Capilano University Students Blogging Abroad

PRE DEPARTURE You probably know by now, that in my blogs I'll go into my usually jab about my challenges and how you should consider doing whatever it is I am preaching because if I didn't see value in the experience, then I wouldn't suggest it or do it myself. That's the motto! Why did I want to study abroad? If you can get academic credits and travel at the same time, then that's just gravy. I almost applied in September 2012 (I couldn't get a second reference...), actually applied for the Spring 2016 semester in November of 2014 and again in August 2015. They rejected me both times because of my GPA and told me to reapply for 2017 meaning I would graduate a whole year late. I still pushed for 2016. I tried to sell them everything in the book about why I was the best candidate, references, my business, being marketing president, brought my grades up, went on as a full time student and seriously, none of it worked. I was so choked because I knew no oth

Austria is a beautiful country with so much culture. In Vienna specifically, there are so many sights to see and history to learn about.   Although most people speak English in Vienna, it helps to attempt speaking basic German words. The transit system is amazing, and it is so easy to get around the city. There are always different events and activities happening around the city. It seems there is more to do with nightlife and festivals then in Vancouver. Traditional Austrian celebrations are a lot of fun, such as wine and beer festivals. I have gone to a few already and they are so much fun! The people in Vienna are definitely more stern then those in Vancouver when it comes to public interactions. At first, this was off-putting as it felt like people were rude. But really once you get to know Austrians, they are actually quite nice and extremely hospitable. Especially Austrians that grew up in Upper Austria or outside of Vienna.   I think Viennese people simply are a

Jinan University, Main Campus  Studying and living abroad in China was a completely different experience then I am used to. I have previously travelled throughout Europe, lived in SE Asia for a couple years and even been to China 4 times before. This time was different because it was the first time I wasn’t with people who spoke the local language. The average person in China doesn’t know a single word of English. All of a sudden I am being thrown into a city of 18 million not really knowing anyone and not being able to communicate with many of the locals.    Living in this situation really allows for yourself to grow as a person. It has challenged me to learn how to communicate with people using partial mandarin (I know just the basic single words) and non-verbal communication. On my first day in China, I went to restaurant by myself for lunch. I had to figure out how to order food from the menu. I must say I did a lot of finger pointing and I actually got what I orde

Since coming home, I don’t know where I belong.   My friends have all moved on in their lives and my new friends are thousands of kilometers away.   My social support network is very important to me so reintegration has been extremely difficult.   I am waiting for classes to start, renegotiating the terms of my employment and catching up on all of my doctors’ appointments, course advisors etc etc etc. The time has been both crazy busy and super slow! I am a person that needs structure and currently none exists!  But I don’t want this to all sound negative. My friends and I are reconnecting (some faster than others). Work begins again soon, and classes start back up with me entering my 4 th and final year at Cap. I have maintained contact with my new friends and we are already making plans to meet again somewhere in the world! I got to visit over 20 cities in Europe, and those are just the ones I stayed overnight in, there were so many more than I was able to make short stop