I have been home for almost three months now and I have spent the majority of my time being back at university in Liverpool. Although I have loved being back, there’s definitely been a few things I’ve missed from my time at Carleton University in Canada, from the numerous Tim Hortons on campus to the extensive tunnel system that still amazes me to this day. So if you’re planning to study in Canada or at Carleton, or just fancied knowing what studying in Canada was really like, prepare to be impressed!
Tim Hortons
As you all probably know already, I had (well I still do have) a bit of an obsession with French Vanillas. There’s no Tim’s in Liverpool unfortunately and I certainly took for granted the times I had lived within one only a few minutes away.
The Tunnel Life
The term tunnels confused me at first, so don’t worry if you are too. When I arrived at Carleton everyone kept asking me if I had seen the tunnels yet, and quite frankly I thought this was just a cool hangout spot or something. But in actual fact, the ‘tunnels’ are an underground network system directly below the campus where students and staff are able to roam. They were ideally built for the harsh winter to avoid travelling around campus in the snow. GENIUS. However, after discovering a way of travelling across campus without actually going outside, I experienced true comfort. What’s even better was that there was a little coffee shop in the tunnels to keep everyone going (yep I guess you could really just live there).
The Caf
The caf or the cafeteria was the food provided by Carleton for on-campus students. With unlimited access, all cuisines from a sandwich station, pasta bar, grill, to freshly made smoothies every day for breakfast, it’s fair to say I was living MY BEST LIFE. I didn’t cook for four whole months and it was glorious. I really miss that now after having the same pasta dish every day.
Heaters in bus stops
Why does England not have these? Those heaters were life-changing. To make that bus wait bearable there were little heaters installed at the top of the bus stops. You just had to make sure you could stand directly beneath them first, or you would be looking at the lucky person who got there first with jealousy.
The Campus Bar
When you couldn’t be bothered to make the trip into town or Olly’s was your calling on a Thursday, this was a great place for cheap food and drinks. And guess what, I didn’t even have to go outside to get here. Why? Because of ‘the tunnel life’.
Oasis
The on-campus restaurant was one of my favourite spots for poutine. The opening hours were 7 pm – 2 am so it was perfect for those late night eats.
