Summer Program at Hallym University in Korea by Kumi Takauchi
I was in Korea from June 29th until July 20th to attend a summer program at Hallym University in Chuncheon, Korea.
The very first day, at the airport, there was a singer or some famous person coming out of the same gate as me at the same time, so I could not find the person who told me that he would be there to pick me up. I was calm enough to go to the information desk and ask to announce his name and to come meet me in front of the gate. Finally, I found the person and the driver. The person who came to pick me up (one of the mentors who I will explain later) and I talked for about 3 hours in a car until we arrived at a dormitory in Hallym University. When I got into my room, there was no one but stuff so I could tell that I had a roommate. But it would've been really helpful if I had someone who I could ask questions near me... Luckily, I asked for WI-FI password so I was not bored or afraid to be alone!
The second day was the orientation day for the summer program students. There were people from United States, Australia, Austria, Malaysia, China, Spain, and Japan (only me). And here I knew about the existence of Korean mentors. They are Hallym University students and they joined the program to help international students who do not know about school or any other things they need help with. I thought it was such a good idea because they took us international students to their favourite restaurants, singing rooms, shopping, and helped us to get to know each other and have fun as much as possible during the stay in Korea. They were very friendly and kind!! So at the orientation, we learnt some rules about school and dorm, and listened to a brief explanation of this course, and took a test to divide us into beginner and intermediate groups. For dinner, we went to eat Korean BBQ and papingsu which is a shaved ice dessert usually served with ice-cream, fruits, rice cakes, or sweet red bean paste. I loved the papingsu very much so I ate it so many time during this stay!!
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| Fruits papingsu and cereal papingsu! Yummy!!! |
The next day, we had a Korean language class in the morning until lunch time and there we knew the result of our Korean test. We were not told our scores but I was lucky that I didn't have to go to the beginner class because I already took a Korean 100 course at Camosun College. Our teacher was a very funny person and he talked mostly in Korean so at first, it was kind of overwhelming but i got used to it day by day and actually I enjoyed his classes even though sometimes I didn't know why people were laughing! haha He taught Korean slang and young people's life-style. He taught us not only the Korean language but also other useful places to stay or live in Korea.
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| Our Korean class teacher in the middle! |
The Australian Experience by Natasha Gros
The weather here in August was rainy and cold, it was hard coming from Canada’s summer, especially since I only brought a limited amount of cold weather clothes. I was informed that it was one of Melbourne’s worst winters but now it is spring and the weather is wonderful, so all is well!
The first week was very busy; there was international student orientation as well as first year student orientation which I attended as well. At orientation they guided us through some things that we needed for our time here, what we should expect here in Australia, they told us about their culture and teaching styles, and informed us of all the services they provide for their students. In the first week I also set up a bank account with ANZ, a cellphone account with Optus (they have awesome month to month plans), and got a myki card which you can use for travel on all trams, trains, and busses. Swinburne international also organized a bunch of events during the first week so that you could meet up with all the other students as well as enjoy some free food. They also organized events that allowed us to explore the city and its attractions, such as the street art, laneways, Chinatown, museums and art galleries. Swinburne also does semester trips which go to the surrounding areas of Melbourne, I went on one to Phillip Island where I got to see the little penguins, go sand surfing, and see some beautiful beaches and cliff walks, they also do a trip to the Heallesville Sanctuary and a surfing trip.
