Abbie, one of the gifted students with Learning Services at HCOS, took an opportunity to travel with Encounters with Canada to Ottawa last spring. She has kindly shared with us this reflection on her experience. Thanks Abbie! - Carmen
Encounters With Canada
International Affairs: March 20-26
Encounters with Canada is an organization with a mission to expose Canadian Teenagers to different careers, cultures, and at the same time give them a whole new perspective on Canada’s capital; Ottawa. There are many different themes, ranging from Medicine, to Law. The week I went was focused on International Affairs. We had an ambassador come to speak from Latvia, the chance to learn African Dancing, and we raised $800 for war orphans in Africa. Outside of this, there were many different workshops and tours to go on. We were able to visit some of Ottawa’s most renowned museums, and toured the city’s landmarks by bus. In addition to the museums we were also able to visit Parliament, and watch the House of Commons in action, visit the Library, and take a look at the Senate. It was amazing to be able to see a part of Canada’s history that I’ve never been able to before.
This was certainly a week I will always remember. I came back home with a better understanding of the Canadian government, a new perspective on International Affairs, and much better French. Considering all the workshops were bilingual, or only in French, we had to learn quite a bit of Canada’s other language which was quite a challenge. The best part of Encounters would have to be the friends we made. On the last day, there wasn’t a dry eye – Everyone was crying even the guys. As we headed off to the airport to return home, numbers and emails were exchanged frantically between people. I still have two really good friends from Encounters that even now, I’m in contact with, but I’d have never even met If not for EWC.
Thanks!
Abbie Benett
