Last March, I was part of a Middle East and North Africa (MENA) media tour in Canada. The tour, organized by Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada (DFAIT), was for the purpose of promoting Canadian Education and involved visiting more than 15 universities, colleges and federal and provincial government representatives in Toronto, Ottawa and Montreal.
From this trip, I learned that Canada has become a popular destination for Saudi students. In fact, the number of Saudi students on the King Abdullah Foreign Scholarship Program has increased by four times in the past three years! Furthermore, most students were getting into science, engineering and business administration programs rather than just medicine, as used to be the case before.
While touring all these colleges and universities, I was lucky to meet with many Saudi students who shared their experiences with me. Below are just a few examples.
From Seneca College in Toronto, I met with Danny Alhussamy, a third year civil engineering Saudi student who came to Canada on the King Abdullah Foreign Scholarship Program.
“One of the reasons why I chose Canada and Toronto in particular was that my brother was here. Other reasons were the stories I heard about Canada as being a nice, peaceful and safe place to live in as well as a place where everybody is treated equally. My experience is great so far, and I learned a lot of things. I encourage other Arab and Saudi students to study in Canada,” said 22-year-old Alhussamy.
He added that he plans on starting his own business back home and hopefully find a solution for the water drainage problem in Jeddah.
Also in Toronto, I met with 25-year-old Saudi student Mohammad Al-harthi from York University. Al-harthi came on the same scholarship program and is currently enrolled at the York University English Language Institute (YUELI) to improve his English skills. This is his first year, and he plans to do a master’s degree in media and communication.
He said he chose Canada as his first choice for several reasons: his friends recommended him to study there, it is safe and it is multicultural.
“Studying in Canada is great, and I strongly recommend everyone to study here. It is a good opportunity to be in a multicultural country, as you can meet different people and learn about their cultures. Learning English has also given me the wonderful chance to communicate with people and exchange cultures. Moreover, it gives me the opportunity to choose different kinds of subjects to study in the future. Finally, being in a Western country, like Canada, is the best way to build knowledge and bring it back home,” he added.
Al-harthi is a member of the Saudi student association at York, and has also done some social work with the Saudi association at Ryerson University and the University of Toronto. His future plans are to become a professor at Taibah University, where he earned his bachelor’s, and to bring his experience back home to improve the media.
In Montreal, I met with Dr. Thamer Nouh, a General Surgeon specialized in Trauma and Surgery from McGill University.
Nouh completed medical school at King Saud University in Riyadh, where he is a demonstrator. He received a scholarship from there through the Ministry of Higher Education and came to Montreal in 2003.
“I came to Montreal to be trained as a General Surgeon. This is a five-year program that started in July 2003. It ended in June 2008 with a certification by the Royal College of Surgeons in Canada. After I was certified in General Surgery, I started a two-year program in Critical Care that ended again with a Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada Certification. Then, I did a year of Trauma and Surgery at McGill University,” explained Nouh.
“I chose Canada, as I knew many surgeons that trained here with very good experiences, including my aunt. The people of Canada are multicultural and very welcoming and friendly. I chose McGill as it is ranked number one in Canada and has one of the top medical schools in North America with an international reputation for excellence in clinical training,” he said.
“They have well-structured programs that allow a trainee to progress from a medical student to a practicing surgeon in a pre-specified duration of time – normally five to six years – depending on the surgical specialty,” he added.
Nouh is very involved at McGill. He was part of the General Surgery Training Program Committee for the last six years, which oversees the training of the 50 residents in the program. He was also part of the interviewing committee for seven years, which is responsible for the selection of new Canadian and international residents. In addition, he was involved in teaching medical students, residents and fellows and has been awarded multiple awards for his excellence in teaching. Last but not least, the Saudi Cultural Bureau has appointed him as the Saudi Physicians’ Representative to McGill University for the last two years.
Nouh encourages Saudi students to apply to study in Canada and urges them to become involved in their universities. He is now finishing his Master of Science thesis and will return to Saudi Arabia in September to join the College of Medicine at King Saud University as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Surgery. “I hope to improve trauma care in Saudi Arabia,” he said.
According to Dr. Faisal Mohammad Al-Mohanna Abaalkhail, the Saudi Arabian Cultural Attaché in Canada, McGill University has the highest concentration of doctors trained in Canada. “Out of the 800 doctors we have, almost 200 are in McGill,” he said.
“We are very proud of our students here in Canada, and indeed we are very proud of what they achieved to help one another, especially by volunteering in associations and clubs around the country,” Abaalkhail told Arab News in Ottawa.
He added that the Saudi Arabian Cultural Bureau in Canada was able to create a unique relationship between the office and those clubs to help newcomers in transit to settle and face the initial challenges. “We are here to work with our students in a family-like fashion,” he said.
All students I spoke to said their experiences have been very positive, as everyone is very welcoming. Also, since there are many international students in Canada, especially from Arab countries, they feel right at home.
Of course, adapting to life in a new country is not easy at first. Some students said the weather was difficult getting used to. One cannot blame them, as Canada is known for its harsh winters where temperatures can reach minus 40 degrees Celsius with the wind chill! However, since all areas are excessively heated, one only feels the cold outdoors, so it’s not a major problem. Plus, Canada has beautiful, hot weather in the summer, making one easily forget its cold winters.