Monthly Archives: July 2008

Understanding Equality – Dave McCallum

July 13, 2008 – 4:22 pm
By David J. McCallum | Posted in Europe 2008 Comments (0)

This is a response that I had to our visit to the Dachau concentration camp in Munich, Germany. I realize this was nearly three weeks ago but I think that the following poem that I wrote can be interpreted and applied in many different ways. It has to do with humanity’s equality and how it is accentuated in the most dire of circumstances.

The sweetness is not concerned with me.

Am I in denial when I say this?

I know that I always think that others are

When they say it or express it by their actions.

It seems like apathy is at the forefront of humanity.

When did it get that way?

We’ve become so disconnected with our fellow man!

So unconcerned with our neighbour’s life!

But somehow, at some points in history,

People remember the honey on their hands.

That the sweetness is concerned with them.

And at ground zero in the muck and the mire,

Someone reaches out their hand

To another who is hurting as much as they.

Mutuality is remembered.

Solidarity is recalled.

And the world slowly lifts up its head in hope.

canvas walls. – Ashley Warren

July 13, 2008 – 3:39 pm
By trashley | Posted in Europe 2008 Comments (0)

i wake up in the morning to stare at a canvas made shelter that surrounds me in four not so solid walls that gather and hold together at the top. despite their good intentions, i squint my eyes from the sun that they do not keep out, and roll over to search my thermarest for the areas in which they have let gushing waters of rain in. smacking my hand around the nearest canvas wall for those two metal friends that will part, just to let me out into the world of nature that holds me so tight as i sleep. slipping a flip-flop onto each foot, knowing they have survived the damp night, i know that i have too. for two months i have learned to live this life, and to love this life. and somehow it doesn’t all end here. that i can continue on in a day to shower, dress, and eat. i sit on a seat in a bus beside a friend, bag on back, pen in hand, ready for the world to take me as i am. the bus takes me to a place i will remember forever, that will teach me of things i never knew and that will leave me all the more knowledgeable than i was before. the friend that sits in the seat beside me, this friend i will remember forever, they will teach me of things i never knew and will leave me all the more knowledgeable than i was before. if we live our lives with eyes closed, what do we have to take from it, how can we move forward and when can we ever bless others with the blessings that have been handed to us? i have seen things on this trip that have hurt me, leaving me in pieces, some which have been left behind. i have seen things that have amazed me, leaving me like a child gazing upward, eyes still fixed on the wonders of this world. and i have seen things that have left me lying on the floor, tears welled in my eyes, holding my gut, for the pain of laughter is a pain i will love forever. we can paint a picture to reflect a thought, we can take a picture to hold onto a memory, but the truest and most beautiful ones you can only find buried in our hearts and sitting in that seat next to us on a bus that will take us to amazing places and that will show us the wonders of this world.

The End Isn’t Near, It’s Here – Sam Shantz

July 13, 2008 – 12:23 pm
By Shantz | Posted in Europe 2008 Comments (0)

The title of the final episode of my favourite TV show, and Five Iron Frenzy’s final CD seams fitting for the final leg of this journey, a journey that has gone by too fast to have been 2 months long. Just as you continue to revisit past episodes and classic songs, memories that now seam so far in the distance continue to pop up.

I remember the awe that the cathedrals I first saw in Spain inspired in me, and how I could never have imagined attending one for Sunday morning service. Then, seven weeks latter I was siting in Chartres Cathedral listening to the mass being sung in French. Back in the fall our whole group attended mass at a church in Malaysia. It was hard to know what to think because I couldn’t understand a single word. Sometimes I though I recognized the Apostle’s Creed, or the Lord’s Prayer, but other than that the service flew right by me without a wave, or a look back. This time however, I could understand everything, even sing along. I’ve never been so happy for those 12 years of French immersion in my life. It was incredible, and nothing like I expected. I’ve been attending the Catholic Church in St. Stephen, and still I was surprised by the way mass was conducted in Chartres. It started off which organ music coming out of nowhere. At first it was creepy, then reverent, and finally classic, like a Mozart symphony or a Harry Potter soundtrack. Then there was signing, one voice in French, coming through loudspeakers fixed to the stone pillars. Next the priest entered, preceded by incense (it smelt quite bad at first, but by the end of the service, I had gotten used to it). He sang, a girl sang, he sang, more incense, scripture reading, she sang, more incense, Apostle’s Creed, he talked, I left. That’s pretty much how the service went. I was unable to stay for the whole time because we had to leave, but I got a pretty good taste no the less.

