Capilano University Students Blogging Abroad

Why did you choose to participate in this field school? My reasoning for why I chose to participate in a field school, and why I chose to participate in the Vietnam field school, are different. First of all, I had the amazing opportunity to spend all last summer studying French at UQAC, in Chicoutimi, Quebec. Having almost completely finished my degree at Capilano University, this was my first time ever ‘studying abroad’, and for that matter, living on my own. The experience was indescribable. Any slight feeling of homesickness, was so quickly made forgotten by the presence of your newly adopted family of friends, who are all there doing the same thing you are. Coming from all different parts of Canada, we were all in the same boat, and that automatically fueled the reason to create friendships and bonds, and have the time of your life while still obtaining perfectly good credits. When it was all said and done, and I was back at Capilano University, sitting, watching the rain ...

Studying abroad at a school in Europe is such an amazing opportunity. You get to become a part of a new place as you settle into your own town, but at the same time, you have the ability to visit so many new places. I’ve been here for about a month now I have already visited three different countries: England, Belgium, and of course, the Netherlands. And next week I’ll be off to Austria, and soon after, to France. One of my favorite things has been meeting new people from so many different places. The ways of life and cultural differences, no matter how slight or vast, are incredibly interesting to watch and be a part of.   Another great part is trying to many different types of cuisine. They really like their frites and mayonnaise here. I haven’t yet tried the national dish of pickled herring and onions, and I am hesitant but I am going to do it before I come home! Coffee here is also amazing – its not as available, but when you find it, you can just tell that there has...

The first activity on our itinerary today was a visit to Primark, one of the UK’s major retail businesses.   We left the Travel Lodge at 9:30 in the morning - it was absolutely freezing (today being the first really wintery weather we’ve experienced since arriving in England) - but after we had all refilled our oyster cards, we managed to catch the next train out to Oxford Street. Just wanted to add little side note… It is so easy to get around London using the tube stations and railway lines.   There are signs at every station with very clear instructions on which train goes where, and if you decide to go above ground to explore, you can easily find your way to the next tube station by following the signs and the printed maps.   Why can’t we have this sort of thing here??? ~*~End side note~*~ We arrived at Primark at around 10:45 am, and were promptly gathered and taken in the back entrance to be signed into the building.   The presentation and the tou...

  On the agenda today is: Ernst & Young, Lunch, Olympic Park Bus Tour, Dinner at The Maple Leaf pub, and Let It Be at the Savoy Theatre. To start the day we headed out to Ernst & Young (EY), across the street from City Hall near London Bridge. We were met by Robin’s sister, Julie Furby, who organized the presentations for us. During the presentations we learned about the culture of EY, their Entrepreneur of the Year award (the most prestigious award worldwide), the Mid-Market Team, their Growing Beyond Borders program which helps businesses see beyond their current capabilities, EY’s Corporate Social Responsibility initiatives and actions, and a tour of the building. All very interesting with a variety of guest speakers from the firm, learning the business side of EY and how they’re targeting university graduates when hiring was of great value to us. Following that, we went downstairs to the canteen for lunch and revelled at the cheap prices for the qua...

Song of the Day: Skyfall by Adele. We chose this song after much discussion because we were traveling to Bond St. and it happened to be foggy in the morning. Date: Tuesday February 19, 2013 Main Activities for the Day: Visited with Gordon Campbell (Canadian High Commissioner) and a tour/presentation at Global Radio Favourite Moments and Things Learned:             Lauren - Both of the events we did today were educational. I like both for different reasons. Meeting Gordon Campbell was very intimidating, it felt like meeting a celebrity. He was so friendly and welcoming. I was surprised to find out that he had such long hours during the day; I didn’t consider the time difference between London and Ottawa and how that could effect his work. It was interesting to hear his opinions and comparisons of the Vancouver and London Olympics. He seemed to feel the Vancouver Olympics were “better” however he admitted to it being mo...

Today’s Song: Come Together ---Sarah Conner Weather: cold. -1 °c---4°c   We have an amazing day. After an early and delicious breakfast, we headed to the Victoria coach station.  This was where we started our wonderful journey. First stop :Stonehenge Stonehenge is a very famous heritage site in British, even famous around the world. It has more than 5 thousand years old history. The view is spectacular.  We were shocked by the power of human strength it required to build this sight. It is worth to visit Second stop: Bath  Bath is one of   the most beautiful city I ever seen.  It is also one my favorite small cities. The city is not big, but full of the unique and historical atmosphere .  This is evident in every building. Cathedrals, coffee shops, restaurants, art, artists - you can almost find every thing in this small town. Love it! Third trip: Stratford upon Avon - Shakesp...

Today, Alan and I were the leaders of the group.  We were in charge of getting everyone together, bringing the mascot around and picking a song for the day.  We decided on Shooting Star by Owl City, which we played on our IPhones as we walked toward the DLR. The morning started really well until we headed to the DLR line and discovered the line was closed for servicing for the day.  Luckily, they had replacement buses so we were finally on our way to our double decker bus tour of the city, which I found to be very fun and exciting. We also visited the Tower of London which is pretty much a castle where the queen and king used to live centuries ago. There we saw the armors wore by previous kings as well as we got to see the Queen's actual jewels . Another thing I liked was the fact that we took a boat ride on the River Thames. We got to see the place from a much more fun prospective. Afterward we split in teams and I decided to join Jaime and Jacob as s...

Doing any field study through Capilano is a unique experience you can not duplicate by yourself.   I recently got back from doing the Vietnam Field Study over reading break and I’m more than pleased with myself that I made the decision to go. We visited places in Vietnam that I had always wanted to go to like the Cu Chi Tunnels and Ho Chi Minh City.   But for me the most beneficial part of the trip was doing and seeing things I wouldn’t have seen if I didn’t go with the school.     Some of these things included: the Pungkook factory where they make MEC and The North Face backpacks as well as Coach handbags, attending Canadian Chamber of Commerce networking events, the Consulate in Ho Chi Minh City, and visiting other post secondary institutions. There’s something to be said about doing things you never imagined yourself doing and everyday in Vietnam I found myself amazed by the activities we were taking part in.  I had been to five different continents a...

It was almost just over a month ago before I got on a plane and started my journey in the UK. I would be lying if I had said that I felt confident and reassured before I left. During my final days back at home the worry jitters were starting to get to me because I really had no idea what to expect. But now that I am here I can safely say that this is one of the best decisions I have ever made.  From when I first landed I was lucky enough to be greeted by students of the school where I met other international students and friendly faces. Through a small international students orientation I was able to branch out and meet people from all around the world and it was so interesting to hear their stories and learn about their differences. I can already say that I am much more knowledgeable about the many different countries in the world.   Since then I don’t think a day has gone by where I wished I was back home. I have already made so many great friends and created ama...