh, and don’t forget to always check your McGill e-mail since it is the university’s official means of communication with the student.

Summer has brought to Montreal festivals, parades and countless outdoor activities. Everyone could see people hanging out in terraces on St-Denis Street, for a more French experience; whereas many others enjoyed going to one of the busiest streets of English Montreal: Crescent Street.
Regardless of the well-deserved hot weather (~35°C), we are still in business and you should be too. August should be a preparation time for your new life at McGill. If you haven’t reviewed your admission package, do so! It contains super useful information about the orientation activities and resources available at your new University.
While you are still home, absorb as much information as you can. Pack according to the list offered by the First Year Office (FYO); but also pack memories of the images, smells and flavors from your home country. Once you are here, they will help you identify yourself with your own culture. They will also help you assess the Canadian culture(s) you are about to explore and compare them with your own.
The beautiful island of Montreal will be your home soon too so get a city tour right here.

Happy watching!

You might be able to hear a pin drop on the streets of Montreal this evening. Large swaths of the city will be holed up inside watching the beloved Montreal Canadiens hockey team face off in a decisive game 7 against the hated Bruins of Boston.

Why not take a break from studying and join them. It doesn’t get much more Canadian that this. 

Go Habs Go.

Photo: CLAUDIO CALLIGARIS

Over the next few weeks, McGill’s international students will be holed up around campus cramming for final exams and tapping out term papers one key at a time.

There’s no better time for students to ponder the short John Milton quote immortalized on the walls of the Redpath Library than during the mid-April push towards summer.

In case you’re too busy highlighting scholarly articles to read the inscription in person we’ve reproduced the text here; 

“Beholding the bright countenance of truth in the quiet & still air of delightful studies.” – John Milton.

Hockey is a Canadian institution, in case you haven’t already noticed. Montreal, in particular, fawns over its professional hockey team, The Canadiens de Montréal.

There’s a few things that you’ll learn rather quickly during hockey season in la metropole. The first is that Montrealers take their hockey team way too seriously. We have a hard time understanding why the fate of a hockey team would motivate people to riot on St. Catherine’s street, or even worse don a tattoo depicting the team’s emblem, mais bon. The other thing you’ll quickly become aware of is that joining the frenzy is a whole lot of fun.

The National Hockey League (NHL)’s playoffs have a funny habit of starting in the middle of finals period and just as the city starts to really thaw out from a long winter. Most students are desperate to get outside after being library-bound for weeks on end, rather than perched on a bar stool watching a team of men skate around on ice (as if we haven’t seen enough ice for one year). Nontheless, there is nothing like the ambiance of watching a Habs (the Canadiens’ nickname) playoff game in a Montreal bar or restaurant.

This was the scene from inside the Bell Centre during last year’s playoff run:

And these are the type of reactions you can expect:

If you haven’t seen a game yet, make sure you catch one before the season ends and you head home for the summer. Montreal’s first two playoff games are this Thursday and Saturday at 7pm against the Bruins of Boston.

Go Habs Go.