Kayla Schofield
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The last few weeks of my trip were tiring and hard, but worth the effort for the work we were doing. For the last two weeks of the trip, we worked in schools with children in kindergarten to grade six mostly. These children have never had the opportunity to have their teeth cleaned. While we did not have the time or resources to clean each and every single child’s teeth, we were able to apply fluoride to help make their teeth stronger and decrease the chances of further decay from occurring. We also provided them with information on how to properly brush their teeth. We travelled by car to many different areas surrounding Cebu City. We spent a week at Mount Olives Christian School in Consalasion and Mandaue. We spent three days at Napo Elementary School in Napo, Guadalupe and we spent the last tw...

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Jude Campbell
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Travel days are sometimes so full of new sights, sounds, physical and emotional changes, that it's hard to imagine that the morning was part of the same day as the evening. Today was one of those.

Breakfast in Venice was full of fond goodbyes and best wishes as our field school finished. Some people were heading home but others would continue travelling. Rain poured buckets on the first group as they wheeled their baggage over the cobbled streets, clutching mini-umbrellas or sporting lollipop-coloured disposable ponchos sold by street vendors. I headed to the train station shortly after, reveling in walking the early morning streets. Everywhere vibrated with the commerce of running a tourist enclave; construction, garbage collection, deliveries, repairs, cleaning. What's unique is that eve...

Category: Student Blog
Kayla Schofield
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It is hard to prepare yourself for a different culture because you never really know what you are going to get. Before travelling to the Philippines, I did research, but it did not come close to preparing me for the culture shock I was about to experience.

Upon arriving in the Philippines, the weather was hot and humid, which was expected. We gathered our things and proceeded to climb into a van with our entire luggage. I was definitely not prepared for the scariest drive of my life! In the Philippines, drivers and motorcyclists weave in and out of traffic, sometimes travelling at high speeds on the very crowded roads.

After settling in, we explored the neighbourhood. I never imaged that we would see the roads littered with garbage and so much pollution in the air. I have heard from...

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New York City. What an extraordinary city for art lovers. Art is everywhere, from museums to galleries, in the streets, subways and parks. It's a heady mix.

We're staying in the Williamsburg area, a neighborhood alive with art vibes. Everywhere I walk the walls are blanketed with paintings and pasted works. We are lucky to be here for an important weekend, Bushwick Studio Days, where hundreds of artists open their studios and gallery spaces to the public over two days. Located in an old industrial area, there are many inexpensive studios, spacious and open with lots of natural light from large windows, my dream studios. Hundreds of people wander the streets, music and conversation bubble over. Market vendors sell their wares. Some galleries are even created inside rented U-Haul trucks. It'...

Category: Student Blog
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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...

Category: Student Blog
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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...

Category: Student Blog
Lisa King
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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...

Category: Student Blog
Jude Campbell
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One day to go. New York awaits, Venice calls. I’m heading out to study with the Fine Arts Department field school from Kwantlen Polytechnic University. We’ve had an intense three weeks of studying contemporary art, getting ready. Unearthing a few of the secrets of how artists have changed the face of New York over the past decades, inhabiting Soho, then the East Village, moving on to Williamsburg and now clustering in Chelsea. Each time artists move into a cheap, rundown area that allows them to create without having a major cash flow problem the juggernaut of gentrification railroads in. The real estate becomes pricey, the bars, the cafes, the trendy boutiques open their doors. Everyone wants to enjoy the cachet of milling about with the movers of the art world. Then, what happens? The artists m...

Category: Student Blog
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T minus 6 days until I depart to a part of the world that I have only dreamed of experiencing. On Saturday, May 23rd I will be flying from Vancouver to Toronto and then off to South America. Am I ready? Mentally, one hundred percent; physically, high eighties. My world pre-departure has been a whirlwind.

The Colombian Amazon has been a place of wonder to me from my very early childhood. I read books, marveled at photographs and even studied aspects of its geography in university. As soon as I heard about the Amazon field school, I knew it was something I had to do. I told myself that somehow I would find the time, funds and support to do this and with that determination, this experience of a lifetime has come to fruition. My family and friends have given unwavering support and I...

Category: Student Blog
Martin Leibman
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Travel opens minds, and builds a platform upon which the fertile intellect of a young person can structure, and prosper.

Travel embeds culture and the manner of man's development into the soul of the traveler. We witnesses new things, sights, and pleasures. We expose our hearts to the vision and sounds of new beliefs, life styles, and eons of history.

Travels welcomes the traveler, to places and things, never seen before, foods, and dress, customs, and societal layers that illustrate the purpose of man's endeavor.

We travel to learn, and in some small way, be part of the greater fabric of humankind, irrespective of color or creed.

Our journeys impart in us the need to belong, and protect our world from harm, ensuring that the future generations after us, may enjoy what...

Category: Student Blog

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