The BC crew, arrived in Beijing, China

Day 1: Flying High

Posted by BCSAadmin on 10/16/2017

By: Lucy Dabbs, Georges P. Vanier Secondary School, participant of the 2017 Beijing International Education Exchange (BIEE) Summer Camp.

In 10 hours and 2 minutes we will arrive in Beijing at 3:16 PM, 15 hours in the future. At least that's what the flight details scrolling across the bottom of the touch screen says, as I experiment with the different buttons of this fancy Air China TV. At a current ground speed of 690 km/h, climbing an altitude of 7212m with an outside air temperature of -25 degrees Celsius; that translates to about five airplane movies, a bag of Doritos, and 2 helpings of those little airplane meals served in plastic trays, until we finally stand on solid ground again.

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Tags: Georges P. Vanier Secondary School Study Abroad BIEE Summer Camp exchange International Student education exchange Beijing BC students
Category: Student Blog
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Alice Wang, Galerie Lafayette

On encountering racial tensions when traveling abroad

Posted by BCSAadmin on 10/10/2017

By Alice Wang, Kwantlen Polytechnic University, winner of the 2017 Stories from Abroad Scholarship and member of the BC Study Abroad Writer in Residence Team

My Chinese heritage became very salient to me during my study-abroad. At every city I went, I had someone, often a man, shout out greetings to me in Mandarin on the street. Why they would even think that to be an appropriate behavior is beyond me. And yet these borderline discriminatory remarks enticed me to reflect on what it felt like to wear my ethnicity so visibly around me.

Born and raised in China, my family immigrated to Canada sixteen years ago. Since then, I have acquired Canadian citizenship and accustomed myself with the label “Chinese-Canadian.” I retained the first qualifier—“Chinese”—even though I...

Tags: Study Aboard Kwantlen Polytechnic University Writer in Residence Stories from Abroad Galerie Lafayette Paris France
Category: Writers In Residence
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Katlyn Bieber in Ljubljana, Slovenia

Travel, travel, travel!

Posted by BCSAadmin on 10/09/2017

By: Katlyn Bieber, Thompson Rivers University, winner of the 2017 Stories from Abroad Scholarship.

Wow does time ever fly! I have officially been in Austria for almost 2 months! The first month was a whirl-wind! My flight over was a bit hectic as my plane from Kelowna was delayed resulting in me missing my connecting flight in Calgary so I arrived in Graz a day later than was expected. Luckily, I had signed up for the buddy program because my Austrian buddy picked me up at the airport and let me stay overnight at her house until I was able to move into my dormitory the next day. She was a lifesaver as I knew absolutely no German and would have been otherwise lost. She took me to the mandatory orientation the next day, drove me to pick up my key for my dormitory and took me...

Tags: Thompson Rivers University Study Abroad Graz Austria Stories from Abroad Scholarship Winner Travel student blog
Category: Student Blog
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Peter Mate

Striking a Balance Between Finance and Transportation

Posted by BCSAadmin on 10/03/2017

By: Peter Mate, Fairleigh Dickinson University, Vancouver Campus, winner of the 2017 Stories from Abroad Scholarship and a member of the BC Study Abroad Writer in Residence Team.

Traveling on a budget requires sacrificing privacy, in exchange for economical transport and housing. This sacrifice is necessary to ensure harmony and good sentiment between you – the traveller and your peers during your experience abroad. Accordingly, finding the optimal balance between privacy and your finances is essential in maximizing satisfaction abroad.

Sacrificing privacy in exchange for optimizing travel experience is a delicate balance between finances and personal desire. Hence, privacy during travel is relative to the resources spent to ensure an enjoyable trip. In order to str...

Tags: Writer in Residence Study Abroad Scholarship Winner Advice Travel Fairleigh Dickinson University FDU Travel Tip
Category: Writers In Residence
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