I applied for New Zealand on a whim, just to see if I would get in. I did and I followed through with it. Not only was it one of the best experiences of my life but it was a time of growth that I will always remember. The friendships I made and places I visited seem like they were out of a fairytale.
The nursing care we were able to provide was something you can only experience there. I took 3,000 photos there and it wasn’t enough. I wish I could have captured everything. One thing I did bring home were 6 best friends and colleagues who I spent an unforgettable 5 weeks making memories with. My only advice is that if you are unsure of whether to go or not, “jump”- that’s what an instructor told me and I never looked back. I had more personal growth over the five weeks we were there than in the last two years of my life. It consistently challenged me, forced me to adapt, and I wouldn’t have it any other way. When I look back on my nursing degree, this is what I will remember.
-Jessica Lee, 2019 New Zealand Nursing Field School
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My name is Jake Mackenzie. I am a second year business student at Camosun College. For my study abroad experience I chose to study in Sweden at Jönköping University. During the semester here in Jönköping they offer several trips. These trips are mainly marketed towards exchange students and are a great way to visit places you may never have considered travelling to and meet many other exchange students.
Of the four longer trips that the university offers I participated in three. I traveled to Norway, Russia, and Lapland. Norway was the first trip offered that I partook in. The focus of this trip is mostly to experience the scenic beauty that exists in Norway. I was very happy that I chose to participate in this trip as it allowed me to meet tons of new people. It was also very convenient as a lot of the friends that I acquired on the Norway trip were on the later trips as well. The second trip that I went on was the Russia trip. This trip was completely different from the Norway one. The Russia trip is pretty much a week of partying. The final trip that I went on was the Lapland trip. Lapland is the most northern point of Finland. This trips focus is experience the wonder of the north. Activities that you can participate in include northern lights hunt, snowshoeing, husky sleds and many others. I have enjoyed all the trips that I partook in, they allowed me to make new friends and great memories.
My experience studying abroad in Cuba was one of the best things I have ever done. Not only did I gain lifelong friendships but it was also educational, and culturally enriching.
I have done some traveling previous to this trip, but getting the chance to study abroad is like no other travel you will experience. Before our arrival in Cuba we got the chance to study the country, politics, culture, people, and the Spanish language. Having this prior knowledge allowed for a wider understanding of life in Cuba. We were able to connect with the people we met (which were many) about their life, culture and personal struggles. We really felt as if we were positively contributing to the relationship between Canada and Cuba.
We got to experience Cuban culture to its’ full richness. We participated in everything from salsa and percussion lessons, to university lectures, to beach days.
One of the best parts of this study abroad experience was our group of students and our professors. I really feel as though I have new beautiful connections, both educational and personal. You spend everyday with this small group of people. We roomed together, ate together, studied together and traveled together. We started as strangers and left as friends.
Nothing brings people together quite like sharing cramped buses, small rooms, interesting food and emotional rollercoasters. All of which is part of the traveling experience.
If you have the chance to study abroad, I hope this inspires you to take the opportunity and go for it!
I am headed to New Zealand in a few days. I am so nervous and so excited. I have never been away from home for this long especially travelling without anyone I know. I am nervous about many things, the time difference, the nursing practice, but mostly the homesickness. I am very close with my family and can’t think of a time I have been away from them for an extended period. On the other hand I am excited. Excited to learn and grow. Dive deep into culture and meet new people. This is a learning opportunity that comes once in a lifetime and I won’t pass it up. I hope to learn to rely on myself, and become more independent. I can’t wait to see what this adventure holds.
-Jessica Lee, 2019 New Zealand Nursing Field School
My name is Malcolm! I just finished the second year of the nursing degree program at Camosun College. Going into the nursing program, I didn’t think I’d have any chance to travel over the following four years. The summers would be too short, and I’d need to use that time off from school to work and support myself. So, when the chance to travel for school came up, and I had a couple other friends who were interested, I jumped at the opportunity.
Nursing in New Zealand was an eye-opening experience – while everything on the surface seemed similar, a lot of their practices were different, and forced me to engage and learn in new ways. I came away with a lot of new ideas about what my nursing practice should look like, and feel I grew a lot in my time there. Beyond the nursing experience, my friends and I had time to explore New Zealand a bit. We took advantage of our weekends, to do things in and around Wellington, where we were based. We also had a chance to do a longer trip, and a few of us were able to stay on for a couple weeks after the practicum ended. I made friends there I know I want to visit in the future and got just enough of a taste of New Zealand that I know I have to return and see more of it. After just 6 weeks, it already felt like a second home.
-Malcolm Mackenzie, 2019 New Zealand Nursing Field School
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One of the most stressful parts of studying abroad is ensuring your finances are in order. I will be providing some tips and tricks that I’ve learned while abroad to help you out.
First, budgeting is going to be your best friend when it comes to financial piece of mind. Your budget should be done before your trip, and your budget should be checked by tracking your spending as you go. I recommend leaving wiggle room in your budget as expenses come up, and it is difficult to plan down to the penny.
