My Exchange in Spain
One of the most incredible moments that I experienced when I was living in Huelva, Spain happened on the very first day I went out into the city, and ended up completely changing how I would remember my time in Spain. My mom, my dad and myself had just came back from the University of Huelva after...
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My Host Country - Scotland
Hello fellow VIU students,I’m here to share my experience in my host country, which was the United Kingdom in Scotland. I was in the highlands and islands of Scotland in a town called Inverness. To be quite frank, the town was very similar to Nanaimo with the coast line along it and I was there for...
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My Tanzanian Work Experience
*This volunteer opportunity was accessed through Uniterra's Leave for Change program as part of VIU's partnership, funded by the Global Engagement International Work Opportunity Grant. The Global Engagement Grant program is available to VIU staff and faculty.When we drove in to the village of...
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Insight from India: Using a Global Lens to Understand Canada’s Waste Problem
Before travelling to India, I hoped to learn something from my experience that would be useful to bring into my future classrooms. Upon returning home and reflecting, I was surprised that I could learn and gain so much from a short three-week period. This blog post will cover the topic of waste,...
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Returning Home, Harder Than You’d Think
Before you go abroad you hear and learn all about culture shock and you also talk about re-entry and the possibility of reverse culture shock. But the idea of returning to a country and culture you grew up in or are extremely familiar with and feeling discomfort and unfamiliar seemed strange....
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What I wish I knew before going on exchange to the Netherlands
Getting that letter stating that you’ve been accepted to the exchange destination of your dreams is a feeling that I cannot describe. Thoughts run through your head at a million miles a minute: will I love it? Will I make memories that will last me a lifetime? Will I form relationships with people...
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No Worries Wednesday - Travelling Solo for the First Time
Going on exchange for a semester was a big, brave step for me. Before heading over to the UK for six months, I didn’t have much travel experience under my belt. I had only gone so far as the interior of BC, and across the border into Washington and Oregon. And I always had my parents and older...
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Spotlight on the Netherlands
Did you know that the country of tulips, canals, and bike-riding hosts 2 of VIU’s exchange partners? I got the opportunity of a lifetime to attend Hogeschool University of Applied Sciences in Utrecht - a small town just 30 minutes from the heart of Amsterdam. It is loaded with quaint...
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Being a Park Ranger: A Reflection on my Time in St Eustatius
My name is Laura Clark, I come from a small town in Alberta and have just moved my life over to the island in the last two years. I am passionate about environmental conservation, sustainability and exploration! A Global Studies internship provided me with the opportunity to incorporate all three...
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Royal Fever: A Canadian’s Experience at the Wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan
If someone had told me that I would be in Windsor at the same time as Prince Harry’s wedding, I would’ve waved my hand in dismissal and laughed. I still can’t believe how well the timing worked out. It was November, and I was getting ready to go on my exchange to the UK for the spring when the...
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