Highs and Lows: A Country Apart - Nova Scotia to Edmonton

Nova Scotia to Edmonton. 4,809.6 km. 50 hour drive. 3 hour time change. And practically an entire country between us.

Highs & Lows: Long Distance Relationships

In the year of 2017 our desires, questions, and everything we want or need to know seems to be at a touch of our finger tips. What song is playing? Shazam it. Harry Potter factoid? Google it. When was my best friends mom's birthday again? Facebook creep. Need a date for tonight? Swipe right.

I think this is why I believed that dating someone who lived 4,809.6 km away would be easy.

Okay, so no we didn't meet online but feelings tend to work in the strangest ways. And I got hit with a huge case of the feels after he moved across the country. After lots of late nights spent talking on the phone and a "will you go out with me," text, we began to date (maybe I will provide a more in-depth relationship history in another post). Long distance at the time seemed like nothing, because we had an abundance of communication apps at our disposal. Daily, we use iMessage, Snapchat, and Facebook Messenger (to share funny dog videos and memes) without a doubt. Every few days, we communicate on Instagram, Facetime, phone calls - if I don't fall asleep, and we also send letters, yes letters, using good ole Canada Post.

I recently completed a survey on the affects of social media and online communication on my LDR (long distance relationship). Trust me, I had to Urban Dictionary that acronym too. After completing the survey I realized just how important social media is to our relationship and how lucky I am to be able to connect with my significant other on so many levels. Although I spend half my time on FaceTime going, urgh poor connection aaaagain, I do not know what I would do without it.

Depending so heavily on technology allows for those moments when we are together to be just that much more special.

Okay - so this is a Highs and Lows post, so no. I will not be pretending that everything is always great. There are times where I can't help but feel like I have said or texted "I miss you" one or twenty-one too many times. Times when FaceTime cuts out or time changes, school, volunteering, work, and drumming schedules completely kick our asses. LDR's are difficult. They are more difficult than a regular relationship because they take so much patience, trust, planning, and kindness. However, LDR's can help build the strongest foundations for relationships because they are built on communication, understanding, and goal setting.

Here are just a couple of my own tips for LDR's!

1. Send Letters
Yes letters! In a world of constant texts, emails, snaps, meetings, etc., receiving a letter is a nice way to remind someone just how much you are thinking about them. I have a whole stack and so does my boyfriend, we keep ours in separate keepsake boxes so we can read them over when the distance is feeling a little too far.

2. Highs and Lows
Communication is key, so we try to call each other a couple of times a week and just discuss all of our highs and lows. Things that are really exciting and happy or things that are mundane or terrible. Sometimes we allow a 5 minute rant session where we can complain about that shitty part of our day or what the heck is happening in the world but then we spend the rest of the conversation talking about highs. It is all about balance.

3. Digital Dinner Dates
Every few weeks or months we will have a "dinner date" on FaceTime. We will both pop open a beverage, I usually go for wine or cider, and we will have a dinner date over video chat. We talk about the mundane parts of our days, listen to music, prep some yummy dishes, and just chat. Digital dinner dates are a really nice way to reconnect and it almost feels like we are sitting across the table from each other.

4. Virtual Silence
Everyone needs a break from the screen every once and awhile. This is healthy. If your significant other is busy or not glued to their phone and texting you back every 5 minutes for a day or a week do not fret. Space away from technology is always good. Just don't forget to reconnect after the busy spell!

5. Netflix and ...Text?
Watch a series together! Literally download Netflix or Crave and then find the time to get a snack, sit down, get cozy and press play at the same time. You can live text throughout the episode and talk about the characters, plot lines, and spoilers afterwards. My boyfriend and I watched Stranger Things and House of Cards this way and found that it gives you something to look forward to and talk about when you are tired of discussing your everyday - and now that I have graduated from university I am looking forward to starting a new summer series.

6. End Games
These are plans to see each other or be together, or what I like to call "end games." I am a planner, all I do is plan. I make lists upon lists. In my journal, on my phone, on napkins. Everywhere. So being able to plan when we will be together again gives me great solace and it is also something to look forward to. End Games are also like little vacations and the entire goal of a LDR is to make the long distance seem not so long.

Remember that no relationship is perfect and that the most important people are you and your partner, however you two find happiness is what matters the most.



                                                     

20.05.17

This is a picture of us from Fraser's visit to Nova Scotia in May featuring a tea. Before band practice Fraser would always pick himself up a hot bevvy (large Chai tea 2 milk 2 sugar) and a donut and he soon added my favourite hot drink (a hot chocolate made with chocolate milk) onto the order list.

