I joined the Universite de Sherbrooke in Canada this January to do a doctorate in Cell Biology. My project focuses on pancreatic cancer, one of the deadliest forms of the disease. It was then freezing here - the temperature goes down to -30° Celsius in Quebec - and it was a little difficult for me to adjust.

I've dreamt of becoming a cancer researcher ever since I was in high school - I grew up in the steel city of Durgapur. After completing Plus Two from DAV Model School, I headed to Mumbai where I did my bachelor's and master's in Biotechnology from Dr D.Y. Patil University. Thereafter, I received the Commonwealth Scholarship and Fellowship Plan (CSFP) to do a second master's programme - in Oncology - from the University of Nottingham in the UK.

At the University of Nottingham, I learnt the basics of the "emperor of maladies" - how it begins, the genetics underlying the disease, therapies and prevention.

However, for my PhD, I chose Sherbrooke for its excellence in the field of medical research. Located in the province of Quebec, the Université de Sherbrooke is a French-speaking institution and has more than 1,600 foreign students from 120 countries.

Canada offers a plethora of opportunities to international students and also supports budding and established researchers in terms of funding, collaborations and technologies. It seems like the right place for me to begin my career as a scientist and researcher.

I have been in Canada for five months now. It is a beautiful country, blessed with nature's bounty and people who are friendly and mingle easily. We go out to pubs, bistros, cafes and have a wonderful time. Sherbrooke is a francophone city, so I am learning French culture and also the language.

Till recently, I stayed in the university's residence but have now shifted to an apartment outside the campus. Though life is not very different here, it is easier to visit the supermarkets. That helps because I cook my own meals.

The salary is decent. It comes from my supervisor's grant and I also receive a faculty-level and university-level exemption from higher international tuition fees. That is more than enough for a comfortable stay here.

As told to Chandana Chandra