Education Abroad Blog

  • Student overlooking canal

    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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  • Exchange student in England

    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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  • student in letter

    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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  • Student hugging tree

    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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  • VIU student attends royal wedding on exchange

    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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  • Student on exchange in Australia with kangaroos

    Mates Made Abroad

    The most commonly asked question when I returned from my exchange in Australia was what was your favourite part? Well how do you pick just one? From the beaches in the Whitsunday’s, to Uluru in the outback, driving down the East coast, seeing all new types of fauna and flora and all the cities...

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  • VIU Education Abroad University of Huelva

    Hace un Año

    It's so hard to believe, but it has been one year since the biggest adventure of my life began. February of last year was the first time I took in the warm spring sun of southern Spain, just a short while before my first day at the University of Huelva. I thank myself for writing a consistent...

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  • profile of student

    Putting the "I" in International

    Have you ever wondered what life is like in another part of the world? From the basics such as, what people eat, wear and do on their weekends, to the more deep aspects such as, what their customs and traditions are, ideas on religion, and their political system. There are 195 countries in this...

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  • vineyard

    No Worries Wednesday - Adjusting to your new environment

    No Worries Wednesday is a series where blog contributors speak to a topic which they were worried before they participated in an education abroad experience. Leaving all that you are surrounded by and comfortable with can be challenging or even frightening. This series will hopefully dispel myths...

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    QES Blog Spotlight - My Research Journey

    During the month of November, the Education Abroad Office is featuring blog posts that have been written by VIU’s Queen Elizabeth Scholars (QES) who were recipients of the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Scholarship. This opportunity allows participants to actively engage, both academically and...

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