Gigi Lin, Simon Fraser University

12 Cities and Counting

Posted by BCSAadmin on 05/08/2017

By Gigi Lin, Simon Fraser University, winner of the 2017 Stories from Abroad Scholarship.

Where do I even begin? It seems that the last breath I took was at the airport, waiting for my flight information to appear, directing me to my gate. When I look down at my feet now, I think about the different cities I have been to, the many restaurants where I’ve reveled in a new cuisine, and the never-ending list of monuments I’ve had the opportunity to see. 

Though I am technically an exchange student, I’ve spent a considerable chunk of time planning trips, buying tickets and revising travel itineraries- than I have reading textbooks or lecture slides. It is not to say that I have neglected my studies; but rather, I work hard so that I can truly relax when...

Tags: Scholarship Stories from Abroad 2017 scholarship winner Study Abroad student blog Travel Europe Adventure
Category: Student Blog
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Gigi Lin, Roman Baths

Bath: Where the Roman Baths meet the royal crescents

Posted by BCSAadmin on 05/01/2017

By Gigi Lin, Simon Fraser University, winner of the 2017 Stories from Abroad Scholarship.

How many undergraduates can say that they get the opportunity to have Europe at their fingertips and also study within a city famous for its baths? That’s one of the many perks that come with enrolling in an exchange term, depending on where you decide to go. I’m proud to say that for the semester of Spring 2017, I will be a visiting student at the University of Bath in England. Yep, I haven’t made a mistake in the name of the city in which I’ve become a semi-permanent resident of: Bath.

Here’s a p...

Tags: Stories from Abroad Scholarship Simon Fraser University SFU University of Bath Bath england Winner
Category: Student Blog
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Peter Mate, St. Stephens Basilica in Budapest

Peace and Solitude

Posted by BCSAadmin on 04/24/2017

By Peter Mate, Fairleigh Dickinson University, Vancouver Campus, winner of the 2017 Stories from Abroad Scholarship.

Living away from home reorients outward perspectives: friendships blossom, the world changes colour, and ideas change. By reorienting perspectives the world shrinks: dialects between regions are now recognizable; cultures between cities become evident; you recognize ideologies that engulf countries. These differences create a tapestry of beliefs and cultures that you – the explorer – observe.

But there’s more: you may find yourself often alone; however, loneliness is the most profound feeling any international student encounters. Moments of solitude while walking down grand boulevards or university halls intensify experiences. Intense experiences last...

Tags: Stories from Abroad Study Abroad life abroad Scholarship Winner FDU Fairleigh Dickinson University Budapest
Category: Student Blog
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Janna Wale, Giant's Causeway in Northern Ireland

Irish, you were here! An afternoon at the Giant's Causeway

Posted by BCSAadmin on 04/17/2017

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.

Simply put, the Giant’s Causeway is a portion of the Northern Irish coast shaped by the rapid cooling of super-heated magma from thousands of years ago into a series of hexagonally fractured rock columns. Picture rock honeycombs. The columns themselves are all different heights, but are all roughly the same size and are all almost perfec...

Tags: Stories from Abroad Inverness Scotland Study Abroad life abroad TRU Thompson Rivers University Scholarship Winner
Category: Student Blog
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