Sierra is a third-year Bachelor of International Business (BIB) student in the Spanish language stream. She is studying at Universidad Adolfo Ibañez in Vina del Mar, Chile. (All students in the BIB program are required to study abroad for their third year at one of our partner institutions.)
Introduce yourself! Tell us a little bit about your goals and interests:
I have loved traveling ever since I can remember. We used to do so many family road trips around Canada and the US when I was young, and being exposed to cultural and environmental differences, even at the smallest level, is probably what started the constant need to be visiting some place new. When I was in grade 7 I did an exchange to England for 2 weeks, which was my first time out of North America, and probably the point where my parents knew I wasn't going to be sticking around at home for too long. I took several trips to Europe throughout middle and high school teaching English in Spain, while also seeing many other countries in Europe, and also Morocco. Most of these trips weren't family holidays, so I gained my independence very quickly traveling alone. In grade 11 I moved to England to to my International Baccalaureate Diploma, where I studied in O! xford for 2 years at a boarding school. I have learned so much from traveling: not only about other cultures and different skills needed for traveling, but I have also learned so much about myself, both from introspection and from people I have met. My hope for this year is that I can learn as much outside of university as I can in it!
Why did you choose your language?
My goal was to have been fluent in Spanish by the end of high school and perhaps take German as my language for BIB, but when I wasn't happy with my level of fluency, I decided to take Spanish because I knew I would forget it very quickly, and I had completely fallen in love with the Hispanic culture.
Have you ever travelled overseas before? If so, where?
I have traveled in Canada, the US, England, France, Spain, Germany, Switzerland, Italy, Greece, Belgium, the Netherlands, Morocco, and to Panama just before arriving in Chile.
What 3 things MUST you take with you while abroad?
A translating dictionary, your camera, and your street smarts!
What are you most looking forward to?
Meeting people from Chile and also the other exchange students, and learning about everyone's individual cultures! Also exploring South America more!