Writers in Residence

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

When I moved abroad my biggest priority was to maximize all my free time towards travelling. I was on a strict schedule with balancing 6 classes, so I knew I had to make the most of it. In addition to that, I was on a very limited budget (as the EUR is not so friendly to the CAD). With technology today, it is honestly crazy what you can all accomplish from your fingertips. So I am here to tell you the top 5 apps that I used when studying abroad to help maximize my time and money.

1. Google Calendar – it will be your best organization friend. It is extremely user-friend...

By Mariam Ali, Simon Fraser University, winner of the 2017 Stories from Abroad Scholarship and a member of the BC Study Abroad Writer in Residence Team

Study Abroad Destination: France

There are many factors that may influence where a person wants to do their exchange, such as the physical location, travel opportunities, courses offered at a specific school, language learning, etc. As a student in the French Cohort Program, it was obligatory for me to spend at least a semester in a francophone school, either in Quebec or Europe. Before I started the program, I had always wanted to travel to Europe. I also wanted to attend one of the Sciences Pos in France because of their good reputations. I had the choice of going to Sciences Po Reims, Aix-en-Prove...

By Mariam Ali, Simon Fraser University, winner of the 2017 Stories from Abroad Scholarship and a member of the BC Study Abroad Writer in Residence Team

Study Abroad Destination: France

The first day of my exchange in France was difficult for me because it was the first time that I was travelling by myself. When I arrived at the airport in Paris, I was confused about directions, lost my baggage and missed my train to Strasbourg, my exchange destination. Thankfully, I could book another train ticket to Strasbourg free of charge, and I later received my lost baggage, but at that moment I felt incredibly anxious. I had to endure a twenty-hour journey without sleep, and when I finally arrived at my new place, I cried because I was so overwhelmed. I actua...

By Alice Wang, Kwantlen Polytechnic University, winner of the 2017 Stories from Abroad Scholarship and a member of the BC Study Abroad Writer in Residence Team

As I sign off on my time being a Writer-in-Residence for BC Study Abroad, I am thankful for this opportunity to reflect, so profoundly, about my travel abroad. This prolonged self-reflection has allowed for a soul-searching that yielded more meaning-making than I could have ever anticipated. It was Andrew Solomon who once said to overcome adversity, one must “forge meaning and build identity.”

Of course, on many levels, what I had experienced cannot be construed as adversity. But I would argue that if one is generous about the sheer amount of toll a body must undergo in the experience of exhaustion and loneli...