Scotland

Victoria San Martin, Simon Fraser University, winner of the Spring 2023 BC Study Abroad: Stories from Abroad Scholarship

Study Abroad Destination: Scotland

Kirsten Chan, Capilano University, winner of the spring 2020 BC Study Abroad Scholarship

Study Abroad Destination: Scotland

Situated within vibrant Europe, Scotland is a progressive nation built on dynamism, creativity, and the warmth of its people. Located in the mid-west of Europe, Scotland may be small but it’s punching well above its weight. Occupying the northern third of Great Britain the country shares a border with England in the south and packs some of the most stunning scenery in all of the UK into its borders. 

Next summer, Douglas College is organizing a field school to Scotland where students can earn nine university-transferable credits in only seven weeks!

By Janna Wale, Thompson Rivers University, winner of the 2017 Stories from Abroad Scholarship and a member of the BC Study Abroad Writer in Residence Team.

Okay, so I don’t know how many of you guys packed your own lunches growing up, but my mother made sure I was self-sufficient. We would go to the grocery store every week and my older sister and I were allowed to each pick a few items to include in our lunches for the school week to come.

By Janna Wale, Thompson Rivers University, winner of the 2017 Stories from Abroad Scholarship.

By Janna Wale, Thompson Rivers University, winner of the 2017 Stories from Abroad Scholarship.

It’s another quiet evening in the house that has become my home over the months of my exchange in Inverness, Scotland. My host mother is probably downstairs obsessively cleaning something or spoiling her ‘wee dog’ Millie, while my host father watches the documentary channel while taking trips to the kitchen for chocolate. Even though I am so far away from my family, studying abroad has taught me that ‘home’ is more than the house you are living in.

By Janna Wale, Thompson Rivers University, winner of the 2017 Stories from Abroad Scholarship.

Have you ever had something you really wanted to do on your bucket list for such a long amount of time, that when you are actually accomplishing it you keep having moments of “Am I really here right now?” This is the kind of surrealism that overwhelmed me when I made it to the Giant’s Causeway in Northern Ireland.

It felt wonderful.

By Janna Wale, Thompson Rivers University, winner of the 2017 Stories from Abroad Scholarship.

Click here to see Part One of this blog entry.

By Janna Wale, Thompson Rivers University, winner of the 2017 Stories from Abroad Scholarship.

Another day coming to a close. I’ll try and keep from letting the sound of rain hitting the roof distract me. That’s one thing that I’ve been loving since I moved to Inverness, Scotland. I just really like the calm feeling that rain brings when the sun has gone down and you can just sit with a hot tea and listen, maybe reading another chapter or two of that book. Or finishing that essay that needs to be started…hmm..