But, because I am perpetually l5 minutes late the hot chocolate served as my place holder at the drumming table. So I would run in (with my dinner in hand) to see it patiently waiting for me. He did this for two whole years! And the whole time I had no idea he was actually secretly crushing on me, what a guy.

05.06.17

June 5th we celebrated a whole year of dating and Fraser sent me this gorgeous bouquet, with some help from our lovely friend.

That evening we celebrated 'together' by having a Digital Dinner Date for which I picked up sushi and a bottle of wine and he cracked a beer just to mark the special occasion.

Meagan xx

The Power of Peace

Saint Mary's University Conflict Resolution Society & 

Peaceful Schools International

Belfast 2015/2016 Project

(St. Paul's Primary School, Belfast)

"There are many theories that suggest that violence is learned, well if that is true then that means peace can also be learned and put into practice." 

The Power of Peace

   In Belfast everyone has a story. Every single I person I met from Northern Ireland were storytellers that were thrilled to tell you about their own little piece of history from Belfast, but little did they know was how much of an impression those stories had on me. There is a quote from one of my favourite novels, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire that says, “we are only as strong as we are united, and as weak as we are divided,” which I think helps describe the separation of Catholic and Protestant peoples in Belfast. Maintaining and controlling the separation of Catholic and Protestant schools seems to ultimately perpetuate the fear, strengthens the division, and creates conflict between the two groups. However, when I was talking to people from Belfast I tried not to think of them as Catholic or Protestant, I just listened to their stories, and I discovered that all of the stories had many similarities.

      They were the stories of people living within a post conflict society that is still (nearly thirty years after the Troubles) dealing with the effects of separation, fear, and violence. The program through Peaceful Schools International and the Saint Mary’s University Conflict Resolution Society has taught me the importance that peace education can have on children within this setting. I believe that peace education is the next chapter for eliminating conflict and creating resolution for the people of Belfast.

(Murals from Belfast, Northern Ireland)

      Facilitating workshops in Catholic and Protestant schools as well as engaging with the cross-community youth group Active Communities was a truly eye-opening and nearly unexplainable experience. I was genuinely shocked that children have the abilities to comprehend how conflict occurs everywhere and anywhere, that was when the importance of the project really resonated with me. Children and youth can see and interpret both peace and violence within their everyday contexts. When we were working with Active Communities I saw that young pre-teen boys from Belfast know someone who has been killed due to violence, visits someone who is incarcerated, and fear for a loved one due to alcohol, drugs, or mental health issues. Children within the schools could understand that sometimes mom and dad get into fights, and wars happen all over the world, but they also learned in our workshops that conflict can actually start a lot smaller. Conflict can begin as a disagreement or miscommunication with your friend. Our workshops help encourage children to choose peaceful communication over negative language because that can be the first step to eliminating or de-escalating potential violent situations.

 

(The Conflict Resolution Society working in primary schools and with Active Communities: Cross Community Youth Group)

       With the help of our workshops, primary school children can understand both peace education and conflict resolution and then put it into practice. Controversial issues can be addressed in classrooms if they are taught in ways that are open-minded, interactive, and encouraging. I have learned through this project that the earlier we teach children about conflict resolution within the educational system the easier it is for them to use it within their everyday lives. Children are so attentive to learning and also very impressionable at a young age, following the workshops I have learned that the impressions we have on children, as peace educators will reflect how they choose to treat each other.

       

 

(A glance inside some of the schools we visited)

     The children I have worked with because of Peaceful Schools International and the Saint Mary’s University Conflict Resolution Society have left me with hope that we can all treat other people with more respect through means of communication and conflict resolution. Especially within the Belfast primary schools, I noticed that the children welcomed us with open minds and open hearts. They would give us hugs, play with us on the playground, sing us songs, take selfie after selfie, but nothing was more heart-warming and memorable to me than having them repeat the words of our conflict resolution workshop back to us.  
 

(Heart happy)

      My experiences and observations in the schools in Northern Ireland were eye opening, heart-warming, and life changing. Overall, I noticed that the schools had an ethos of positive acceptance, peace education, and anti-bullying behaviour. However, I think that Belfast, Northern Ireland is a place where religious and political divide as well as socio-economic issues are still contributing towards the separation. Upon considering recent events, such as the bomb that went off a few weeks ago and the 100^th year anniversary of Easter Rising, I believe that children within their schools can benefit from positive communication, conflict resolution, and peace education.

