Capilano University Students Blogging Abroad

London Field School 2019: Day 1 – February 15 th Carley, Chloe and Maria Song of the Day: London Bridge, by Fergie Check out our trip video on Youtube! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WD33ii01kXI Our first day in London started at the Westminster Pier, from there we caught the ferry to the Greenwich Village. Thames River is the lifeblood of London, and as a result you will find many of the most popular tourist attractions on the river's banks. We enjoyed the views from the upper deck and when it got too windy, we used the opportunity to go down to the warm hall of the lower deck and get some coffee. The knowledgeable crew was giving a live commentary of all the sights along the way. You get great views of all the landmarks and learn a bit of history on them all. We saw the London Eye, Tower Bridge, Parliament, Military Ships, and so much more . Taken at Westminster Pier before we hopped on the Thames River Cruise! ...

Study Abroad Spring 2018 - Darmstadt Germany  Darmstadt is a nice small city, it’s vey easy to get around in and close to Frankfurt for that big city fix. Between the Darmstadt main train station and the Frankfurt airport it’s a really good location to travel from. When I first arrived it was so cold and we even had snow! Thankfully the temperatures have started to warm now. Language is actually not a huge problem, I’ve been learning German but once it’s clear that your German is poor people will generally switch to near perfect English. Though the biggest test of language will be when my design classes start, as those will be in German! Aside from language, one of the biggest shocks to the system here is having so much free time. Our regular design classes don’t begin until April, so March has mainly been orientation events, school organized day trips, and German language classes. I’ve met many other international students from around the world, Korea, China, Ireland, Spain, a...

Study Abroad Spring 2019 - Robert Gordon University, Aberdeen, Scotland.  Studying abroad has been one of the best decisions I have ever made. The opportunities I have had this far have far exceeded anything I would have been able to do if I would have stayed in Canada for this semester. Moving to Scotland to study had been a dream of mine as soon as I was accepted to go to university. So you can easily imagine the excitement I had when I got accepted. If I had to tell you one thing about going and studying abroad, it would be just to do it. I know it sounds easier said than done, but do anything in your power to make it happen. I sold my car and sold a variety of other things that I knew I didn’t need anymore and just had sitting around. I have no regrets. Explore anything and everything that you can when you are here. Do your research and make a list of all the things you want to see in the country you are in. Compare your timetable to a calendar and write out all ...

" London is an extremely multicultural city" - Samantha Holmes  Borough Market From the moment we walked into the Borough Market we were flooded with smells of the wonderful food and drinks each booth had to offer. Even if you weren't hungry going into the market, the incredible produce and fresh baked goods were bound to change that. No matter what you had a craving for, this market could satisfy it. One highlight was the 20 plus booths selling different types of cheeses that would make anyone excited to take a bite. If you did your rounds at the market and could not eat more but still want to do a little shopping, just outside the market are a few boutique shops. Here you can purchase anything from clothes and accessories to naturally made skin care products.  Soho's Secret Tea Room After the Borough Market, we trekked to an adorable secret tearoom in SoHo. The room itself was perched above a small pub and contained roughly 10 tables. Our massive...

I recommend that every student go on a study abroad if they have the opportunity!   Where to begin? This has been the fastest five months of my life! A few people have already left for home, but the core group of the exchange students are still here and we are all rushing to see things that we wish we had seen earlier. I've also been trying to travel as much as possible with the remaining time in Helsinki. I caught up with a few other study abroad students from Cap for the weekend in Prague. It was tons of fun and Prague is also a very cheap place (having said that though, anywhere is cheap compared to Helsinki). It was really cool to catch up with the other students and hear how their experiences are also going. It was nice to hear that everyone loves it and everyone is experiencing lots! I also spent a weekend in Dublin, Ireland and also a couple weekend trips to surrounds cities in Finland, Pori and Tampere. The best part though was a weekend trip to Russia! Myself an...

Maryam, Larissa and Lauren: In This Place Where We All Belong Song of the day: The Hockey Song by Stompin’ Tom Connors https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UxJvrD80nJ4 We started off the day with a walking tour of Shoreditch. To get to Shoreditch, we boarded the Tube around 9:30 AM. This was our first time taking the Tube during the morning rush hour and we ended up having to split up and take two different trains. We regrouped at Liverpool station and after experiencing a little bit of confusion with Google Maps, we made our way to the Old Spitalfields Market. We met our tour guide, Emilie Houldsworth (you can follow her on Instagram) underneath the “Goat Statue” which we later learned symbolizes strength and independence of the British people. Emilie guided us through the streets of Shoreditch such as Brick Lane and explained the symbolism and inspiration for numerous art pieces by famous street artists such as Banksy, Stik, and Invader. She also touched on the history of Sho...