Hi my name is Jon, and I am currently study law abroad in Halifax, Canada. This first month abroad has been an adjustment. From the moment I left Halifax airport I realised so many things here were different. The first of which being how crossing the road works. Something which I would usually take for granted back in England, I felt lost a sea in Canada. Cars were coming from the opposite direction than what I used to so I actually had to really concentrate when crossing, which was odd. Not saying that I do not usually pay attention when I usually cross the road, bu you know what I mean.
Dalhousie University is were I am studying this year, which is around the corner from were my accommodation is. The week before classes started the law school ran an orientation week, which was a great way to meet new people at the law school through actives that were put on such as wine tasting, surfing and ghost tour. My highlight for the week was the lobster dinner at the end of the week as, I do not often get the opportunity to eat lobster, as well as the dinner being a nice way to finish off the orientation week.
The teaching here at Dalhousie is really different from Southampton as the class are smaller, only twenty people or so, and the classes are more a discussion of the topics than a lecture. The new style is challenging in some aspects, but interesting.
One good opportunity that I have had since was being able to sit in on a federal court case at the Dalhousie Law School. The case was an immigration case concerning deportation. Immigration is an area of law that I have a particular interest in practicing once I graduate. It was great to how the issue of deportation is dealt within in another legal system. The one thing that struck me however, was that the potential deportees presence was not required by the court, as such he was not there. This seemed strange considering the stakes for the individual.
In my down time in Halifax I love play intramural football with the law school. I currently play for two teams which great fun on Monday evenings. Although later in the year, when winter comes knocking I can imagine it being a little less fun for me playing in freezing cold conditions.
The weather here has really nice surprisingly, with temperatures consistently above twenty-five degrees. Something which I was not expecting, made worst by lack of shorts, as I instead pack expecting much colder weather. However within two days of the brief thirty-degree heat wave the temperature was down to fourteen degrees, seemingly justifying my decision not pack shorts.