EXCHANGE
      STUDENT
     
    
   
   
    
     
      ‘The
      University
      of
      Prince
      Edward
      Island
      is
      a
      warm,
     
     
      friendly
      community
      which
      is
      quite
      cosmopolitan,
     
     
      encompassing
      students
      from
      all
      over
      the
      world.
      |
     
     
      myself
      am
      an
      Exchange
      Student
      from
      Dundee
     
     
      University
      in
      Scotland.
      My
      university
      is
     
     
      considerably
      larger,
      with
      approximately
      4,000
     
     
      undergraduate
      students.
      It
      organises
      a
      formal
     
     
      exchange
      progran
      with
      various
      universities
      in
      the
     
     
      United
      States
      and
      Canada,
      of
      which
      UPEI
      is
      one.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      The
      opportunity
      to
      participate
      in
      an
      exchange
      scheme
     
     
      is
      an
      extremely
      challenging
      yet
      stimulating
     
     
      experience,
      as
      one
      is
      required
      to
      be
      flexible
      in
      order
     
     
      to
      cope
      with
      a
      different
      environment,
      culture
      and
     
     
      simply,
      just
      with
      anew
      way
      of
      life.
      It
      is
      obvious
     
     
      that
      living
      away
      from
      home
      for
      a
      year
      ina
      foreign
     
     
      country
      is
      a
      great
      undertaking
      and
      certainly
      makes
     
     
      you
      quite
      apprehensive
      as
      you
      simply
      do
      not
      know
     
     
      exactly
      what
      to
      expect.
      Certain
      doubts
      and
      worries
     
     
      flood
      into
      your
      mind;
      will
      I
      settle
      in?
      What
      will
      the
     
     
      people
      be
      like?
      and
      other
      such
      concerns.
      However,
      I
     
     
      have
      been
      here
      for
      just
      over
      two
      weeks
      and
      most
      of
     
     
      my
      worries
      have
      subsided.
      For
      one,
      I
      have
      found
      that
     
     
      he
      Islanders
      I
      have
      met
      have
      been
      so
      sincere,
     
     
      yenerous
      and
      basically
      willing
      to
      help
      you
      in
      any
     
     
      lifficulties,
      which
      is
      quite
      refreshing.
      I
      have
      also
     
     
      ound
      that
      the
      people
      here
      tend
      to
      adopt
      you
      as
      one
      of
     
     
      hem,
      which
      helps
      diminish
      yourcomplex
      about
     
     
      fitting
      in’.
      I
      have
      found
      that
      people
      here
      have
      a
     
     
      enuine
      interest
      in
      you
      as
      you
      are
      foreign
      and
     
     
      lifferent.
      So
      many
      people
      have
      wandered
      up
      to
      me,
     
     
      isking
      me
      about
      Britain
      or
      where
      I’m
      from
      because
     
     
      hey
      love
      the
      English
      accent.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      he
      only
      problem,
      if
      I
      could
      even
      call
      it
      that,
      would
     
    

    
     
      ¢
      the
      size
      of
      everything
      here.
      PEI
      to
      me
      was
     
     
      omewhat
      of
      a
      culture
      shock,
      initially,
      as
      |
      have
     
     
      lways
      lived
      ina
      large
      town
      relatively
      close
      to
     
     
      iverpool.
      However,
      over
      the
      past
      two
      weeks,
      the
     
     
      Ommunity
      spirit
      and
      the
      unspoilt
      beauty
      of
      the
      island
     
     
      ave
      overwhelmed
      me
      and
      I
      feel
      quite
      settled
      here,
     
     
      ven
      though
      sometimes
      |
      still
      cannot
      believe
      it
      or
     
    

    
     
      ike
      it
      in
      that
      I’m
      actually
      here,
      as
      I’ve
      never
      lived
      in
     
     
      uch
      a
      charming
      countrified
      environment.
     
    

    
     
      FE
     
     
      here
      are
      not
      only
      the
      changes
      with
      my
      environment,
     
     
      it
      with
      classes,
      friends
      and
      even
      the
      smallest
      things
     
     
      has
      the
      important
      topic
      of
      food.
      The
      classes
      |
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
        
     
     
        
     
    
   
   
    
     
      find
      are
      far
      more
      friendly
      and
      personal
      as
      they
      are
     
     
      smaller
      in
      size.
      I
      wandered
      into
      my
      first
      lecture
      and
     
     
      half-expected
      a
      history
      class
      of
      perhaps
      one
      hundred
     
     
      students
      at
      the
      very
      least
      and
      to
      my
      pleasant
      surprise
     
     
      there
      were
      about
      thirty
      students
      and
      in
      addition,
      the
     
     
      professors
      seemed
      vaguely
      human!
      The
      food
      must
     
     
      also
      come
      under
      the
      closest
      scrutiny
      and
      perhaps
      it
     
     
      will
      cause
      an
      uproar,
      but
      in
      my
      personal
      opinion,
      I
     
     
      feel
      that
      the
      food
      is
      very
      good,
      and
      although
      my
     
     
      fellow
      Canadian
      compatriots
      are
      repelled
      by
      the
      very
     
     
      idea
      of
      eating
      it,
      I
      think
      they
      should
      feei
      privileged,
     
     
      as
      it
      could
      be
      a
      great
      deal
      worse!
     
    
   
   
    
     
      An
      exchange
      scheme
      which
      enables
      a
      student
      to
      travel
     
     
      to
      a
      foriegn
      country
      relatively
      cheaply
      is
      a
      highly
     
     
      profitable
      experience,
      considering
      the
      opportunities
     
     
      awaiting
      you.
      The
      possibilities
      are
      endless
      for
     
     
      travelling
      and
      I
      already
      have
      ambitious
      plans
      for
      the
     
     
      summer.
      If
      you
      are
      interested
      in
      such
      an
      exchange
     
     
      with
      a
      university
      abroad
      and
      you
      are
      fortunate
      enough
     
     
      to
      be
      chosen,
      then
      you
      ought
      to
      seize
      the
      opportunity
     
     
      as
      itis
      one
      very
      worthwhile,
      exciting
      experience.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Leslie
      O’
      Flanagan
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      ee
     
    
   
   
    
     
      JPEI
      X-Press
     
    
   
   
    
     
        
     
    
   
   
    
     
      September
      19,
      199]