Berin's Journey to Becoming a Dietitian: Being an International Transfer Student

When I first came to Canada to study at university, I went as an international transfer student from Turkey. I faced many challenges in my undergrad journey, but the challenges even started before I was able to begin the university.

I studied for two years in the Nutrition and Dietetics program at Baskent University in Turkey. When I applied to Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) (previously Ryerson) for transfer credit, I noticed that they asked for each of their syllabi, which was hard to get because it was summer. Even then, I managed to translate the syllabus and submit it with original language transcripts and for the syllabus as well. At first, only one of my courses was accepted. However, I almost finished all my courses at Baskent University because my program included an internship last year and coursework in the first three years. After being shocked that only one course was being accepted, I started to email people in the school to ask for help, which was already complicated due to the 7-8 hour time difference. I was finally able to reach out to my program director, who helped me transfer nine more credits for the course, for a total of 10 credits. This process was extra challenging because I was trying to handle my visa and passport to be able to go to school when term started. I also was in a car collision during those times, which impacted me immensely, although no one was physically hurt. It impacted my mental health to focus on immigration and the transfer credit process.

Another significant issue was housing, food, and adjusting to a new country. I was able to find housing through my friends, which was a relief, but it was an adjustment process because I had been living with my family for the last two years. I was not an expert in cooking either, which made it harder for me. I am really attached to my cuisine (Turkish cuisine) and prefer homemade meals over takeout. Due to these reasons and the hardship of adjusting to a new country, I lost about 10 kilograms in my first year of undergrad in Canada.

One of the biggest culture shocks for me was how sweet most Canadian food was because I prefer salty, crispy and spicy food over sweets. I noticed that even bread and pickles were sweet at certain times, which was a shock to me. I remember accidentally buying sweet pickles and trying them, thinking they would be savoury and salty. These food culture differences added to my preference for cooking at home. I was sharing the kitchen with three other people at home, and I needed to be more savvy with cooking and would feel hungry most of the time. Thankfully, now I am better and faster when it comes to meal prep, but it took some time and training to get to this level.

I was also feeling down due to running around and looking for resources to help me adjust to the country and find a job at school or outside of school due to unfavourable currency exchange rates between Turkish liras and Canadian dollars. For finding a job, the opportunities were limited compared to domestic students, and there were also limits on work hours for someone with a student visa. However, thankfully, I landed a job at the beginning of my second year in a place where I worked as a volunteer.

Moreover, I remember going to different parts of Student Life and Learning Support to find help with immigration, career, and writing, which was one of the most significant challenges I faced when I started my undergrad. I attended almost all the writing workshops to improve my writing skills and frequently used the writing center to help me improve them. I felt more confident with time and workshops, but it took some time for me to learn and write. As someone who speaks English as a second language, I was able to speak English fluently, but writing was different, and it was a more challenging skill to improve. Turkish and English have very different ways of sentence structure, and Turkish has yet to have articles, which made it difficult for me.

Another hardship was being homesick and missing my parents. I am close to my family, and I tried to talk to them during the day via video calls, but it was not the same as seeing them in person. I was only able to go to my home country after a year, and I missed my family immensely during winter break. The visa process is challenging, and they were both working, which prevented them from coming to see me in Canada. I was delighted when I saw it after my first year as an undergrad, and I noticed the differences more profoundly between Turkey and Canada through the environment and also the beauty of seeing familiar landscapes and people.

Finally, as a message to people coming to Canada as an international student or international transfer students, I want to acknowledge that they are not alone and that sometimes it may feel very challenging and lonely to be in another country with different cultures and practices. Resources exist for you, and even though it may feel like there are none at times, once you find peer mentors and people who are resourceful to help you, things can hopefully get better. My challenges with currency, finding a job, struggling with writing, and food culture shock were tiring, but with the hardship, I noticed that resilience came with it. 

This may sound generic, but I hope you found the support and help you need to adjust to this new country as a student and human being. My school email is berin.arikan@torontomu.ca, if you would like to connect with me or ask more questions about my experiences!

*Note for readers: Berin is still on her journey to becoming a Dietitian in Canada. At the time of publishing she has not yet registered with the regulatory body to practice as a Dietitian in Canada but we are rooting for her as she makes her way there!