The second thing to consider is foreign currency fees. Most credit cards will charge you 2% when you are billed in a foreign currency. This can add up quickly as you’re travelling. I recommend applying for a credit card called the Home Trust Visa. This card’s main selling point is that it has no foreign currency charge. By using this card instead of cash when you can, you will avoid ATM fees and other card’s mark up. Unfortunately, you will need cash sometimes. My recommendation to avoid fees when obtaining cash is twofold. Before your trip, shop around for the best exchange rate on your desired currency. While abroad, one way to pay less in ATM fees is to consider opening a Scotiabank account. Scotiabank has partner banks across the globe that will waive their ATM fees when using Scotia’s debit card. These are a few ways that can help reduce your stress and save you some money while studying abroad.
My name is Malcolm. I just finished up my second year of nursing with a practicum in Wellington! Travelling to New Zealand for a school practicum was a huge opportunity – but also one that made me a little nervous. It meant immersing myself not only in a different country, but a different culture, and a different way of nursing.
I feel so lucky to have had two friends from my cohort going with me, but even then, we were all going into an experience somewhat outside of our comfort zones. Not just working on the units together, but living, commuting, and eating together for five weeks really brought us all together, and fast. And I’m thankful for that these people were the ones who helped make this such an incredible experience. We explored a new city and got lost together, supported each other on the hard days, and were always there for each other when we needed to debrief after a long day. Having them by my side to work through all the intricacies of learning a new way of nursing was so meaningful. We all brought our own experiences from home, and we all had our own experiences in New Zealand, and this meant we could piece things together as we were going, rather than having to learn and process everything alone. I had two friends come with me on this adventure, but I feel very lucky to have come back with four more.
-Malcolm Mackenzie, 2019 New Zealand Nursing Field School
While I was away in Cuba I learned a great deal about "José Martí" and I became very obsessed and fascinated by him. He was a Cuban revolutionary who wrote many books and poems. Everywhere you go in Cuba there are busts of José around. He is very revered by Cuban people. Being a bit of poet myself, I was very inspired to write Spanish poetry in the vain of being true to oneself and to carry peace for all people - much like some of Martí’s work 🙂
Cuando mi vida ha pasado, se que he pensado.
He pensado y me sentido.
Cuando senti, tome accion.
Si penso en lo que me importa y decide hacerlo asi.
Entonces el cielo se encuenra con la tierra y el que soy.
Pensa.
Reflejar.
Proceder.
Not only did I gain relevant educational experience by going abroad, but I also gained many friendships that will last a lifetime. Making connections is different in many ways because you get to know other people’s cultures and traditions, which an amazing experience in it and of itself. But, you also make stronger connections because of the unique circumstances you are all navigating together. Moving to a new city (often alone) and starting a new school is a great way to bond people together.
Hannah Larson is studying Marketing Communications at Camosun College. She studied abroad in Aarhus, Denmark for 6 months, from January 2019-July 2019. This was her second time traveling to Europe, and the longest trip she has ever taken.
The class structure in Lyon at BBA Inseec is wildly different when compared to the way it works at Camosun. The classes are broken down into sessions; each course had between 5-10 3-hour sessions. These sessions have mandatory attendance. If you miss a class, you would need to provide a document justifying why you didn’t attend. You will have a tentative semester schedule with your sessions booked throughout. These sessions can be moved around, so the school recommends that you check your schedule daily.
There are some positives and negatives to this way of scheduling the classes. It is nice because you have some lighter weeks where you will only have a few classes to attend. However, it can be difficult to plan excursions and day trips during the week because your courses can be switched around on you. Another benefit that I have found with this way of doing it is that your schedule stays fresh. Some days you will be in class for 9 hours, and those days can feel extremely long. On other days, you will only have to pop in for 1 class, and that can break up a day nicely. Overall, you will need to adjust to the different type of schedule, but it was a smooth transition for me, and it can be for you as well.
- Benjamin Hickman, 2019 Exchange, INSEEC Lyon, France
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Hi! My name is Malcolm. I’m a Registered Nursing student at Camosun College and just wrapped up the second year of my degree. I was lucky enough to travel to New Zealand for a practicum this spring, where I worked in the Wellington Hospital. The experience was an incredible one, that really pushed me to grow.
Working in a different hospital system provided a lot of fresh ideas on providing personalized and improved care for patients. I worked on a neurosurgery and neuroscience ward, which provided a lot of opportunities to work with patients with conditions I’d never encountered – strokes, brain injury, seizures. I wasn’t sure what to expect on the floor, but it turned out to be a valuable practicum. The nurses we worked with were encouraging, trusting, and put us in positions to learn as much as possible. We were in a preceptor-style situation, where we worked directly with our nurses, rather than with our instructors. This provided a lot of opportunities to practice skills and become independent, whereas at home we’re often restricted by having to wait for our instructors, meaning we miss a lot of opportunities.
I’ll carry forward the experiences of learning about the methods used in a different healthcare system and working with a different demographic. I hope I’m lucky enough to return, as it’s somewhere I can really see myself working in the future.
-Malcome Mackenzie, 2019 New Zealand Nursing Field School
My name is Jake Mackenzie. I am a second year business student at Camosun College. For my study abroad experience I chose to study in Sweden at Jönköping University.
