I don’t really know a lot about French politics..
but apparently today the new President of France was elected. Defeating Nicolas Sarkozy in a narrow margin, starting on May 17th the new Prez is a fellow named Francois Hollande. Hollande is the representative for the Socialist Party (closest equivalent here would be.. NDP I think, correct me if I’m wrong) and Sarkozy is the rep for Union for a Popular Movement (a more centered-Conservative).
I’m guessing France is wanting to become more socially democratic like the States. For now.
My first -and most probably last- mini post in Turkish
Bu ilkbahar tatilinde benim fransiz arkadasim, Bertrand, Istanbul’a geldi, bu bizim Kara Deniz ‘e yolculuğumuz. Once biz Trabzon’a uctuk. Orada universitenin bir yurdunda kaldık. Sonraki gun Sumela Manastırı’na gittik. Sumela Manastırı ormanda buyuk bir dagda. O gece, biz yasli bir koylu kadinin … Continue reading
How to be alone: sometimes the story of going on exchange
I rediscovered a YouTube classic today. How to be alone, a poem by Tanya Davis, and video by Andrea Dorfman (filmed in Halifax, too!) Before I left to go on exchange to Australia, there were workshops on cultural communication and making learning plans that I generally brushed off. I had gone abroad before and never […]
UBC LipDub inspires lipdub in Cambodia made up of 300 school children
I thought this might be cool to share. Basically, this guy working in Cambodia saw the UBC LipDub, thought it was the best lipdub he’s ever seen, showed it to Cambodian school children, and then made this amazing lipdub of 300 school children at Angkoren Temple. He even tracked down Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie […]
UBC’s coat of arms are at the Univeristy of Queensland, how cool is that?
Building the Great Court / Source: The University of Queensland Library At my exchange university, the University of Queensland (UQ), There’s this really great space in the centre of campus called the Great Court. Picture a big grassy area with trees where students can relax in, surrounded by an enclosed by old sandstone buildings and […]
UBC courses that are more… practical
So if you vaguely remember, one of my integrated disciplines is nutrition. I chose to study things that were less theory based because I want to learn things that I can apply to in life. One of the more interesting courses that I took this term was FNH 355: International Nutrition, taught by Dr. Judy McLean. She’s a great prof. Knows her stuff, very caring towards students, and passionate not only about the course subject but also humanitarian work (she went to Rwanda to test some micronutrient package trials to prevent major deficiencies!).
So you’ve probably heard all about how there are African kids starving and as a kid you’ve probably carry those small orange UNICEF boxes during Trick-or-Treat to help them. But do you know how they are being starved? The kind of common symptoms of malnutrition that appear? The diets that cause those symptoms? It’s definitely an eye-opener.
There IS a difference between the two
The left is a plantain, the right is a banana. I learned of the plantain’s existence from this class, and decided to buy one and taste it myself. It’s definitely less soft than a regular banana and less sweet, almost bland. I think most of you will prefer your regular banana over a plantain. Apparently plantains lack a lot of the essential amino acids, proteins, vitamins, and minerals. But they are rich in starch.
But did you know that in some countries, plantains are the ONLY things people, including the kids, will eat? You’ll get all sorts of symptoms and diseases like kwashiorkor/marasmus, developmental problems (both physical and mental), apathy, anemia, rickets, immune system suppression, diarrhea, list goes on and on… They really only eat nothing but this. Well, maybe with the exception of wild cabbage or flowers because they want to fill their stomachs with something, but has no nutritional purposes.
Anyways, if you want to learn about courses like this and get tested on REAL case studies of nutrient deficiencies, I highly recommend this course. But be warned; this course is very… heart breaking. I remember Dr. McLean said a student dropped her course because it was too sad. And my friend ended up crying during a video…
This made my day
This is what a BIOC 301 TA posted on facebook after teaching for 4 years. UBC has some really great TAs; they’re the ones who go out to make sure students understand the course material well and make the extra effort. Now he’s gotten his PhD but (I think) he’s sure that teaching is what he wants to do. Who knows, maybe he’ll go teach biochem again. Whoever he teaches in the future will be very lucky to have him!
Those 11 days between Term 2 and a Go Global summer trip
In the middle of the hustle and bustle of packing my dormitory belongings yesterday, I paused and took a look at my beautiful (but I’m biased) plant, Dionysus. The red squiggle indicates where the leaves hung at the beginning of this school year. It grew remarkably during this time with just a cup of water every few days, sunshine as often as Vancouver could afford it, and a pinch of me proudly fawning over it. I had to wonder: did I grow half as much?
The reality is that while I may not have smiled throughout, I think I did. Not that I could draw red squiggly markers indicating how and when and what and who and why—would that I were a poet or a storyteller so that I could weave my tales these last few months together into a story! But I think I did. It was not in the manner in which I had wished…but the aches of becoming wise sometimes resemble the pangs of a certain set of teeth breaking through the gums, yes?
Despite this, I’m afraid everything has become a little stale here, a little bitter, and it’s time to get re-energized. I’ll be spending 6 weeks with 19 other UBC Vancouver & Okanagan students and 2 professors, studying in multiple regions in Guatemala (inshallah!) Thanks to generous ARCAAP funding applicable to the Arts Term Abroad in Global Citizenship program through UBC Go Global. What’s a humanities education without travel? I think travelling makes you humble, and humility makes you wise. Particularly when you know next to nothing about Central America…I will be largely unplugged from the Internet starting May 5th, but if it’s not too inconvenient, I’ll try to blog on paper and then type it up quickly at an internet cafe.
And now I have 11 days between what was and what will be. My plans include learning a handful of words in Spanish, reading some good ol’ political theory, being with close family and friends, and breathing (I highly recommend it.)
Remodeled/Renovated Shanghai Kitchen?
Shanghai Kitchen before. Taken from Sherman's Food Adventures
Shanghai Kitchen now
Has anyone seen this yet? Shanghai Kitchen in Kerrisdale has changed! But it’s still not open to the general public. People are greeted at the door by a plain white piece of paper saying “Shanghai Kitchen is being renovated. Closed until further notice.”
I remember when I went to Shanghai Kitchen a long time ago, when it just opened. It was actually not that bad, but the food was a tad greasy. I was introduced to Xiao Long Bao here and I really liked it. But my friends say I haven’t tried the REAL deal until I go to Richmond, or better yet, Hong Kong. Another thing that really caught my eye was the fact that the chefs there were making fresh noodles from scratch! I have never seen that in Vancouver.
I started coming here more often until they drastically raised their prices. I kind of expected actually, because it’s in Kerrisdale. The restaurants here have so much price inflation compared to elsewhere. However, the prices were unjustified in terms of the food they offered, and I could tell because during lunch and dinner rush the restaurant was not even half-filled.
So maybe this renovation is due to new management or trying to re-open the restaurant to the public. Hopefully the food prices are lower. I’ll review it as soon as it opens!