The idea of studying abroad first came around in a casual conversation amongst friends one afternoon outside of the Bob Bullock Hall.  Intrigued by the idea of spending a semester away from home and the possibility of embarking in the academic experience of a lifetime I made an appointment in the Study Abroad Office.  In the blink of an eye I was immersed with information and so many possibilities of programs offered to study abroad.  A few days were more than enough time to assimilate the idea and reach a decision that was based on academic, monetary, and geographic factors.  The spring semester of 2007 would take me to the neighboring country of Canada.  The University of New Brunswick, in Fredericton the capital of the New Brunswick province, was the institution that would conduct my academic undertakings for one semester.

The truth of the matter is that as an avid sportsman the month of December, which was the month before my departure, had hunting season at its prime and I was occupied in making the best out of the time I had left.  The whole study abroad issue was somewhat in the back of my mind and before I knew it the time for departure was around the corner.  Even though I was preoccupied with the outdoors I was not totally negligent to my necessities and preparations for the trip.  I was lucky to arrange my housing before actually arriving in Fredericton, but I had second thoughts about how lucky I actually had been when I arrived.  Don’t get me wrong, the landlord was nice and helpful, the actual house was in good conditions and everything went as planned.  The minute concern we failed to realize, was the distance from our house to the university campus.  The fifteen minute walk to the university at first was no evident problem, but as the harsh and unruly winter season started to gain momentum in Fredericton, I came to realize how so important the distance had become.  Besides that impediment everything else in terms of preparing for our trip and semester abroad went smoothly and resulted adequate.

From left to right: departure from Laredo, with my fellow Laredo study abroad student Daniel Davila, lots of snow, my home away from home, and the UNB Campus.

January 4, 2007 was the departure date at around four in the evening.  A long and exhausting red eye flight that commenced in the Laredo Airport and came to an end in the small Fredericton Airport.  At our arrival we were greeted by the study abroad director and the vice president of the student union who were kind enough to give us some insight and a tour of campus and the city.  Jill Cormier, vice president of the University of New Brunswick student union, became one of my very good friends and she was able to help and give advice throughout my stay in Fredericton. The next week in Fredericton we had our hands full with accommodating the apartment, buying books and familiarizing with campus and the city.  Public Transit was one of those aspects of studying abroad that made things a whole more interesting.  Delays, wrong buses, crowded buses, French speaking buses, expensive taxis, and creepy taxi drivers where among the few issues that took some getting used to.  New Brunswick was so kind as to greet us with temperatures around ten degrees Celsius.  This weather soon became a mixture of rain, hail, snow and gusts of wind at an astonishing temperature ranging from 20 to 30 degrees Celsius below zero!  This turned to be quite an experience for someone that has lived in the desert like ambient of Laredo.

The course selection and the enrollment issues were taken care of before ever departing from Laredo and only one problem arose when classes started but it was taken care of without much problem.  The university was situated in a hill with a panoramic view of the Saint John River.  The buildings themselves are old, but the university is well kept.  The full-time schedule had me preoccupied during the day and the coursework was apt and at the same level as in Texas A&M International.  I found that some professors had an extra interest in myself as a study abroad student, and found a great willingness from their part to guide and offer aid throughout the semester.  The greatest difference between campuses besides the old installments, and the size of campus was the restaurant, jewelry shop, clothing store, night club, convenient store, travel agency, and postal office that the University of New Brunswick possesses.  Did I mention that the building next to the one where my classes were held had a night club!  The building such as the student center building in TAMIU besides a cafeteria and other amenities had a night club.  I spent a substantial amount of time in the second floor of the cafeteria on weekends also known as the “The Social Club”.  Low prices, great ambiance, and proximity to my temporary home in Canada was quite a combination when it came to deciding where to go on weekends.

During the Easter vacations the opportunity arose to do some traveling to the neighboring province of Quebec.  A twelve hour bus ride with multiple stops took us to the separatist province of Quebec.  The multi-cultural experience the city of Montreal offered was incredible.  Walking along the major boulevards adorned with boutiques shopping malls and other grand buildings while the ambience was filled with the sound of numerous languages became our daily setting.  A couple of days were spent in the metropolitan city of Montreal before departing to Quebec City for a couple more days.  The capital of the province of Quebec, Quebec City, welcomed us with a French speaking world located in Eastern Canada.  At first overwhelmed by the idea of finding yourself amongst people that either don’t understand your language or don’t want to bother and help you, and after spending several hours lost riding the city public transit we managed to find the Hostel where we would stay.  The next day after a good nights rest we decided to do some sightseeing and enjoy the magnificent architecture of Old Quebec.  Quebec City is full of history and is a must see in the province of Quebec, but I do recommend that if you pay a visit during the winter season be well equipped to endure temperatures that can reach 40 degrees Celsius below zero.  The seven days of our Easter vacations gave us a better taste of Eastern Canada and the province of Quebec, the experience was unforgettable and the temperatures below zero were unbelievable.

Traveling aorund Canada, ice statues, and great friendships!

The greatest outcome of the whole study abroad experience had to be the great friendships that were produced.  It never crossed my mind that in such a relatively short time such great friends could be made.  Given the circumstances the moment was such fertile ground for friendships, a handful of exchange students in a foreign country met dealing with the same occurrences and dilemmas.  I met and made great friends with individuals from Ecuador, Spain, Germany, and France among others.  I hope to meet with them some time in the future, and remember the great times we spent in Fredericton, New Brunswick.  The experience was enhanced and made memorable with the individuals that it was spent with and not so much with the location.

The reasons behind my impulse in undertaking the exchange program were the experiences the program promised, the responsibility it posed, and the growth as both a student and as a person I hoped to gain, and of course last but not least the fun the semester abroad guaranteed.  The expectations were many, but the overall outcome was even greater than what I could ever have imagined.