"If I would have to give future students who plan to get here one advice, it would be: Get that study permit asap, even if they tell you it is not required!" (Please note: TU/e has an exchange stop for studying at universities outside of Europe, Ed.)

“Whenever people I have met here ask me the question ‘How is Toronto to you?’ I always have a reply like ‘Still getting used to it, but very different from the Netherlands’. As a Northern American city, it is larger than any city in the Netherlands, with about 3 million people living in the inner city bounds and about twice as much in the Greater Toronto Area. This takes a bit of adjustment, but I am getting there!”

“You might think it is easy getting to know people, when there are a couple millions of them around, however the pandemic is kept under strict control here, therefore offices are mostly still empty. If I would be taking courses at the university it might have been easier getting to know people. It took some time and effort, but I have established a group of friends by now (2 months in). Most of the people I encounter in public are very friendly, as deemed to be typically Canadian.”

"I’m getting quite attached to the people I have met here. As Canada is not more than 200 years old, basically everyone is an immigrant or close to being first generation. This creates a mixture of people and cultures, dividing the city in regional area’s (think of Chinatown, Little Italy, Cabbagetown and more) but bringing people together in one place.

My internship focusses on cancer research, specifically related to the effect of radiotherapy on tumors and it keeps me busy during the entire week. I try to plan activities for the weekends whenever I find the time, which is mostly during the evenings. It is sometimes hard, but the result is worth it! Here are just two of the pictures to show the beauty of Canada."

Read on below the photos