Capilano University Students Blogging Abroad

Belgium is such a beautiful country. Brussels looks so much like Vancouver because of the grass, the trees, the street designs, the brisk air, and the atmosphere in general. It is also has a lot of different ethnic foods. However, what is really different is how restaurants serve water. Tap water is never served in Belgium; you have to buy their bottled water. I tried asking for hot water on a cold day and they thought that was very weird too. *Diana in France

When I was first interviewed for this experience at Disney I knew I wanted to come here for the amount of international people I would meet.   Being that my aim in school is to complete an international business specialization, this was the biggest plus I could ever imagine.   I am happy to say that I have met some of the most amazing friends here that also just happen to be international program participants as well.   I can honestly say that they have made this program worthwhile and without them, I would not be able to complete or even come close to finishing this program.   Last month we had an event called Matsuri, which literally means festival, honoring the Japanese participants.   Even though it was mainly for the Japanese, there were at least 2-3 thousand people that came to this matsuri to celebrate the Japanese culture throughout the night.   At the matsuri, there was free food and drink, activities, dancing and pictures with Mickey and Minnie ...

The school cafeteria serves chocolate pudding. The first time I ate it I exclaimed, “What?! This is chocolate TOFU pudding! I didn’t know that tofu is so popular in France!” Everyone laughed and no one believed me. I made everyone try it and yes, some thought it did kind of taste like tofu, but the majority of them just thought I was crazy. After a long ten-minute debate, I concluded that ok…maybe it isn’t chocolate TOFU pudding, but it must DEFINITELY be made with soy milk. Everyone was happy with that conclusion. In the end, one of my German friends said, “Wow, I can’t believe we just spent 10 minutes talking about pudding. We’ve never done that in Germany before.” I guess I just like to have a good debate. You can also follow Diana's adventure in France at http://knolt.com/dianaineurope2011/

Well, I am over 25 years old and proud of it! Back in Vancouver, I go to school with a lot of younger people and I have never felt bother or given much thought to this age difference. Back in Vancouver, I am treated as a student, despite my age. I get the same incentives and deals as other fellow students. But this is not the case in France. Before I came to France to study, I already knew I would not qualify for the 12-25 card, which allows students to get major discount for train tickets. But when I came here, I realized it’s not just the 12-25 card. Even for opening up a bank account, I would not get the offer as other students because I am over 25 years old. Really?! It’s not the fact that I’m not qualified for these deals that bother me and I want to blog about it. It’s more than that; I’m thinking and questioning why should people like me be treated differently? Why should we be categorized and discriminated out for stuff because I am over 25? What about people who lost their j...