Been to canada?

Question

i am thinking about doing a student exchange to canada for 3 months at the end of this year, (im from australia) and i have a few questions.

does everyone speak french? which parts do and which parts dont? or is it all just a mix? what is highschool like there? do you have a uniform, and is it structured like america (freshman, sophomore etc)? how cold does it get? can you figure skate or ski etc? is it like australia in any way??

it would really help me if you could answers any of these questions, or refer me to some good sites :)

thanks!!

Answer 1

Canada ROCKS!  Only in Quebec do they speak french (officially).  Wish I could have gone to high school there!  DO IT!

Answer 2

Canada is a very good country. No everyone does not speak french only in quebec. the rest is english. The best place to be is probably Ontario or British Columbia because it has the most people and the major cities (toronto and vancouver are there). High school is just normal I guess. I think school would be easier here than in Australia. What do you mean structured? They don't use terms such as freshman, sophomore but they just say Grade 9 or Grade 10. And the grading system (in Onatrio anyways) is

50 below - F

51-60 - D

61-70 - C

71-80 - B

80 above is an A.

I think its school is easier in Canada and I used to live in America.

It does get cold here compared to Australia. Winter is from like November to even March. And it can get really cold even in May but it'll be fine. But we don't get snow days :(

And there are really good skiing areas, skating rinks, etc.

It is like Australia in which they are both commonwealth nations. They spell stuff like favorite with a u, favourite. But I think that's about it. It's more like America.

Hope this helped :)

Answer 3

Not everyone speaks french, most likey is Quebec, almost everyone is french, depending on which part you go to, I live in western Quebec close to the capital of Canada (Ottawa), about 50% are English 50% French.

There's also quite a bit of french in the Atlanic Provinces (New Brunkswick & Nova Scotia) because of the Acadians.

The least french would be on the west coast (British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba).

Highschools are grades 7-12 or 9-12 usually in all provinces except Quebec (the french speaking one) they have 7-11 or 9-11.

It's pretty rare that you'll have a uniform, unless you go to a private school.

It's pretty warm in the summer, nice and mild in fall, and in winter & half of spring it's cold but usually not SUPER COLD,

again, depending on how north you are it's rare that we have

-20 degree weather (maybe 2 days a year).

You can figure skate in the winter on lakes and such, if you enjoy skating then I recommend Ottawa, it holds the worlds longest skating rink (Rideau Canal) & there are many ski hills around that area, but Banff, Alberta & Whistler, B.C. are famous for skiing, you can ski on the mountains even if it's 40 outside.

I have never been to Australia, but I hear it's hot, our summers are nice too.

I think you'll really enjoy Canada.

Feel free to ask me any questions you might have in the future about Canada.

Answer 4

does everyone speak french? which parts do and which parts dont? or is it all just a mix? what is highschool like there? do you have a uniform, and is it structured like america (freshman, sophomore etc)? how cold does it get? can you figure skate or ski etc? is it like australia in any way??

LOL no most of us actually don't speak french- well that I've noticed in western Canada anyway. Quebec is mainly french speaking people. There is a ton of different languages that get spoken here all throughout Canada. High school is the same as any High school. Most schools do not have uniforms. How cold it gets depends on which part of Canada you live in. Obviously the further north you get the colder it gets. I live in Northern Alberta and our winters can get to be -45 celcius. Otherwise spring and summer are warm/ hot. You can figure skate or ski just like any other place.

I don't know anything about Australia so I couldn't say.

Answer 5

'Does everyone speak French?' - No, most of the population does not. However most people in the province of Quebec speak both French and English.  There is also a large French-speaking population in New Brunswick and parts of Eastern Ontario.  

"What is high school like there?"   It differs all over the country, but generally is from about grade 9 to grade 12.  Private and Catholic schools might have uniforms, but most public schools do not.  Most areas do not follow the "freshman, sophomore etc" lingo (though some areas might use those terms) most just say "I'm in grade 11" etc.

