A view of Tokyo Tower and the city skyline

No longer naïve in Nihon (Japan)

Posted by BCSAadmin on 05/28/2019

By: Bob Emmanuel Mulamba​, Simon Fraser University, winner of the BC Study Abroad: Stories from Abroad Scholarship

Study Abroad Destination: Tokyo, Japan

A lot has undergone within this past month of living in Japan. I believe that this exchange has offered lots of valuable experiences that will help shape my future professional career and potentially the rest of my life. I began my journey ready to surge forward into this brand-new world sprawling with the unfamiliar. I thought that I would need to change myself to fit in with the new process of life in Japan. However, in trying to fit in, I realized I was sacrificing a part of myself. I would shut off the sides of me which are ambitio...

Tags: Japan SFU Simon Fraser University Tokyo Study Abroad Stories from Abroad Scholarship Winner
Category: Student Blog
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Porsche Campbell - Travel Essentials

Next Stop, Kochi, India

Posted by BCSAadmin on 05/16/2019

By: Porsche Campbell, Kwantlen Polytechnic University, winner of the BC Study Abroad: Stories from Abroad Scholarship

Study Abroad Destination: Kochi, India

With just over a week until I depart to study abroad, a mix of emotions are flowing through my body.  I consider myself an experienced traveller, yet I feel so unsure, a little nervous and excited all at the same time. While there have been lots of ups and downs with preparing, organizing flights, obtaining vaccinations, assessing money issues and applying for visas before embarking on my studies abroad, things have finally begun to settle and I am now able to focus on this last week.

My program has changed from one locat...

Tags: Kochi India Study Abroad KPU Kwantlen Polytechnic University Stories from Abroad Scholarship Winner
Category: Student Blog
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A Question of Comparison

Posted by BCSAadmin on 04/16/2019

By: Reede Lowery, Northern Lights College, winner of the BC Study Abroad: Stories from Abroad Scholarship

Study Abroad Destination: Japan

Sometimes as foreign students we can get caught up in a cycle of continuous comparisons between our home country with the country we are studying in. Of course this isn’t always negative (especially as it can help increase understanding of two different cultures) but if you concentrate solely on comparing everything you see or experience you risk losing focus of the present. I have met plenty of other foreign students who seemingly do nothing but compare their lives in their home countries to their current lives in Japan. When I...

Tags: Japan Study Abroad northern lights college Stories from Abroad Scholarship
Category: Student Blog
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Three Things I Would Tell Myself at The Beginning of My Exchange

Posted by BCSAadmin on 04/09/2019

By Cheyenne Rode, Vancouver Island University, winner of the BC Study Abroad: Stories from Abroad Scholarship, member of the Writer and Residence Team

Study Abroad Destination: the Netherlands

There is not a lot I would change about my study abroad experiences. Every part of them was a learning experience about my surroundings and myself. Although, if could tweak a few aspects of my times abroad I would tell myself three things:

  1. Worry less. When describing myself, I would say that I like to control what is going on around me. This can lead to me worrying about what is going to happen. I think I spent more time in the beginning of my exchange worrying than enjoying. Of course, I was learning how to be on my own in a fore...
Tags: Study Abroad Writer in Residence exchange Vancouver Island University Utrecht The Netherlands
Category: Writers In Residence
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