UK

Hi, my name is Benett Zawasky and this summer I will be one of the exchange agents volunteering for the education abroad program at VIU.

I am a third-year psychology major/sociology minor that just recently attended the University of Hertfordshire for the Spring 2020 semester. While I was away on exchange, I was able to do a bit of travel before the school semester, seeing the cities of Munich and Prague and while in the UK I managed to do quite a few weekend trips around England.

Hello, my name is Austin White, and I am volunteering as an exchange agent for the education abroad department at VIU.

I am going into my fourth and final year at VIU in Computer Science. I did an exchange in the spring semester of 2020, to the university of Hertfordshire in the United Kingdom. Before attending school, I was able to travel to Munich, Germany and Prague, Czechia. During my travels and studies, I was able to meet several new people and quickly make new friends from all over the world.

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 sister with me.

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 announcement of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s engagement was released. Like most of the world, I was excited for the couple, cheering them on as I watched them smile coyly at each other, their hands intertwined as they went through their first public interview together.

It's been almost a year since I left my Vancouver Island home and went to study at the University of Hertfordshire, which is located roughly 30 mins north of London, England. This was the most amazing experience I could have ever imagined; however, certain things terrified me before I left. Most notably, my worries centered on what I would or wouldn't need to bring along with me. So here's some insider tips I learned from experience.