The Different Options…
“One percent. Two percent. Three percent milk?!” This is the first thought engraved in my memory about Canada. You must be puzzled ... “What?!” You must be wondering if I didn’t see the beautiful array of lights illuminating the dark Vancouver night sky as the plane descended, or the groves of pine...
Read More
Connectedness in body, mind and spirit
Coming to Canada has been one of the most meaningful learning experiences in my life. Arriving in the summer afforded me the opportunity to swim in its beautiful blue ocean and to savor some of its breathtaking floral gardens. I am shocked at how people of such a wide range of cultural identities...
Read More
VIU student returns home to Belize after year in Canada
I was surprised to find that upon returning home to Belize after a year in Canada, the most difficult thing for me to accept was that I was experiencing aspects of reverse culture shock, which is essentially feeling out of place in your own culture. It hit me the moment I departed from the airport...
Read More
VIU student relfects on learning about resilience from time in Belize
After a month and a half of getting used to the heat, the rainy season rolled in with thunder and lighting and, well, lots of rain. In Belize the rainy season stretches from mid-May until Fall. While the rain is not falling consistently as it seems to on Vancouver Island, it does pour very hard...
Read More
VIU student leads a community planning event in Belize
On Sunday July 16, 2017, all of my training in public community consultation was put to the test at a unique community planning event I organized and facilitated in Belize. The event was in the form of a World Café, led by myself as well as co-facilitators Eric Sanchez (fellow VIU Master of...
Read More
Learning to Listen in Belize
“Good Morning!” “Buenos Dias!” “Gud Mawnin!” “Buiti Binafi!” A morning greeting comes in many forms in Belize. Located in Central America nestled between Guatemala, Mexico and Honduras, Belize is rich in cultural diversity and its residents speak one or more languages including: English, Kriol,...
Read More
VIU Student Learns Importance of Water Quality Monitoring in Belize
Water is essential to sustain life. Unfortunately, human activities can pose huge threats to the quality of the water and health of coastlines. In Belize, activities such as fishing, tourism, dredging, coastal development, transportation, agriculture, and aquaculture can result in eutrophication...
Read More
VIU Names Latest Recipients of Prestigious QEII Scholarships
Cross-cultural learning will be high on the agenda for Melanie Messier when she lands in the Central American country of Belize later this spring.Messier, a fourth-year student in Tourism Management at Vancouver Island University (VIU), is one of seven VIU recipients to recently receive a...
Read More
Building Resilience in Coastal Communities: A Belize-Canada Research Roundtable
Come join us as we explore issues of coastal resilience in Canada and Belize, and be the first to meet VIU’s 2017 Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Scholars! Building Resilience in Coastal Communities: A Belize-Canada Research RoundtableThursday, February 92:30 pm – 4:30 pm Nanaimo Campus - Royal...
Read More
VIU student reflects on cultural and religious differences in Belize
Last week, I visited a Caribbean rum factory to tour the museum and learn how they age the rum. As we came to what I thought was the end of the tour, there suddenly came sounds of drumming in the distance. As we came closer, we saw four Garifuna people playing drums and dancing to the music. They...
Read More
