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Spectacular Spanish Spirit
My name is Keith Penner, also known as 'El Capitan' by my Spanish friends, 'Gino' by my Italians, and 'Crazy' by my Germans. I just completed my exchange semester in Huelva, Spain. Having the...
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Getting to Australia: Easier than Finding the Zoo
I want to say that I didn’t have the normal start to study abroad. However, I don’t think I can say that with certainty. I don’t really think there is a normal way to begin the study abroad process. I...
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No Worries Wednesday – Language Acquisition
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...
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No Worries Wednesday - Making Connections
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...
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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...
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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....
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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...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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Embracing Australian Language Shock
After sleeping for most of my first two days in Australia, I attended my first orientation meeting and the conductor of the seminar said: Don’t think of everything we do here as backwards, wrong or...
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Greetings Germany: Discovering a New Culture in Bavaria
Something to note about Germany is that it is a very culturally diverse country. This is part of why I chose this as my destination country for my exchange semester abroad.When I first travelled to...
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Living in a New Language
My biggest fear by far about going on exchange was the language barrier. Before I left on my exchange, I had travelled to Germany the year before for about a month, and during that time I was only able...
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The Han River and its many blessings: Why I Chose South Korea
After passing by customs and immigration with the appropriate documentation, I drove into theSeoul metropolitan area at around 7 P.M. with one of the local taxi companies.“한국어 차랬어요” (Your Korean is...
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The Study Abroad Scaries
Before you leave, you are beyond excited about new experiences, new people, new adventures… Then you get there and realize that it’s gonna be WAY harder than you ever expected it to be.That’s what...
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Healing My Inner Child
The weather is 20 degrees with humidity. The sun is shining brightly in the Sindorim neighbourhood as teenagers and young adults take the streets to enjoy their Saturday afternoon. While I am at a...
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