Behrooz Dalvandi
What brought you to Prince George?
I considered Canada for my Masters originally because I had a sister in Vancouver. I was accepted to UNBC (#88) - and I am very happy about it. It was more of an authentic Canadian experience compared to universities in bigger cities. My English improved a lot faster here. And because its a small town, the university is friendly and people seem to care more. Prince George is also a great place to start a career. For me, it was always easy to get a job here - I currently work at Northern Health and got this job literally a few hours after I defended my thesis.
What are your main areas of interest?
Computer science, artificial intelligence and psychology. My thesis was about incorporating concepts from psychology into artificial intelligence to, in the future, give robots qualities like emotions that helps them in better decision-making. Computers were interesting to me since I was a kid. The first computer I got was in middle school and I was a geek - programming everything. Im the kind of person that programs eight hours at work for money and then eight hours at home for fun.
What activities do you enjoy in Prince George?
Mostly I like playing soccer at the intramural league at UNBC in the Northern Sport Centre (#11). My favourite restaurant is Shiraz (#61) - I like the jack kebob, one of the most authentic Persian dishes. Its like a celebrity food in Iran. I also like the Ancient Forest (#2) - it is so awesome. Its different from any other forest Ive been to - with such huge trees - it is really peaceful.
Whats one of your favourite memories since arriving?
The first night I came to PG, straight from Iran, my professor came to the airport to pick me up. He drove me to the place I had first rented, but it wasnt suitable for living. I didnt know what to do - I didnt know how to speak English, how to find a place, nothing... My professor cancelled his classes the next day, picked me up, talked to all the students in the department to see if anyone needed a roommate, and found someone for me. He drove me and my stuff back, it took the whole day.
When everything was done, I kept practicing one sentence in English in my mind - I wanted to say thank you. When he was leaving, I said, I wish someday I can compensate you for all of this help. He smiled and said, The only way to compensate is doing the same thing for someone else in the future.
That was one of the most beautiful things I ever heard. It made my first night in Prince George awesome. And now every time I see international students coming in I really try to help them, because Ive been there and someone helped me that day.
