Erasmus Experience in Trois-Rivières, Canada, by Xavier

Why did you choose to go to Trois-Rivières, Canada?

Because it is a pleasant city situated between Montreal and Quebec City. Living there makes it possible to visit a lot of things in Canada without being in a metropolis such as Montreal.

How long is your stay? What is the amount of aid you receive?

It lasted 4 months, my university granted me 800€ for the total of the trip. I am a Belgian student but apparently, this year, a restriction of aids for French students in Canada has been voted (to check).

Source

How is the student atmosphere in Trois-Rivières?

The atmosphere is very good but the Erasmus community is rather small with only 200 foreign students the year I arrived (a 20% increase compared to the previous year). However, foreign students, many of whom have moved to Trois Rivières to complete their studies, are not included in this number. The campus is still large with 13, 000 students and there are many activities (Chasse-Galerie or local 1012). Coming from a Belgian university where there are already quite a lot of student activities, I was pleasantly surprised by Trois-Rivières.

Would you recommend the city and the University of Trois-Rivières to other students?

Yes, the university is very welcoming, the facilities are very modern and teachers listen to the students.

How is food in this country?

The food is similar to that in Europe, in the stores you can find the same products. It's not too expensive just go to stores such as Maxi, Metro or Provigo. There is also a lot of fast-food restaurants including "Valentine", a fast-food that only serves poutines (in different sauces).

Source

Have you had difficulty finding accommodation in Trois-Rivières?

No, I took an apartment located just in front of the university called "Les Résidences 1997". These accommodations are a bit expensive for a semester (higher prices compared to a 8 month lease), but are perfectly located, and filled with foreign students (great for partying)! However, there are two parts in the city, the bottom (downtown) where there are bars and cultural activities, and the top of the city where the university and the students are. I strongly advise to find accommodation in the upper part of the city, this way you won't have to use public transport. The UQTR nevertheless offers a $5/month subscription (to be bought for a semester or at the beginning of each month) for free bus in Trois-Rivières.

What is the cost of living in Trois-Rivières?

It's not too expensive because it's smaller than Montreal or Quebec.

How is the language learning? Have you been to language courses organized by the university?

Unfortunately, the only possible learning is with local expressions (I leave it to you to discover the meaning of "kids" and "biscuit" there; )). But if you are doing a Master's Degree in administration, next year will have the same courses but in English!

The Quebec accent will be understandable to you from the first month, and people will come to you if they hear that you have a foreign accent!

What is the most economical way to get to Trois-Rivières from your city?

I flew to Montreal and then I took a $29 bus (student discount) to Trois-Rivières. But I strongly advise to already arrange to find a carpool, practice very widespread in Quebec (because there is no train with Trois-Rivières). Indeed it costs only $10 to make Montreal-Trois Rivières. Just type UQTR carpooling on Facebook and you will quickly find the carpooling group with offers and inquiries!

What places would you recommend to party in Trois-Rivières?

During the week (Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday), I would go to Chasse-Galerie, the student bar located behind the pavilion Léon Provancher of the UQTR. There I met a lot of foreign students and it has become mandatory weekly outings with themed evenings (karaoke on Tuesday, $1 beer on Wednesdays and special on Thursdays), the atmosphere was very festive. Otherwise, on Thursday Friday and Saturday I recommend going out to the city center where there is the nightclub/bar "Le temple" where you can dance without paying too much. There is a bar "La petite grenouille" where there are also student nights (and karaoke) with sometimes a DJ and quite a lot of students. "La grange" in the same street (Rue des Forge in the city center) is not bad either. Attention to the evenings at 1012 (enormous room next to the hunting gallery) where parties ("Partés" in Canadian; )) are organized and for which the students snatch the tickets in pre-sales (buy the agenda at the beginning of year, all the evenings are indicated there)!

And to eat in Trois-Rivières? What are your favorite places?

At Trois-Rivières (shopping center at the top of the city 10 minutes away from the university) there is a place with different fast-foods (Thai, Lebanese, Putin, classic) where you can eat quietly. The Gambrinus (Brasserie and microbrewery) very close to the University is renowned for its poutine and its meal mussels fries at will.

Source

And what cultural visits do you recommend?

If you arrive in August rush on Saint-Quentin Island where the beach is definitely worth a visit, on arrival (end of August) it has been between 25 and 30°C for 2 weeks in a row. Otherwise the cultural visits to Trois-Rivières are not the most exciting. But around there is plenty to see: the Mauricie Park, the Montmorency Falls in Quebec. Québec City and Montreal with their each old neighborhoods are obviously worth a visit. In addition, we walked along the falls on 2-3km in Chicoutimi it was really nice but a bit far from Trois-Rivières (4-5h of roads). You can also see the whales in Tadussac but I did not have time to go. I visited Ottawa and Toronto, and I particularly liked Ottawa which does not look like the other big cities!

Going skiing early in December to Shawinigan (30 minutes by car) is rather cool and cheap ($5 on the day of opening and $15 a day)!

Advice to be given to prospective students in Trois-Rivières?

Try to prepare your visits in advance because there are many things to see, and do not hesitate to visit and travel every weekend because 4 months pass by quickly! Especially since there is not much to do during the weekend at Trois-Rivières with the local students returning home. But my trip there was very exciting and an experience to live!