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By: Pooja Bhatti, British Columbia Institute of Technology, winner of the spring 2019 BC Study Abroad: Stories from Abroad Scholarship

Study Abroad Destination: Italy and Austria

In 2015, I was working towards obtaining a science degree at the University of British Columbia (UBC). Many of my peers at the time were talking about the idea of studying abroad, and my older brother was at the time on an exchange in Finland. I myself loved the idea of being in a different country for a period of time while I was in school. So, I decided to apply.

The application process was long, but I completed the entire application, including course selection, references, and choosing a few unive...

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By Cheyenne Rode, Vancouver Island University, winner of the BC Study Abroad: Stories from Abroad Scholarship, member of the Writer and Residence Team

Study Abroad Destination: the Netherlands

There is not a lot I would change about my study abroad experiences. Every part of them was a learning experience about my surroundings and myself. Although, if could tweak a few aspects of my times abroad I would tell myself three things:

  1. Worry less. When describing myself, I would say that I like to control what is going on around me. This can lead to me worrying about what is going to happen. I think I spent more time in the beginning of my exchange worrying than enjoying. Of course, I was learning how to be on my own in a fore...
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By Cheyenne Rode, Vancouver Island University, winner of the BC Study Abroad: Stories from Abroad Scholarship, member of the Writer and Residence Team

Study Abroad Destination: The Netherlands

The signature foods of the Netherlands are items such as raw herring, bitterballen, stroop waffles, and fries with mayo. My favorite by far was the fries with mayo, but not all my experiences with food in the Netherlands were positive. One of the first challenges I faced on my exchange to the Netherlands was grocery shopping.

A little background on my struggles starts with the troubles I had with my phone. Before I left on my exchange I had attempted to unlock my phone, but when I got to my destination and tried to put a different sim card it I found th...

Category: Writers In Residence
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By Cheyenne Rode, Vancouver Island University, winner of the BC Study Abroad: Stories from Abroad Scholarship, member of the Writer and Residence Team

Study Abroad Destination: The Netherlands

Before going on my first exchange, I had a very strong desire to travel. I had actually started university and completed my first year before deciding to move to Calgary, AB to work and save money so I could go abroad. In my mind at the time this was the fastest way for me to be able to travel. Unfortunately, this did not go as planned as while I was there an oil crisis happened and the economy in Calgary wasn’t prosperous. So, after a year of making enough to live but not enough to accumulate a large savings I moved back home to Vancouver Island to go back to...

Category: Writers In Residence
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By Julie Han, Simon Fraser University, winner of the 2018 (Spring) Stories from Abroad Scholarship, member of the BC Study Abroad Writer in Residence Team

Study Abroad Destination: Amsterdam, The Netherlands            

Exactly a year has past since I left for Amsterdam, and everyday I feel further and further than whoever I used to be, and every moment I thank myself. I went through an unbearably cliché amount of personal growth during my semester abroad, which almost makes it totally not worth it. And only in my final days in Amsterdam did I even begin to appreciate my labour.

Maybe four days before my departure, my friend Jess came to stay with me. Possibly one of my oldest friends and intermittently closest friends since secondary school,...

Category: Writers In Residence
Cheyenne Rode
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By Cheyenne Rode, Vancouver Island University, winner of the BC Study Abroad: Stories from Abroad Scholarship, member of the Writer and Residence Team

Study Abroad Destination: Melbourne, Australia

  1. Gain a new perspective about the world. Before my first study abroad to the Netherlands, I had not done much traveling and my views on the world were based on the trips to resorts in Mexico I had done with my family, what I had heard from other people, and TV/Movies. So it was safe to say I had no idea what it was really like outside my country. Living in a new country, especially one where English wasn’t the first language, changed this drastically for me. I found that the longer I spent abroad the more I started t...
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By Julie Han, Simon Fraser University, winner of the 2018 (Spring) Stories from Abroad Scholarship, member of the BC Study Abroad Writer in Residence Team

Study Abroad Destination: Amsterdam, The Netherlands

Be prepared for Paris and all it has to offer, and the very aggressive ways Paris will offer it. Without fail, Paris fails to live up to its expectations. But, with expectations that high can anyone be surprised? And I too can attest that this phenomenon of many names is a hundred percent true. But, it is unfair. Paris does live up to its expectations, just not all the time and never at the right times.

I arrived in Paris in the early evening as the light began to wane. After losing myself in the streets, both literally and figuratively,...

Category: Writers In Residence
Cheyenne Rode
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By Cheyenne Rode, Vancouver Island University, winner of the BC Study Abroad: Stories from Abroad Scholarship, member of the Writer and Residence Team

Study Abroad Destination: Melbourne, Australia

I recently completed my second exchange in Australia. Before that, I had previously gone on exchange to the Netherlands and loved it so much that I decided to go on another one. I had heard from someone before that going on a second exchange can be tricky as you have expectations from your first one that you might try to meet in your second one.

In an attempt to minimize the chance of myself comparing my two exchanges I decided to pick somewhere very different than the first destination. That is why I ended up in Melbourne, Austral...

Category: Writers In Residence
Julie Han, Simon Fraser University
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By Julie Han, Simon Fraser University, winner of the 2018 (Spring) Stories from Abroad Scholarship, member of the BC Study Abroad Writer in Residence Team

Study Abroad Destination: Amsterdam, The Netherlands

Growing up in Canada, excellence has always been defined by an exhausting list of accomplishments: straight As, piano recitals, swim team, chess club, debate society, leadership camps, voluntourism in Rwanda, a nuclear family, regular Instagram posts, best friends, an enviable promposal, trendy clothes, clear skin, and anything else you could imagine. Although my life has never lived up to that still incomplete portrait of excellence, ever since high school it seemed as though that portrait was the only option. So, in trying to match this image...

Category: Writers In Residence
Drew Moffatt
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By: Drew Moffatt, British Columbia Institute of Technology, winner of the BC Study Abroad: Stories from Abroad Scholarship, member of the Writer and Residence Team

Study Abroad Destination: Barcelona, Spain

When studying abroad in Europe, one of the things I was most looking forward to was travelling solo. Being a female solo traveler is nothing new. Many women all over the world do it! There is this whole community of women and it’s honestly amazing to witness. Now that may not be every woman’s dream, but here is why you as a female should at least try it once!

1) You meet people you wouldn’t meet if you were travelling in a group – being solo makes you talk to more people whether it be aski...

Category: Writers In Residence

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