I wonder how different it would have been back when the cathedral was first built, all those centuries in the past. when there where no pews, and the Nave was filled with illiterate peasants. When there was no sound system, and no organ. When it was done in Latin, not in French. Would there still have been incense? How loud would the choir had been? Would there have been a choir? Would the Priest have sung? What would he have said? How different would it be? I don’t have any answers to these questions, but as i continue to see new and different churches I continue to wonder what it was like back then.

You say Hello and I say goodbye – Katie Mott

July 13, 2008 – 12:12 pm
By katie mott | Posted in Europe 2008 Comments (0)

“Three more days and I will be home.” These words seem bittersweet as I repeat them to myself. In one respect I can’t wait to sleep in a bed that I don’t have to roll up every day, make a coffee and sit reading the newspaper in the morning, not eat a sandwich for lunch every day, not have to worry about the rain soaking the tent….But in other ways I have a longing to keep traveling. It is not only because I have loved experiencing other cultures through food, art and understanding the historical significance of the places I walk and the sites I see; it has been the people that I travel with that have made these past two months amazing. Every single person has added a unique dynamic to the group. From laughing in the rain, even after we haven’t seen a day of sun in ages, offering spare sweaters when the nights were especially cold, to jamming on the bus, it has been the people that i have come to love that have made this trip especially meaningful.

But a coffee by the ocean with friends and a meal with my family will be so good.

Reflections – Kristel Boeve

July 13, 2008 – 11:20 am
By Kristel Boeve | Posted in Europe 2008 Comments (0)

As our trip comes to an end I have been thinking back to all the different places we have been, and all that we have seen. It is pretty unbelievable to think that I was standing under a great Roman aqueduct in Segovia, burned myself in the hot sun on the Amalfi coast, saw works of art like the Mona Lisa, the David, or Primavera, toured through Versailles and sat down for a cold beer at the Hofbrauhaus in Munich…all in the past two months! And that is really just a small fraction of what I have done.

Now that it is almost over I wonder how my experiences will affect me over the next couple months, years and my life? I know that it has given me a broader perspective about the world as well as taking away some (and only some) of my ignorance giving me an appreciation for different cultures. But it has also allowed me to see the similarities between all people both the greatness possible in man as well as the evil we are capable of. From seeing structures like aqueducts and cathedrals and learning about people like Saint Francis of Assisi I have seen the genius and love that has been produced by mankind. But we have also visited places like the Dachau concentration camp and D-day beaches where I stood in the same place that horrific acts were executed. When we were in Assisi I remember standing at the highest point of the city and looking around at the endless hills and valleys and thinking it made sense that Francis found God so easily here in the beauty of nature. Then a couple weeks later we went to Hitler’s Eagle’s Nest in the Austrian mountains and going into the bunker I was taken away by scenery just like in Assisi. But when I came out of the museum feeling very depressed having learned about the programs Hitler and the Nazi’s put into place in the countries the controlled I looked around at the mountains again and felt confused. How could equally beautiful places both be the cites of such opposite thinking? I don’t understand how such opposite extremes can exist in the world, or how man can be possible of both. These questions came up for me again and again throughout the trip but I am no where close to an answer yet. I don’t know if I ever will be.

one great story from an SSU student traveling the world who forgot where she was for a moment and the unthinkable occurred – shannonmay pringle

