"Rethink your Classroom" - Go on Exchange!

Studying abroad is more than earning credits at another prestigious institute - it's a life changing experience! Camosun has exchange partners all over Europe, as well as in Asia and Australia.

While paying Camosun tuition, you can study abroad at our partner institutions. You won't add a semester or year onto your program length as all approved credits will directly apply to your credential and can even be transferred to another Canadian institution.

Our Field Schools students have studied in Mexico, Bolivia, China, Nepal, India Philippines, Tonga and Namibia. Phew!

If you’re an incoming exchange student thinking of studying at Camosun, you may be interested in seeing some of our international students on campus in our why come to Camosun video.

Visit Camosun study abroad for more information and scholarship opportunities and contact Vivian Trinh with your specific questions.

The Australian Experience

By Natasha Gros, Exchange student in Australia

After 22 hours of travel I finally found myself in Melbourne. I had arranged airport pickup before my departure so when I got off the plane there was someone waiting for me and they brought me and the other international students who had arrived that day to our accommodation. I decided to go with on-campus accommodation at Swinburne residences, although it is really expensive the location is definitely worth it, right on campus and close to grocery stores as well as a street with lots of shops, restaurants, and cafes, it’s also a 10-15 minute train ride to the city center. I got a three bedroom apartment so I am sharing with two other girls who are from Australia; We hit it off right away which has made living here enjoyable.

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

Wow, I can't believe there are only 4 weeks of school left!

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, Camosun exchange student in Japan

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.

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.

More updates from Wales!

By Louise Lauzon, Camosun exchange student in Wales

Louise

Scavenger Hunt

Obviously, a lot more has happened in just the last two weeks, so I'll update some more soon!

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:

 

Zombie Fight!

 

Tenby

 

Flatmates :)

 

Dylan Thomas' house (and Morgain looking very happy in the back)

 

An eventful time in Wales!

By Louise Lauzon, Camosun Exchange Student 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 24^th right now. We met up with the school on the 17^th, and today is probably the first day we've had time to just breathe. The 18^th and 19^th were long orientation days, and on the 20^th we were taken to this amazing castle, then headed to a superstore to do some shopping.

On the 21^st 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 years would 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 22^nd) 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.

 

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.