Canadian experience: Summed up!
IRSIP fellowship scheme by Higher Education Commission, Pakistan is a great success. Due to the hard working and dedicated team behind it, under the leadership of Sir Jahanzeb, many many students have benefited from it. Merit and transparency govern the state of affairs although some ups and downs are a part of almost everything-I can say with surety, it is one of the finest government educational schemes that has been providing students with wonderful opportunity of visiting top 200 universities for completion of PhD research work and gaining exposure.
I, too, got this opportunity and after submitting a letter of invitation by a professor from UBC, Vancouver, Canada (details hidden to protect privacy) and all necessary paperwork/processing, left for Canada in March.
Air China was not an awesome but most economical and somewhat nice experience. After the plane touched down soil of the YVR airport, I was in a new world. I had never been outside Pakistan and I was awestruck by people from too many types/races and background. Diversity is one of the biggest asset and strength of Canada. However, Chinese dominate the populace in Vancouver and suburbs..
Cities are well connected and many people commute daily to UBC from as far as 5 cities. Vancouver is pricey so many people live in nearby cities and come to work here. There is a housing crisis as well. The government had surplus 2-3 billion dollars and using this for generating jobs for ~10,000 students. Metro bus system is really good and train plus sea-bus are also free on the bus pass on weekends. Details for fares etc are available on translink.ca
There is an app to help one out as well..There are alot of apps for small businesses, restaurants, cafes and car-services. Mobile connection and monthly packages are way too expensive as compared to Pakistan..So are the poster printing and such things. In Pakistan, it is for like no money at all as compared to the sky-rocketing prices here..
Bank account is free for visiting students (in Scotiabank) but they deduct around 27% of amount on foreign transactions. I had this bad experience when I got a 2 TB hard drive delivered from Amazon, USA and its cost after taxes and shipment etc was $89 but the bank deducted $27 and it cost me around $116.
Northern Vancouver is very beautiful, alot of waterfalls, mountain peaks and hiking material etc. It also has the salmon hatchery where fish is bred and left into the river. For fishing, one has to have a license, which can be easily procured at Walmart. $22 for normal and $6 more (conservation fee) for salmon. In case of crabs, one cannot catch more than 4 in a day and that too, male ones only.
Wallmart also has fake/tattoo stickers :P It is very rare to have tatoos in pakistan but here they are normal...
Yes, one big thing I liked alot is picking your own dog's poo. It is the law. In Pakistan, people keep dogs but mostly don't have the manners, would leave them to go and poop in other people's lawns, frontyards etc etc. I am aware of this happening in posh areas (Askari etc).
Totem poles dot the city and are famous monumental sculptures. They are available in small size as gifts. Maple syrup (although actually a product of Quebec) and smoked salmon are also among take-back goodies.
Dressing is usually simple and so is lifestyle.
There are many homeless people and drug problem impacts part of the city, mostly East Hastings..Christian organizations arrange a lot of events, including some for these homeless and drug addicts. Many people can be seen giving out free bibles and flyers to general public.
Tap water is used instead of bottled water as water here is clean but some people do take mineral water for the sake of minerals. Vitamin D is to be taken regularly and organic produce is easily available as is hormone free meat.
Hiking seems greatly cherished, as are barbecues and beach picnics. Ice-hockey is like religion...
Canadians are good, a little more than usual if they know you are visiting..
Although in academia, the situation is not so ideal.
But here I must mention that one of the biggest barriers is communication and without breaking the ice and remaining engrossed in work/not talking to anyone while they, too are buried in work, would lead to rifts and issues...Overall, males are more kind as compared to females (just an experience)...
Collaborations are really really great and almost everything is interlinked, interdisciplinary and product of collaboration. In Pakistan, sharing in academia is not well practiced and not very honest, except for some..
Facilities are top-notch and maintenance is good too. Staff is dedicated and hard-working although they care but keep cool and calm during pressure. This is one thing I like very much, not letting the work kill you. Bicycling to work is one of the favorite and healthy activity..There are prizes for promoting bike-to-work thing.
There are other competitions as well-such as scientific photography...
Many free tours of scientific facilities-a thing unusual in Pakistan and further impacted by security situation..
Lots of wonderful activities for kids-especially tours of universities, farms, museums etc-again, a thing not much cared for in Pakistan.
