Europe

By: Sarah Ganton, Capilano University, winner of the BC Study Abroad: Stories from Abroad Scholarship

Study Abroad Destination: Innsbruck, Austria​

By: Liam Grigg, University of Victoria, winner of the BC Study Abroad: Stories from Abroad Scholarship

Study Abroad Destination: Sophia Antipolis, France

Walking through the wooded Großer Tiergarten in the heart of Berlin, it’s easy to forget where you are and the history of the city. The sounds of spring echo around you drown out the surrounding roadways. Birds chirping, squirrels scurrying, and the occasional dog barking creates an atmosphere of peacefulness.

By Alice Wang, Kwantlen Polytechnic University, winner of the 2017 Stories from Abroad Scholarship and a member of the BC Study Abroad Writer in Residence Team

As I sign off on my time being a Writer-in-Residence for BC Study Abroad, I am thankful for this opportunity to reflect, so profoundly, about my travel abroad. This prolonged self-reflection has allowed for a soul-searching that yielded more meaning-making than I could have ever anticipated. It was Andrew Solomon who once said to overcome adversity, one must “forge meaning and build identity.”

By Mariam Ali, Simon Fraser University, winner of the 2017 Stories from Abroad Scholarship and a member of the BC Study Abroad Writer in Residence Team

By Adeline Hadijanto, International Hotel Management student at Royal Roads University and a member of the BCSA Writer in Residence Team.

Like many student travelers, I wanted to explore Europe as much as I could while I was on exchange in Austria. Surprisingly, with some careful planning I was able to visit more than 35 cities and towns in 13 different countries in one semester without straining my budget too much. Here are a few of my suggestions that will hopefully help you to be more cost efficient:

By Alice Wang, Kwantlen Polytechnic University, winner of the 2017 Stories from Abroad Scholarship and a member of the BC Study Abroad Writer in Residence Team

Image credit: Vancouver artist Kenneth Yuan in front of Yves Klein’s IKB (image courtesy of Yuen)

My piece of advice as a Writer-in-Residence is this: wherever you go, visit the local art institutions and expect to be confused by the works. Art is a piece of history crystalized in an object. It is not supposed to be easily understood. And if it is, it’s probably very bad art.

By Julia Scott Lenz, Simon Fraser University, winner of the 2017 Stories from Abroad Scholarship.

By Alice Wang, Kwantlen Polytechnic University, winner of the 2017 Stories from Abroad Scholarship and a member of the BC Study Abroad Writer in Residence Team

I wish I have more coherent nuggets of ideas to share with you. But alas, I have exhausted the creative well of my journey. For now. Will you indulge me in sharing a few snippets of thoughts leftover from this prolonged journey of self-reflection?

By Adeline Hadijanto, International Hotel Management student at Royal Roads University and a member of the BCSA Writer in Residence Team.

It has been over three months since I returned from exchange, and I still feel that part of my soul was left in Austria. Let me tell you why Austria is one of the best places you could go for your study experience!

By Adeline Hadijanto, International Hotel Management student at Royal Roads University