View from the Edinburgh Castle

There and back again

Posted by BCSAadmin on 07/10/2017

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

It’s been three days since I packed up my Scottish life and left for Canada. Being home feels normal and abnormal all at once. It feels strange (yet familiar) to be watching hockey on television again instead of rugby or football, and to hear words like ‘French fries’ and ‘sweater’ instead of ‘chips’ and ‘jumper’.  While returning to my life at home has been an easy transition from what I left behind, retelling my adventures to my Canadian friends and family brings fond memories of my home stay hosts and the friends I left behind.

Although my study abroad was a huge learning curve that challenged me in ways I could never have dreamed, the experience was invaluable. What I...

Tags: 2017 Stories from Abroad Scholarship Scotland Stories from Abroad Winner Study Abroad exchange culture Inverness Thompson Rivers University
Category: Student Blog
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Nara Deer

Heat, rainstorms, and Deer: My Japanese Summer

Posted by BCSAadmin on 07/03/2017

By: Matthew Hoogwoud, Kwantlen Polytechnic University, winner of the 2017 Stories from Abroad Scholarship.

Summer in Japan is extremely hot. Normally I’m not a huge fan of the heat, but the last few weeks the temperature has grown on me. When I step out of the dormitory, I feel the blanket of humidity surround me. And at night, the warm air still permeates through the area. I love it. Night time walks are beautiful, and the warm air makes it very comfortable to walk around. In the Sanjo area of Kyoto, there is a long river called Kamo River, and in the day time is always crowded. I walk along the riverbank late at night, simply embracing the sounds of water rushing.

Recently, I went to Nara with a couple of friends. Nara is well known for it’s deer. When I was told...

Tags: Japan Study Abroad Stories from Abroad Scholarship Kyoto Kwantlen Polytechnic University KPU
Category: Student Blog
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Paddling in a lagoon in the Amazon

Final Update: Jungle Adventure

Posted by BCSAadmin on 06/26/2017

By Kathleen Megan Harfman, College of New Caledonia, winner of the 2017 Stories from Abroad Scholarship.

I have officially returned from Ecuador. Wow, what an experience! I learned a lot and saw so much. My favorite part of the entire Study Abroad adventure was staying at Sani Lodge in the Amazonian jungle. This place is a community run ecotourism lodge. To get there we flew into a city called Coca, then travelled by boat for almost three hours down the Napo River. After docking, we hiked a short trail to a canoe, where we paddled across a lagoon to the lodge. Every day we went hiking and paddling with a local guide to observe and learn about native flora and fauna, their interaction with one another, native uses, and importance. We saw various species of monkeys, as well...

Tags: Science and Technology Stories from Abroad Scholarship Ecuador Study Abroad Adventure 2017 scholarship winner College of New Caledonia
Category: Student Blog
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Sean Paul Veltmeyer, Vancouver from the north shore mountains

Across the Big Blue Pond

Posted by BCSAadmin on 06/19/2017

By: Sean Paul Veltmeyer, Langara College, winner of the 2017 Stories from Abroad Scholarship.

Tomorrow myself, thirteen of my classmates and two instructors depart Vancouver on the Langara China Field Studies program. Fourteen hours in the air will bring us to our first stop: Shanghai. This mega city inhabited by more than twenty four million people will be unlike anything I have seen before in my life. More than two thirds the population of Canada living in one urban center. Having grown up in a northern British Columbian town of eight hundred people, to me Vancouver is a busy place. But what I hear from many of the people I know from Asia is that Vancouver is slow; in the cities of Asia everything moves faster. I think this change of pace, along with the clean air, moder...

Tags: Langara Study Abroad Stories from Abroad Scholarship China Shanghai Kunming
Category: Student Blog
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