Tag: Travel

Going Green in Iceland

I spent my first year at the Castle. I’ve been to four Olympic Games and I’ve traveled to 26 different countries. But of all these amazing experiences, my trip to Iceland with The GREEN Program was the best one yet.   This 10-day summer adventure was focused on renewable energy and sustainability....

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Coast to coast: a break into the deep south

Part I: Coast to coast: the last father-son road trip Picking up from where I left off in last week’s issue, my dad and I left Oklahoma City behind and headed deep into the south, a part of the country that I quickly realized was a bull of a different colour. Dealey Plaza in Dallas is the site of...

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Coast to coast: the last father-son road trip

Part II: Coast to coast: a break into the deep south 4,538 miles may not seem like much on paper, but things can change quickly out on the road. That’s how far my dad and I pledged to travel from one end of the United States to the other by car — a true cross-country road trip. California, Nevada,...

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The bare-bones of England

I spent my first year at Herstmonceux Castle staring wide-eyed at everything around me. I was so overwhelmed by the sheer number of things to see that I hardly left the country, choosing instead to devote the time I had to seeing as much of England as possible. Two years later and I’m back at the...

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Exchange diaries: In love with Australia

I didn’t have a date, but Valentine’s Day last year was one of the most memorable days of my life. It’s when I found out about my semester-long dalliance with Australian National University (ANU). I’ve always been in love with Australia from afar. The sunny skies, the magical beaches and the charming...

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The “Third World” isn’t your photo op

Jane Willsie, ArtSci ’17 It’s a common sight on anyone’s Facebook news feed: photos of an acquaintance that travelled to the Global South and took numerous “selfies” with local children. I recently saw photos of a former high school classmate – a girl that went on a trip to a developing country to...

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Me, myself and I

At 16, I left home to pursue my love for dance. At 18, I flew overseas, from England, by myself and at 19, I spent a summer in Mongolia — all alone. While these experiences have physically displaced me from the people I used to spend time with, by and large, I do enjoy doing things alone. Spending...

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Exchange diaries Edinburgh: Learning to love the city

Styna Tao is in Edinburgh on exchange this fall. She’ll be sharing her experiences every three weeks as a regular contributor to Lifestyle. I arrived in Edinburgh on a damp Saturday evening. I came out of the train station to a city shrouded in mist and fog and dragged my suitcase up hills and cobble...

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Exchange diaries Barbados: Easing into exchange life

Julia Mitchell is in Barbados on exchange this year. She’ll be sharing her experiences every three weeks as a regular contributor to Lifestyle. Over the past month, I’ve settled into somewhat of a new routine here at my new home at the University of the West Indies in Barbados. Exchange has proven...

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Early exchange prep

In less than a week, I’ll be boarding a plane at Pearson Airport. Seven hours later, I’ll be in the UK, ready to start my year abroad at Durham University. It isn’t far away, but it’s an experience I’ve been anticipating for a long time. My desire to study abroad started years ago, but it only became...

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Exchange diaries London: The British life

Through the recommendation of a friend and some rushed visa paperwork, I got the chance to live and work in London this summer as a reservations and reception assistant in a bed and breakfast. Working in the tourism and hospitality sector in a foreign city means I’m both tour guide and tourist at...

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Parental traps: How to survive a family vacation

After spending several months away from home during the school year, the prospect of living under the same roof as mom and dad for the summer can seem nightmarish to some. Add to that the promise of family vacations – where tensions often erupt and boredom can take hold – and you might be considering...

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What I wish I knew before exchange

Preparing to leave for exchange was by far the most emotionally overwhelming experience of my life. I can really only describe it as an emotional roller coaster. There are serious highs, like the day you get your acceptance email and realize its actually happening, or when you remember that you’ll...

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A castle to call one's home

Have you ever asked yourself, “What would I do if I weren’t afraid?” This summer, I answered that question. In November, when I was accepted to attend the summer term at the Bader International Study Centre (BISC), affectionately known as “the castle,” flying across the Atlantic Ocean seemed like...

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Sky-high learning

Above one of Tibet’s three greatest Gelukpa school monasteries, Sera Monastery, is an abandoned sky burial platform. Located at the top of the mountain, this platform was once the main sky burial site in Lhasa, the capital of Tibet. Sky burials are the Tibetan Buddhism tradition of carrying the deceased...

