Daniela Pomaer is a 20-year-old from Canada who studies Human Environment at her university back home. She kindly agreed to join me for an interview and tell me about her stay here as an exchange student and how she has been feeling over the course of the first month. We also discussed how the pandemic has affected her time away from home in a foreign country and why she decided to join the exchange program.

School life

The exchange program found its way to Daniela through an advertisement on the university website, inviting anyone interested to attend a meeting. “I was intrigued and thought it might be fun,” she says. “After the meeting, I was even more invested in the idea and told my dad about it. He showed me nothing but support and told me I had to do it, like it was a once-in-a-lifetime thing.”
Moving to a different country, or in her case a new continent, can be both frightening and exciting. So how has it been for Daniela? “You see, that’s where Covid comes in. It was fun to begin with. I really liked it while we got to attend classes in person. I made some new friends and I liked the atmosphere at the university. But ever since we started online classes, I have been finding it hard to concentrate and connect with my classmates. There are so many things that can divert your attention.”

Effects of the pandemic

Did the pandemic in any way have an impact on your decision to join the program? “Well, at that point, I had already decided I wanted to go and was more concerned with the aspect of the trip being cancelled, but luckily for me, Iceland kept their program. I think I might be the only person from my uni that went anywhere.”
If you had the experience you have now, do you think you would change your decision to go and choose to wait out the pandemic instead? “That is a tough question because it is hard to know if the situation will be any different in one, two, or even three years’ time. At least according to what I have been reading, the pandemic might be here for a while. And I only have so much time to join the exchange program. So to me it was like a now-or-never kind of moment.”

Life outside of school

How has life been outside of school? Have you had the chance to experience what Iceland has to offer? “Yes! I have been exploring Reykjavík a bit and finding all its beautiful views. Gone on a few field trips to a bunch of different places and it is just such a beautiful country. I really enjoy the nature here and what it has to offer, so it has just been amazing.”
Anything that stands out? “Well, Iceland is different, and that was one of the reasons I wanted to come here. All the other places I have been before share a similar environment, big forests, and crowded cities. The nature and low population of Iceland were two of the main reasons I wanted to come here in the first place, so it has really been everything I ever dreamed of!”

“It was Fun to Begin With” - Life as an Exchange Student During Covid