-Airton Oliveira Lopes de Sena
If I had to choose a word to define my experience in Canada so far I would say with no second thoughts: fantastic. When I got here I was welcomed by a Canadian family and I stayed with them for the first couple of months. Personally, it was an enriching experience. I learned a lot about the Niagara region and local history with them. I am happy to tell you about my experience in Canada as a student and during my industry placement:
Part one: Studying English at Brock University
During these first couple of months in Canada I went through the IELP program at Brock. There, I had just the best instructors; it was fun and also important because I could prepare myself properly for my upcoming academic studies at Brock and gain confidence in my English proficiency. Moreover, I took the chance to travel around with the Brock International Centre. I went to Niagara Falls, joined in a Wine Tour in Niagara on the Lake, and visited Toronto Islands. They make it really affordable and convenient for us international students. Another great experience that I had was participating as volunteer in the Wine Festival in St Catharines. I enjoyed the festival parade and it felt good to be involved with the community!
Part two: Earth Sciences at Brock University
My academic studies started in January and I was really happy with the opportunity to take a specific course that is not available back in my university in Brazil. I was really lucky because again I had wonderful professors. All four courses that I took will probably be accepted back in my home university and therefore, will enrich my academic transcript. Also, I was welcomed in the Geo club (the Earth Sciences student club) and participated in their meetings and other fun activities when I could. I can say that I’ve met really interesting people at Brock and made some incredible friends.
Part three: My industry placement at VALE
After the academic term I started to look for a placement in the industry. It was really hard to find many companies related to my field in the Niagara Region. I didn’t manage to find a placement near town so I ended up working with VALE in Port Colborne. Being a Brazilian company, they were really excited to have me. I had the best training experience-better than I could have ever imagined, and it was really fun. The instructor was amazing; he did all he could for us to have the most comfortable experience.
I work with VALE’s environmental team and I have a really comfortable environment at the office. I’ve been working in the field with soil sampling, which is a fundamental skill for my job. Also, I’ve been exposed to most aspects of the refinery work. Every day I am involved: from business meetings to plant surveys, inside and outside buildings. I hope that I’ll be able to achieve most of my goals during the placement, which includes the use of a GEO software (ArcGIS) which unfortunately VALE couldn’t provide me with.
Besides work, I was invited to the Welland Dragon Boat Festival in which VALE had a team competing. The team was made of twenty people, all employees, including my coworkers in the environmental department. It was my first time seeing a dragon boat race and I must say it was so much fun. There, I took some great pictures of the event and of my team.
So far, my experience in Canada surpassed my expectations, in a good way! I’m glad to be here and live this great experience.