Two summers ago, I left the United States for the first time, traveling to France with a tour group. I was only there nine days, but it whetted my appetite for travel. I was extremely enthused when I planned an internship in Winnipeg, Manitoba, for five weeks the following summer. After France, I was aching to absorb an entire foreign culture and have different experiences.

My professional goal is to become a dentist. To help me realize this goal, my advisor, Dr. Jim Jackson, planned an international internship to prepare me for dental school. He knew a Missouri Southern State University student who had graduated and moved to Winnipeg. This student was able to find a place for me to stay and recommend that I intern at the dental clinic at the University of Manitoba. Since I was particularly interested in oral surgery, Dr. Jackson also found an oral surgeon for me to shadow. I was lucky enough to receive a grant from the MSSU Institute of International Studies to partially defray my expenses. Once everything was arranged for my study and my stay, I departed for Winnipeg excited for what lay ahead.

When I arrived in Winnipeg, however, my excitement waned. Wal-Marts, Home Depots and McDonald’s were everywhere. Canadians wore the same types of clothes, watched American TV channels, and drove American cars. It seemed that Canada had nothing original to offer me; everything cultural was a carbon copy of the United States.

Over the next five weeks, I hunted for differences between Canadian and American cultures and found that I was still able to experience many of the things that other students do while studying abroad. I enjoyed trying local food like poutine, a plate of fries topped with brown gravy and cheddar and mozzarella cheese. I was also exposed to French, one of Canada’s two national languages. And in the end, I was able to learn about a number of cultures through the many ethnic festivals Winnipeg had to celebrate its diverse population. However, it was these things — the things I was most looking forward to on my trip — that became the least significant to me.

So what meant the most? The people I met and the kindness they showed me. I have always considered the Midwest to be a friendly region, but we could still learn a lot from the Canadians. The first Canadian I officially met immediately offered to drive me around the city and take me for coffee.

Being in a foreign environment, I was naturally relieved to meet someone who would help me. I should never have worried in the first place, as every Canadian I met was amazingly accommodating. Alice walked with me in 40-degree raining weather to make sure that I had the right bus stop. Roberta brought me to a barbecue to meet new people, and everyone took me out for coffee.

I had a very fulfilling experience in Winnipeg. Not only did I make many new friends, but I learned a great deal from my internship. I was able to learn about many different dental specialties at the University of Manitoba. I now feel better prepared to set my plan of becoming a general dentist into motion. My knowledge about the University of Manitoba will also be helpful for when I start thinking about a possible specialization. My time with Dr. Catherine Dale was also very valuable. She was the first female oral surgeon in Manitoba, which I found to be inspiring. And after days of doing nothing but extracting teeth, I was able to decide that oral surgery was not the specialty for me.

Now I have a love for Canada. I want to go back and explore regions I did not see, but more than that I want to go back to Manitoba to visit all the friends I made. I learned much about dentistry and I am even considering applying to the University of Manitoba for dental school.

My trip taught me that just because Canadian culture is practically American culture, we cannot dismiss it. My time there has made me appreciate a country that is often unappreciated by my own. Canada is our biggest trading partner, so it is a close friend. And it’s good that friends have so much in common.

Anna Nine is a sophomore from Neosho, majoring in biology at Missouri Southern State University. MSSU is celebrating the Canada Semester this fall; see www.mssu.edu/canada for a schedule of activities.