Fellowship Experience
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Navigating Novelty
I arrived in Bogota on January 1st, 2025, marking the start of my new year. Unfortunately, I did not feel like I was brimming with the motivation and excitement that we typically hope a new year brings. Instead, I felt lonely and scared. I had fallen in love with Medellin,…
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Here’s What I Wish I Had Known Before Starting My Work Term in Tokyo, Japan
Currently in Tokyo, wrapping up my work term, and honestly there are so many things I wish I had known before jumping into this experience. Not in a bad way. Just things that would have been nice to mentally prepare for. But then again, maybe the best part has been…
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Taiwan – a New Home Away from Home
This leg of the trip feels very different from the previous ones. To be honest, it’s a shock to me. There’s less pressure to fit in and to make friends because I am no longer alone- I have established a network. Strangely enough, I find myself making friends without even…
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A Journey to Loving Buenos Aires
Here in Buenos Aires, when I strike up conversation, I almost always get asked something along the lines of “how come you speak like us?”, that is, how come I use the local variation and words. They ask with wonder and seem to be quite happy about it. Connections are…
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From Valencia to Sevilla
Hola amigos! I am in the middle of my academic term in Sevilla, Spain, where I am studying at Universidad Pablo de Olavide. I have moved to a different part of Spain from where I studied Spanish for my language term in Valencia. Valencia will always have a piece of…
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From Seoul to Busan
2024 McCall MacBain International Fellow, Martín, writes from South Korea: Leaving Seoul feels different than I thought it would. When I first arrived, it was all about adjusting, learning, and meeting people who would shape my experience in ways I couldn’t have anticipated. Now, as I packed up my room…
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In Chengdu, Novelty Is the Routine
Written by Matthew, 2024 McCall MacBain International Fellow from China Yesterday, I spent the day in the mountains west of Chengdu. My hosts run nature education activities for families, and this weekend they invited me to tag along. In the morning, as we waited for everyone to arrive, I passed…
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Uruguay Celeste: Four Months in Montevideo and One Week in Buenos Aires
2024 McCall MacBain International Fellow, Soran, writes from Uruguay: One of the first things I remember of my arrival in Montevideo is that, on my fourth day, I spent at least an hour in the pharmacy choosing a shampoo. Between the “biologic shampoo for normal to greasy hair with dandruff control” and the “bottle for dry hair with added keratin…
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Safarnama: Stories of Hindi, Hospitality, and Horizons in India
Written by Keith, 2024 McCall MacBain International Fellow Khamma Ghani! [‘many greetings’ in Rajasthani], As I am sitting on the terrace of my homestay in Jaipur, thousands of kilometres from home, I find myself immersed in the vibrant heartbeat of the world’s most populated country—India. The journey has been a…
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Seoul My Soul: How a Big City Became Home
Written by Connie | 2024 McCall MacBain International Fellow Having travelled to Toronto and New York, I always thought that big cities were not for me. I was much more accustomed to the calm of suburban neighbourhoods rather than the hustle and bustle of city life. However, despite knowing that…
