Student Blog

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.

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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...

By Cheryl Olvera, Simon Fraser University, winner of the 2017 Stories from Abroad Scholarship.

Growing up in a young country like Canada, I felt the history we learned in school about kings and queens was so mythical and in a land far far away… then I went to one of these lands far far away!

Of all the castles and famous old wonders I have visited so far, Hampton Court Palace is the most historically intriguing. The University of Sussex, where I’m currently studying, has a super cool International Student Support organization that arranges trips and outing for the international students. They arrange the tickets, the coach, the itinerary– all I had to do was show up and we left right from uni (the British shorthand for university).

Best quote from the 90s mob...

By Mariam Ali, Simon Fraser University, winner of the 2017 Stories from Abroad Scholarship.

Last summer before my exchange to IEP de Strasbourg, I remember being so nervous about my exchange, asking myself how I would fare abroad. One year later I’ve changed in so many ways, growing as a person while improving my French and my knowledge of the world.

First, my exchange in Strasbourg has made me more independent. Living on my own and figuring out various tasks, all while I was going to school, was often challenging, but I learned the importance of managing my time and prioritization. Budgeting could also be challenging, making sure my money lasted, knowing where to get student discounts, but also knowing when to spend on myself. Another challenge of life in France wa...