Student Blog

By Nadine Wilk

By Susan Seto

If you were to tell me five years ago that I would be living out of a suitcase for a year, I would think you were crazy. Last year, I decided to take a leap of faith to pursue my passion to go abroad.  It was a bold move to leave my career, apartment, and family and friends in Vancouver for the unfamiliar. Looking back, it was by far the best thing I did for myself in terms of personal and professional growth.

Life at ESADE Business School has finally begun! The first week of welcome has concluded and all I can say is, "overwhelming, exhausting and a lot of fun." 

The daily grind here in Barcelona, Spain is a little different than Vancouver, BC. I'm slowly adjusting to the walks to the metro station, scenic train ride and then the 20 minute walk through the suburb of Sant Cugat before finally arriving at campus. When I arrived at school, it was strange to be dressing up for "CV photos" and finding my assigned seat in class after five years of going to the office. 

On Sunday I will be celebrating an important milestone of my life. Exactly 10 years ago, on August 31, 2004, I landed in Vancouver to embark on a life-changing journey in this beautiful and welcoming country. Ever since, every day of my life has been eventful and memorable.

Recently, I read an article in the Atlantic called Living With Less. It is about the minimalist lifestyle, “living a simpler, less materialistic life”. I realized that was exactly one of the reasons why I love the experience of living and studying abroad. There is something very liberating and simultaneously terrifying about pairing down your life to a few essential items that fit into one suitcase and leaving the comforts of home to nourish your own personal and professional growth.

It’s been about a month since I have taken part in my amazing course abroad. In that time we studied art history in Florence and Rome encompassing the Renaissance, High Renaissance, and Baroque art including architecture. What I wanted was to enrich my education and build on subjects I have already studied to some extent. Not only was that achieved but it also was a catalyst in my future goals for education and travel.

Half way through studying abroad in Italy, and I would have to say that it’s been absolutely amazing and unforgettable! For this course we’ve have 2 ½ weeks in Florence studying the Renaissance, and now our final 2 ½ weeks will be in Rome studying art and architecture.

As an art student, the thought of studying the Impressionists (or really any artist) in Paris is enough to make you squeal and the opportunity to attend the Documenta Art Exhibition in Kassel, Germany was something I had been dreaming about since my first year of university. Needless to say when Dorothy Barenscott told me I could do both I responded with “where do I sign up?”