Kids seem more intelligent than our kids and yes, maybe it is because they are raised with more love and respect than in Pakistan.
There is a population blast in Pakistan but graph for facilities, love and care is not showing good statistics. I wish policies are revised for this there...
I, too, got this opportunity and after submitting a letter of invitation by a professor from UBC, Vancouver, Canada (details hidden to protect privacy) and all necessary paperwork/processing, left for Canada in March.
Air China was not an awesome but most economical and somewhat nice experience. After the plane touched down soil of the YVR airport, I was in a new world. I had never been outside Pakistan and I was awestruck by people from too many types/races and background. Diversity is one of the biggest asset and strength of Canada. However, Chinese dominate the populace in Vancouver and suburbs..
Cities are well connected and many people commute daily to UBC from as far as 5 cities. Vancouver is pricey so many people live in nearby cities and come to work here. There is a housing crisis as well. The government had surplus 2-3 billion dollars and using this for generating jobs for ~10,000 students. Metro bus system is really good and train plus sea-bus are also free on the bus pass on weekends. Details for fares etc are available on translink.ca
There is an app to help one out as well..There are alot of apps for small businesses, restaurants, cafes and car-services. Mobile connection and monthly packages are way too expensive as compared to Pakistan..So are the poster printing and such things. In Pakistan, it is for like no money at all as compared to the sky-rocketing prices here..
Bank account is free for visiting students (in Scotiabank) but they deduct around 27% of amount on foreign transactions. I had this bad experience when I got a 2 TB hard drive delivered from Amazon, USA and its cost after taxes and shipment etc was $89 but the bank deducted $27 and it cost me around $116.
Northern Vancouver is very beautiful, alot of waterfalls, mountain peaks and hiking material etc. It also has the salmon hatchery where fish is bred and left into the river. For fishing, one has to have a license, which can be easily procured at Walmart. $22 for normal and $6 more (conservation fee) for salmon. In case of crabs, one cannot catch more than 4 in a day and that too, male ones only.
Wallmart also has fake/tattoo stickers :P It is very rare to have tatoos in pakistan but here they are normal...
Yes, one big thing I liked alot is picking your own dog's poo. It is the law. In Pakistan, people keep dogs but mostly don't have the manners, would leave them to go and poop in other people's lawns, frontyards etc etc. I am aware of this happening in posh areas (Askari etc).
Totem poles dot the city and are famous monumental sculptures. They are available in small size as gifts. Maple syrup (although actually a product of Quebec) and smoked salmon are also among take-back goodies.
Dressing is usually simple and so is lifestyle.
There are many homeless people and drug problem impacts part of the city, mostly East Hastings..Christian organizations arrange a lot of events, including some for these homeless and drug addicts. Many people can be seen giving out free bibles and flyers to general public.
Tap water is used instead of bottled water as water here is clean but some people do take mineral water for the sake of minerals. Vitamin D is to be taken regularly and organic produce is easily available as is hormone free meat.
Hiking seems greatly cherished, as are barbecues and beach picnics. Ice-hockey is like religion...
Canadians are good, a little more than usual if they know you are visiting..
Although in academia, the situation is not so ideal.
But here I must mention that one of the biggest barriers is communication and without breaking the ice and remaining engrossed in work/not talking to anyone while they, too are buried in work, would lead to rifts and issues...Overall, males are more kind as compared to females (just an experience)...
Collaborations are really really great and almost everything is interlinked, interdisciplinary and product of collaboration. In Pakistan, sharing in academia is not well practiced and not very honest, except for some..
Facilities are top-notch and maintenance is good too. Staff is dedicated and hard-working although they care but keep cool and calm during pressure. This is one thing I like very much, not letting the work kill you. Bicycling to work is one of the favorite and healthy activity..There are prizes for promoting bike-to-work thing.
There are other competitions as well-such as scientific photography...
Many free tours of scientific facilities-a thing unusual in Pakistan and further impacted by security situation..
Lots of wonderful activities for kids-especially tours of universities, farms, museums etc-again, a thing not much cared for in Pakistan.
Kids seem more intelligent than our kids and yes, maybe it is because they are raised with more love and respect than in Pakistan.
There is a population blast in Pakistan but graph for facilities, love and care is not showing good statistics. I wish policies are revised for this there...
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