Departure

After going through the long visa wait, the hard working of the final week and the short summer relaxation, 58 "Parrots" of OSJSM 2028 finally set foot on the flight to the other side of the ocean —— unknown country, foreign culture... Everything is waiting for us to come and explore... The next station is —— Ottawa!

Orientation and Campus Tour

To help new students adapt quickly and effectively to their studies and life at the University of Ottawa, the faculty meticulously prepared a welcome ceremony on the first day of school. Dr. Mark Walker, the Vice Dean of the Faculty of Medicine, delivered a humorous and engaging speech. He not only extended a warm welcome to us but also expressed his love for China and its culture. He concluded with a witty remark, saying, "I have a Chinese heart!" which brought about hearty laughter from the audience. The speeches from other project coordinators and senior students were equally filled with care, making us newcomers feel especially welcomed.

During the ceremony, the teachers provided detailed information on the summer program’s course schedule and features, commuting between the main campus and the Faculty of Medicine, study and life tips, various local dining options, and other important notes. To our delight, the teachers also introduced nearby Asian supermarkets and restaurants, ensuring that we could enjoy familiar flavors while away from home. Additionally, the new students learned how to use brightspace and uozone to access educational resources, making the orientation highly rewarding.

In the afternoon, we had a campus tour. The 58 students were divided into two groups, each led by a student volunteer, to explore the main campus of the University of Ottawa. The volunteers vividly described the vibrant student life on campus. At Learning Crossroads (CRX), we saw the "magical" high-tech electrochromic glass study rooms and panoramic game experience rooms. The wall covered with plants in the Social Sciences building caught our attention. According to the senior student, this is a botanical masterpiece—the patterns on the wall are composed of over two thousand species of herbaceous plants. Next, we visited the Bioscience Complex of the Faculty of Science and the bilingual English-French learning center. As the world's largest bilingual English-French university, the University of Ottawa offers abundant language learning resources for every student. While taking a group photo in front of the campus landmark, we happened to meet the university president professor Jacques Frémont. He warmly welcomed the arrival of the new group of students of the Ottawa-Shanghai Joint School of Medicine and took photos with us cordially.