Natalie Smith

I decided to travel abroad to expand my understanding of the international north and learn more about the history, culture, and lives of Indigenous peoples in Alaska.

This opportunity arose following the coordination of Kate Logan and Heather Nicol creating an opportunity to send students to Alaska following the completion of a circumpolar studies course or for completion of a reading credit. Heather and Kate emailed to see if students were interested and posted about it on Trent study abroad Instagram. Interested students were invited to zoom meetings with Heather and Kate to learn more about the opportunity. I choose to participate in this field course to learn about the history, environments, peoples, and resources of Alaska through the seminars with the University of Alaska Anchorage during this field course and pair this learning with what I have already learned through the circumpolar studies courses I have completed thus far.

As I visited the University of Alaska Anchorage in the summer the campus was quiet. The views of campus in Alaska were beautiful just like our campus here at Trent. I traded the views of the river and forest at Trent for views of the mountain range while on campus in Alaska. The main difference was that the Anchorage campus was a lot bigger and hosted more students than Trent.

I did not find much challenging while I was away, but I think in terms of our group we all found it surprising that Alaska is made up of one major road system, with only one main road navigation was not necessarily harder but just different and took some getting used to.

I think the benefits are definitely getting to not only explore a new place, but learning about its history and culture from the people you meet while you are there and getting to see and try new things.

My favourite memories from my trip were hiking to the glacier and exploring it, getting to see seals and reindeer up close and going to Whitter, a town only accessible by a 2.7-mile-long tunnel.

I would tell them about all the stories and friends I made from my study abroad experience and all the new foods and activities they could try. I would also tell them not to worry as they will find ways to connect with new people while they are away.