Thoughts on a “packed schedule”

Posted by BCSAadmin on 09/03/2019

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

Study Abroad Destination: Japan

My year-long stay in Japan is almost completed. There’s a lot of mixed emotions when returning back home. On one hand, I'm excited to see my parents and friends but on the other, I have to leave all the connections I’ve made in Japan. But besides those mixed emotions, I also feel a sort of anxiety. The anxiety I feel can neatly be summed in the question “Did I do/experience enough during my time here?”. I’m sure many students abroad have this type of question running through their heads as their stay comes to a close. As student...

Tags: Study Abroad Stories from Abroad Scholarship Winner Japan northern lights college Stories from Abroad Scholarship
Category: Student Blog
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Finding Direction Abroad

Posted by BCSAadmin on 08/28/2019

Jaimie Cryder, University of Victoria, winner of the spring 2019 BC Study Abroad: Stories from Abroad Scholarship

Study Abroad Destination: Seville, Madrid, Barcelona, Paris, Amsterdam, Hamburg, Copenhagen

Enjoying tapas in Sevilla’s lively plazas, cheering on Real Madrid in the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium, biking along the canals of Amsterdam and swimming in Copenhagen’s clean waterways are just a few of the highlights from my time studying abroad. Along with countless memories with new friends, the Uvic European Urban Sustainability Field School offered me a worthwhile learning experience that has helped me shape my future academic and professional goals. Prior to the field school, I had a passion for the subjects of environmental studies and social...

Tags: Field School University of Victoria UVic Stories from Abroad Scholarship Winner Scholarship Europe
Category: Student Blog
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Defining your journey

Posted by BCSAadmin on 08/20/2019

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

Study Abroad Destination: Tokyo, Japan

The importance of defining your own journey during the exchange term comes at an advantage. I’ve learned that by experience alone. It came to me by surprise when I started to realize that most of my outings in Tokyo and the things I ostensibly wanted to do, had been set by others and not myself. And in realizing this, I came to understand the meaning of “defining my own journey”. But what does it mean to “define your journey”?

Simply put, it means aiming for a purpose or a goal that will not only solidify your exchange term but...

Tags: Tokyo Japan Stories from Abroad SFU Simon Fraser University Scholarship Winner
Category: Student Blog
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What I Lost in Europe

Posted by BCSAadmin on 08/06/2019

By: Pooja Bhatti, British Columbia Institute of Technology, winner of the spring 2019 BC Study Abroad: Stories from Abroad Scholarship

Study Abroad Destination: Italy and Austria

It’s been over two weeks since I’ve returned from my study abroad. A lot has changed. I don’t eat pasta and gelato for breakfast, lunch and dinner. I don’t see the amazing architecture of Europe or find myself exploring a new company or a new city. Things have gotten really quiet back home in Vancouver; this has provided me ample time to reflect on my experience.

Studying abroad was hard. It was difficult to balance having fun and getting homework done. It was incredibly hot in Europe, to the point wh...

Tags: Study Abroad Scholarship Winner Stories from Abroad Italy Austria BCIT British Columbia Institute of Technology
Category: Student Blog
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The Highs and Lows of Studying Abroad

Posted by BCSAadmin on 07/10/2019

By: Pooja Bhatti, British Columbia Institute of Technology, winner of the spring 2019 BC Study Abroad: Stories from Abroad Scholarship

Study Abroad Destination: Italy and Austria

As I sit in a hotel in Italy, I reflect on how my time at the BCIT field school has been so far. I believe the best way I can describe it is like this: it has been amazing, but it has also been a little not so amazing.

I came into field school with no expectations. I heard from students that travelling abroad was going to be this incredible experience where you make the best of friends and come back a changed person, but what people don’t tell you are some of the downsides of studying abroad.

T...

Tags: BCIT Italy Study Abroad Stories from Abroad Scholarship Winner Europe
Category: Student Blog
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Finding My Place in Kochi India

Posted by BCSAadmin on 06/28/2019

By: Porsche Campbell, Kwantlen Polytechnic University, winner of the spring 2019 BC Study Abroad: Stories from Abroad Scholarship

Study Abroad Destination: India

I’ve been in Kochi, India for just about weeks now; in this time I have immersed myself in the culture, the health care system and most importantly the people. I must say this experience, studying abroad in my chosen career path, has certainly brought about a new perspective to maternity nursing. The learning I have been able to achieve while at my placement hospital has certainly heightened my ability to provide care. It has been a challenge to accept the healthcare system here in India due to barriers such as unequal acce...

Tags: KPU Kwantlen Polytechnic University India Study Abroad Stories from Abroad Scholarship Winner
Category: Student Blog
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Spending Smart on the Road

Posted by BCSAadmin on 06/10/2019

By: Jaimie Cryder, University of Victoria, winner of the BC Study Abroad: Stories from Abroad Scholarship

Study Abroad Destination: Europe

Without a doubt studying abroad has been the highlight of my undergrad. Over the last three weeks, I have had the opportunity to learn from experts in my field of interest; bond with my peers; and enjoy the unique cultural flourishes of each city I that I have visited. At the same time, studying abroad has not been cheap. After you make the initial investment in the course fees and plane ticket you don’t want to miss out on experiencing your destination because you are trying to pinch pennies. On the other hand, if you are not care...

Tags: University of Victoria Scholarship Winner Study Abroad Stories from Abroad Europe
Category: Student Blog
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Preparing My Amygdala for Studying Abroad

Posted by BCSAadmin on 06/10/2019

By: Pooja Bhatti, British Columbia Institute of Technology, winner of the spring 2019 BC Study Abroad: Stories from Abroad Scholarship

Study Abroad Destination: Italy and Austria

There’s a part of the brain that gets activated when you’re about to enter something fearful: the amygdala.  It’s responsible for the ‘fight or flight’ response. The day I leave to study abroad is getting closer; I find my amygdala to be on overdrive. 

In other words – I’m scared. 

Years ago, I filled out an application for a study abroad program and never submitted it.  But this time, I submitted my application at the earliest date possible. I bought my plane tickets as soon as I could.  Many...

Tags: Italy Study Abroad Scholarship Winner Stories from Abroad Europe
Category: Student Blog
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Setting Intentions

Posted by BCSAadmin on 06/04/2019

By: Jaimie Cryder, University of Victoria, winner of the BC Study Abroad: Stories from Abroad Scholarship

Study Abroad Destination: Europe

Your flight is booked and you’ve started packing your bags. Now it is time to set intentions for your time abroad. Once you are on the road, time tends to speed up. Although this is my first field study experience, I expect this to be especially true when studying abroad. This is an exciting opportunity to learn in a new country; fully immersed in your subject of choice. However, deadlines do not cease to exist when you enter a new time zone. You don’t want to find yourself at that the end of your trip feeling like you could have g...

Tags: Europe University of Victoria UVic Stories from Abroad Scholarship Winner
Category: Student Blog
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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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