"How cold does it get?"  - Ummmmm....what would you say if I asked you "How cold or hot does it get in Australia?"  Canada is a BIG country, so it depends on where you're headed.  

"Can you figure skate or ski?" Not very well, can you? Are you asking if there are ice rinks and ski hills? Yes there are.  Are you asking if you can skate across Lake Ontario in July? No you cannot.

"Is it like Australia in anyway?"  Well, according to my friend who is Canadian and doing med school in Australia, there are many similarities.  However, he did say that Australia seems a bit behind in the times.  Actually, he described it this way "If North America is  in 2008, Australia is still living in 1978".  Having not been to Australia myself, I couldn't tell you if I agree with him.

Answer 6

Wow that's alot of questions.

No we don't all speak french, mostly just in Quebec.

High schools don't have uniforms unless you go to a private school.  Sorta structured like freshman, sophomore etc but very loosely.

It gets cold here in the winter but mostly in Jan and Feb where temp go down to -30C to -40C depending on which province you plan to go to.  Other months are much nicer.  YOu can skate in the winter and ski but for skiing you have to go to the mountains like Banff.  WE tend to get alot of snow here unlike Australia anytime between Oct-Nov up till Mar-Apr the following year.  Are summers are nice and hot but not as hot as Australian summers.

Hope this helps;)

Come on down to Canada Mate we would love to have you!

Cheers~!

Answer 7

well, i live in Canada. It depends where you go if or if not french is spoken. Manitoba, alberta, b.c, sascatchuwan, all mainly speak english. the only place i really know that speaks french very consistently is quebec. Just dont go to a french school. For the weather, it depends on where you go also. In manitoba, winnipeg, in the winter it can drop to minus 30 in bad weather. While in the summer it stays warmish to hot. Canada is very similar to Australian, the only differences are temperature, language and landscape.

I suggests that you dont go up north. Unless you wanna see the polar bears

Answer 8

its really just a mix of who speaks french or not....it also depends on what part of canada, as im sure you know...and for the weather thing, it does get pretty chilly i think (ive never been during winter) but im 99.9% sure you can find a lake or pond to figure skate...ive never been to australia so i wouldnt know ^_^

Answer 9

Well i can tell you first hand as i live in canada..toronto, ontario. and no, in ontario, barely anyone speaks french on the roads, except in ottawa. They mainly speak French in the province of Quebec...Highschool is fine, and ok i guess...we do not use the freshman, sophomore, etc...and some schools require uniforms (private or catholic schools)..most public schools dont require uniforms though some do. In the winter, it gets fairly cold but nothing anyone cant handle. Yes, u can figute skate and ski, just find the right resort or rink....i havent been to australia so i cant compare the two. Overall , Canada  is a pretty good country and a good experience if u want to study here...good luck

Answer 10

lol they speak English...they do speak. they are similar to the us... hopes this helps..

~V~

Answer 11

Canada is a great country.  In fact, I was born and raised there.  Not everyone speaks french.  The only french speaking part of canada is quebec, but you can find people who speak french elsewhere too.  It's a bilingual country, so many speak both french and english.  In school, you can be put on a program where most of your classes are in french, including math and science.  My cousin is on that program and he loves it.  Don't worry, if you don't speak french, you can always take the class in english too.  Different parts of canada could be different, but im pretty sure that's basically how it goes.  If you know some about America, it is very similar.  Only certain schools have to wear uniforms, like religious schools.  The schools are very similar in structure, but still have their differences.  Different schools between provinces also can be immensely different.  It gets pretty cold there.  Unlike popular belief, canada does go through a period of warmth, called summer.  It is very humid and hot, but is a definite relief from the winter.  The winter can be very cold.  You can figure skate and ski.  When I was little, my aunt used to live by a lake, and we would go ice skating there every winter.  If you go to canada now or in a couple of months, it will be warm, so don't plan on going skiing, but you can ice skate in an ice skating rink.  I think it would definitely be worth it to travel there.  It would be a great experience and you should have a lot of fun.  Good luck!