— By Lilian Ye (2017 Luwan BC Graduate)
You can always find out a lot of new things that you’ve never seen before when you study abroad, but you also may not be able to find a lot of things that you used to have in your hometown.
For example, my mom used to store so many drugs at home just in case someone got sick or wounded. If you opened that cabinet, there would be a variety of capsules for different symptoms, Mercurochrome to keep your wound clean, and pills for extra nutrition. Since it’s very expensive for people to go to the hospital in Canada, it’s now your responsibility to be prepared for the future and take good care for yourself. So remember to pack up all the drugs you need and make sure they aren’t prohibited in Canada before you go. Later in the future, pay extra effort going to those drug markets looking for the substitutes or other useful material.
Secondly, about nutrients, for those who don’t cook really well, it would be better if you start practicing your skills and try to accept different vegetables. As a Chinese person, our taste buds are spoiled in our home country. Once you are out here in Canada, you’ll miss hot-pot, steamed buns and every traditional food. Surely you can have them in some restaurants, but it’s impossible to eat outside three times a day because that would be super expensive. Other than the taste, more importantly, since your parents aren’t going to be there with you, you’ll probably end up having your favorite meal every single time which is very unhealthy. One suggestion would be start to learn how to cook for yourself while you still have your parents to guide you. It’s important to know how to handle vegetables because if you aren’t a big fan of them, and you don’t know how to make them taste better, eventually you’ll barely eat any vegetables. However, if you don’t want to learn to cook, at least you have to accept salad for survival. In Canada, many places offer salads. You can buy them in almost every market. They are always the simplest way to access good nutrients.
In a nut shell, studying abroad is more of a process for individual to become more independent. As an adult, it’s our responsibility to take good care of ourselves so that our parents won’t be so worried. There will be tons of challenges ahead of you, and you will be able to conquer them with mature thoughts.