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Penniless student travel tips

After a long school year spent trudging to 8:30 classes in the bitter cold and slaving hours away in the dungeons of Stauff, no idea could be more welcome than concocting the perfect getaway. For many of you young, wayward vagabonds out there, summer vacation seems like the perfect opportunity to...

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Far-reaching field trip takes flight to Cuba

Often undergraduate students aren’t able to apply classroom knowledge to real-world scenarios, but DEVS 305 — Cuban Culture and Society — offered just that opportunity. The course offered two incredible weeks of tours and nightlife events across Cuba, as well an intensive lecture schedule, following...

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Exchange Diaries: The final countdown

The final countdown is on. With two weeks to go, there’s just enough time left to cram in some last-minute sightseeing and travelling. Luckily for me (and my budget), I won’t have to go far to see one of the largest festivals in France this weekend. The Festival of Lights, which attracts over three...

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Beauty edition: what's in my purse

It can range from cellphone to suitcase size, carry anything from a wallet to your chihuahua and garner confusion from those who have never held one – it’s the ever-elusive female purse. Here’s a glimpse at what’s in my purse for three different occasions: school, evening and a weekend getaway. School When...

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The "real" British experience: BISC vs. Warwick

An experience to be had is inarguably on exchange, where the value of education forms from more than in-classroom teachings and scholarly readings. I recall the excitement I felt boarding the plane for the Bader International Study Centre (BISC) – my first trans-Atlantic flight – which left me giddy...

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Exchange Diaries: Learning the local culture

Chloe Grande is in France on exchange for the upcoming year. She will be sharing her experience as a regular contributor for QJBlogs. Before I left, a typical conversation about my exchange to Lyon usually involved me repeating the name of the city several times and a lot of blank stares. I’d say...

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Exchange Diaries: Hong Kong, a month later

It’s been a month since I’ve arrived in Hong Kong and I feel as if it might all be an illusion – maybe I’ll wake up one day and I’ll find myself in Kingston, an hour away from an 8:30 lecture. Nevertheless, it’s the real deal… I’m half way around the world. Since...

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Exchange Diaries: En route to Hong Kong

Brindan Baskaran is in Hong Kong on exchange for the upcoming year. He’ll be sharing his experience as a regular contributor for QJBlogs. In a couple of hours, I’ll be welcomed by Hong Kong and all it has to offer. In the past, I’ve been on numerous road trips with my family, and through those...

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Exchange Diaries: Leaving for Lyon

Chloe Grande is in France on exchange for the upcoming year. She will be sharing her experience as a regular contributor for QJBlogs. In four months I will return from Lyon, France as a fluent French-speaking, love-struck and slightly heavier version of myself. Or so I’ve been told. Although my...

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Top out-of-town exhibits

In order to get a glimpse at this season’s most anticipated museum exhibitions, you may have to head out of Kingston. Here are three out-of-town exhibits – in New York City, Toronto and Ottawa – to keep your eyes open for this summer. Peace – The Exhibition The Canadian War Museum,...

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Make It A Kingston Summer

By Katherine Kopiak (ArtSci ’14) Contributor It’s that time of year again, and if you’ve yet to decide what you are doing this summer, I have a suggestion for you: stay in Kingston. Last summer I decided to stay in Kingston for the first time and had the best summer of my life; I’m certainly planning...

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Take A Visual Vacation

By Laura Russell Contributor Have a passion for travelling yet lacking the funds? Take a visual vacation and watch movies with great scenery and cultural depiction. Here are 10 movies that will take you on a journey around some amazing places and make you feel like you’ve travelled thousands of miles. 1. Slumdog...

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Exchange Diaries: The At Home Foreigner

By Cole Meagher (LifeSci ’14) Contributor My experience in Glasgow has been amazing so far and all the credit is due to the people I’ve met, both the other students here on exchange looking for new experiences and the Glaswegians themselves. Most students on exchange here are like myself; looking...

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Exchange Diaries: From Paris To Switzerland

By David Kong (Comm ’14) Contributor Switzerland, by most standards, is a completely respectable nation. It’s rich yet equal, patriotic yet peaceful, diverse in culture and language yet united in most things. From Paris, a bullet train arrives in Geneva in a mere three hours. From there, the train...

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Exchange Diaries: From Paris To Italy

By David Kong (Comm ’14) Contributor Italy is the direct product of the greatest civilization in history that led the world into the modern era via the Renaissance. From these notabilities, Italy derives an unequalled history and culture that makes it an international hotspot for tourism. It’s easy...

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