Heather is a Dance Major from York University in Toronto, Ontario studying for the year at the University of Chichester in Chichester, England. She's a sucker for dessert and loves to hit the dance floor.
What do you tell your friends who are thinking about going abroad?
DO IT! You will never have an opportunity like this again... to immerse yourself fully into the young population of a culture and experience it so honestly and wholly. You get challenged in ways you would never imagine possible, and will become a much stronger person in the end.
It will allow you to discover who you are as a person in extremely unexpected and unique ways, and it also gives you the opportunity to build a life for yourself, surrounded by people who welcome and support you. I don't think I have ever made a decision in my life that has been so beneficial and significant as when I decided to go abroad.
What was the hardest part about going abroad?
I think the hardest part about coming abroad was learning the fact that people’s lives back home continued on without me there. As much as I know my friends and family have missed me, their lives haven’t stopped because I have left.
As odd as that is to think about while I'm having such a great time and opportunity while I’m here, it does make me a little sad to think about them making memories without me; as much as I knew it would happen, its always a bit of a shock to hear such great stories from them, even though I’m having such a good time while I’m here (and wouldn't change it for the world!), it does pull on the heart strings a little!
Another tough thing in the beginning was just not knowing anyone! Being a very social person I found it very difficult not to have people to talk to or hangout with (but this stage was very short and ended as soon as classes started up and I began meeting people!)
Tell us about an experience you had that you could not have had at home.
Traveling Europe! From Canada, Europe is extremely far away, so I never would have had the opportunity to take trips to the different places I have been lucky enough to visit (Amsterdam, Paris, Lanzarote, Rome/Venice, Ireland, Barcelona) because everything is so close here it has made these adventures not only easier, but made my dreams of visiting these places much more attainable!
Seeing all of these places has opened my mind up to the different possibilities, cultures and opportunities that there are across the world. It has also greatly shifted my view of the size of the world and the amount of beautiful people and places there are within it. I don't think I was fully able to comprehend just how spectacularly large a place we live in until I traveled to all of these places and was able to experience the vast differences they had between them.
What is one piece of advice you'd give to someone going on your program?
Go with an open mind. As scary as it is to move to a new place with no clue about what to expect, I think it made my experience much richer in the end. Because I had no expectations or assumptions of what was to come, I think I was much more open to any and all new experiences and opportunities that presented themselves to me.
If you go into it thinking it is going to be one way and it turns out to be the complete opposite, not only will you be completely thrown off and overwhelmed, I think those feelings could perhaps make you bitter and unable to see the great possibilities to come of the new situation. I think along with being open-minded comes the need for a certain go-with-the-flow attitude; being eager to try new things and meet new people and see new places will also go an extremely long way!
What made this trip meaningful to you, or how did this trip change your perceptions, future path?
There are so many things and people that have made this trip meaningful; it has truly been the best year of my life so far. The fantastic people I’ve met (because I’m learning that people love foreigners… especially their accents) have truly made all the difference in being here.
Everyone has been so welcoming and helpful from the moment I stepped off the plane. At the university, all of the other dance students are always eager to lend a hand and, in the beginning, walked me through the ins and outs of the department, and life on the campus. All of my travel experiences have been absolutely unforgettable.
There is something to be said about the independence and freedom that I have found both from planning the trips (and not having to ask anyone’s permission) and making it successfully to the destination (which has been quite questionable at times) that makes me so proud!
