Page
      6
      February
      2009
     
    
   
   
    
     
      By
      Shavado
      Gibson
     
     
      Post
      Contributor
     
    
   
   
    
     
      How
      does
      a
      future
      full
      of
      op-
     
     
      portunities,
      excitement,
      and
     
     
      traveling
      the
      world
      sound?
      It
     
     
      almost
      seems
      too
      good
      to
      be
     
     
      true,
      but
      it
      isn’t
      at
      all.
      Study-
     
     
      ing
      abroad
      can
      be
      a
      major
     
     
      benefit
      to
      students.
      Not
      only
     
     
      will
      you
      enjoy
      your
      time
      in
     
     
      another
      country
      but
      you
      will
     
     
      create
      a
      lot
      of
      open
      doors
      for
     
     
      your
      future.
     
    

    
     
      As
      an
      exchange
      student
     
     
      from
      the
      Bahamas,
      my
      first
     
     
      impression
      of
      UPEI
      was
      that
     
     
      it
      is
      bigger,
      and
      more
      ad-
     
     
      vanced
      than
      the
      College
      of
     
     
      The
      Bahamas
      (COB)
      where
     
     
      I
      was
      studying
      before
      arriv-
     
     
      ing
      here.
     
    

    
     
      Many
      other
      international
     
     
      students
      have
      the
      same
      im-
     
     
      pression.
     
    

    
     
      What
      is
      also
      of
      interest
      is
     
     
      that
      UPEI
      is
      a
      multi-cultural
     
     
      university,
      whereas
      COB
      is
     
     
      not
      a
      multi-cultural
      college.
     
     
      At
      UPEI,
      there
      are
      residenc-
     
     
      es
      on
      campus
      to
      accommo-
     
     
      date
      students,
      and
      it
      gives
     
     
      students
      easy
      access
      to
      and
     
     
      from
      their
      classes.
      In:
      addi-
     
     
      tion,
      a
      cafeteria
      is
      also
      on
     
     
      campus
      for
      students
      to
      have
     
     
      a
      meal
      whenever
      they
      want
     
     
      (only
      if
      they
      have
      a
      meal
     
     
      plan).
      This
      is
      awesome,
      be-
     
     
      cause
      at
      COB
      the
      residence
     
     
      available
      is
      not
      so
      easily
      ac-
     
     
      cessible
      in
      terms
      of
      going
      to
     
     
      classes
      and
      no
      cafeteria
      is
     
     
      present
      on
      campus.
     
    

    
     
      Moreover,
      this
      is
      my
      first
     
     
      encounter
      with
      snow.
      How
     
     
      great
      is
      that?
      The
      only
      snow
     
     
      I
      saw
      was
      on
      television.
     
     
      With
      regards
      to
      the
      snow
     
    
   
   
    
     
      CAMPUS
     
    
   
   
    
     
      My
      Experience
      at
      UPEI
     
    
   
   
    
     
      and
      cold
      weather
      I
      was
      wor-
     
     
      ried
      and
      being
      paranoid
      that
     
     
      something
      terrible
      will
      hap-
     
     
      pen,
      not
      being
      in
      such
      cold
     
     
      weather
      before,
      but
      surpris-
     
     
      ingly
      I
      am
      adjusting
      to
      the
     
     
      weather
      faster
      than
      I
      would
     
     
      have
      expected.
     
    

    
     
      With
      regards
      to
      the
      sporting
     
     
      events
      and
      activities
      of
      Can-
     
     
      ada,
      I
      went
      sledding
      so
      far
     
     
      which
      I
      must
      say
      was
      very
     
     
      exciting.
     
    

    
     
      I
      hope
      I
      will
      have
      the
      op-
     
     
      portunity
      to
      be
      involved
      in
     
     
      other
      activities
      such
      as
      ski-
     
     
      ing,
      curling,
      snow
      boarding
     
     
      and
      ice
      skating.
      Some
      will
     
     
      refuse
      to
      do
      this,
      but
      I
      am
      an
     
     
      individual
      who
      enjoy
      trying
     
     
      things
      for
      the
      first
      time
      and
     
     
      getting
      an
      experience
      with
     
     
      it.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      find
      study
      abroad
      experi-
     
     
      ences
      aS
      an
      enormous
      asset
     
     
      to
      your
      resume
      and
      scholas-
     
     
      tic
      experience.
      Many
      stu-
     
     
      dents
      do
      not
      have
      this
      kind
     
     
      of
      experience.
      We
      that
      do
     
     
      must
      cherish
      it
      too.
      The
      dis-
     
     
      tinction
      of
      having
      studied
      in
     
     
      a
      foreign
      country
      for
      a
      ses-
     
     
      sion,
      semester,
      or
      year,
      can
     
     
      be
      invaluable
      to
      your
      future
     
     
      career
      in
      today’s
      competitive
     
     
      job
      market.
     
