Spend 24 hours in Montreal, Quebec with an international student

Romantics get a bad rep. They’re criticised for being too unrealistic, too naive, too ignorant.

But if you’re able to be self-aware while embracing the whimsy parts of life, then really, what’s the big deal?

Hsiang Jien is a romantic, but in the summer of ‘22, when she landed an internship with a pet food company in the city of Montreal, she didn’t need rose-tinted glasses to see its beauty. It was clear in its colourful, pedestrian-friendly streets, thoughtful murals, and smiling faces.

“People there just seemed happier, even when they were working their jobs,” says Hsiang. “I think it also has to do with the decor of everything. It’s always so personalised, so it feels like they’ve found their own little space.”

Hsiang would often sublet accommodations which other students or young professionals occupied. Source: Naik Hsiang Jien

A passion for pets, from Malaysia to Canada

Let’s set the scene: it’s Friday, and Hsiang is working her nine to five remotely. 

Five minutes away from Hsiang’s apartment in the city was the Parc La Fontaine. She would get her breakfast, usually bagels from St-Viatuer Bagel & Café — which are arguably better than New York’s — and spend her mornings at the park as the world wakes up. Animals would flitter about, particularly a squirrel that often stole tomatoes from her landlady’s plant.

Then, she’d head back home to start the work day. Hsiang was working as a strategy and research intern for a small pet food company, which sought sustainable solutions to feed dogs and cats, with a focus on insect protein. As a certified cat lover, it was the kind of job that Hsiang could only dream about back then, but boy, was she persistent in making that dream happen.

At the time, despite studying economics at McMaster University, Hsiang didn’t have a clear-cut vision of what career she wanted to pursue. What she did know was that she had one unwavering passion that would follow her from Malaysia to Canada: pets. She was a cat mom herself back at home, and ran a pet food shop on Instagram to raise funds for independent rescuers.

The majority of Hsiang’s days in Montreal were spent outdoors. Source: Naik Hsiang Jien

“[The company] wasn’t hiring, but they had a page on their website that said you can get in touch if you want to join us,” she says. Hsiang ended up writing to the company at least five times in the span of a month, and her effort proved worth it. Her eventual boss would reach out to her saying, “I appreciate the grit,” and hired her.

Hsiang would often sit on the balcony and work while the Montreal weather was blue skies and warm summers. The role required her to maintain relationships with their customers, ranging from small pet stores to franchises for pet chains, research and development for new products, data analysis, and market research. When work was done, she’d take a snack break before suiting up for a hefty workout. 

New York vs. Montreal bagels. Which is better? Source: Naik Hsiang Jien

Taking Montreal one day at a time

Most of Hsiang’s 24 hours in Montreal are spent outdoors. Even when she’s working, she basks in the city’s laid back energy while sitting on the balcony. 

“It was my first Northern Hemisphere summer, and all the flowers were blooming,” she says. “Being outside, in that moment, was being exposed to all these wonders of the four seasons for the first time and also defrosting from the lonely winter.”

After work, Hsiang cycles 20 minutes to get to her acrobatics class. On some days, she would even attend Paragym, a circus school. That’s the thing about Montreal. It’s such a lively city with all sorts of activities and cultures. If there’s anything you’re interested in, like thrifting, canoeing, biking, or art, the city will deliver. 

Hsiang herself was scrolling on ClassPass to find things to do when she stumbled upon Paragym. There, she would take classes in aerial silks and acrobatics, though in the latter, the tough exercise was not the only challenge that she would face. 

“It was supposed to be for beginners, and it was in complete French. This is one of the only times that I struggled with the language,” she says. “They were having us do front flips and black flips. Things that you won’t be able to do if you’re a beginner.”

Despite that, Hsiang saw them as welcome challenges, and the 20-minute cycle back to her apartment was an excellent moment of reprieve from the strenuous movement.

Montreal is filled with hip, artsy neighbourhoods with loads of little gems to explore. Source: Naik Hsiang Jien

A night on the town 

If Hsiang wasn’t feeling so bold, she would spend the evening on Mount Royal, watching the sunset cast orange and pink over the city skyline, surrounded by lush trees.

On those friskier Fridays, her and her friends would spend a night on the town. That was an advantage Hsiang sought out: accommodations which were occupied by students or young professionals who were already well acquainted with Montreal. She would either have a picnic dinner with them at the park or head to a restaurant like Drogheria Fine, which has amazing gnocchi for only five Canadian dollars (US$3.59).

Then, the bars would come alive in the night — Le Normandie, a colourful karaoke bar, their usual go-to.

“Oh my god, there’s music everywhere,” says Hsiang. “In the park, someone is playing a guitar or a violin and it feels like you’re in this romantic place. I feel like I have a very romanticised view of Montreal, but that’s genuinely how it felt like.”

Bar Darling and Else’s were some of Hsiangs favourite spots to visit during a night on the town. Source: Naik Hsiang Jien

Montreal is obviously not a perfect city. As an international student, communicating with people remains a breeze as pretty much everyone speaks English. 

But most offices in Montreal will require you to speak French. Hsiang lucked out as the position in her company didn’t. She was also there during the summer and spring, which had the best weather. Winters are cold, dipping as low as -30 °C.

That aside, Montreal is a beautiful city to live in, and was even ranked in Condé Nast Traveler’s 2025 Readers’ Choice Awards among the 10 best large cities in the world. Yet, from the people, to its walkable nature, to the paintings on the walls, to the squirrels and racoons that might bid you hello — Montreal makes for an intimate experience.

“I didn’t really want to stay in Canada,” says Hsiang, who has now graduated from McMaster and is living back in her home country. “But I was willing to stay in Montreal.”