Ruebe James
Exchange destination: University of Leicester (UK)
Duration: Fall 2017
Program: Law
High school: Albert Campbell Collegiate Institute, Scarborough, Ontario
One word to describe your exchange?
FABULOUS
What is the best thing that happened while you were on exchange?
A weekend trip to Paris. My childhood best friend and I separated when we were 11 years old after I moved to Canada. Since then, we had not had the opportunity to visit each other. Being on exchange in England was the perfect opportunity to take a train to Paris to visit for a weekend. It was absolutely amazing. Paris is a beautiful city and the feeling of reconnecting with a childhood friend is indescribable.
Where was the coolest place you traveled to during your exchange?
I would say it’s a tie between Stonehenge and the White Cliffs of Dover. Both were absolutely breathtaking. The cliffs overlook the Straight of Dover, and visitors can walk for miles on top of the cliff! It makes for great photos and the air was cool and crisp. Stonehenge was beyond anything I had expected. To see it in photos and to see it in person are two completely different experiences. I felt like I had walked back in time to 3000BC!
What is something that you know now, that you wish you knew before you went on exchange?
I was terrified of how I would get used to being so far from home. I wish I knew that once you settle in and start discovering new places and meeting new people, the distance from friends and family get easier. I would have been much calmer in preparation for my experience, had I known it before leaving for exchange.
Who was the hardest person to leave that you met while on exchange? How did you deal with that?
I am generally a socially awkward person and I was worried about making friends but I ended up finding a student group at a local church that I connected with. We ended up spending a lot of time together. I became very close with one particular student named Mary. It was very difficult to leave her and the bond that we had created in such a short period of time. However, we promised to keep in touch. So far this has been great. We speak on a regular basis.
If you were to recommend exchange to your best friend, what would you say?
Exchange is such a great opportunity for self-growth and discovery of new places, cultures and people. It may take you out of your comfort zone to be in new place and to have to make new friends but the rewards you get from those new connections as well as discovering new places is so worth it.
A sample of the classes taken:
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Medical Law
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Intellectual Property
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General Principles of International Law
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International Sales Transactions