Education in Canada: Interview
My name is Maxim Volovik. I am a student at York University in Toronto, Canada. I am pursuing an Honours BA in Cinema & Media Studies.
I wanted to move to an English-speaking country. Thus, my options included the USA, the UK, Australia, New Zealand, and Canada. From these countries, Canada has the easiest immigration process. Moreover, its climate is very close to what I'm used to in Russia. That's why I settled for Canada.
I was convinced that it would be very easy for me to leave my previous life behind. However, closer to my departure from Russia, I have formed some very meaningful connections there. It was very difficult to adapt to a life without my best friends. However, I still talk to them every day. You don't need to live close to your best friends to enjoy each other's companies.
I think that Russia's educational system is more focused on academics, while Canada's education is more focused on experience and networking. While I do have to write boring essays and work on my assignments, my academic life allows me to work part-time and volunteer and not spend all of my free time on studying.
Surprisingly, not that hard. Years of being a chronically online teenager have prepared me for life in the West. Social media and TV shows had given me an idea of what to expect.
Not really. I would regret having to come back home after spending so much money, time, and effort into getting a Canadian citizenship.
Definitely the process of obtaining all the needed documents. I was so anxious all the time, checking if I got approved for a visa or not every day. My visa actually got delayed, and I had to give up my initial tickets.
I actually came back to Russia for 8 months when COVID-19 has just begun. I was already planning to go back for the summer break, and I just decided to do it 2 months earlier. I, however, was not expecting that I would have to stay in Moscow till December. I had to adapt to a life where I had work in the morning and classes in the evening. Then, I went back to Toronto where I had to face endless lockdowns and, thus, solitude. It was very difficult. But I am glad the city finally opened up, and I em enjoying all the opportunities it has to offer.
What I love the most about Toronto is its diversity. It represents so many different cultures and there is a broad variety of things you can do and places you can go to. It lacks a certain historical and cultural legacy that Moscow has, but it's very current and modern, and I can appreciate that.
I have a part-time job that actually takes up the majority of my free time. Currently I am also working on getting my driver's license and learning French. And I hang out with my friends, of course.
Develop a healthy way to connect with people from your previos life. There's no need to grieve about lost connections all day every day! Instead, think of some cool activities you can do together while being thousand of miles apart. This will make your transition into your new life much smoother.
I would if I could. But I believe that whatever choices I had made were meant to be made in order for me to arrive to the place where I am currently at.
Yes. Canada is a country I can see myself living in. I can see me finding a rewarding career and building a nice life for myself here. That is the whole reason why I moved here.
Oh, I honestly don't know. I hope to land an internship next year, and I will worry about the rest later. A part of me wants to go out and work, while another part wants me to continue studying and eventually get a PhD. We'll have to wait and see.
Interview by
