The Global Learning and Intercultural Support Office presents the 11th Annual Study Abroad Photo Contest.
All entries are collected from former and current participants in all forms of international learning activities, and a selection of fourteen photos will be featured in our 2018 Study Abroad Photo Calendar.
We hope you will enjoy seeing all the places Saint Mary’s students have travelled around the world.
Allison Hearns
Location: Limerick, Ireland
Program: University of Limerick Summer School in Irish Studies 2017
The River Shannon flows directly through UL's campus, which also happens to be home to multiple castle ruins. Luckily, some of them are still intact enough to be able to climb. It was the day before our formal assessments were taking place, and many of us were feeling a bit homesick. A friend of mine decided we would take a walk to the castle and venture to the top; we were not disappointed with the view that was waiting for us.
Allison Hearns
Location: Cork, Ireland
Program: University of Limerick Summer School in Irish Studies 2017
Blarney Castle is known for two things: the beautiful gardens that span the parameter, and the Blarney Stone. On this day, I was able to see both! Legend has it that those who kiss the Blarney Stone will forever be blessed with the gift of eloquence.
Allison Hearns
Location: Dublin, Ireland
Program: University of Limerick Summer School in Irish Studies 2017
This day was the most magical for me. Connecting two sides of the city, Ha'penny Bridge is located in the heart of Dublin, Ireland's capital. Dublin was also home to my Grandmother, who passed away just a year before I was able to make it to her home country. To walk the streets that she once did when she was my age filled me with a sense of pride that I can't describe, and the beautiful day that I was accompanied by only made it better.
Allison Hearns
Location: Co. Clare, Ireland
Program: University of Limerick Summer School in Irish Studies 2017
Known for rainy days, this adventure was no exception. The Cliffs are a hallmark of the Irish coast; their breathtaking nature beaming through the fog. The Cliffs of Moher are also home to dozens of cows and O'Brien's Castle.
Cameron Darrow
Location: Ben Lomond, Scotland
Group: Ramblers: Glasgow Young Walkers
After the initial beauty we had seen at the beginning of this hike, we were reminded of what country we were in by a downpour of rain and hail. There was debate amongst the group about turning back as there would be nothing to see once we got to the top. However this was an important lesson to push forward, and as we reached the summit of Ben Lomond the rain subsided and we were left with this stunning view.
Ceilidh McCoombs
Location: Somewhere in Northern Ireland (on the side of the road while driving)
Program: Semester Abroad, Cork, Ireland 2017
Such a beautiful site during a road trip, and an awesome view for Game of Thrones fans!
Cameron Darrow
Location: An Caisteal, Crianlarich, Scotland
Group: GCU Mountaineering Club
This was the first hike of the year for the University Mountaineering club, and though the group started later in the year that usual, we able to start with a brilliant climb. The top An Caisteal was cold and windy but the views were spectacular, as the surrounding mountain tops were covered in snow. We were able to warm up afterwards in a local pub where I made some great friends to enjoy more mountaineering adventures with in the future.
Ceilidh McCoombs
Location: Dingle Peninsula, Ireland
Program: Semester Abroad, Cork, Ireland 2017
Of all the hikes I ventured on during my trip, this was my favourite. This photo has been the wallpaper on my desktop for a while.
Cameron Darrow
Location: Ben Lomond, Loch Lomond, Scotland
Group: Ramblers: Glasgow Young Walkers
This was the first hike that I had taken part in when I was in Scotland, and though it was an easy trail it was one of the most memorable. I will never forget this moment when we had gotten out of the trees and were greeted with this stunning view of Loch Lomond.
Ceilidh McCoombs
Location: University College Cork, Cork, Ireland
Program: Semester Abroad, Cork, Ireland 2017
The campus was amazing, and so green! This is a bridge over a river that I crossed almost every day.
Ceilidh McCoombs
Location: Giant's Causeway, Northern Ireland
Program: Semester Abroad, Cork, Ireland 2017
The water was so blue!! I just had to take a photo.