The city of Melbourne is amazing, they have really awesome restaurants, shops, and cafes and although it’s a big city they still have a lot of parks and gardens scattered throughout which are nice to visit and get a break from city living. They have a big market in the city center and I recommend getting fruits and vegetables there as they are much cheaper than at the supermarket. Footy, AFL, or Australian League Football is a big sport here and I recommend going to a game, even if you have no idea what is going on it is still a lot of fun. Melbourne has a lot of teams so there are a lot of games going on around the city. Hawthorn is the big team here and that’s the team that most of Swinburne roots for. I also really enjoy Swinburne as a school, I have all my classes at the Hawthorn Campus so I don’t know what the other campuses are like, but Hawthorn is not too big (although it seemed huge and overwhelming at first) and the teachers are really nice. I have found the majority of people at school and around the city to be very approachable and friendly, there are always the few that are not but I would expect that anywhere!\
For mid-semester break I went to New Zealand’s north island with a few friends from school. We rented a campervan and spent the week partaking in various activities. We visited Hobbiton to see firsthand where part of Lord of the Rings was filmed, we went to a Maori cultural dinner and were immersed in their culture, we also went white-water rafting, caving, canyon swinging, and of course went on plenty of hikes and enjoyed New Zealand’s natural hot springs. New Zealand is a beautiful country and I would recommend travelling there, but the costs for activities can add up quickly so make sure it’s within your budget!
The weather during the spring here is very temperamental, one day it will be rainy and 15 degrees and the next day it will be 28, it gives you a nice break from the hot days but do not expect to go to the beach everyday as spring is considered their rainy season! However, if the forecast for the weekend is supposed to be nice then I would recommend doing the Great Ocean Road, which is a stretch of road that goes along the coast as well as into the green hinterland. A group of my friends and I rented a van from Melbourne and made a weekend trip out of it by renting a house at the midway point of the Great Ocean Road. We spent a day driving all the way to the end to see all the attractions like the Twelve Apostles, The Grotto, Gibsons Steps, and more! And then we spent another day at the beach in Lorne, the water was still a bit cold as it was the middle of October but when it’s hot out its perfect to cool down in. I know that there are options to do a guided tour of the Great Ocean Road but I would recommend getting a group together and doing it in your own time. Most car rental places will only rent to 21 year olds or older so that should be taken into account when planning your trip, and if you’re worrying about driving on the opposite side of the car, on the opposite side of the road, it’s weird at first but you get used to it!
At the beginning of November is the Spring Racing Carnival, which is a huge week-long lavish horse-racing event, with the main race being the Melbourne Cup Race. It is considered the “race that stops a nation” and although I have never watched horse racing in Canada, I certainly got into it here. You can get tickets to the Flemington Racecourse and watch the race in real-life, but all the bars and restaurants are going to be showing it as well. I opted for watching the race at Federation Square in the city center, but next time I would have probably bought a race-day package that includes food and drink, quite pricey, but worth the experience. If you plan to go to Flemington for the races make sure you dress up, because in addition to horse-racing the Spring Carnival is also big on fashion!
Off to Edinburgh by Louise Lauzon, Exchange student in Wales
I just got back the other day from an amazing Reading Break trip. Me and some of the other international girls planned it out in late September and booked it all in October. It was fairly inexpensive, but I don't recommend doing what we did and eat out four times a day! Whoops!
We had won a free minibus trip to anywhere in Wales; this was from something called Hall Wars back in October, where we had to go through different trials. Shockingly, our team came out first, from riding a mechanical sheep for the longest, winning at gladiator battles, and eating a mouthful of crackers the fastest. So, we utilized our free mini bus trip to take us up to Hollyhead, where we took a 3 hour ferry ride over to Dublin. We spent the night in Dublin and the next day did a free tour of the city, heading to Trinity College afterwards to see the Book of Kell. The library was amazing in there, beyond anything I could have imagined.
Fun fact: a scene in Star Wars is fashioned after this room!
We had another day in Dublin, but we had seen all we had wanted to see. To be honest, it wasn't as big as expected, and sort of dirty looking. On the free tour, our guide had mentioned they work with another tour group that takes people to the east side of Ireland, to see the Cliffs of Moher. So, being the spur of the moment people we are, we dropped 35 euros on the trip. We got to stop at a 300 year old farm, and climbed up to the mountain the family owned. The view was incredible, the pictures don't do it justice.
