Chelsea Casano: Amazing People, Places, and Food!

Going to school in a small town has turned out to be a positive thing for my experience studying abroad. In the small town of Vlissingen, at first I was a little worried that my choice of location had put me in a town where there was little to do and boredom would come quickly. After being here for a while I now have realised that living in a small town and living in student housing was a blessing in disguise.
Because the students all live together in the same building, go to school together, and live in a small town, it has made it very easy for us to become very close and hang out in large groups all the time. Everyone goes to all the parties (because it is impossible not to hear them from your place), everyone knows that spot on the beach where people will be hanging out and everyone’s door is always opened. I love that no planning is really needed, if you feel like going to the beach, chances are someone else is going and a group is probably already there.
The people that I have met on this trip is what I believe has also made it so fantastic. Everyone is nice and welcoming and everyone wants to get to know one another. One thing that I have also noticed is how generous everyone has been. On many occasions someone will host a party or a get together and prepare food and drinks specific to their country. This has allowed everyone to experience different cultures and food and is opening everyone’s mind to different ways of living.

Some cultures that have stuck out are the Turkish, Spanish and Korean. All of them have invited everyone over and have prepared food and drink for as many people as they could. Anyone has been welcome. All three have had very different food and drink and they have all been wonderful. The Turkish food was spicy and delicious and also had great Turkish liquor that made the party even better. The Korean food was also spicy and we also learnt a very fun Korean drinking game that I am going to try and remember to share back in Canada. And the Spanish food was also amazing but the sangria was even better!
Amy and I have also taken this opportunity to cook for everyone and it has been such a rewarding feeling to share our favorite dishes from home with everyone. What I’ve realised is food and drink is something that everyone is excited and willing to share with others that gives a great sense of their way of life and their culture. I’m going to come back from this trip with not only a more experienced palate but also strong friendships with people from all over the world.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Breanna Nathorst: Leaving Paradise with Mi Familia

Image
     We have come a long way over the past 9 days of this trip and it has been beyond anything I could have expected. By emercing ourselves in the lively Guatemalan culture, we have taken a step out of the classroom into reality.  Leaving Livingston      Today is day 9 of our excursion and I am saddened to say that we had to leave Livingston- my Guatemalan paradise. As we packed our bags to leave, memories from the night before filled my head. We had a fiesta- Livingston style- at a reggae bar called ‘Duga’ located right outside of our hotel. We were joined by our new friends who were locals in Livingston and we shared music, laughter, and dancing. There were bongo drums and guitars and an amazing local from Belize named Mario got our whole group up on stage one-by-one to teach us how to dance ‘punta’, a type of Guatemalan dance. As the night went on our fiesta kept growing as locals who were passing by joined in to see what was happening. I am sure they were both surprised and
Read more

London Field School x2 - 2019

LONDON Field School x2 - Mia, Rose & Oscar 2019  On our last full day in London, We took two trains in the London Underground to get to Camden Markets. By this point in the trip we were tubes experts. Arriving in Camden Town, we walked to the "The Basement Tea House" so everyone knew where to come for our tea reservation a little later in the day - and good thing we did! We walked through narrow corridors amoung shop owners setting up their stalls, down a lift to the basement. In the heart of the markets were shops set up in what used to be horse stables that sold hats, jewellery, vintage clothes, fetish apparel, and of course, tea. From there we were set free to roam the markets at our own accord. With over 1000 unique vendors in the market there was a plethora of food and knick knacks to pursue, smell, and purchase. Some of the food that was consumed included: donuts, waffles, hand made pasta, milkshakes, pakoras, cereal, fried chicken crepes, among much, muc
Read more

London Field School 2019!

Image
London Field School 2019: Day 1 – February 15 th Carley, Chloe and Maria Song of the Day: London Bridge, by Fergie Check out our trip video on Youtube! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WD33ii01kXI Our first day in London started at the Westminster Pier, from there we caught the ferry to the Greenwich Village. Thames River is the lifeblood of London, and as a result you will find many of the most popular tourist attractions on the river's banks. We enjoyed the views from the upper deck and when it got too windy, we used the opportunity to go down to the warm hall of the lower deck and get some coffee. The knowledgeable crew was giving a live commentary of all the sights along the way. You get great views of all the landmarks and learn a bit of history on them all. We saw the London Eye, Tower Bridge, Parliament, Military Ships, and so much more . Taken at Westminster Pier before we hopped on the Thames River Cruise!
Read more