Cintia Gillam
Location: Village of Adara
PhD field research trip to Timor-Leste, Southeast Asia from May 17 to July 4, 2017. I interviewed fishing community members about traditional conservation practices and took hundreds of photos and videos.
Cintia Gillam
Location: Jaco Island, Timor-Leste
PhD field research trip to Timor-Leste, Southeast Asia from May 17 to July 4, 2017. I interviewed fishing community members about traditional conservation practices and took hundreds of photos and videos.
Cintia Gillam
Location: Vila Maumeta, Atauro
PhD field research trip to Timor-Leste, Southeast Asia from May 17 to July 4, 2017. I interviewed fishing community members about traditional conservation practices and took hundreds of photos and videos.
Cintia Gillam
Location: Atauro Island, Timor-Leste
PhD field research trip to Timor-Leste, Southeast Asia from May 17 to July 4, 2017. I interviewed fishing community members about traditional conservation practices and took hundreds of photos and videos.
Cintia Gillam
Location: Atauro Island, Timor-Leste
PhD field research trip to Timor-Leste, Southeast Asia from May 17 to July 4, 2017. I interviewed fishing community members about traditional conservation practices and took hundreds of photos and videos.
Kelsey Everett
Location: County Clare, Ireland
Program: Ireland Canada University Foundation Irish Language Programme 2017
One of the trips organized for us during the program in An Cheathrú Rua was a bus trip to the Cliffs of Moher. The Cliffs are one of the most breathtaking places I have ever been, partially because of the amazing view and partially because of the relentless wind.
Kelsey Everett
Location: Connemara National Park, County Galway, Ireland
Program: Ireland Canada University Foundation Irish Language Programme 2017
During the program in An Cheathrú Rua, one of the trips organized for us was to Kylemore Abbey, which is in Connemara National Park. The view of the mountains on the bus trip there was incredibly breathtaking, especially because I had never really seen mountains in person before.
Kelsey Everett
Location: Dingle Harbour, County Kerry, Ireland
Program: Ireland Canada University Foundation Irish Language Programme 2017
Before the program in An Cheathrú Rua officially started, I went down to Dingle to do some sightseeing. I was told by multiple people that I had to go out and see Fungie, and he did not disappoint. The cheerful little guy has been in Dingle Harbour since 1983.
Kelsey Everett
Location: An Cheathrú Rua, County Galway, Ireland
Program: Ireland Canada University Foundation Irish Language Programme 2017
On one of the last nights of the program in An Cheathrú Rua, myself and a few other students from my house took a walk around the beautiful area we were staying. We made some new furry friends down by the waterfront who were very excited to see us.
Natasha Donkin
Location: Potato Point NSW Australia
Program: 2 Semester Exchange
The photo is meaningful to me because I feel it captures some of Australia’s unique beauty.
Katie Davis
Location: Kigali Rwanda
Program: Queen Elizabeth Scholars
After the longest 8-hour bus ride of my life from Uganda to Rwanda, I spent the weekend wandering around exploring Kigali the only way it should be done, by foot. Once in a lifetime do you get the chance to wander around a new city, take in the sights, people, and sounds that make it unique.
Michaela Peters
Location: Northern Ireland
Program: Peaceful Schools International
On a day off from working in schools with Peaceful Schools International, we had the opportunity to drive up the coast of Northern Ireland.
Katie Davis
Location: Nyendo, Rwanda
Program: Queen Elizabeth Scholars
Every time I saw kids going to school in Uganda it made me smile. They were always so happy to go learn, in their clean uniforms, carrying their notebooks. They loved school more than anyone I’ve ever seen, which always made my day.
Michaela Peters
Location: Jyväskylä, Finland
Program: JYU Exchange
In Jyväskylä there are hundreds of beautiful hiking and biking trails throughout the city. We spent much of our Autumn exploring all of them.
Katie Davis
Location: Nkozi, Rwanda
Program: Queen Elizabeth Scholars
This road was my path to fruit, my running route and where I faced the majority of stares that followed me everywhere. Walking this road made me a part of the busy little village and eventually the people who all knew each other started to know me.
