I hope the sun shine wherever you are.
:)
"I am an earlier international student from Norway, who went to Nova Scotia, Canada for 10 months 2013-2014. It was an incredible and unforgettable journey. Exchange is not for anyone, but for those of you that are interested: go for it! I made lots of international friends during my stay in Yarmouth. This blog is mainly made to keep them posted on my everyday life in Norway and upcoming adventures. In addition, I hope to "inspire" and guide future, past and current exchange students."
It's a perfect day to listen to music, read a book, blog and relax. I don't mind having some alone time every now and then, as long as it's not forever (haha). Still, I must admit that too many rainy days in a row on this island gets quite boring. Like my dad says: "Our summer house without sun is like an amusement park with no power." Not as fun. Nevertheless according to my mom, being bored is healthy. I hope the sun shine wherever you are. :) Thea Jordan.
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There's no better way to learn than to go out and explore the world. I've always wanted to travel the world. Yarmouth, Nova Scotia, was just the beginning. One of the biggest lessons learned from doing an exchange is; there's so much more to the world than what we hear and see. Think about what you know. Who taught you this? What are the actual sources? I'm starting my last year in high school this fall. My view on the world is pretty much based on school books and lectures, and the media. These are both controlled by governments. My parents, their friends and my friends have also shared their knowledge. Before I started travelling myself, I lived through my parents journeys. I went to school in Canada with approximately 49 other exchange students. That's a big diversity of nationalities in one place. A conversation would often start by asking where the person is from. As soon as I recognized the country I would link it to the few facts I had. That's when I realized how ignorant most of us are. I would ask the Mexican about drugs and crime, the Italian about pizza and poor work conditions, a Thai about prostitution and tropical beaches and a Chinese about eating dogs. These are stereotypical statements, "imprinted" by the main focus in media. I ended up entereing a conversation with theories, and leaving with more truthful facts. I'm not saying that books and the media are wrong, but there's so much more to the world than what we think we know. For instance, I had never thought of Mexico as a suitable and peaceful vacation destination. Of course I assumed that there are nice beaches and climate because of its location. Still, the never ending news articles about drug conflicts and killing threw a shadow over the beauty. My perception did not match with the real experience, which I got through my Mexican friends and 2 weeks stay in Playa Del Carmen. I didn't have any problems with crime at the tourist place I lived. Yet, It could have been another story if I went somewhere else in the country. However, no matter rate, crime, poverty et cetera exits everywhere (it's all relative). Becoming friends and interacting with so many different cultures gave me a bigger understanding of the world. It has also made me more critical and open minded. By critical, I mean that even though there are one certain situation happening in one country, it shouldn't be representing the whole reputation of it. Most facts are bias, either by media or individuals. We are people with unique backgrounds. What I taught my friends about Norway is probably not the same as what the 12 other I travelled with told their friends. In addition, I discovered that regardless of differences among cultures and nations, we are all the same. Thea Jordan.Firstly, thank you for stopping by. Your time is appreciated and I hope you'll stick around.
The purpose of this blog is for me to make it easier for my friends and fellows to "follow" my everyday life and future journeys. I also hope my writing can help, inspire, motivate and guide current and past exchange students, but mostly future (people in general). Although it's important to satisfy all readers; this blog is also something I do because I enjoy sharing and writing. They say "criticism (especially constructive) is one of the best ways of learning." If you dislike or disagree on what I write you can either let me know (I appreciate all kinds of feedback) and I will take it into consideration. Another option is to find something better to spend your time doing. My posts are meant to be positive, but most important, honest and realistic (without targeting any individual or group, in fact we are all targets). I would like to thank everyone who read about my stay in Canada. You are all a big part of why I blog, and why I like and will continue doing it. Thea JordanThese are some pictures I took 5 AM this morning. I have no reasonable answer to why I was up that late. Thea Jordan. |
THEA JORDAN (20)
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