(The tour guide is sponsored by Hansen, the rain gear company, so we get to wear all the gear to stay dry)
Then it was off to the Cliffs, which were incredibly windy but only added to the awesome experience!
We returned to Dublin that night, then headed towards the airport the next morning. All we had were backpacks weighing about 20lbs, because we'd booked with RyanAir, which incredibly cheap flights, but a very low baggage allowance. For 15 pounds we got a flight from Dublin to Edinburgh – for people thinking of doing this, I strongly recommend to book as far in advance as possible. I checked the day before we left, and the tickets were up to 45 pounds. Despite the strict 25 lbs bag limit, no one actually weighed our bags, and despite the signs everywhere insisting purses or laptops had to be stowed in your backpack in accordance with the 1 item limit, no one bothered to tell us to combine our purses and backpacks. So, it was a very good and very short flight. A fanfare played upon arriving in Edinburgh, which is the most beautiful city I have ever seen in my life. It felt homey and friendly, especially in comparison with Dublin. We stayed at a very central hostel, and while the location and price were great, they did not have outlets to charge our phones in the rooms. So, in the morning we would stumble down the stairs and give the receptionist our tangled mess of five phones and adaptors and whatnot, and at lunch we would go to the same place everyday, mostly because there were plugs under the table, but also because the food was amazing. We did so much more in Edinburgh in comparison; a ghost tour of the most haunted place in the UK (very scary!), visited the Zoo, the Museum (which is huge but you can power through it in two hours if you go for it. It's also very interactive, which I enjoyed), the Portrait Gallery, the Edinburgh Dungeons, Colton Hill, and The Elephant House Cafe, where J.K. Rowling penned the first Harry Potter book. The view from the back window is a gorgeous castle upon a cliff and looks very similar to Hogwarts. The bathroom is covered from ceiling to walls in marker; people writing their favourite Harry Potter quotes and thank-you letters to Rowling.
We were in Edinburgh for two and a half days, and despite getting so much done, there was still a lot to see. I plan to head back at the end of term, because I have ten days to travel, but that's a different story.
We booked trains to come down from Edinburgh over to Aberystwyth, a town about 45 minutes north of the University in Lampeter. The only problem when we booked was the cheap advance tickets were only for two people, so the five of us ended up on three separate trains, several hours apart. I arrived in Aberystwyth first with one of the girls, and we decided since we had 8 hours to spare, we would see a movie in the little theatre. There aren't any movie theatres in Lampeter, so it was very odd being in one again! Two more of the girls had shown up by the time it was over, so we grabbed dinner and drinks while waiting for the fifth. Because the bus service is rather limited, and by this time it was midnight, we had booked the schools minibus to come pick us up. It wasn't free this time, but really inexpensive; 6 pounds each between the five of us.
So now I'm back in Lampeter, which is much warmer then Ireland or Scotland were! Back to school in full swing, but sadly it will be over before I know it.
Here's a handful of pictures from the trip:
At the University in Edinburgh
A happy Penguin at the zoo
The clock that helped me orientate where I was . . .
View of the same clock but from Colton Hill
On top of the monument!
The city at night
Tokyo by Jessica Tamblyn
Friday afternoon, after I finished my classes, I caught the school bus to Tokyo! It takes about the
same amount of time, but is only 6 bucks (which is about half the price! Also not having to transfer a bunch of times, and comfortable seats are always a bonus.) Like everything else at the school -including rent- to pay for it you have to put cash into a vending machine, and it poops out a little piece of paper.
My friend was also taking the bus, so thankfully I had company on the way to Tokyo, and she showed me where to go to get over to Shibuya, which is where I was meeting my Japanese friend from High School!
With some help of my friend, I was able to get to Shibuya from tokyo station without any difficulties, as soon as I walked out I recognized the street that is in so many photos! It was really, really busy, but mainly exciting!
Afterwards, we did the obvious thing, which was to take purikura! For some reason this one didn’t let us get a digital copy, so taking a picture of it was the best I could do. We went to some bar-type place and ordered various small dishes of food while we caught up on the past how-ever-many years!