Michaela Peters
Location: Jyväskylä, Finland
Program: JYU Exchange
This photo explains the first things you learn when you arrive in Jyväskylä, Finland. You are surrounded by hundreds of beautiful lakes, and a bicycle will become your best friend!
Katie Davis
Location: Murchison Falls National Park
Program: Queen Elizabeth Scholars
I got to spend two days sitting on the roof of a van, speeding down bumpy dirt roads, holding on for dear life searching for wildlife to photograph. It was the most incredible way to end my time in Uganda, and is something I will remember for the rest of my life.
Michaela Peters
Location: France
Program: Angers France Immersion Program
On a sunny day off from classes in France, we took a trip to visit several castles. Le Château de Saumur was surrounded by a vineyard and a river.
Michaela Peters
Location: Lapland, Finland
Program: JYU Exchange
On a visit to an active reindeer farm we fed reindeer and went for sleigh rides. The farm of owned and operated by a Sámi family, we learned about their daily lives and traditions. The Sámi are Finland's indigenous population.
Morris MacLeod
Location: Budapest, Hungary
Program: SMBA 6500
We had just experienced our second day of exploring Budapest. Our cruise included local food and entertainment, as the sun went down the palace lit up, it was a spectacular experience.
Michaela Peters
Location: Lapland, Finland
Program: JYU Exchange
The Sámi are Finland's indigenous population who originate in the most northern parts of Finland. In history they were migrant reindeer herders and would stay in small villages like this for a few days to rest during their travels. Modern day Sámi live in houses and communities like other Finns.
Morris MacLeod
Location: Budapest, Hungary
Program: SMBA 6500
We had just experienced our second day of exploring Budapest. Our cruise included local food and entertainment, as the sun went down the palace lit up, it was a spectacular experience.
Nicole Besler
Location: Lamanai, Belize
Program: Belize bat workshop
This photo is of a striped hairy-nosed bat which is rarely caught by bat biologists and is a species only found in tropical environments. I had the lucky opportunity to see and hold this unique bat during my one week program in Belize.
Nicole Besler
Location: Lamanai, Belize
Program: Belize bat workshop
I had the opportunity to work right beside Mayan ruins while attending a bat workshop in Belize. We would take nets used for capturing bats down at sunrise and no where else in the world would I be able to work where I could watch the sunrise over ancient Mayan temples.
Michaela Peters
Location: L'Universite Catholique de L'Ouest
Program: Angers France Immersion Program
While the photo itself does not show much it is a photo taken after an excavator had uncovered the entrance to a world war II German bunker that has not seen the light since the 1940's. The excavation of the bunker was an opportunity that I would not have had the chance of witnessing in Canada. Its uncovering represents to me the search for truth, fact and history in understanding who we are; a part of what studying abroad can help you find.
Svetlana Negoda
Location: County Clare, Ireland
On the cliff you can see the O’Brien’s Tower. When you stand at the top you realize how small you are in comparison to the cliffs and when you look down, you can feel the air rushing up and you feel like flying.
Svetlana Negoda
Location: Kinvara, County Galway, Ireland
A medieval castle that was named after a king, but many years after his death. Walking up to the gate, you can imagine all the battles that were fought there and all the feasts that were held there. And maybe, if you listen hard enough, you can hear the music playing from the veils of the past.
Svetlana Negoda
Location: Kylemore Abbey, Ireland
A mansion, a house, and a school. The mansion has a sad love story, of a man who really loved his wife and built a chapel for her and mausoleum. When you enter the mansion, you are submerged in the Victorian riches in Ireland.
Svetlana Negoda
Location: Galway, Ireland
The view of the river is absolutely gorgeous and you can see fisherman there quite frequently. A nice stroll with your friends or a loved one along the shore of the river will always bring you pleasure and joy.
Svetlana Negoda
Location: Galway, Ireland
As you walk down a cobblestone road you hear live music around you and the smell of delicious food following your every step. Fully submerges you into the culture and it always seems like there is not enough time to see and do everything.
