My Life in Canada

Every year thousands of international students discover Canada. Huge mountains, vast plains, sparkling waters and diverse multi-culturalism spark wonder. Read their stories about their life while visiting Canada.

Hello
My name is Sayaka, from Kobe, Japan. I’m a university student. I came here in September 10th 2006. I’ve been here in Canada for three months.

I came to Canada because I wanted a challenge an internship in the English world. I think Canada is a good country for students to have a work experience. People and companies have a lot of experience with foreigners and they are more open-minded to foreign students compared to other countries like UK or US.

After three months studying at ILSC, I started working with ESL in Canada. I was interested in tourism and education fields, so this workplace is perfect for me.

To get this job, I prepared my resume and cover letter, and practiced for my interview. Everything was new for me, but my coordinator helped me a lot so I could get this job. I think those were good experiences to know Canadian business culture.


Hello My name is JaYoung.
I’m a student from Korea and study Journalism at Chun-nam University.

I have been in Toronto for 10 months. When I came to Canada I couldn’t speak English well. I had lots of problems talking with native English speakers and foreigners.

My first school was Hansa, which is the oldest ESL school in Toronto. I had lots of fun in Hansa and met many good friends and teachers.

I think Hansa can be good for advanced students and bad for beginners because beginners need a systematic and strict program for setting up their English. Actually, Hansa is very casual which means you organize your schedule by yourself without information. In this case, you will be confused and maybe waste time choosing wrong classes.

I went to BEST, which is a business English school in Toronto. Teachers at BEST Ric and Brenda were very kind and friendly and taught well. After graduating from school, I found an internship for marketing, advertising, and translations with a Canadian company "ESL in Canada", which offers me speaking opportunities with Canadians and becoming familiar with Canadian business practices.

I also traveled to French Canada, Ottawa, Montreal, Quebec, Kingston, New York and Niagara Falls. Toronto summer is especially fantastic. Everyday Toronto has festivals and you can have so much fun.

During my time in Toronto, I think Toronto is a multi-cultural city which offers many diverse experiences. I mean not only studying English but also learning about international cultures. If I want to get other country foods in Korea, its cost would be twice or more. However, I could get real traditional foods easily at a cheaper price in Toronto.

If you want to be the best, you should study hard before coming to Canada. It will make you confident and can save your time and money as well.


“1055”

A really good thing about the restaurant 1055 at 1055 Yonge Street is that they offer a special menu just for the students of LSI. The restaurant wanted to create a menu that tastes good while taking the student’s budget into consideration. The menu items of the restaurant, which are usually available for $9 to $22 are available for students for $3.50 - $6.50. The 1055 chefs are also not averse to customize a dish for this price.

The student menus are a continental fusion, which means they have ingredients from a lot of countries from around the world. They serve North African Cous Cous, Mexican Tortilla Wraps, a traditional Greek Caesar Salad, Sicilian Pasta, Italian Fusilli Pesto and much more.

Furthermore, 1055 takes special care of their ingredients and everything they serve is fresh. This can be the reason why from time to time the same Grilled chicken sandwich, for example, tastes different and has different ingredients. If they cannot find fresh vegetables and meat, they will not use it for their menu. So not only the menu items and cookies change a bit every day, but also the whole menu changes every season.

Therefore, the customer can be sure to get something different once in a while. Moreover, the chef doesn’t use fatty oil but vegetable oils, which is healthier.

Brian, the owner of 1055 and chef cook was trained in Europe and worked for 2 of the best restaurants in Toronto for 15 years. Because of his experience and knowledge, he is able to easily create original dishes and train the other cooks of 1055. Nowadays the most popular dish at 1055 is duck.

1055 offers students a tasty, healthy and excellent meal for lunch. This is of real benefit for the students who are on the two meal homestay plan. Students can enjoy two meals at their homestay and an exotic international meal at 1055 for lunch.

Story By Susann and Sayaka Reporters for Network Club


The TLC Network Club is the new name for the ESL in Canada Social Club that has operated in Toronto, Canada for seven years. The new name reflects the expanded functions of the club. The TLC Network Club will still arrange language exchanges and organize educational meetings, culture events and activities. The TLC Network club will work with high quality suppliers to offer special group travel trips and tours.

TLC memberships are available to international students and teachers, Canadian students, teachers, homestay providers and suppliers. The TLC Club provides Canadian work experience internships for students. Students can use the registration form to apply. Several of the ESL in Canada/TLC interns have already enjoyed free travel trips as part of their internship.

My Life as a Tour Guide in Toronto
By Sayaka Sawa

I’d like to tell my experience about welcoming my family from Japan to Toronto. My mother and younger sister visited me during the Christmas vacation from Dec 24th to Dec 29th. I had to be a tour guide and an interpreter for them. I planned an inexpensive and relaxing tour.

This was my schedule:

December 24th (first day):
Their flight arrived at Toronto around 3pm. When I went to the airport they told me the wrong gate, so it took some time to meet them. Luckily I told them my cell phone number, so it was helpful. We used the TTC to travel to my host family’s house. My mom and sister stayed there with me. I really thanked my host family for inviting my family to stay. We went to the CN tower the first night but it closed early because it was Christmas Eve.

December 25th (Second day):
Relaxing day. My family was tired because of the long flight from Japan. We woke up at noon and exchanged Christmas presents with my host family. It was fun! On Christmas day, everything was closed in the town. So we went to see things where we can enjoy the outward appearances like City Hall, Casa Loma and the U of Toronto and tried a street hotdog.

December 26th and 27th (Third and fourth day):
Niagara falls two-day trip. I used the “Casino bus” to get to Niagara Falls. The casino bus costs $5 for two ways. (If you’re interested in, I can tell you their phone number.) We really enjoyed Niagara Falls sightseeing. We went to the I-MAX theatre, Behind the Falls tour, Rainbow Bridge and Clifton Hill, etc. We didn’t forget to go shopping, too. We went to the USA outlet shops across the Niagara Bridge to the USA and my mother bought me a MP3 and a lot of clothes. I was happy. We stayed at the Backpackers hostel for $22 per person including breakfast and tax. It was a cozy and nice place.

December28th (fifth day):
In the morning we went to Harbourfront Center for ice-skating. There were only a few people there so we could enjoy it. After lunch we walked around Union station, then went to the Eaton Center for shopping. I got a new coat there. This night we cooked Japanese food for my host family.

December 29th (sixth day):
I took my family to the airport and said goodbye. They didn’t use a lot of money in Toronto, so they gave me all money they had left, which was great.

Our Suggestions for Family Tour Guides

The TTC weekly pass and day pass are very useful for short staying travellers. You can choose the one that fits your plan. If you go to airport to pick up someone, I recommend that you bring a weekly or day pass for him or her because they usually don’t have coins.

Especially during holiday seasons it’s better to make it sure that the attractions are open. Even though you can check on the web, you had better make a call, because sometimes they don’t update.

Story by Sayaka Internship student at ESL in Canada