by webtester | Nov 9, 2011 | Community and Service, Front Page, Grade 10, Grade 9, The Grades
The closing ceremony and house dedication were just about to start when Francis, Habitat’s local coordinator, approached me. “What will your team do as their cultural performance?” he asked. Umm, what? Our “portion” of the program? “Oh sure,” I said, my mind quickly...
by webtester | Nov 8, 2011 | Community and Service, Front Page, Grade 10, Grade 9, The Grades
You haven’t really lived until you’ve seen Mr. Provencher negotiate the price of a purchase. He reclines in the seat, taps his glasses, and strokes his chin like he’s chairing a board meeting. All the while, and with a completely straight face, he hilariously...
by webtester | Nov 7, 2011 | Community and Service, Front Page, Grade 10, Grade 9, The Grades
Attention Mother Nature: When I requested no rain for the rest of our stay in Sri Lanka, I wasn’t saying I wanted clear skies and a sun so hot it feels like I’m about to toss the ring into the burning fires of Mordor. I mean, if I wanted that I could have arranged a...
by webtester | Nov 6, 2011 | Community and Service, Front Page, Grade 10, Grade 9, The Grades
We rested. Well, not exactly rest. We piled into the van and took the hour’s drive (30km on crazy roads) to Colombo for a bit of souvenir shopping. The capital city is pretty much what you’re imagining right now: a concrete jungle with more McDonald’s than...
by webtester | Nov 5, 2011 | Community and Service, Front Page, Grade 10, Grade 9, The Grades
There’s this certain line graph that tends to make an appearance whenever individuals or groups are preparing for cultural immersion. It purports to show the emotional “roller coaster” that many people go through, beginning with the “high” of the new experience, which...
by webtester | Nov 4, 2011 | Community and Service, Front Page, Grade 10, Grade 9, The Grades
I was never very good at Tetris, so perhaps I wasn’t the best choice to help the masons fit the rubble stones together, jigsaw puzzle-like, along the first layer of concrete as we began to build the walls up from the ground. It’s an art form, wedging those hundreds of...
