By: Claire McRae, University of the Fraser Valley, winner of the Winter 2026 BC Study Abroad: Stories from Abroad Scholarship
Study Abroad Destination: Scotland
1st Day
I arrived to Aberdeen at 10:30pm and made my way to my accommodations. I unpacked then wrapped myself up in all my sweaters (since I didn’t have a blanket yet) and went to bed. Before falling asleep I spent a solid amount of time dreaming up room décor, meal plans, and explorations around the city.
It’s a new place and a new start, and I feel like my time here is brimming with potential—its exciting.
1st Week
Slowly I have been accumulating possessions and getting to know my whereabouts and a few people. There’s lots of clubs and things going on around the university which makes it easy to meet people.
I got a bike. My new prized possession. Though I’ll have to be careful that it doesn’t end me, I haven’t quite got used to being on the left side.
I love grocery shopping here. The biscuit selection is superb. And things are cheap—especially tea.
I’ve gotten to know my flatmates. I really like them. They’re all from Canada or America. We quickly bonded over the small cultural differences we’ve encountered so far in Scotland. And mutually mourned the loss of “Ranch”. I braved the sleet with one of them to get dishes. The weather has been absolutely horrendous so far. On one occasion when I was biking, I was going down a hill against the wind—and the wind was so strong I wasn’t moving! The weather is a good motivator for studying though and a good excuse for visiting a lot of cafes. Aberdeen has a lot of good ones, and I feel like royalty bundled up inside drinking coffee and watching it storm.
1st Month
The sun has appeared. Life is lovely.
School is in full swing now and things are pretty busy.
I’ve made some good friends with the clubs I’ve joined. My classes here are really interesting. We have multiple lecturers per course which keeps the courses engaging. There is more self-study to do but way less homework. I’m not quite sure how hard the exams will be and how much studying I really need to be doing but since only a pass/fail transfers back it takes the pressure off a bit.
I still have a lot more exploring I want to do! I can’t believe how fast the semester is going. So far, I’m so so glad I’ve come.