~ Washington, D.C.

International relations student Rebecca Anne Dixon came to Mount Allison after spending two years in the International Baccalaureate (IB) program at Schule Schloss Salem in Ueberlingen, Germany. In her third year at Mount Allison, she decided to study abroad again — this time at American University in Washington, D.C.  and with a Killam Fellowship.  “It is a truly wonderful opportunity to be exposed to new ideas, and to learn more about yourself,” she said. Click here to read more about her experience.

~ Semester at sea

Mount Allison University students Daphne Rodzinyak of Trenton, ON and Gregory Sharp, of North Vancouver, BC sailed around the world under a program called Semester At Sea. The international relations (IR) students took courses aboard ship and visited 12 countries. The trip included a special guest speaker Nobel Laureate and Mount Allison honorary degree holder, Archbishop Desmond Tutu.Click here to read more about their trip.

~ Cuba

Kelly O’Conner, Havana, Cuba
“This Winter semester I went to the University of Havana. There, I studied Cuban social development, including an investigation of the country's demographics, health system, and education system and sustainable development, which focused on farming cooperatives and environmental issues. I also researched the control of dengue fever in Cuba and interviewed researchers and representatives from the Ministry of Health. I stayed with a lovely Cuban family, and our downstairs neighbour was an active practitioner of Santería (an Afro-Cuban religion) - I was able to witness traditional ceremonies and hear the drum beats from the balcony outside my room. Other highlights included partying at the Canadian embassy; learning to play dominoes and dance salsa; lazing on the beach; attending the national ballet for pennies; seeing the country from almost one end to the other; and just interacting with Cubans themselves. Overall it was a fantastic trip, and I learned constantly - about Cuban culture, history, everyday life, and of course how to understand the Cuban Spanish dialect. I highly recommend this study abroad for anyone interested in improving their Spanish and learning more about the complex and fascinating country that is Cuba!”

IR student Kelly O'Connor is Mount Allison's 49th Rhodes Scholar

Kelly is the fifth International Relations student to win the Rhodes in the last ten years. Other winners include Animitra Deb (2000), Josie Marks (2003), Dara MacDonald (2007), and Susan Humphrey (2009).

~ India

Noah Kowalski, Mysore, India
"I've spent the past two summers in Mysore, India as part of the Mount Allison summer program. This is a two-month course with classes on Indian Culture and Civilization, Science and Technology in India, and Women in India. It was one of the best experiences of my time at Mount Allison. It allowed me to experience life in what we often call a 'developing country'. What struck me the most was the incredible societal differences between the upper classes which are clearly part of the globalized 21st century and the lower classes who are still living on less than a dollar a day. This is an exceptional experience for any IR student interested in putting their education into action.“

Noah was Editor-in-Chief of the Argosy, the student newspaper.

 ~ Mexico

Emily Shepard stayed with a host family and took courses at the University of Veracruz (Xalapa campus) and their School for Foreign Students (all in Spanish) in Mexico. She also blogged about her experiences.  Minutes from Mexico - Emily on Exchange

~ Spain

¡Hola a todos! My experience in Spain has been most entertaining so far. Classes are going well, and are really interesting. But this is only a part of my experience here. The amount of activities one can do is incredible. From visiting museums, to las fiestas de España, to meeting new people from all over Europe, it never stops.

I had the opportunity to visit Sevilla, Granada and Barcelona so far. It was amazing to go back in time and see what the Mores and the Arabic left as a legacy. It was like entering in a new world.

Furthermore, Gaudí's houses are beautiful, and they are so close to the Mediterranean Sea. They look like they were taking from a ferry tale or straight from a Walt Disney movie.

I also visited Andreas, Tine, and Jon in Marburg, as well as the Strasbourg's crew. They all seemed to be doing really well, and it was great to spend some time with all of them.

Spanish weather, not to take anything away from beautiful snowy Sackville or from cold Canada, is pretty mild, and it doesn't rain too much. Sometimes I miss snow, but to tell you the truth, it doesn't take too long to forget about this sudden homesickness feeling...

It is my first time in Europe, and I am enjoying every minute of it. However, sometime I wonder if I will survive thisc crazy year :)

Let's just say that the Christmas holiday will be a good time to relax :)

¡Hasta pronto!

Oh, I was forgeting. My castellano has become more Spanish, but I am sure that Judith, Maritza and Juan Carlos will help me bring back the Latin American accent;) Don't worry, the French accent is still present.

Philippe Charlebois

  ~ Thailand

"We are currently swamped with work as we are taking Thai language classes in the morning, native studies and development in the afternoon and study feild trips on the weekends. Not to mention everyday is learning experience in Thai culture!

Our first hill tribe visit was this past weekend and the four of us went to a Hmong village. This particular village has been the recipient of a lot of government development policies such as the Royal Agriculture projects and natural park conservation policy. It was an intense learning experience to see development projects at work and how modernization is impacting these tribal peoples. They had only recieved electricity in the form of solar panaling for one week since we arrived. The cultural exchange was facinating as they were happy to include us in a wedding celebration, animal sacrifice and a two day tour of their village. Highlights included sacred tree, herb garden and sugarcane. They were very eager to learn about Canada as they had not had the chance to converse with foreigners in such an intimate setting before.

In addition to homework and papers we are hard at work selecting our field placements for next semester. It is a difficult decision because there are so many great challanges. Mel and I have both applied to work in Laos, she applied to CARE and I applied to CUSO. Trish is thinking of media work with Images Asia and Kira is still undecided. There is also the option of living with a tribe for the four months."

Click here to read an update on Chelsea's experience in Thailand

  ~ Japan

I just thought I would drop you a line and tell you how my exchange is going so far. I have now been in Japan for a little over 2 months, although it seems like I have lived here for years! I have become accustomed to the Japanese way of life and as the time passes I am growing to like it more ane more.

My Japanese language classes are helping me to improve my Japanese skills every day, as well as my other classes are teaching me about Japanese Culture, Economics, Politics, and other aspects of Japan.

As far has travelling is concerned, I have been to Kobe, Osaka, Nara, Kyoto, and Mount Fuji.I haven't yet had the chance to go to Tokyo, but I am planning a trip there after Christmas. As well, I haven't decided where to go yet but the possibilities are South Korea, China, or Thiland.

I will attch some pictures for you to look at of the places I have visited. The first picture was taken in Kyoto at the temple called Kinkakuji which is made out of gold. The second picture is of all of the exchange students that are here at Kwansei Gakuin University. We went on a field trip to Himeji castle. The third picture is of me when I went to Mount Fuji.

Hope you like the pictures.

Sean Boileau