Exchange Q & A with Bogdan Ambros

University of Auckland, New Zealand (Spring 2023)

When and why did you decide to go abroad, and how did you figure out where to go?

Kind of on a whim 3 days before the deadline I got inspired by my friend to go. I’ve always wanted to live in New Zealand for the nature and the ocean, so this was a perfect opportunity.

Where did you stay while you were there?

The dorms in Carlaw Park.

What preparations did you have to make before you went abroad?

Had to stressfully prepare travel visas in the months leading up to the exchange.

What were some of your most memorable experiences?

Most memorable was a road trip I organized with my friends I made who were other students from other universities all over the world all going on exchange. My favourite trip however was when I stayed in a remote farm in the northern part of the north island with 2 other friends. Living in that setting even for just a weekend was extremely memorable. Getting my scuba diving license ended up being useful to me in my career alongside being extremely fun. Also being able to see Lorde live in concert in her hometown was lifechanging.

How did your time abroad enrich or add to your knowledge of Geography? Were you able to apply things you learned at SFU while abroad?

Being in an urban environment completely different from where I’ve grown up was the biggest change I’ve had to go through. In a lot of geography courses you read about concepts that you can always apply to your daily life but applying it in a different environment was very interesting. I was able to bring my knowledge of my home environment to share and connect with other people on similar experiences and this is the core of what geography means for me. There was also a beach morphology course I took that strengthened my existing knowledge of data collection and processing within physical geography that I was able to bring back and continue my studies at SFU with.

Did you have a favourite course you took while abroad?

That coastal morphology class I took that was my favourite because it was very practical and hands on. We got to do field trips to many beautiful beaches collecting measurements to use in labs afterwards. It helped put importance behind the numbers on a screen and made all the assignments feel more real.

What advice do you have for other students who are considering studying abroad?

Not to feel scared of the change that the exchange will bring to your life and to not turn down experiences because of fear or needing to save money.