July 12, 2008 – 8:27 am
By shannonmay | Posted in Europe 2008 Comments (1)

once upon a time a group of university students were let loose in the great Parisian art museum, the louvre; this was after already having spent months studying about art history and traveling throughout Europe to see masterpieces and various works of genius.  so, you would think one would know how to conduct herself in a grand gallery such as the louvre.

there was so much to see that day; great works by Leonardo da Vinci - the Mona Lisa, Saint John the Baptist, Madonna on the rocks - and other famous works including the Venus de Milo, the winged victory, cupid and psyche, and Medusa’s raft.  to see these works first hand was phenomenal and overwhelming at times. to think that one was standing before works of genius that have inspired others for hundreds of years; the hidden messages about God, humanity, their realation to one another and to society,  and all the liberties that humans have fought for and spoken out about pierces the soul to react, provoking change within the viewer…i hope.

one masterpiece in particular that brought excitement to this appreciative student of art was the ’ship of fools’ by Hieronymus Bosch;  a painting which depicts the folly and foolishness of mankind, leaving no one with mercy - two main characters are a priest and a nun. his message, we assume, is to say that all of humanity in some way or another has spent time in the ship of fools. Bosch’s inspiration for this painting possibly comes from a German poem with the same name. i was most excited to view this painting for i am a fan of Bosch.

after searching around for fifteen minutes for this painting (the gallery map was wrong) i stumbled upon the painting along with my classmates and professor peter.  this was when conduct was thrown out the window and the unthinkable occurred.

i was exhausted; i was excited; i forgot where i was; i was just as shocked as everyone else when it happened…

…as i was examining the painting up close and discussing some of the symbolism with peter, i neglected to notice that i was leaning against the very same wall that the painting hung on. as i motioned towards the painting to ask Pete about the roasted chicken hanging in the tree, bump went my hand and the painting began to swing; it was hung onto a board the suspended from the ceiling. oh thank goodness it did not fall. oh but what is that sound…is that an alarm…?

two guard-women entered the room, speaking in french, checking cupboards to identify where the alarm was originating. i backed away from the painting along with everyone else in the tiny room. suddenly the women returned, shouting in french to evacuate the room immediately for they are shutting down the entire section - someone has attempted to steal a painting.

what have i done, i thought to myself; i should know better for this is not how to conduct oneself in a world famous, world class art gallery.  worried that Pete was upset with me, and that he now thought i was a fool who belonged on Bosch’s ship, i sheepishly apologized; he said not to worry – so what if i bumped and potentially damaged a  $60 million dollar painting, at least i have a great story to tell.

and there you have one great story from an SSU student traveling the world who forgot where she was for a moment and the unthinkable occurred.

Building Sandcastles and Climbing Trees – Holli Durost

July 12, 2008 – 8:20 am
By Holli Durost | Posted in Europe 2008 Comments (0)

In a place as beautiful and and scenic as Austria, it is difficult for me to image it during the years of 1933-1945, when Hitler used the mountainous regions as a place to conspire against the opposition.  The museum located in the former documentation center was very interesting, but of all the information I received I was particularly struck by a children’s book that promoted the purification of the German people and warned against the nature of the Jewish people.  Even the depiction of German and Jewish children was disturbing:  German children were depicted bright and blonde, and made great playmates because they shared everything, while, the Jewish children were portrayed with mean eyes, frowns, and made horrible playmates as they pushed and shoved and kept all the toys to themselves.  I image this book being read to innocent German children as they get ready to close their eyes and sleep.  So sad.  This sort of indoctrination seems to me to be the worst, as children are the most innocent of all. 

 While I am in no place to fully understand how easy it was for so many to believe that one race should take over all others, I am grateful for those who, after realizing the injustice and wrong, turned to fight against it and did not stay silent.  In this way, I am motivated to fight on the behalf of the marginalized and the oppressed.  It sounds ideal, I know, but it’s not impossible.  As artists we can fight with paint, with colours.  As songwriters and musicians we can fight with the songs we compose, hopefully motivating people to think critically about the decisions the government is making; to ask the question:  Is this the best we can do for our society?  What can we do to change things?

