Writers in Residence

I am going to provide you with a sample list that will help you pack properly for this amazing adventure.

I studied abroad in Colombia for two weeks and had to plan for two completely different climate zones. Our field school started in the high altitude capital city of Bogota and continued down to the tropical rainforest of the Amazon. Luckily we were able to leave half our gear in Bogota and pick it up upon our return.

The Essentials

Shots: Talk to your travel clinic at least six months prior to your trip and find out what is needed for the zones you will be entering. I needed malaria pills and a yellow fever shot. Some people react negatively to treatment so be aware of the possible side effects.

Identification and Mo...

Hello, my name is Richard Gaudreau.

I was born in a very small French Canadian farming community in Saskatchewan, Canada. Since, I then also lived in Montreal, Calgary, and Victoria. I graduated from the University of Victoria with a BA in Political Science.

During my time in University, I had the opportunity to complete three separate work placements: working for the Canadian Navy, the Canadian Federal Government and a Global Online Marketing Company. I have also worked a lot of jobs not listed on my resume including short stints as a lifeguard, waiter, roofer, translator, and pallet production assistant, to name a few.

In the past five years, I also backpacked throughout South America, Europe, the Middle East and Northern Africa. Among the many things that I was able to acc...

STUDENT DEBT. As a student, every time I looked at posters around campus advertising various study abroad programs I thought about my debt. How can a student on a strict budget even think about travelling abroad to study? I did not think it was possible until I was in my last year of studies. Here are some ways you can make your dream come true without dipping hard into your wallet.

1) SCHOLARSHIPS AND BURSARIES. Institutions and external sources such as BC Study Abroad encourage students to head off and gain solid life experience. They offer a wide variety of scholarships and bursaries for students leaving the country to study. Personally, I heard stories of students paying their entire way through scholarships so I worked hard and applied to everything...

First we will start with a quick update from last month - I successfully obtained my residence permit! I am legally entitled to leave and remain in the People’s Republic of China for the next year. I feel good about that.

The month of October began with the celebration of the Golden Week - the Chinese National Holiday. The entire experience from my perspective was anything from relaxing. The city quickly empties as urbanites flock to their home provinces, this exodus is matched only by the mass inflow of provincial tourists coming to partake in the pleasures and sights of the city! Some of these rich experiences are seeing foreigners - the stares and gawks have been occurring at a larger rate than normal over the week. In addition, there have been fighter jets flying above us all week in c...