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Vancouver
By Andrew Mortimer, University of Toronto Mississauga, Canada I arrived in Vancouver early and very tired on the 16th of May, having taken a 24-hour train ride from Jasper in the Rocky Mountains. I then took a quick bus ride across the city to my hostel (HI Jericho Beach) and met up with my friend, whom I saw a few days previously in Canmore. After dropping our stuff off, we headed to UBC Vancouver, which I knew had a picturesque campus right on the coast. Unfortunately we couldn’t visit their Museum of Anthropology, which has amazing indigenous displays, due to major renovations, but the Japanese Garden we stumbled across was…
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The end of study abroad
For what seemed like ages, going on study abroad was my next big thing to prepare for and look forward to, but after what seems like a blink of an eye, it’s over. I’m still getting my head round this and will probably not need much prompting at all to talk about my year for the foreseeable future (hopefully not in too much of a gap-yah style).
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Home Sweet Home
By Jing-Jing Hu (University of British Columbia Okanagan, Canada) After another two weeks of travelling in Canada and the US, I eventually made my way back home – first to Germany and then to Manchester (at last). In Germany, I spent the majority of my time with friends and family, exchanging stories on all the things that had happened in the last few months (and there were a lot), celebrating my sister’s highschool graduation and visiting friends in different cities in the area. It took me a while to realise that I am not in Canada anymore (it is summer, but where is the snow?!), but I eventually got used to the fact that…
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The last month of the best year ever
By Giulietta Grassi (University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada) It’s officially one month ’til I leave the best city in the world, one month ’til I come home to London and start my final year at Manchester. I am lost for words just thinking about it; I can’t believe a year has passed so quickly… I just want to fly back to the beginning and do it all over again. It has been the best year of my life!! The past month has been packed with trying to see and do as much as possible. We visited Seattle again for the weekend, had one last trip to the USA, and visited…
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Trips (Seattle, L.A. and Whistler)
By Giulietta Grassi (University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada) The trips and travelling have been one of the best things about studying abroad! I’ve loved going away with everyone, from researching where we’re going and where we’re staying right down to getting on a plane all together and finding our way in a new place. Here is a breakdown of some of the places I’ve been to so far during my first semester: SEATTLE Seattle was the first place on our list of places to visit. It’s so easy to access from Vancouver, a 4 hour coach journey and you’re across the border and in the US of AAAA. I loved Seattle!…
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UBC school life
By Giulietta Grassi (University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada) So I have been in Vancouver for three months now, and I still can’t believe it! Three of the most amazing months of my life. It definitely has been an adjustment, living so far away from everyone you love, getting used to the time difference, and finding your way completely by yourself. However, the biggest thing I think I have had to adapt to is UBC’s academic and school structure. The workload here is really different compared to Manchester. I always assumed there wouldn’t be much difference between Canada and England, but there really is. I, and many of my other international friends…
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Returning to Manchester
By Sarah Winspear (University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada) So I returned to the UK about a month ago following the most amazing year abroad. When I got accepted on the study abroad programme I didn’t expect it to be as good as it was. One of the bigger unexpected experiences was working at a camp over summer for people with disabilities in America. Study abroad opened up this opportunity for me as I had no summer plans and figured that since I was already in North America (Canada) that this would be a great way to prolong my time abroad while experiencing a different culture and broadening my perspectives.…
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First Weeks
By Katie Lewin (Simon Fraser University, Canada) My first two weeks in Canada and SFU have been so busy I have barely had a minute to let it sink in! After two lonely days in Vancouver sorting out a phone and exploring, I took a taxi to SFU. I hadn’t been nervous about starting until I saw the mountain looming in the distance and it hit me how much of a big adventure I was undertaking. Moving into my accommodation was fine with everyone being very helpful, however, it was early to move in (which mainly first years do), so my accommodation was very empty which was a slightly strange…
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I MADE IT TO VAN CITY
By Giulietta Grassi (University of British Columbia, Vancouver) After days of stressing, packing and saying goodbyes I have now finally made it to VANCOUUUUUVER! I’ve been here nearly 2 weeks now and have loved every moment of it. Let me try and somehow start from the beginning… I arrived in Vancouver completely jet-lagged and confused, and getting through immigration was only the start… but a few hours later I was in a hostel, surrounded by people from all over the world and in downtown Vancouver at the centre of it all. Vancouver is beautiful! It is the perfect mix of city life and outdoors. You walk 5 minutes down the road…
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Hopping Over the Border…
By Sophie Black (University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada). The ease of accessing the west coast of the USA from Vancouver is ideal: in a few hours you can reach Seattle by car, and in under two hours you can touch down in San Francisco. Two cities too good to miss out on! (hover over each photo for more info/click on the first one to go though the gallery!) Seattle San Francisco Really hope my holiday (‘vacation’?) photo albums have tempted you to take a trip down into the USA! Sophie
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VANCITY
By Sophie Black (University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada) Upon reading through Sarah’s Top 10 (read her fab post here) I’ve taken it upon myself to think of a few more things to see/do in Vancouver… Menchies : Yes, I shall place the best frozen yoghurt on campus at number one. Menchies is delicious, and if you live in Fairview then it can become very dangerous for your (limited) study abroad bank accounts! Beach at Kitslano: If you catch the sunset over the Royal Vancouver Yacht Club the view can be so beautiful. There is a twenty-year waiting list for boats to be housed at the marina here – and…
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Bye, Bye BC!
By Sarah Winspear (University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada). So here goes, my last blog post in Canada and what can I say it’s been amazing! Although for me this is not the end of my time abroad as the adventure will be continuing in the States with a bit of travelling and then working at an American summer camp which I can’t wait for. But it has meant the last few days have been pretty hectic as I only finished my exams yesterday and have a lot of stuff to sort out in the last few days before I can leave for the USA. Looking back this year has…
A study abroad journal by students, for students.
