5 Stupid Things I Did As An International Student That I Wish I Could Take Back

I thought TTC token were regular coins

TTC token machine.

Valentino Visentini | Dreamstime

The first mistake I made was confusing TTC tokens for Canadian coins. When I first arrived in Canada, I was still getting used to the currency.

I had a bag of TTC tokens, and I mistakenly thought they were just another form of Canadian coin. As a result, I shamelessly wasted them without realizing their actual value.

I'll never forget the look on the TTC fare inspector's face when I casually tossed in three tokens (which I had mistaken for $1 coins) into the fare box on the subway. At the time, I thought they were the strange ones. Looking back, I cringe at the thought of how much money I threw away.

I signed a lease that wasn't legally binding 

The second mistake I made was letting my landlord bully me with an illegal lease.

When I first moved into my apartment, my landlord handed me a lease that had all sorts of rules and regulations. I didn't know any better and thought I couldn't fight against her.

I also didn't realize that many of the things she included in the lease, like a ban on overnight guests and a requirement to clean once a week, are very much against the law in Ontario.

I wish I had been more informed about my rights as a tenant and stood up for myself.

I only bought name-brand winter coats

Canada Goose store.

Dzmitry Zelianeuski | Dreamstime

The third mistake I made was only buying name-brand winter clothes. As someone who was used to warmer climates, I didn't realize how cold it could get in Canada.

I thought only expensive name-brand winter clothes would be worth my time and had magical powers that would actually keep me warm. However, this option also almost bankrupted me. I ended up spending almost $1,000 on my first-ever winter coat.

Looking back, I realize that I could have found many other affordable options for clothing, like thrifting, and still stayed warm.

I didn't recognize the Weeknd in person

Another regret I have as an international student is not recognizing the Weeknd when I saw him in person.

It was in 2017 when he was shooting a music video at the University of Toronto Scarborough. I was walking on campus when I saw a group of people surrounding a man who looked familiar. I'm even sure he made eye contact with me. But I simply shrugged and walked away.

I absolutely hated myself for months when I realized that I had just made eye contact with the Weeknd and didn't even know it.

I really underestimated black ice

So my university's residence tried to warn the students about the dangers of black ice, especially in our area, which had a lot of green gardens often used as shortcuts to get in and around residential buildings.

But I thought it was all an exaggeration. 'Pshh, I'm not afraid of a little ice,' I thought. One evening, while returning home from a late class, I found my usual route covered with black ice. Despite the warnings, I thought I could handle walking on it because I was in a hurry. If falling three times in a row wasn't a real lesson in humility, then crawling my way out certainly was.