August 16, 2010 – 12:00 pm
Coming home from Europe after spending over 2 months there really is quite a shock. The main difference was that we were nearly always surrounded by people, whether that was people from our group or the swarms of tourists. Now back in St. Stephen there are very few around in general. In Europe we were constantly receiving stimuli from many sources, the noise of cities, art museums and old buildings. Now all the stimuli I’ve been getting is from this computer screen that our homework has me locked in front of. I’m a bit conflicted on how I feel about this change, part of me misses the action packed days in Europe, but part of me is enjoying the slower pace of home. I’d love to spend more time talking about this, but honestly I have 5 other assignments that I should be working on that were due a few days ago.
We now are in Belgium and have recently been visiting some Word War I sites and memorials. First there was Vimy Ridge in France, which is technically a part of Canada, followed by Ypres, Passchendaele, as well as other sites in Belgium. I was expecting to be mournful over the soldiers that died, or maybe to feel some nationalistic pride for Canadian achievements in the war, but instead I felt mostly anger.
This angry reaction was not to the war itself, but to the way that the memorials and tour guides portrayed the war. One of our courses on this trip is based around myth and the idea of a hero, a theme that I could sense greatly at these sites. In my opinion, the mythical hero is what allows war to continue; this myth makes young men and women think that if they go to war that maybe they too will become heroes. This myth masks the reality of a soldier’s role which is ugly and largely full of futility. These dead soldiers are praised and idealized, but should they be?
Dan T.
One of my main goals for this trip was to really appreciate art. Anyone can look at a painting and see that it is a pretty picture, but I want to be moved by art. We’re now off to Venice and leaving the Italian Renaissance, the most recognizable transforming moment in art history, behind. We recently visited the Vatican Museum in Rome where I saw Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel, a piece whose fame is topped, in my mind, only by his David, and by the Mona Lisa. To me this was an example of a pretty picture. I walked into the chapel and, like everyone else, immediately looked up. I recognized the greatness of the work but felt little beyond that. A few superficial factors may have caused this, such as the dim lighting, the noise, and the amount of people, or that I came in at the front of the chapel instead of the back, but whatever it was, I was not really moved by this piece. Contrasting this was my visit, later that day, to Bernini’s The Ecstasy of Saint Theresa, a Baroque statue in a chapel dedicated to Bernini. I don’t know how to express in words what I felt looking at it, but I was moved by this statue. Now I just need to figure out what, in a piece of art, causes this reaction in order to have a greater appreciation for art over the rest of the trip.
Dan Thiessen
We’re off for Europe in less than 24 hours and I’m experiencing a multitude of conflicting feelings. I’m worried about the work I need to get done in that time, I’m excited to be back in Europe, this time with my class, and I’m unsure how I feel about some aspects of the trip that the school is pushing.
I have been to Europe before, but this time it will be with my entire class (and some extras). The good part is that I like my class, the bad part is that this feeling may change after two months of living (without breaks) in close quarters with all of them.
We will be living in tents for most of the trip, but I’ve done this for the past two summers so it doesn’t bother me. I actually like waking up in a 30 degree tent, which makes it impossible to indulge in those 5 extra minutes of sleep, putting on the shorts I’ve worn for the past 5 days, and crawling outside. Aside from some minor conflicts of interest, this trip really is my ideal way to see Europe.
Our stay here in Malaysia has been a very different one than that in the Philippines. So far we have lived with 2 different families in 2 villages, some of us climbed a mountain and now we are spending time in Kota Kinabalu where I spent some time on a beach yesterday. In the Philippines we stayed with one family the entire time and spent the majority of our time either in class or alone with our families. Here our activities were much less planned and it has allowed me to really experience SE Asia at my own pace. While climbing mount Trusmadi this past Sunday and Monday was not a cultural experience, it was probably the highlight of my trip so far.
We got to hike through the heart of the jungles of Borneo up to the top of the second highest mountain in SE Asia, stay in a tin shack, only to have the peak be completely covered in clouds. While this was a bit disappointing the whole trek was amazing. The following day was spent on a beach near the city, snorkeling around beautiful coral. This too was a highlight of my trip.
It could be noticed that my favorite parts of the trip so far have had little to do with local culture, religion or people. It is not that my experiences with these things have been negative, only that they have all felt forced in some way. My experiences on my own or with a small group, being with nature, have been the genuine parts of the trip that have impacted me the most.
February 3, 2009 – 12:01 am
So I’m writing this blog a little late due to publishing problems. Now we are leaving for Saint John in 2 hours and because of this I am feeling different than I was 3 days ago when I first attempted to write this. I’m not so much scared about going halfway around the world for 2 months as I’m anxious about being without the basic comforts of home that I’ve come to love so much. Sure there are always concerns when traveling to new places about security etc. but that doesn’t really bother me. Many other SSU groups have gone on the same, or similar, trips and all come out alright, why should ours be any different? Not having internet regularly, not having food I like… these are things that actually concern me, who cares about illegal activities if you can’t get good food.
Over the last few weeks we have been bombarded with information on how to be culturally sensitive, making it seem as if any slip up with offend our hosts or even insult them. All this kind of thinking will do is make me so concerned with doing the right thing culturally I’ll completely forget about the rest of the trip. Of course I will make an effort to be polite in the eyes of my host, but I will also acknowledge my limitations.
Now its time to do some last minute packing before we leave, my favorite part of leaving. You go through a list of things you need, but no matter what you do, you will forget half of what you need. Oh well.
By