It has been a few days since I have returned home from my time abroad in Colombia and I can only use one word to describe the transition back; “surreal”. It feels surreal to be speaking English, to be wearing clean clothes, to have hot showers and Deet-free evenings. Less than a week ago, I was in the rainforest; unplugged from the Internet, taking short, cold showers; learning about myself, tasting the local cuisine and battling the evening bugs. I am sitting here fiddling with bracelets made by two little girls in a nearby Amazonian village and it heavies my heart. It is difficult to sum up all my feelings and experiences from this whirlwind trip, and even more difficult to believe it was only two weeks long. Adventures can and should be life-changing and as easy as it can be to pack your bags...
When I entered the Dental Hygiene Program in September 2014, I had no intentions on travelling abroad to put my skills to test. When the option arose to travel to the Philippines for a dental humanitarian trip, I thought it would be an amazing experience. Not only would I get to use and advance my clinical skills, but I would have an opportunity to experience a completely different culture. Upon researching the Philippines, I learned that one third of the population lives in poverty without many dental necessities, "such a restorations" and other needed dental resources. I was shocked by this information, which ultimately solidified my commitment for this dental humanitarian trip.
Over the duration of the trip, I, along with a team of dental professionals, will be providing educational wor...
Ever wonder what it would feel like to walk a portion of the Great Wall of China? To be a secondary student in Beijing? To visit the famous Tian’anmen Square and the Forbidden City? 40 lucky secondary school students from across B.C. got the chance to do just that. They spent 10 days engaging in cultural tours, visiting key Chinese landmarks, trying new cuisine, learning about Chinese history and testing out their mandarin skills at the annual Beijing International Student Summer Camp.
These 40 students weren't the only people at the camp though, there were other secondary school student from over 20 other countries. In order to celebrate the cross-cultural friendships that were formed over the ten days of cultural immersion, an International Friendship Carnival was held at the end of the...
I have been in Bogota for four days, and I cannot get enough of this city. The people, the view, the Spanish language and the food are incredible. Let me tell you a little bit about what I have seen so far.
Let’s start with the architecture. In Canada, I find the architecture to be plain, old Canadian architecture. Perhaps it is because we are a young country, but I find in comparison to other places in the world, it lacks variety.
Every district of Bogota has a different style. Colourful housing, buildings inspired by various countries in Europe from the days of the Spanish invasion, huge brick buildings with unique shapes; it really is a plethora of eye candy and thus a photographer’s dream. The first thing I noticed when I got off the airplane was the amount of graffiti on the wa...