On Saturday we went for food, and it took us a while of walking around before we could pick one place. There was just too many options!! I was kind of missing Canadian food, so we went for burgers at a small place named Whoopi goldburger.
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| I ordered the Kevin Bacon burger :) |
After that we walked all around, looking at a ton of stores and malls, making our way towards Harajuku. Unfortunately it was raining, so we pretty much stayed indoors, and I didn’t get to see much of Harajuku before it was time to catch my train home. I will go again though for sure! A lot of the stores were really expensive (I really shouldn’t be surprised…) and I didn’t really find something that I wanted, so I didn’t buy anything this trip.
My late night journey home after taking the train home was kind of creepy since I walked through the school and it was so quiet. (Also I almost stepped on a baby frog!!)
On Sunday, I decided to stay in so that I could write my Japanese essay and catch up on some other homework, since I didn’t do any of it Friday/Saturday. Before my day of homework though, I made pancakes!!
At first I assumed that you just add water, but thankfully I read the box carefully, and noticed the kanji for egg, and looked up the kanji for milk. So they were a delicious success! And this time I was smart enough to have syrup!
I managed to finish all my homework in time, and that was the end of my weekend.
An eventful time in Wales...
By Louise Lauzon, Camosun Exchange Student Trinity Saint David in Wales
So, I have been blogging, and journal writing, but have yet to post much, so here's a backlog of the last month!
Also, before I start, I just found out that I'm receiving two awards from Camosun: thank you so much to the donors and I'm sorry I won't be able to attend the award ceremony and thank you in person! So thank-you for the following: Vic & Pam Shemilt - Island Blue Print International English Scholarship and Vic & Pam Shemilt/Island Blue Print Associate Degree in Creative Writing Scholarship ~ Year One
The hardest part about blogging is repeating yourself – over and over.
Personally, I've got a gorgeous purple leather bound journal that I'm writing most things down in. Then, there's Facebook. The status updates, the messages to friends and family, and then you have Skype; verbally telling everyone about everything that's been going on.
So now I have to repeat myself once more, but in blog form. So, I'm cheating a bit and copying from journal entries and Facebook messages. . .
(Then, of course, there's the huge distractions. A spider the size of my hand just wandered into my flat mates room. Surprisingly, there was very little screaming, just our lovely Italian friend saying that she would start charging by weight of the spider to kill it.)
Anyway, here's some of the things I've been up to:
So, it's Sept 24th right now. We met up with the school on the 17th, and today is probably the first day we've had time to just breathe. The 18th and 19th were long orientation days, and on the 20th we were taken to this amazing castle, then headed to a superstore to do some shopping.
On the 21st they dragged us to Whitesands Beach and St. Paul's Cathedral:
Both of which were amazing. We wandered into a cave on the beach and found a seal – yeah, the animal – just hanging out in there. At St. Paul's we got kicked out early so they could hold a wedding. If you were looking at this cathedral right now, you'd have the same look of shock on your face as me. How many yearswould you have to book in advance to have a wedding there? Maybe I'll book now for ten years down the road and hope the timing works, ha ha.
On Sunday (the 22nd) we finally had time to settle in and unpack, put up pictures, and do some laundry. People were finally starting to arrive, and we had the first of many parties – a cops and robbers theme at the school club.
Speaking of people, let me brag about the ones I get to spend time with!
There are 10 international students (actually, I believe more have arrived since we came along, but we're the core of it.) Of those ten, nine are female. Four are from BC – crazy, I know – one is from Italy, and the rest are from America. We all completely hit it off with each other right away, all sharing the same interests in, well, almost everything. I guess that's what happens when you get a bunch of people who are crazy enough to fly half way across the world to study Humanities. Anyway, three of the girls in my dorm are international, and the other two are from England. Surprisingly, I've only met two or three Welsh people! Most are from around the UK.