 I don’t want to be a martyr of anything (at least, not at this point) and I’m not asking for trouble, but I don’t want to be blinded by comfort, or by the problems that exist around me.  I want to make the World-Playground a place where everyone can play, building sandcastles and climbing trees.

In Transit To Paris – Zoe Fitch

July 11, 2008 – 6:01 pm
By Zoe Fitch | Posted in Europe 2008 Comments (0)

Since we’ve been running low on propane for our camp stoves, we had to dedicate a piece of our transit day toward finding a gas station that would exchange our empty tank for a full one…This ended up being a much more extended venture than anticipated. As it happened, we had to drive back and forth between Germany and France.

I found it so interesting that the only indicator that we had crossed the boarder between the two were the languages on the roads signs and billboards. Our seemingly endless quest to find a propane tank turned itself into an excellent example of the effects that the European Union has had on these two nations.

Although its history is somewhat vague, the EU and its roots can basically be traced back to the once hostile boarder that we had been crossing so peacefully and even unknowingly this morning. Following the Second World War, the people and governments of Europe were in desperate need of an extended period of peace. As the aggression and resentment in Europe was most concentrated in French-German relations, it was used as the initiation of the solution. The European Coal and Steel Community, an experiment in trade between these two nations, succeeded in dissolving the economic barrier between them. Somehow, the European Union, as loosely formed and vaguely stated as it is, has brought peace through Capitalism.

hollow men, rebellion and the tyranny of democracy – Zach Smith

July 11, 2008 – 5:58 pm
By Zachari Smith | Posted in Europe 2008 Comments (0)

Descartes said “we rebel, so we are”

This correlates well with my troubling visit to Dachau where i wrote this poem sitting under a tree.

pain gives way

human: to grow upon

the reception of love.

with power our everyday evil

becomes reality,

our slave owning tendencies

do come true, our hate is

fully realized.

“this is the way the world ends,

this is the way the world ends”

with a failed assassination

and a million blind eyes.

A basic part of being human is the ability to rebel, to stand up to tyranny . This defines the ages, the dictators can only put their subjects down like animals for so long before humanity rises up. For example, the Velvet Revolution and on the grandest scale WWII. The problem, i think, is that rebellion is always a last resort. Our North American unwillingness to rebel has lost us the respect of the politicians who no longer fear us; we fear them.

What Television Can’t Deliver – Lindsay Roszell

July 9, 2008 – 9:10 am
By lindsey roszell | Posted in Europe 2008 Comments (0)

Nothing can compare to what I have experienced in the last 6 weeks of travelling through Western Europe. No textbook or television show could ever give me the tastes, smells, and interchangeable conversations with foreigners that have come as we’ve passed through Spain, Italy, Germany and so on. After a heavy semester of long working hours preceding this travel term I thought this time might allow me to catch my breathe – I was wrong. I am grateful for some of the long travel days on the bus, because they allow me to sort through the intense days that we have that are filled with museums, lectures, cultural interactions, and thoughts of where all of this fits into my academic and personal life. A couple of weeks ago we were in Prague and took some time to visit the Communist Museum which to this point had hit me the hardest. Communism was something that completely devestated this city and country, where men and women my age were fighting for a freedom that I’ve only ever known. As we walked down main streets I couldn’t seem to wrap my mind around the fact that not even twenty years ago these streets were filled with violent demonstrations. I have never had to fight for anything like that in my life. For a day or two I struggled with this thought, feeling ashamed for the comfortable and luxurious lifestyle I live in Canada. I also felt increasingly angry at those world leaders in the world that have caused so much anguish in peoples lives. People like Stalin, Hitler, Lenin, the Apartheid in South Africa…and war in general. However, then after hearing Pete Fitch talk about healing in the midst of anger and brutality, I realized that we continue to kick hope as long as we hold onto our anger. As soon as we lay our anger down, that is when freedom and hope can fully be embraced. Not an easy thing to do, but I’m learning how important it is in my own life.