How To Make Friends While Studying Abroad

By Valentina PrANJIC, Third year student in professional communication, fcad

Going on exchange has been a dream of mine since I was in high school. I always saw the world as being full of new places to see and experiences to live. So when a friend once suggested that I complete an exchange in Utrecht, Holland I found myself on a seven-hour flight to Amsterdam a year later. 

The weeks prior to my flight, I was ecstatic and ready to embark on an adventure of a lifetime.  However when I landed, the reality that I was alone in a foreign country with no friends sank in. Continue reading How To Make Friends While Studying Abroad

What People Don’t Tell You About Going On Exchange

BY HUDA AKHTAR, THIRD YEAR STUDENT IN HUMAN RESOURCES, TRSM

What people don’t tell you about studying abroad is that you’ll want to go home about 2 days into your trip. No one tells you how hard it really is settling into a place you have absolutely no prior knowledge of. People don’t speak of the first week you arrive into your chosen city, they don’t mention the restless nights thinking about how you’re going to manage your commute, your work – your stress piles up.

Little did I know, the best is yet to come.

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The 3 Regrets of Exchange

BY SHANNON TINNING, 4TH YEAR STUDENT IN ENGLISH, FACULTY OF ARTS 

I have never been an impulsive, or a decisive person. Deciding between what colour of sweater to purchase, or mustering up the courage to select a unique menu item, instead of chicken fingers, fills me with immense anxiety. Before departing for my exchange to Edinburgh, Scotland, I came to the realization that I would have to escape my finely crafted comfort zone in order to fully capitalize on this once in a lifetime opportunity, and not return to Canada filled with ‘what if’s’ and ‘I wishes’.

And no, getting a tattoo is not on this list (sorry grandma).

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