Capilano University Students Blogging Abroad

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 sim...

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 g...

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...

My Uncle likes to quip that there is “friendly” and then there is “German friendly” and you’ll KNOW when they are being rude.   This is very true. People want to get stuff done. There is no small talk, they just want to get stuff done and move on. If you ask someone in a store if they speak English, they will either say “a little” which really means yes they can, or just say no, point at a coworker and walk away. They got shit to do and holding your hand while you both puzzle the exchange out is not in their job description. And don’t bring your half learned German into their life either, they don’t have time to teach you German, either speak at a quality and speed they are comfortable at, or talk to someone who knows English.   A stark contrast from my first person in Madrid: little English but with a big smile he was happy to give a game of charades with massive arm gestures in a tiny store where I am surprised nothing got knocked over. I’m pretty sure he had mo...

Walt Disney, Orlando, Florida  It has been quite the journey so far. Time moves by extremely quickly, yet slow at the same time. Now that I am settled, it’s very much a routine of working, chores, and spending time with friends. When I first arrived, there was a lot to adjust to. I had to go to Walmart and buy almost everything (like bedding and food) as nothing was provided. That was an overwhelming experience. There was a lot of orientations and meetings within the first week, both with the housing complex as well as the Walt Disney company. I had to learn the bus schedule and routes.  The job itself follows the same process of any new job, I had a couple days of training and manual reading. We also had a day of assessment, and then we were able to work individually. My job in particular is very task oriented, and so it was easy to fall into the rhythm of the job overall. I was able to explore the Disney parks more in the first couple weeks of reachin...