{"id":10631,"date":"2021-04-09T04:31:27","date_gmt":"2021-04-09T04:31:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/jsis.washington.edu\/canada\/?p=10631"},"modified":"2021-04-09T04:31:27","modified_gmt":"2021-04-09T04:31:27","slug":"from-the-pandemic-to-now-and-the-joy-in-between-corbett-scholar-alexander-betz","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jsis.washington.edu\/canada\/news\/from-the-pandemic-to-now-and-the-joy-in-between-corbett-scholar-alexander-betz\/","title":{"rendered":"From the pandemic to now, and the joy in between — Corbett scholar Alexander Betz"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/p>\n

Hanging out on Victoria\u2019s Johnson Street Bridge. Photo credit: Alexander Betz<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Of course it is hard to have one\u2019s plans change. I recall sitting in front of the Ave\u2019s Herkimer Coffee in Seattle when I found out I had been selected to participate in the 2020-2021 Corbett Exchange. I\u2019ve never accepted an offer faster. Having spent my life growing up in the greater Seattle metropolitan area, the chance to spend a year as a student at the University of Victoria sounded like a dream. I love the idea that, through experiencing all that the Pacific Northwest region has to offer, I can build a new home and community with my neighbors up north while simultaneously deepening my connection to my place here in Washington. However, as we all know, COVID-19 ripped through everyone\u2019s lives like a whirlwind, uprooting hopes and plans like trees and stop-signs caught in the fray. However, I am pleased to report that despite the setbacks and upheavals, the Corbett Exchange Program has remained a shining point of joy and connection in my life.<\/p>\n

The weekend before the United States-Canada border closed, my mom and I hopped on the Victoria Clipper out of Elliot Bay to scope out what was to be my new home for the year. If you\u2019ve never been out on the open waters of the Puget Sound, where the looming Olympics of the west triangulate themselves over white-crested waves with Mt. Baker to the north and preeminent Rainer in the south, I highly recommend it. Plus, if you get really lucky, you might even make some orca friends out where the deep waters of the Strait of Juan de Fuca cleave the Olympic Peninsula from Vancouver Island.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Orcas in the Strait of Juan de Fuca. Photo credit: Alexander Betz<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Landing in Victoria was wonderful, and I found myself walking through the streets feeling simultaneously at home and a foreigner. The combination was intoxicating. The Corbett scholarship\u2019s value and intention shines in moments like this. To find that the cultures and histories of these two neighboring countries flow into one has painted my home region with a depth previously unknown to me. The campus of the University of Victoria was beautiful, and exploring it with my mom remains a precious memory to me.<\/p>\n

However, due to COVID-19, the exchange program has shifted online, and while I approached this news with trepidation at first, rest assured that all of my expectations have been exceeded. For example, myself and the other 2020-2021 Corbett scholars had the chance to attend a presentation by Professor Lozar from the University of Victoria on the shared Indigeneity of the Pacific Northwest. Highlighting moments of unity and shared hardship within the Indigenous communities of the Pacific Northwest, this presentation painted a portrait of the impacts of colonialism on our region. Of particular interest to me was Professor\u2019s Lozar\u2019s comparison of the United States and Canada\u2019s colonial policies and how both similar and different choices by these two governments have developed into the complex web of connections and conflicts that we see today. I give thanks to the Corbett Exchange, for it has given me the chance to make new friends and develop moments of understanding within a region that has always been my home. I can\u2019t wait to see how this year continues to unfold, where together the Universities of Washington, Victoria, and British Columbia have worked in synchronicity with the generosity of the Corbett family to create a meaningful and unique experience for us scholars.<\/p>\n

\u2014<\/p>\n

The\u00a0Corbett British Columbia-Washington International Exchange Program Fund<\/a>\u00a0provides an opportunity for undergraduate students at the University of Washington to spend two semesters at the University of British Columbia or University of Victoria; and for students from the University of British Columbia and University of Victoria to spend three quarters at the University of Washington.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Of course it is hard to have one\u2019s plans change. I recall sitting in front of the Ave\u2019s Herkimer Coffee in Seattle when I found out I had been selected to participate in the 2020-2021 Corbett Exchange. I\u2019ve never accepted an offer faster. Having spent my life growing up in the greater Seattle metropolitan area,<\/p>\n

Read more<\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":537,"featured_media":10632,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[28,30],"class_list":["post-10631","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-center-news","tag-corbett-news"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nFrom the pandemic to now, and the joy in between - Corbett scholar Alexander Betz - Canadian Studies Center<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/jsis.washington.edu\/canada\/news\/from-the-pandemic-to-now-and-the-joy-in-between-corbett-scholar-alexander-betz\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"From the pandemic to now, and the joy in between - Corbett scholar Alexander Betz - Canadian Studies Center\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Of course it is hard to have one\u2019s plans change. 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