As an exchange student from France, what I was most excited about before my arrival at Laurier Brantford was having a gym at university. You might think it’s a normal thing, but for me it’s not. 

Having a gym is not the only thing that differs from my French university. Since we don’t have a gym, the university does its best to offer the students a wide range of sports classes. To be able to take part, each student may pay a €22 fee at the beginning of the year. Then you can register for three different classes each semester. 

I took part in the zumba class, the circuit training class and the track and field class during my two years at my French university. The instructors are often regular teachers who are interested in a particular sport and choose to give time to these classes after their working hours.  

Even with this wide range of choices, very few students choose to participate. As a result, there were only two of my 25 classmates to take part in these sports. For a lot of people the main excuse is the fact that the hours aren’t convenient. 

I’m glad I have a place like Wilkes Gym to practice sports. I haven’t had the chance to try the gym equipment yet, but I’m looking forward to doing it.  

Another difference is varsity sports. We don’t have any varsity teams at my French university except a rugby team.  

There are also no such things at homecoming games. We don’t even have a field for the team. 

Being a part of the cross-country team is the best way for me to experience varsity sports. I used to run back in France too, but on my own. We don’t have running clubs, like Run Laurier, for example. 

To sum up, I’m practicing sports here at Laurier in a more collective way, either when running with my team, with the club or going to the gym to take part in any boot camp session. Whatever it may be, I won’t be alone. In France, I would go to my class, practice, and then go home. I think the main difference is that here I never feel alone.