-9- (unedited)

I returned to St. Gallen to complete my studies and as I was about to graduate, I had to ask myself, “What next?”

I was at the fork of the road. My professor in Operations Research offered me a position as an assistant while studying toward a Ph.D., i.e. meaning several more years in St. Gallen…

Or, finding a scholarship to continue studying abroad.

This was my preferred path.

So I looked at postings for scholarships on the university bulletin board. I found some from Florence in Italy, Saarbrücken in Germany, the US and Canada.

I was not interested in Europe.

The deadline for US applications had already passed.

But the one by the Canadian government was still open.

I applied and won one of ten scholarships to study for a Master’s degree at a Canadian university of my choice. This included fully paid tuition, a book and living allowance and free health care at a veterans’ hospital. Passing an interview and medical exam at the Canadian embassy in Berne to qualify for a student visa was not a problem.

I shortlisted McGill University in Montreal, Western Business School in London, Ontario and University of Toronto. At the time there was already political unrest by Quebec separatists (FLQ), similar to the Swiss separatists in the French speaking part of the Canton Berne (Jura Libre). This eliminated McGill. Western used the Harvard case study method of teaching, which I considered still too tough for me to fully participate in, even though I had survived the language immersion in Pennsylvania a few years before. Therefore, I picked Toronto. Three Swiss “boys” from my hometown had moved there a few years before. This gave me and my parents some comfort, because we knew their families.

At the University of Toronto downtown campus there was an “International Student Centre” (ICS), where I often went between and after classes, when I was not studying at my nearby rented room or in the main library.

The director of the ICS was very helpful. She was also the local contact for the worldwide “Experiment in International Living,” which connected newcomers and visitors with local families. She asked me if I would be willing to answer questions from high school students and others who were about to go on an exchange to Switzerland. Of course, I agreed. The students were undergoing a multi-day preparation before leaving for Switzerland. It was held at a prestigious private boys’ school in mid-town Toronto, called “Upper Canada College.”

The questions were easy, such as “Do students wear jeans?” Or, “What do Swiss host families eat for breakfast?”.

 The evening concluded with the Question and Answer period. Then the ISC director offered me a ride in her Volkswagen Beetle towards downtown where I lived. There was a lull in a thunderstorm, but I accepted. As she was driving towards the gate at Avenue Road, coming up to a group of girls, she slowed down and asked, “Anybody needing a ride towards Bloor Street? Just get in,” Some did. And conversations started. One of those going to Switzerland for an individual Homestay had also accepted the ride. So I asked her if she was interested in learning a bit more about what to expect in Switzerland. I would gladly answer more questions at my room on Tranby Avenue, just a few houses west of Avenue Road. She said “yes.”

We celebrated our 50^th wedding anniversary in 2021.