There are 10 international students (actually, I believe more have arrived since we came along, but we're the core of it.) Of those ten, nine are female. Four are from BC – crazy, I know – one is from Italy, and the rest are from America. We all completely hit it off with each other right away, all sharing the same interests in, well, almost everything. I guess that's what happens when you get a bunch of people who are crazy enough to fly half way across the world to study Humanities. Anyway, three of the girls in my dorm are international, and the other two are from England. Surprisingly, I've only met two or three Welsh people! Most are from around the UK.
The dorm rooms are pretty cozy – if you ignore the REALLY loud pipes that are always running. (some nights they remind me of the ocean at home, but most nights I wind up throwing a pillow at them, which doesn't do much). Most of the time (like now for example) we all just have our doors open and we'll shout to each other to talk. Everyone here is incredibly friendly and welcoming.
Tonight we've got the International Potluck (Shintana and I are bringing Poutine, yum!). Tomorrow we get to do tasters of some of the activities they have. I've already met the head of the Quidditch team (yes, you read that right) and I'm really excited for that. Also planning on looking at archery and martial arts just for fun.
For now, I guess I better go start on the Poutine.
More updates from Wales!
By Louise Lauzon, Camosun exchange student in Wales
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| Louise |
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| Scavenger Hunt |
We've won a scavenger hunt, and won Hall Wars: which included riding a mechanical sheep! We visited Dylan Thomas' boat house, and the adorable Coastal Town known as Tenby, and fought in a zombie apocalypse!
In the meantime, here's some more pictures:
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| Zombie Fight! |
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| Tenby |
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| Flatmates :) |
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| Dylan Thomas' house (and Morgain looking very happy in the back) |
On my way!
By Louise Lauzon, Camosun Exchange student in Wales
From September 11, 2013
T-minus 12 hours until I leave for the flight to London!
I feel like Rapunzel in Tangled when she leaves home for the first time, and she's running around elated and screaming for joy and the next second she's curled in a ball crying . . . so many emotions! Mostly excitement, of course.
I worked 7am – 3:30pm today, because I'm totally crazy and needed the money. But the whole shift I remembered when I was around 7, and it was my friends birthday party, and the whole morning I was bouncing around asking, “Is it time yet? How about now? Now?”
Come to think of it, the coffee and tea while working probably wasn't the best idea.
Time to repack and reorganise and take half the stuff out of my suitcase!
September 12, 2013:
Current Location: Ottawa Airport
Local Time: 7:00pm
Victoria Time: 4:00pm
I have my watch set to Victoria time, my laptop on Ottawa's time, and my cell phone has a dual clock on it showing both.
I've been travelling for 9 hours now, 6 and a half of which were in the plane.
I didn't bother sleeping last night, because I figured if I got myself tired enough and slept on the plane enough, I'd be fine when I got to London at 10am. (It's not working. I'm totally exhausted.)
So we left my house at 4:30am – we being an entourage who are crazy enough to get up that early. My mom, sister, best friend and two close family friends came to see me off. There are scales that you can weigh your bag at before you check in, and the lovely scale said 51.4lbs. (the limit is 50). A lady walking by working for Air Canada said she wouldn't mind if it was one or two pounds over, but I'd have to get it weighted and hope that the guy behind the counter was okay with it. Oddly enough, the scale there said 49.8lbs. The man behind the counter said “I guess air is lighter over here,” and winked. Hooray Air Canada! Unfortunately it looks like I'll be paying to take a second bag home, but $70 isn't too bad. . . security was over with quick, and I was just stuck waiting until 6:45am for the flight.
The sun was rising as we were taking off, and it was really amazing to see the difference from BC to the Prairies to Toronto.
The sun is setting here now. It's beautiful with the rain and clouds. There was a storm earlier – the flight from Toronto to Ottawa was shaky the whole way (I didn't even get the pathetic pack of peanuts. Word of advice: Apparently you are allowed food on the plane as long as it's not fruit or vegetables. Wish I had known that before I got on the long food less flight . . .)
