Kira Daley, China

Top 3 Things Among a Thousand Great Things About China

Posted by BCSAadmin on 07/20/2016

I can honestly say that I have started and stopped writing this post a few times already. The magnitude and variety of new things I experience each day is sometimes overwhelming. How can I write just a brief post about a sliver of this adventure when I want to go on and on?

I chose to write about the top 3 things I am fascinated about in China so far.

Food (of course!)

I was excited about discovering a little more about the vast array of food in China before I left home, so it’s no wonder that I am even more excited now that I’m here. Where to start? For one thing, I love the street food in China. No matter where you are, you can wander down any side-street and find little storefronts and carts selling everything from fried chicken, flattened skewered fried s...

Tags: Study Abroad Stories from Abroad Scholarship Winner Langara College Beijing Shanghai China Travel experience
Category: Student Blog
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Melinda Ng, South Korea

A Taste of Reverse Culture Shock

Posted by BCSAadmin on 07/19/2016

When I first experienced what people call it, the ‘reverse culture shock’, I was quite bummed out because having lived in Vancouver for over 20 years, I thought I knew the city pretty well. I didn’t think that living in South Korea for one year would change my mindset and behaviour this much upon my return, but I couldn’t have been more wrong. For those of you experiencing reverse culture shock and struggling to “re-live” the life prior to living abroad, just know that you will eventually adapt. All you need is time; because after all, you are returning home.

Now that I have been home for a few months, I get a good laugh at some of the funny situations I had put myself into without even realizing it. Back in Seoul, there are no push buttons at crosswalks for pedestrians. The lights are all...

Tags: Korea Scholarship Winner Tweets Abroad Scholarship Writers in Residence Study Abroad Travel
Category: Writers In Residence
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BIEE Summer Camp 2016

Posted by BCSAadmin on 07/14/2016

Thanks to BCCIE and the Beijing International Education Exchange (BIEE), 20 lucky secondary school students from across BC have arrived in Beijing, China, on July 14! The students are participating in the Beijing International Student Summer camp, which each year unites high school youth from over 20 countries for a 10-day "life-changing" exchange program in China's historical capital. Students are now experiencing a whole new different culture and enjoying arranged activities while intensifying their interpersonal skills and communication among Chinese and other overseas students.

...

Tags: Beijing China Summer Camp BIEE Study Abroad International Student
Category: News Article
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Visiting Oxford with friends from Australia, Georgia, England and Canada.

The most English things

Posted by BCSAadmin on 07/13/2016

While adjusting to life in England, there were definitely some cultural differences to get used to, even as a Canadian student. Now, having lived in the UK for a few months, I am finally beginning to adjust to living in a ‘flat’, going up ‘lifts’, wearing ‘jumpers’, and eating ‘chips’ instead of fries. However, I was pretty confused when my English friends discussed going to the ‘chemists’ (apparently a pharmacy).

A huge part of living abroad is experiencing the local culture. Luckily, my host institution provides many opportunities for international students to travel and see the area surrounding London. They had trips planned to visit Cambridge, Oxford, Manchester, Bath, Stonehenge, and the Queen’s weekend home: Windsor Castle. Having attended the majority of these trips, I was able to o...

Tags: Study Abroad Stories from Abroad Scholarship Winner Vancouver Island University Travel Europe england
Category: Student Blog
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