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By: Brian Lau, Simon Fraser University, winner of the fall 2019 BC Study Abroad: Stories from Abroad Scholarship

Study Abroad Destination: Singapore

I always thought that a detailed itinerary is the way to travel. I will know exactly what I am doing and have an expectation of what I will see. I want to control and the knowledge of what I will be doing before I do it. But recently, I caught myself losing control over what I want to do, rather I felt that the itinerary was in control. This made the places I visit of low value and insignificant. After some reflection, I concluded that I focus on the future more than I live in the present. I can...

Category: Student Blog
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By: Bob Emmanuel Mulamba​, Simon Fraser University, winner of the BC Study Abroad: Stories from Abroad Scholarship

Study Abroad Destination: Tokyo, Japan

Apart from the initial disconnect from everyday life that I felt in my early time spent back home, parts of me wish and long for those feelings I once had abroad in Japan. My experience has served to grow me as an individual and to this day I still find myself learning from the experiences I had abroad.

No one really warns you about the initial shock of coming back home. The shock of realizing just how different things are. When you decide to fully immerse yourself in a new culture, speak another language on a daily basis, hang...

Category: Student Blog
A very colourful Linguistics Department Dinner
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By: Razma Hazarat, Simon Fraser University, winner of the spring 2019 BC Study Abroad: Stories from Abroad Scholarship

Study Abroad Destination: Accra, Ghana

After a long 5 months, of course I was incredibly happy to come back home. Aside from all of the amazing friends I’ve made, there is a list of other things I'll greatly miss. Here are the top 5 that come to mind. (1) Constantly snacking on fresh fruits and veggies: there was a cute little market just steps behind my dorming building. You don't bargain here, but make sure you come by with a Ghanain friend for your first few times to get the best pricing on your following visits. (2) Huge mangos the size of my face for less than a...

Category: Student Blog
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By: Razma Hazarat, Simon Fraser University, winner of the spring 2019 BC Study Abroad: Stories from Abroad Scholarship

Study Abroad Destination: Accra, Ghana

There were various means to prepare for and adapt to a new and challenging situation. I have never travelled on my own before, and if I ever did travel it was just a 2-hour flight California. Moving across the globe to a different continent was personally challenging and, initially, very lonely. However, having a supportive network who encouraged me to stay positive and optimistic was important.

“Protect your peace, cultivate love.” After living in ghana for 5 months, I can finally say those words and feel it. I’ve made f...

Category: Student Blog
When you’re apart of the Wakanda love
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By: Razma Hazarat, Simon Fraser University, winner of the spring 2019 BC Study Abroad: Stories from Abroad Scholarship

Study Abroad Destination: Accra, Ghana

Due to the regularly skewed perceptions of Africa held by many in the Western world, I received some negative reactions to my decision to travel to Ghana. However, my decision to stick with my gut and trust my research has been incredibly rewarding. All of the international and Ghanaian students I met were incredibly kind, generous, humble, and down to earth. I didn’t run into a single bad apple, and I made amazing life-long friends.

Studying in Ghana has certainly been quite an experience. Although I made plenty of frien...

Category: Student Blog
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By: Reede Lowery, Northern Lights College, winner of the BC Study Abroad: Stories from Abroad Scholarship

Study Abroad Destination: Japan

My year-long stay in Japan is almost completed. There’s a lot of mixed emotions when returning back home. On one hand, I'm excited to see my parents and friends but on the other, I have to leave all the connections I’ve made in Japan. But besides those mixed emotions, I also feel a sort of anxiety. The anxiety I feel can neatly be summed in the question “Did I do/experience enough during my time here?”. I’m sure many students abroad have this type of question running through their heads as their stay comes to a close. As student...

Category: Student Blog
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Jaimie Cryder, University of Victoria, winner of the spring 2019 BC Study Abroad: Stories from Abroad Scholarship

Study Abroad Destination: Seville, Madrid, Barcelona, Paris, Amsterdam, Hamburg, Copenhagen

Enjoying tapas in Sevilla’s lively plazas, cheering on Real Madrid in the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium, biking along the canals of Amsterdam and swimming in Copenhagen’s clean waterways are just a few of the highlights from my time studying abroad. Along with countless memories with new friends, the Uvic European Urban Sustainability Field School offered me a worthwhile learning experience that has helped me shape my future academic and professional goals. Prior to the field school, I had a passion for the subjects of environmental studies and social...

Category: Student Blog
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By: Bob Emmanuel Mulamba​, Simon Fraser University, winner of the BC Study Abroad: Stories from Abroad Scholarship

Study Abroad Destination: Tokyo, Japan

The importance of defining your own journey during the exchange term comes at an advantage. I’ve learned that by experience alone. It came to me by surprise when I started to realize that most of my outings in Tokyo and the things I ostensibly wanted to do, had been set by others and not myself. And in realizing this, I came to understand the meaning of “defining my own journey”. But what does it mean to “define your journey”?

Simply put, it means aiming for a purpose or a goal that will not only solidify your exchange term but...

Category: Student Blog
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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

It’s been over two weeks since I’ve returned from my study abroad. A lot has changed. I don’t eat pasta and gelato for breakfast, lunch and dinner. I don’t see the amazing architecture of Europe or find myself exploring a new company or a new city. Things have gotten really quiet back home in Vancouver; this has provided me ample time to reflect on my experience.

Studying abroad was hard. It was difficult to balance having fun and getting homework done. It was incredibly hot in Europe, to the point wh...

Category: Student Blog
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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

As I sit in a hotel in Italy, I reflect on how my time at the BCIT field school has been so far. I believe the best way I can describe it is like this: it has been amazing, but it has also been a little not so amazing.

I came into field school with no expectations. I heard from students that travelling abroad was going to be this incredible experience where you make the best of friends and come back a changed person, but what people don’t tell you are some of the downsides of studying abroad.

T...

Category: Student Blog

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