I was on my own from Heathrow airport to our Hostel, because Shintana (the other girl on this exchange, from Camosun as well) and I had agreed to meet in London before school started. The trip to the hostel was amazingly easy – the tube map looks complicated, but is very simple to figure out, and even kind of fun.
We stayed in Acton town, about a fifteen minute ride away from central London. The hostel was known as the Backpack Shack, but had no signs advertising it – I only found it because I knew it was above the Talbot Pub. The owner was a kind Scottish man, and he upgraded our room to a much nicer one after two nights here.
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| Our original room |
Next time, however, I think I'll stay much closer to central London. I ended up spending 35 pounds on the tube – almost $70! The first day I walked everywhereand my legs ached for days after, but it was worth it to see all of the sights. There's a couple free (tips recommended) tours of London, which were well worth it to go to. I saw most of the big sights in one day, then shopped in Convent Garden for hours. There's so manypeople it's almost overwhelming! My favourite place was probably Big Ben (yes, I know, it's technically known as the Elizabeth Tower. . . ) I spent a good hour just listening to the chimes of it. Another neat place is The Monument to the Great Fire of Britain – it's only 3 quid to climb the 311 steps to the top of this tower. The stairs are very narrow and awkward, but the view at the top is incredibly rewarding. Also, Platform 9 3/4 is in Kings Cross!! They take your picture and there's a shop where you can buy things (I got a wand and a chocolate frog, plus my train ticket to Hogwarts. I was very misinformed as I realised that I was going to the University of Wales, and not Hogwarts, but this place is almost as good :) )A bit on Bikes in Japan...
By Jessica Tamblyn, Camosun exchange student at Josai International University
So having a bike here is COMPLETELY different than in Canada. Here are a few reasons why:
- Helmets are only required for students in elementary and middle school, nobody else ever wears them...which is awesome because I hate wearing them.
- Bikes have the right of way pretty much always, and we ride on the sidewalk. (Sometimes people will ride on the side of the road, since the sidewalk is so busy)
- Driving and biking is on the left hand side of the road. (which is opposite from Canada and I still struggle with what side I need to be on from time to time.)
- People on bikes are not legally allowed to use their cellphones while riding, but cars can.
- You cannot drink (alcohol) and bike.
- It is required to have a bike light at night (I guess that's the same)
- When you purchase a bicycle in Japan, you must pay an extra 5 dollars for insurance. Doing this requires giving them all your information, so that if you get hit while on a bike, you would be insured. Or if your bike gets stolen, you could go to the police and they would report it. (So if a policeman were to pull you over, they check your bike licence number and your name, if it doesn’t match then you most likely stole the bike.)
- It is illegal to have someone ride on the back “seat” of your bike, the bars at the back are meant for carrying boxes.
- Bikes here have keys to lock he bike, rather than a bike lock. The lock tightens around the wheel. Maybe I’ll take a picture or video of it later.
Welcome to Josai International University!
Excerpts from Jessica Tamblyn, exchange student
Day 1
The night we arrived they told us that we had a welcoming ceremony, which we had to wear formal clothing for. I hardly brought fancy clothes, but I guess I did alright by wearing a skirt/semi fancy top.. when we got there though all of the students were wearing SUITS, it was crazy fancy!! I definitely felt out of place, but luckily there was more foreigners that weren’t too crazy fancy, so it wasn’t so bad. The opening ceremony was basically like a school After the president, the chancellor, and some other people (teachers, maybe?) spoke, visitors from various embassies gave their speeches, some short and others a bit long. They were half in english though, which was a relief to hear after having everything thus far spoken in Japanese. There was someone from Poland, Norway, and somewhere else.. No Canada or America though. The guy who spoke (he was from poland I believe) was very inspiring!! He went off about how the true meaning of がんばって (ganbatte/goodluck) was work hard, try your best and most importantly, persevere. I should’ve recorded it, it was actually pretty a good speech.
