Oana Salcescu, Rotterdam, Netherlands
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Hi there! My name is Oana and I was recently approached to be a Writer in Residence for the BC Study Abroad Blog. Initially I was more than excited to take up the offer, but I realized I had a problem: I felt as though I was already in the depths of school-related responsibilities and had little time to do anything for fun, let alone take on another one more commitment.

As I mulled this over, I remembered one important lesson I’ve learned: if you don’t manage your time, your time will manage you – and it will probably end poorly.

I’m sure everyone can relate to this: you are doing X amount of coursework per week, have friends/a family/a significant other, maybe have a part-time job or are involved in clubs and sports. It’s so easy to get overwhelmed.

If this sounds like you,...

Category: Writers In Residence
Oana Salcescu, Rotterdam, Netherlands
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Written in August 2013

As some of you already know, it’s been a pretty difficult week for me because I got a horrible cold that knocked me off my feet. I’ve been stuck in bed blowing my nose every few minutes and coughing up a storm.

On the plus side, I’ve been immersed in many different worlds from watching so many movies! While I haven’t had any energy to leave the house, I’ve had time to myself to just rest and relax. Considering that school starts on Monday I feel that this rest was something I needed to get mentally ready.

Until this week, I don’t think that I fully understood what “hey everybody, I’m moving to the Netherlands for a year!” really meant. Packing up some clothes and belongings, saying goodbye to everyone you know, and getting on a plane to fly acr...

Category: Student Blog
Brendon Dawson, Yuyuan Gardens in central Shanghai
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As a citizen of your own country, immigration procedures are something that you rarely have to think about; they exist for those who decide to come to your country, not those who already live in it. Studying abroad changes that assumption and introduces you to a completely foreign bureaucracy that you are often left to navigate alone. My arrival in China a month ago has certainly been a myriad of different challenges and new experiences but all have revolved around my quest to attain a residence permit.

The bureaucracy was a seemingly endless succession of forms, stamps, photos, and signatures all attained, received, and submitted to different offices, approval centres, and registration desks. This experience was certainly frustrating at first but then became comical as you realize you are...

Category: Writers In Residence
Roya Firoozbakhsh, Germany
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After seeing eight countries and eighteen different cities, I am finally back in Vancouver. I was quite sad to say goodbye to my apartment, friends, and my favorite city, Berlin. It was definitely a mixed feeling between excitement to see my family, especially my brother whom I had not seen for two years and his new wife; and sadness at leaving Berlin. 

When I returned to Vancouver, I immediately had a wedding to go to and I experienced right away a major culture shock. I hadn’t dressed up, worn heels, or done my hair or make up in ages. Berlin in particular is not a place for any of that. Unlike Vancouver, Berlin was very simple: people there don’t ever wear high heels or care much about being fancy. Therefore, I felt uncomfortable being at the wedding. I didn’t even feel like I was mysel...

Category: Student Blog

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