    

    
     
      Frankly,
      this
      study
      abroad
     
     
      experience
      has
      allowed
      me
     
     
      to
      understand
      myself
      better,
     
     
      acquire
      skills
      and
      knowledge
     
     
      which
      will
      open
      other
      doors
     
     
      for
      me.
      It
      has
      helped
      me
      to
     
     
      develop
      myself
      into
      a
      stron-
     
     
      ger
      individual.
      I
      am
      having
     
     
      the
      opportunity
      to
      experi-
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Take
      advantage
      of
      study
      abroad
      experiences
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Furthermore,
      I
      personally
      ©
     
    
   
   
    
     
      ence
      a
      completely
      different
     
     
      culture.
      By
      this
      I
      develop
      the
     
     
      ability
      to
      thrive
      in
      and
      adapt
     
     
      to
      a
      culture
      different
      from
     
     
      my
      own,
      which
      I
      must
      high-
     
     
      ly
      regard
      as
      a
      major
      factor
      as
     
     
      a
      Bahamian
      student.
     
    

    
     
      In
      addition,
      students
      change
     
     
      majors,
      alter
      their
      education-
     
     
      al
      directions
      and
      friendship
     
     
      networks,
      and
      often
      redefine
     
     
      their
      life
      goals
      as
      a
      result
      of
     
     
      living
      abroad.
      Also
      as
      a
      re-
     
     
      sult
      of
      study
      abroad
      experi-
     
     
      ences,
      some
      students
      change
     
     
      majors,
      alter
      their
      education-
     
     
      al
      directions
      and
      friendship
     
     
      networks,
      or
      redefine
      their
     
     
      life
      goals.
      This
      has
      applied
     
     
      to
      me,
      because
      I
      find
      my
      self
     
     
      wanting
      to
      change
      my
      major
     
     
      also.
     
    

    
     
      On
      the
      other
      hand,
      I
      am
      be-
     
    
   
   
    
     
      PANTHER
      POST
     
    
   
   
    
     
      ing
      acquainted
      with
      many
     
     
      Canadian
      students
      at
      UPEI
     
     
      and
      international
      students
     
     
      from
      all
      around
      the
      world.
     
     
      For
      me,
      this
      is
      wonderful
     
     
      and
      I
      enjoy
      the
      opportunities
     
     
      I
      have
      to
      interact
      with
      other
     
     
      students
      and
      share
      our
      dif-
     
     
      ferent
      cultures.
     
    

    
     
      I
      must
      not
      forget
      the
      nice,
     
     
      warm
      hearted
      UPEI
      students
     
     
      and
      faculty
      members
      who
     
     
      warmly
      welcomed
      me
      _
      at
     
     
      UPEI
      and
      showed
      me
      kind-
     
     
      ness
      and
      made
      me
      feel
      at
     
     
      home.
     
    

    
     
      For
      them
      I
      am
      very
      grate-
     
     
      ful.
     
    

    
     
      Hopefully,
      I
      will
      be
      able
      to
     
     
      return
      at
      UPE]
      as
      a
      full
      time
     
     
      international
      student
      and
      not
     
     
      just
      as
      an
      International
      Ex-
     
     
      change
      student.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      How
      do
      you
      keep
      warm
      on
      campus?
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      I
      go
      through
     
     
      building
      to
     
     
      building.
      I
      building
     
     
      walk.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      99
     
    
   
   
    
     
      I
      go
      to
      the
      gym
      and
     
     
      work
      out,
      keep
      the
     
     
      temp
      up,
      have
      a
     
     
      few
      drinks
      out.
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Jessica
      MacKinnon
     
     
      Ist
      year
      Science
     
    
   
   
    
     
        
     
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Nick
      Gaudet
     
     
      Alumni
     
    
   
   
    
     
      How
      am
      I
      keeping
     
    
   
   
    
     
      warm?
      A
      wood
      fire.
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      I’m
      not
      keeping
     
    
   
   
    
     
      warm.
      I’m
      really
     
     
      cold.
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Max
      Hamon
     
     
      Arts
      Faculty
     
     
      Education
      ©
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Brenton
      Dickieson
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Faculty
      Religious
     
     
      Studies