Immediately after the ceremony we walked out, and there was a pathway of people clapping and cheering as we walked out. I don’t know how to explain it really, like two rows of people, and we walked in between them as they faced us. Anyways, it felt pretty cool, but weird at the same time. We then headed over to the English tea room. In here we had to find the table that had our country’s name on it, ours was combined with a lot of other countries since there was only 3 canadians at our school. Here I met the 3rd student from Camosun that came to Josai as well! He had already been in Japan for I think a week by that point? Then we started to eat and mingle with people, I met a Californian girl named Kelsey who then introduced us to a few more people.
One of them when they found out that I was from Camosun College told me that I need to introduce myself to the chancellor. I already realized during the assembly how important this lady was, and was quite nervous to meet her because I didn’t want to offend her in any way. So, apparently Camosun is some super famous school according to Josai, which I was really surprised by!! As soon as we went to talk to her, instantly 4-5 photographers were taking photos of us with her.assembly, but I think it was only for exchange students? All the important school staff were there, like the president and the chancellor, they spoke all in Japanese, so naturally I didn’t understand much of what was happening. OH! And every time someone got up to speak (every time, doesn’t matter how important the person was), everyone in the audience had to stand up, wait for them to get to the podium, and then bow, then we were able to sit down, then when they were done we had to stand up and bow again. (I think all that moving around was the only thing that kept me awake at that point, actually.)
The Ingredients for the Start of a Terrific Journey
by Louise Lauzon - University of Wales Trinity Saint David
So, my first post on here will be undoubtedly boring compared to what there is to come, but I thought that the nit-picky little details may be helpful to someone out there, so here it goes.
Back almost a year ago, late fall of 2012, I started thinking of how I want to branch out from just Victoria and Camosun. In high school I had never understood why people wanted to move away for school – you have everything you need here, and the beauty of Victoria is amazing! I loved Camosun, of course, from the teachers and the classes to the learning experiences (especially figuring out that I would never take philosophy again.) Still, I wanted the “Harry Potter experience” of living away from home, at the school, and forging new friendships, maybe joining some clubs or committees, and learn more about how to be on my own.
This is where, in a moment of curiosity, an internet search led me to find the Study Abroad section on Camosun's website. I had a zillion fears about everything, mostly how I would afford it as I pay for school and room and board while living with family friends. I decided to just go for it though, and spent awhile refining my application and asking Julia Norman, the amazing lady who works in the International offices, a million pointless (and maybe some important) questions. I even ended up emailing the girl, Caitlin, who was currently at the University in Wales (where I was planning the exchange for), and asked for her advice.
Helpful Hint Numero Uno: Apply for the Scholarship! The application is very similar to the Study Abroad application, so you may as well do them both at once. Here's what the (almost?) final version of all the paperwork looked like. I added in passport pictures and changed some things last minute, but you can get the idea.
I handed in my application a couple days before the deadline (March 31st) and spent a few weeks biting my nails waiting to hear back from Camosun.
On April 26th, I got an email from Julia saying that I was accepted into Camosun's exchange program. I was excited and astonished, but said things like “I don't think it's hit me yet. Ask me again when Wales has officially accepted me.”With about five days to the end of May, I got an email from Julia asking if I had finished my application.
I panicked. No, I hadn't. What application? I couldn't find any in my inbox, and when I got the reply that I had to also apply to the Uni in Wales, I about fainted. Luckily the process was similar to the one I had already done twice over, but I spent a few hours trying to get the scanner to work for my passport, and may have had a mini meltdown thinking that this was the end for me and I wouldn't get to go.
Miraculously, I got everything in on time, and was stuck playing the waiting game again.
On June 18th, I got an email with a copy of the letter from Wales (with the promise of a hard copy coming via post). Still, even with this confirmation, I wasn't quite sure it was real; a part of me at least began to at least believe it was.
