Feeling exhausted in my second year of university coping with schoolwork and Kingston’s long winter, I decided to apply for exchange and escape my daily routines to explore the world during my third year. Fascinated by British culture, films, and music, I chose Manchester, England as my exchange destination.
I...
After spending three consecutive days in my pyjamas over the holidays, I booked an ambitious 10:30 a.m. timed-ticket and made my way downtown in Toronto for a spiritual experience like no other at the Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO).
In a few short weeks, Mystical Landscapes — a temporary exhibit at...
“Gelukkige verjaardag!” is the phrase I was awoken to as people sang down the halls of the Maastricht Guesthouse. It means “happy birthday.” Since arriving in the Netherlands in January, my friends and I had all been anxiously awaiting the Koningsdag — or King’s Day.
On April 27, locals and tourists...
Alan Wren: Maastricht, Netherlands | Lara Liebovitz: Milan, Italy | Chloe Chan: Aarhus, Denmark | Spencer Belyea: Edinburgh, Scotland
A SERIES OF UNFORTUNATE EVENTS
Traveler: Alan Wren
Abroad in: Maastricht, Netherlands
Comm ’17
It all started on what was supposed to be a quiet final Saturday night...
Last reading week, I joined a group of “backpacktivists” for a nine-day excursion to Guatemala with Operation Groundswell: a program devoted to redefining travel and volunteerism.
I went into this experience with a critical mindset, but also a hopeful one. The program satisfied those feelings, and...
Picture yourself out to dinner with a friend — a pretty standard situation, right? Now substitute a typical dinnertime for 10 p.m. and a friend for your new roommate who you’ve just met. You’re in a foreign country and don’t speak a lick of the language. Cue panic. Welcome to exchange.
It was my first...
After five months of backpacking abroad, experiencing fascinating communities and conversations, living with locals and other curious travellers, coming back to school definitely took some adjusting.
The question “what are your plans for after graduation?” can be met with many different responses...
“You’re sure this is safe, right?!” I roar over the wind in my ears. “What’s wrong kid, you’re just jumping out of a perfectly good airplane!”
Honestly, I couldn’t tell you why I do it. There’s no secret death wish and I’m not trying to scare my mother into an early grave.
Unlike so many things we...