Furthermore, Gaudí's houses are beautiful, and they are
so close to the Mediterranean Sea. They look like they were
taking from a ferry tale or straight from a Walt Disney
movie.
I also visited Andreas, Tine, and Jon in Marburg, as well
as the Strasbourg's crew. They all seemed to be doing really
well, and it was great to spend some time with all of them.
Spanish weather, not to take anything away from beautiful
snowy Sackville or from cold Canada, is pretty mild, and
it doesn't rain too much. Sometimes I miss snow, but to
tell you the truth, it doesn't take too long to forget about
this sudden homesickness feeling...
It is my first time in Europe, and I am enjoying every
minute of it. However, sometime I wonder if I will survive
thisc crazy year :)
Let's just say that the Christmas holiday will be a good
time to relax :)
¡Hasta pronto!
Oh, I was forgeting. My castellano has become more Spanish,
but I am sure that Judith, Maritza and Juan Carlos will
help me bring back the Latin American accent;) Don't worry,
the French accent is still present.
Philippe Charlebois
~ Thailand
"We are currently swamped with work as we are taking
Thai language classes in the morning, native studies and
development in the afternoon and study feild trips on the
weekends. Not to mention everyday is learning experience
in Thai culture!
Our
first hill tribe visit was this past weekend and the four
of us went to a Hmong village. This particular village has
been the recipient of a lot of government development policies
such as the Royal Agriculture projects and natural park
conservation policy. It was an intense learning experience
to see development projects at work and how modernization
is impacting these tribal peoples. They had only recieved
electricity in the form of solar panaling for one week since
we arrived. The cultural exchange was facinating as they
were happy to include us in a wedding celebration, animal
sacrifice and a two day tour of their village. Highlights
included sacred tree, herb garden and sugarcane. They were
very eager to learn about Canada as they had not had the
chance to converse with foreigners in such an intimate setting
before.
In addition to homework and papers we are hard at work
selecting our field placements for next semester. It is
a difficult decision because there are so many great challanges.
Mel and I have both applied to work in Laos, she applied
to CARE and I applied to CUSO. Trish is thinking of media
work with Images Asia and Kira is still undecided. There
is also the option of living with a tribe for the four months."
Click here to read an update
on Chelsea's experience in Thailand
~ Japan
I just thought I would drop you a line and tell you how
my exchange is going so far. I have now been in Japan for
a little over 2 months, although it seems like I have lived
here for years! I have become accustomed to the Japanese
way of life and as the time passes I am growing to like
it more ane more.
My
Japanese language classes are helping me to improve my Japanese
skills every day, as well as my other classes are teaching
me about Japanese Culture, Economics, Politics, and other
aspects of Japan.
As far has travelling is concerned, I have been to Kobe,
Osaka, Nara, Kyoto, and Mount Fuji.I haven't yet had the
chance to go to Tokyo, but I am planning a trip there after
Christmas. As well, I haven't decided where to go yet but
the possibilities are South Korea, China, or Thiland.
I will attch some pictures for you to look at of the places
I have visited. The first picture was taken in Kyoto at
the temple called Kinkakuji which is made out of gold. The
second picture is of all of the exchange students that are
here at Kwansei Gakuin University. We went on a field trip
to Himeji castle. The third picture is of me when I went
to Mount Fuji.
Hope you like the pictures.
Sean Boileau
