Lucy Dabbs, the restaurant
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By: Lucy Dabbs, Georges P. Vanier Secondary School, participant of the 2017 Beijing International Education Exchange (BIEE) Summer Camp.

Following the commencement of the ceremony, the whole summer camp streams out and walks over to the parking area where 20 buses are waiting. I join Canada and find a seat on the bus, which I learn we are now sharing with a group from Texas school of performing arts.

These buses are tour bus style, with nice fabric individual seats in groups of two. I sit beside a Chinese student named Bunny, who explains to me that every bus has two or three groups, in addition to a handful of Chinese students who are on every bus. Bunny is open and friendly, and asks me questions about myself. She tells me we are on our way to a restaurant for lun...

Category: Student Blog
Lucy Dabbs
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By: Lucy Dabbs, Georges P. Vanier Secondary School, participant of the 2017 Beijing International Education Exchange (BIEE) Summer Camp.

As the representative of Canada, I have to get up an hour early to join the other representatives on our transport to Tsinghu University where opening ceremonies were being held. My first day here at the camp and already I have to leave my roommates who I just met to venture forth into my exciting duties awaiting. I put on my elaborate Canadian outfit, consisting of various Dollar store accessories and two flags stuck in my ponytail.

At 6:00 sharp Gloria comes by to collect me, and by 6:15 AM I board a bus along with 32 other students, one representative from each country. Before I even reach the bus, the representative from Argent...

Category: Student Blog
Lucy Dabbs, Gloomy day in Beijing, China
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By: Lucy Dabbs, Georges P. Vanier Secondary School, participant of the 2017 Beijing International Education Exchange (BIEE) Summer Camp.

Dreams, in the sense of the visions we have while we sleep, are wonderful things. They are curious, sometimes confusing, sometimes pleasant journeys that our brain takes while our bodies rest. Dreams are messages from the subconscious.

However, sometimes reality can interfere with our dreams, and on the first night in Beijing, here I am in my dorm room dreaming when my peace is disrupted. And what is interrupting my sleep but the ear shattering sounds of construction trucks, dumping massive loads of sheet metal into piles on campus. In my hazy dream like state, my logic is not fully in motion, and I groggily groan to myself that th...

Category: Student Blog
Katlyn Bieber
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By: Katlyn Bieber, Thompson Rivers University, winner of the 2017 Stories from Abroad Scholarship.

Since arriving home for the summer at the beginning of July, I have been keeping myself busy in order to transition back from my exchange life to my normal life here. I am working at the Visitor’s Centre in Clearwater, B.C. where I am still talking to people from around the world every-day (including some Austrians)! It definitely feels weird to be back in Canada, separated from my new friends. There are days where I wake up and I feel a pang of sadness that I won’t be riding my bike to school in Graz or hanging out with my awesome roommates and friends. The time I had with them was so short and yet I made relationships that I know will last for the rest of our lives! I am tr...

Category: Student Blog
Lucy Dabbs, The entrance to the Beijing Royal School
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By: Lucy Dabbs, Georges P. Vanier Secondary School, participant of the 2017 Beijing International Education Exchange (BIEE)Summer Camp.

Have you ever gone into one of those saunas at the public swimming pool? Where you walk in and it's like stepping into, well, like stepping into a room full of hot, steamy air. The air kind of weighs down on you, slowing your breath and clinging to your skin. That's what we are met with as our curious faces emerge from the airplane and step onto the stairs leading to the solid ground of Beijing, China.

Now don't get me wrong, sauna air can be refreshing, for a few minutes. But this is an everyday reality of Beijing, and it is hot here in July and August, a fact I knew all of us would soon become very familiar with during our stay he...

Category: Student Blog
Katlyn Bieber, calamari fried in garlic and butter
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By: Katlyn Bieber, Thompson Rivers University, winner of the 2017 Stories from Abroad Scholarship.

Food has been a big part of my exchange so far, both in Graz and in all of the places that I have been fortunate to visit. Below I will highlight some of the foods (or drinks) that I have been able to try so far!

Switzerland: I went to Bern, Switzerland for 4 nights to visit my friend who is studying abroad there! Because Switzerland is very expensive, I didn’t really eat out much. While I was there, my diet consisted of carrot sticks, chocolate, and radler. I did; however, try an interesting Swiss soft drink called “Rivella,” which is produced from milk whey. I tried a kind that was mango flavoured. It was very interesting but definitely not my...

Category: Student Blog
The BC crew, arrived in Beijing, China
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By: Lucy Dabbs, Georges P. Vanier Secondary School, participant of the 2017 Beijing International Education Exchange (BIEE) Summer Camp.

In 10 hours and 2 minutes we will arrive in Beijing at 3:16 PM, 15 hours in the future. At least that's what the flight details scrolling across the bottom of the touch screen says, as I experiment with the different buttons of this fancy Air China TV. At a current ground speed of 690 km/h, climbing an altitude of 7212m with an outside air temperature of -25 degrees Celsius; that translates to about five airplane movies, a bag of Doritos, and 2 helpings of those little airplane meals served in plastic trays, until we finally stand on solid ground again.

...

Category: Student Blog
Katlyn Bieber in Ljubljana, Slovenia
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By: Katlyn Bieber, Thompson Rivers University, winner of the 2017 Stories from Abroad Scholarship.

Wow does time ever fly! I have officially been in Austria for almost 2 months! The first month was a whirl-wind! My flight over was a bit hectic as my plane from Kelowna was delayed resulting in me missing my connecting flight in Calgary so I arrived in Graz a day later than was expected. Luckily, I had signed up for the buddy program because my Austrian buddy picked me up at the airport and let me stay overnight at her house until I was able to move into my dormitory the next day. She was a lifesaver as I knew absolutely no German and would have been otherwise lost. She took me to the mandatory orientation the next day, drove me to pick up my key for my dormitory and took me...

Category: Student Blog
Alice Wang at Piazza San Marco, Venice.
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By: Alice (Ruo Ran) Wang, Kwantlen Polytechnic University, winner of the 2017 Stories from Abroad Scholarship.

Before I begin to delve into the expected “life-changing” factors of this trip, allow me to confess how exhausted I am from the travel. In retrospect, four countries in four weeks is an itinerary for fools. To experience Paris, documenta, London, and Venice Biennale in less than a month is not a vacation, it is a full-time job. It has almost been a week since I came back from Canada and I am still recovering from “traverleritis.” It is a condition characterized by physical and mental exhaustion caused by prolonged FOMO. The remedy: intense house-rest in an austere—no art, no history, no foreign cuisine—environment coupled with moderate exercise. The romantic notio...

Category: Student Blog
Mariam Ali, Au Brasseur
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By Mariam Ali, Simon Fraser University, winner of the 2017 Stories from Abroad Scholarship.

As I’ve said, making friends was a bit of a challenge for me, but as time passed I created close friendships that I hope will stand the test of time and distance. It's often easiest to make friends with fellow exchange students since they're experiencing the same culture shock as you. In my experience, most exchange students are open-minded, warm and curious about the world. They’ll probably be curious about you, as you will be curious about them. Exchange students will also want to create new connections and experiences in a foreign country, just like you. A lot of them have fascinating stories about themselves, their cultures, their countries, or whatever else might interest you....

Category: Student Blog

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