Jönköping University has a very fun orientation that they refer to as Kick Off. During the week and a half of Kick Off, I was paired with my group that consisted of approximately 40 Swedes and 7 internationals. It’s a terrific way to meet new people and develop friendships. We participated in various challenges in order to obtain points which were tallied at the end for a winner to be declared. Each day we were given the option to go to the student run club that goes by the name Aka.
Challenges that we participated in gave us a good idea of the orientation of the city and made integrating into a new environment easier. During the mornings of Kick Off week, there were several lectures that were created to help you get set up for your upcoming semester. The lectures for the most part weren’t compulsory but they highly recommend your attendance as some can be very useful. Throughout Kick Off, I made many new friends (who I’m still interacting with after a month) and gained many new memories. I’m happy to have chosen to study at Jönköping University.
Going abroad to study was essential to my education and I have a tremendous amount of gratitude to all the people involved through the whole process. It was an incredible blessing to have another country open up to a young group of students in an honest and impactful way. Many beautiful intelligent people took a huge role in educating us over the three weeks we spent together in Cuba and there remains a connection between the Cuban people and us Canadians.
I am certain that every person that boarded that plane to Cuba In June 2019 returned to Canada with a different world view and a mind fully inspired to make positive change. Personally, after being involved in this excursion I have gained much more confidence, both in myself and the future of our global community.
This is a short video of some of our experiences in Holguin with the university as well as the Canadian students involved in the trip.
When I arrived back home, I took some time to reflect upon my study abroad trip. I made many connections with people from all over the world, some who lived in Denmark and some who live in scattered countries across the globe. I will be forever grateful for the memories I share with those wonderful people. I gained so much life experience while traveling abroad for that extended period of time.
Hannah Larson is studying Marketing Communications at Camosun College. She studied abroad in Aarhus, Denmark for 6 months, from January 2019-July 2019. This was her second time traveling to Europe, and the longest trip she has ever taken.
In Cuba I was able to experience a new idea of political and economical practice. One which was thoroughly discussed and experienced during my trip. Seeing a new side of the way life can be lived was a beautiful time and definitely gave me a new insight in which the way our own culture in Canada operates, as well as the privilege and struggles we have. I also was able to learn about the possible ways in which we could operate as a social community differently for the better. The knowledge I gained while abroad has enhanced my abilities overall as a student not just of school, but of life . I believe that going abroad has the ability to change your skills as a human overall and be able to utilize your potential fuller.
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My name is Emma Balneaves and I am a second year dental hygiene program as Camosun College. I had the pleasure of visiting San Pancho Mexico for dental hygiene volunteer work. Looking back on this experience I realize just how important it was for my career forgoing in dental hygiene. It made me realize that I need to be thankful everyday for what I have and the access to care and resources that I have so readily available.
After visiting San Pancho I know now that this isn’t the case for most people, especially in developing countries, many of which have never had access to care, let alone any sort of education related to dental care. We are so privileged in Canada with the latest and greatest equipment, with reclining patient chairs, and sanitized clean, sharp instruments, and as silly as it sounds padded and comfortable operator chairs. Therefore, after having spent two weeks in San Pancho and having no available dental clinics to work in, our only means of providing care was in the local community center where we transformed the cement gymnasium into a makeshift clinic. We used foldable beach chairs as client chairs, and children’s beach stools as operator chairs, we had no lights and no proper equipment to work with, but regardless it was the most satisfying experience I have ever partaken in.
Regardless of the challenging situation and far from perfect environment we were working in, what made the backbreaking work so worth it was the smiles we saw after each two hour appointment. Despite the pain and discomfort that each and every client experienced, not one ever complained, but rather each client we saw thanked us for what we were able to provide, and for the education they had ever been given before. The clients were significantly more difficult than the clients we practice upon here in Canada, and it was rewarding to see the changed that we could make for them in such a short duration of time.
This experience has made me acknowledge that this is the right career path to take if you want to make a difference and have a positive impact on the lives of many. I cannot wait to see just how much change has been implemented for dental hygiene care in San Pancho when we return again next year.
Religion in Cuba was a huge deal for me to experience. There is a religion called Santeria which is a syncretic religion made from Catholicism and Yoruba. Being able to go abroad and experience this religion first hand was absolutely amazing. I was able to take part in a plethora of ritual practices and conversations with practitioners as well as Santeria Priest. It has enhanced my spiritual practices and spiritual abilities to be able to learn from such a beautiful culture and religion.
In Cuba, Santeria is a large part of their lives as it has a huge historical background of revolution and a fight to survive. I acquired a Santeria Beaded Necklace and had it and myself blessed by a Santeria priest which was such a profound moment for myself. Without going abroad I wouldn’t have been able to learn about this part of the world that I had been seeking . When you travel abroad your world has the opportunity to change spiritually - and it can be one of the best moments of your life. It’s an adventure you’re bound to never forget because it finally places you in a position of cultural perspective. Be brave and take the chance on yourself - bet on yourself because you are so capable of succeeding in this universe - so why not explore it?