Why I Decided to Go on Exchange

Posted by BCSAadmin on 03/26/2019

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

Before going on my first exchange, I had a very strong desire to travel. I had actually started university and completed my first year before deciding to move to Calgary, AB to work and save money so I could go abroad. In my mind at the time this was the fastest way for me to be able to travel. Unfortunately, this did not go as planned as while I was there an oil crisis happened and the economy in Calgary wasn’t prosperous. So, after a year of making enough to live but not enough to accumulate a large savings I moved back home to Vancouver Island to go back to...

Tags: Study Abroad Writer in Residence exchange Vancouver Island University Utrecht The Netherlands
Category: Writers In Residence
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Korean Exchange '18: Asian Travels 1/2

Posted by BCSAadmin on 03/21/2019

By: Aaron Siebenga, Simon Fraser University, winner of the BC Study Abroad: Stories from Abroad Scholarship

Study Abroad Destination: South Korea

In Gyeongju, I got a taste of Korean history by visiting the 9th-century Silla Tombs, the restored Woljeong Bridge and Donggung Palace Complex, and the Gyeongju National Museum. I also met friendly locals through Pokemon Go, who treated me to a nice traditional dinner and showed me Bulguska Temple and Seokguram Grotto.

Muju's a village in the Korean mountains known for their Firefly Festival each September. I went there to experience small-town life in Korea, and although almost no one I met spoke English everyone was very friendly and welcoming. I saw traditional dances, lit sky lanterns, and went...

Tags: Explore see the world Asia South Korea mongolia Japan SFU Simon Fraser University Study Abroad Scholarship Winner
Category: Student Blog
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Take It Lying Down

Posted by BCSAadmin on 03/19/2019

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,...

Tags: Amsterdam The Netherlands Stories from Abroad Writer in Residence Simon Fraser University SFU
Category: Writers In Residence
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The best souvenir

Posted by BCSAadmin on 02/19/2019

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

The truth is everybody wants a piece of you, or rather where you are. As soon as you announce your plans to study abroad, you’ll find yourself drowning in endless requests for souvenirs eating away at your already slim budget. But, after months of actually being there, riding past kiosks of silly wooden shoes, sloppily painted ceramic, and tins of stale stroopwafel, I found myself increasingly resentful of these requests. In addition to my sad budget and suitcase space, none of these small tokens represented Amsterdam lived.

And...

Tags: Writer in Residence Study Abroad Scholarship Winner Simon Fraser University SFU Amsterdam The Netherlands
Category: Student Blog
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