My name is Anna Chudnivets. I am a PR-91 student of the Department of Germanic Philology. On 25 June - 25 August 2022, I tried myself as an intern student in Canada under the Mitacs program.

I will remember this internship for the rest of my life as a wonderful time spent with benefits and fascinating people. For three months, I have been at the University of Ottawa as a research fellow and was able to cooperate with representatives of different countries. I gained useful experience in scientific and everyday life.

The project topic was "Innovation in Language Teaching and Learning: The Linguistic Risk-Taking Initiative at the University of Ottawa". Mostly, I cooperated with another Colombian intern and a USA Master's student. We met almost every day and worked on the project: discussed and offered ideas, consulted the professor.

We met in different places: campus, library, faculty resource center, laboratory, classroom, cafe. We often went to neighboring cities and visited museums, galleries and festivals on weekends. Also, every week we watched fascinating films with popcorn.

Of course, I faced some difficulties. The biggest one was receiving a Canadian visa: I had to go to another country and pass biometric data. However, despite all the difficulties, my impressions of the internship and the country itself are very positive. I can say with confidence that if students had an opportunity to go for a scientific internship under this program, I would certainly apply again.

Advice for those who want to participate but are not sure of their abilities or success. When I applied for the program, I doubted whether I would be chosen by professors to work on the project. Later, I realized almost half of my university study was behind me. I never took advantage of the academic mobility, which only students have. In addition, because of the COVID-19 and the military situation, training takes place online. So, it happens that the group did not meet at any time and had no chance to spend time during the semester. The Mitacs programs are a good way to fill these gaps in modern student life.