Meet Holly and Hannah Stark, two Hallam students who recently returned from a year-long exchange at Trent University; follow them in their experiences as they travel to Canada and America and see the benefits of studying abroad!
“With no technology and merely the stunning landscapes which surrounded us, we learnt a lot about ourselves and the people around us.
After completing our April exams, we were lucky enough to travel west across Canada with a group of international students; our international family. This involved a four hour flight, several overnight buses and a twelve mile hike. The trip lasted around a month and took us from the most amazing heights of 7667ft in Banff to the beautiful grounded beaches of Vancouver. We surprisingly (but luckily) didn’t see any bears in Alberta, but we did see a few bare bums! (Having accidentally stumbled across a nudist beach at the University of British Columbia.) Travelling and wandering in the wilderness gave us such a sense of tranquillity and an intense desire to see more of the world. 
Inevitably, we were not ready to leave the lovely country of unpredictable weather and unappreciated beauty. Although we struggled at times, missing home and family, we were unaware that we would make another family, who would be just as hard to leave; one that spanned from Japan to Holland to Ecuador (and all the bits in between), all joined through Canada, a place where we definitely could have stayed longer, whether that be studying, watching ice hockey or eating their most remarkable delicacy; poutine.”