Writers in Residence

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

The signature foods of the Netherlands are items such as raw herring, bitterballen, stroop waffles, and fries with mayo. My favorite by far was the fries with mayo, but not all my experiences with food in the Netherlands were positive. One of the first challenges I faced on my exchange to the Netherlands was grocery shopping.

A little background on my struggles starts with the troubles I had with my phone. Before I left on my exchange I had attempted to unlock my phone, but when I got to my destination and tried to put a different sim card it I found th...

By Julie Han, Simon Fraser University, winner of the 2018 (Spring) Stories from Abroad Scholarship, member of the BC Study Abroad Writer in Residence Team

Study Abroad Destination: Amsterdam, The Netherlands            

Exactly a year has past since I left for Amsterdam, and everyday I feel further and further than whoever I used to be, and every moment I thank myself. I went through an unbearably cliché amount of personal growth during my semester abroad, which almost makes it totally not worth it. And only in my final days in Amsterdam did I even begin to appreciate my labour.

Maybe four days before my departure, my friend Jess came to stay with me. Possibly one of my oldest friends and intermittently closest friends since secondary school,...

By Julie Han, Simon Fraser University, winner of the 2018 (Spring) Stories from Abroad Scholarship, member of the BC Study Abroad Writer in Residence Team

Study Abroad Destination: Amsterdam, The Netherlands

Be prepared for Paris and all it has to offer, and the very aggressive ways Paris will offer it. Without fail, Paris fails to live up to its expectations. But, with expectations that high can anyone be surprised? And I too can attest that this phenomenon of many names is a hundred percent true. But, it is unfair. Paris does live up to its expectations, just not all the time and never at the right times.

I arrived in Paris in the early evening as the light began to wane. After losing myself in the streets, both literally and figuratively,...

By Julie Han, Simon Fraser University, winner of the 2018 (Spring) Stories from Abroad Scholarship, member of the BC Study Abroad Writer in Residence Team

Study Abroad Destination: Amsterdam, The Netherlands

Growing up in Canada, excellence has always been defined by an exhausting list of accomplishments: straight As, piano recitals, swim team, chess club, debate society, leadership camps, voluntourism in Rwanda, a nuclear family, regular Instagram posts, best friends, an enviable promposal, trendy clothes, clear skin, and anything else you could imagine. Although my life has never lived up to that still incomplete portrait of excellence, ever since high school it seemed as though that portrait was the only option. So, in trying to match this image...