Of course, during this whole process I was obsessively emailing Julia while looking up a bunch of school stuff. The University, by the way, has an amazingly long name: The University of Wales Trinity Saint David, Lampeter Campus. Or, for short, known as TSD. While researching, I had seen somewhere at some point, the deadline for applying for dorms was mid to late June, and I took it upon myself to get in contact with people and apply for them. Of course, just a few days later Julia asked me to come into the office to sign the same forms so she could send them off, so I may have jumped the gun a bit on that one. Though, I do believe in better safe then sorry, despite being rather embarrassed that I had gone ahead on it.
That almost brings us up to now! I booked my flight at the start of July, through my amazing travel agent of a sudo-Aunt. My flight leaves Victoria on September 12th, and makes one four hour stop in Ottawa. My baggage won't be taken off the plane and I won't have to go through the US or anything, which is relieving as there is almost no chance of losing my baggage. With the time change and time of travel, I leave Ottawa at 9pm and get to London at 10am, Sept 13th. International students don't have to be at the school until Sept 17th, but I'll be spending a few nights in London with Shintana, the other girl that was accepted for TSD. Term ends Dec 13th, but I'm flying back Christmas Eve, because it was cheaper, and it will give me a few days to travel, plus there's the dramatic touch of getting home the night before Christmas, and the day after my 21stbirthday.
I just submitted my application for Student Loans, which was a little more difficult then normal given that I had to get course confirmation to Financial Aid so they could confirm I would be in full time studies. I'd already gotten a few courses transferred, so those were used while I wait for final confirmation on classes. In addition to the One World Scholarship, I received a second one from The Leonard Foundation. It won't be deposited to Camosun until mid October, so I wasn't sure if I would be able to use it. Luckily, after talking to a couple people and getting a couple signatures, it looks like it will be used towards my tuition. Hurray!
The other week I attended the pre-departure meeting, and got a swag bag (see below) as well as some helpful advice on culture shock.
Are you still awake? Not falling asleep in the boring details, I hope.
I think that's all for now. There, mysterious reader, you are completely caught up with more or less the process of the past few months. I'll be posting soon about the list that never ends of what has to be done in the next two months sometime this week. Any questions? Just ask! I always feel like I ask too many, so it will be nice to answer some for a change.
The Writer in Wales (well, still in Victoria for now),
Louise
My Time Here at Fontys
My arrival to Fontys was a warm and welcoming one. I was fortunate enough to have been paired with such a great buddy from Fontys new Buddy System. She came to the airport to pick me up, helped me settle in and become adjusted to my new surroundings.
My first impression of Venlo was a good one. The town centre is so quaint and lovely I had never lived near such a nice downtown. The shops and restaurants are good and lively and I love to go out and enjoy them. On the weekends the cafes are bustling and everybody is just enjoying themselves. I really love this about the European lifestyle.
When I started at Fontys it was an interesting and new adjustment for me. The school organization at Camosun is very different but I find this a positive aspect in some ways. I came to the Netherlands for new experiences and learning to adapt has definitely been one of them! I enjoy being part of a cohort and sharing all of my classes with the same students. It allows everybody to get to know each other better and on a more personal level. There are many activities organized by the school for exchange students such as trips to Amsterdam and Cologne. These are particularly special as it shows that they care about giving their international students the best possible experience. I have had the chance to meet so many people from all over Europe, Asia, and North America and create relationships that I would have never had the opportunity to do otherwise.
Being here in the Netherlands has taught me a lot. The Dutch people have a kind, easy-going and unpretentious way of life. I really love it. The Netherlands is similar enough to Canada in where I feel comfortable, but different enough to where I am getting the fully European experience.
I am so thankful for what the exchange program has given to me. I have been able to learn so much. If a fellow Camosun student is interested in studying in the Netherlands at Fontys I would definitely recommend it. The opportunities for learning, travelling, new experiences and meeting people from all over the world are bountiful.
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