Svetlana Negoda
Location: Kylemore Abbey, Ireland
There was a beautiful garden and it was protected by a wall. However, the most interesting part isn’t the garden itself, but the way the trees and moss covered rocks also protected the gem. It seemed almost something that you could only read in a myth or a fairy tale, and it gave the garden a mysterious aura.
Austin Castellanos
Location: Montserrat, Spain
Program: Exchange in Pamplona, Spain
Montserrat was a stop we had to make during our Spanish travels. The monastery is located high in uniquely shaped rocky mountains just outside of Barcelona and at 4,055 ft high, the views from the top were breathtaking.
Branden Melloy
Location: Hangzhou, China
Program: Summer Abroad in Zhuhai
Near West lake in Hangzhou, China, there is a walking/shopping street and adjacent to the street is a low mountain park one can walk up and into.
Only a week before, the Zhuhai program came to an end and my interior travels of China began.
These two young ladies made the trip to and though China entirely possible. On the left is my friend who I met in Halifax in 2012 but she only stay for 6 months; she encouraged me constantly to attended university. On the right is an Acadian student who graciously offered to help me travel from Zhuhai to Guilin, Yangshuo, Hangzhou, and Nanjing. Both are wonderful people who encouraged the journey from the beginning.
Branden Melloy
Location: Beijing Normal University, Zhuhai
Program: Summer Abroad in Zhuhai
The photo was taken in a Sichuan-food restaurant on-campus.
This was my final day in Zhuhai before leaving to travel inland.
My lovely friend here met me by accident when her Portuguese friend called me a foreign and asked me where I was from. She took me to a noodle restaurant that final day and introduced me to sichuan spice. My face was numb from the spicy; I couldn't feel anything but the noodles and soup were delicious.
Branden Melloy
Location: Lijiang River, China
Program: Summer Abroad in Zhuhai
This photo was taken at the beginning of our trip on the Lijiang river from Yangdixiang to Xingpingzhen, 4 days after the Zhuhai program had concluded.
My friend from Acadia and I managed to catch a boat with two people who sat next to us on the bus from Guilin to Yangdi. The Lijiang river was so beautiful especially since there was a constant back and forth of rain showers and sun shine. This is the very same river as on the 1 yuan note; but it was also interesting because our boat guide pointed to the many shaped pillar like mountains and told stories about them.
Sam Cunningham
Location: Edinburgh
Program: Glasgow Scotland, Winter 2017
This place was very special to me as this photo was taken in the same seat J.K. Rowling sat when she first began to write Harry Potter. It screams Scotland to me with the gloomy setting, beautiful scenery and homey vibes. This café was also the only place I found half decent coffee my whole time in the U.K.
Sam Cunningham
Location: Glasgow
Program: Glasgow Scotland, Winter 2017
The Botanical Gardens of Glasgow are an amazing place where all varieties of people come together to enjoy amazing plants, art and sprawl out on the green space. It is a place where my friends went together to explore and bond with each other and also with Glasgow as a city.
Sam Cunningham
Program: Glasgow Scotland, Winter 2017
The Necropolis is a favourite of both locals and tourists in the city. It has an amazing view of the city from the top of the hill and is located very close to several historic buildings. Despite being a graveyard its popular as a first date location and jogging site.
Sam Cunningham
Location: Buchanan Street, Glasgow
Program: Glasgow Scotland, Winter 2017
This photo is really special to me, because it depicts a rare blue sky and sunshine that is not typical of Scottish weather. The rarity of blue sky really brings people together in appreciation of the small things we often take for granted in Canada.
Sam Cunningham
Location: Dublin, Ireland
Program: Glasgow Scotland, Winter 2017
This photo is one of my favourite from my travels with the bright pops of colour, graffiti and a local man passing through. It told a complicated story of the fight within Dublin to keep local flare alive and not succumb to the thousands of tourists that flock there every week with tacky shamrocks. This fight is especially present in Temple Bar, the cultural quarter of Dublin where this photo was taken.
