Capilano University Students Blogging Abroad

Welcome to Vlissingen, the end of the line train stop and quaint seaside town. After hopping off the last stop of the Intercity train from Amsterdam-- leaving the excitement and fun times in Amsterdam behind you for another weekend soon to come-- your first glance at Vlissingen puts you at ease at the sight of a calm and charming Dutch community.   At least, this was my first impression, coming from metropolis-like Vancouver, very eager to   begin my semester abroad. After having juggled full time school and part time work, without any real time away from Vancouver, I was more than happy to begin to settle in to my new home and small community in Vlissingen.   Fitting in was easy. After purchasing a bike, I was ready to go-- as you’ve already predicted, the bike culture is big. Starting from the train station, red bike lanes bring you through the town and onward to the sea wall paths. Vlissingen has incredible parks, beaches and sand dunes. After a morning of classes, no

If there was one word to sum up my experience in Vienna so far, as well as the many more months to come, it would be growth. Although it has only been 6 weeks, I can already sense a change in myself as well as how I see the world, something that I did not expect to feel so early in the experience. When I first became interested in studying abroad and began to ask people about their experiences, everyone told me it would be the most amazing and life changing experience; however, no one told me how hard it can me. Like any journey, it has its moments of true excellence and moments of great difficulty, but from this, I believe, comes great growth.    My time in Vienna has been superb. Just the act of living abroad is amazing in itself, not to mention all the fantastic experiences that I have already encountered. For me, it has been the simple things about the Viennese culture that have had the most impact. They seem to have this sense of time that is much different from how I liv

Early Sunday morning we set off to the local market and to view the church located in Guatemala city. We previously had visited a church in Antigua and the students as well as myself had felt very out of place but the church in Guatemala city had a more diverse set of members within the church. Later in the afternoon we got to meet Sylvia who was previously a Gurerilla activitist. I   felt so priveleadged to be given the opportunity to meet her and discuss the political issues within Guatemala as well as what it was like to be a Guerilla. Sylvia was very wise and I admired her courage and strength to be an activist at such dangerous times in Guatemala.   What some of the most shocking information shared with us by Sylvia was how most people within Guatemala are not aware of the true facts that happened within the war between Guerillas and the Army, public information has been skewed. Recent studies have proven that the official Army was accountable for 97% of the massacres inc