     Following my graduation from Saint Mary’s University it is my dream and goal to pursue a Bachelor of Social Work with a specific focus on youth programming. I have been so inspired by the work that the conflict resolution society has achieved in the Halifax community and abroad in Belfast.  Being chosen as a member of the Conflict Resolution Society as well as a student enrolled in the course Field Study: Peace Education in Northern Ireland, has cultured me about the significance of peace education. After being involved with the project in Halifax and Belfast I truly believe peace education should be a course that is offered at all levels of educational curriculum just like maths, science, art, or history.  We have the ability to educate children on telling stories that are no longer stricken with violence, fear, and separation. Instead they can tell stories of peace, acceptance, and unity. One thing my family has always said following a meal together is ‘stomach full, heart full’ and I can assure you that following this project, working with the amazing team of facilitators and project coordinators, and learning and engaging from children in the community and abroad, has left me with a stomach full of chips and Guinness, but more importantly a heart full of love, stories, and peace.

                          

(I hope to be back someday, Northern Ireland, this is not a good bye, simply a see you later)

                  

Cheers,

Meagan

The Netherlands: My Life as a Dutchy

The Netherlands

Sorry I haven't blogged in ages, school work and paper writing had taken over my life. Imagine that I go on exchange for university and actually have to do school work, so lame!

I was lucky enough to travel to the Netherlands for Easter break with my amazing exchange friends; Roos (Utretch, Netherlands), Sarah (Nova Scotia, Canada), Adam (Toronto, Canada), Georgia (Melbourne, Australia), and me! 

We all hopped on a KLM flight and had the absolute privilege to stay at Roos' family home in Houten, where we were spoiled for an entire weekend with homemade food, warm showers, and a real big huge bed!!! After being a traveling Uni student who lives out of her suitcase for the past few months these were little things that I sorely missed and seriously took for granted. 

It was so lovely to be in a home, with a couch, eating a mommy cooked dinner - pumpkin soup, Dutch meatballs, potatoes, beans, pears, apple sauce, literally all the fixings...it was so yummy! My mouth is watering just thinking about it. 

We stayed in Houten and visited Amsterdam, Utretch, and Naarden. 

Thank you so much to the Volker family; Kees, Marja, Roos, and Iris for welcoming us into your home and being the worlds most accommodating and lovely hosts - you truly made my Dutch experience <3

Check out some of my photos and wee little stories below!

We arrived in Amsterdam just in time for a beer and a selfie with the IAMsterdam sign before taking the train to Houten!

It is fact that there is more bikes than people in Holland! Unfortunately for me I was too wee to ride the Volkers' family bikes (as they are so dang tall-those Dutchies!) my feet couldn't reach the pedals, boo! 

On a side note it was probably for my own good that I remained safe with two feet planted firmly on the ground haha.

Just look at beautiful Amsterdam! Now I am sorry because I didn't take this photo and can't remember exactly who took it but please don't be mad, I think it's lovely and wanted to share it!

Haha, this photo is the perfect example of how many times we attempt to take nice candid pictures and end up failing. 

I think my favourite lines I have heard people say (I won't use any names and trust me, I know I am guilty of it too aha):

"Hey can you take a nice candid of me?"

and

"Take a picture of me pretending to not be looking at the camera." 

My lovely exchange friends!

Now I truly understand what all my European friends are talking about when they say they miss "real" cheese and bread, its in Holland - seriously, you've never had anything like it.

Meet the Stroopwafle aka my newest addiction. Melted caramel goodness between two waffles...the Dutch seriously know how to do food.

I think I gained about ten pounds from all the bread, cheese, stroopwafles, party bread - bread with butter, chocolate sprinkles and jiggly bellies (THE BEST BREAKFAST FOOD EVER), and so much beer. 

I tried Herring! I was informed that this was a true Dutch must - fresh salted Herring with onion and pickle, which you pick up by the tail and eat (as photographed above) it was delicious! My breath smelled awesome after that one!

A stray kitty that we met on the streets of Amsterdam, I wanted to take it home. I miss my kitties, boo.

A group of us went on the Anne Frank Museum tour, which was one of the most bittersweet things I have ever experienced in my life. I am not even sure if bittersweet is the right word. My heart filled with so many emotions as I wandered through the museum and filed up the little sets of staircases. 

 We stood in line for forty five minutes (a rather short wait actually) to walk through the infamous annex where the Frank family remained hidden during the War. The line to enter the museum is constantly queued down the block everyday of the year, all day long, until they close at night. Thousands upon thousands of people visit the museum every single year. At 10 o'clock at night the museum was still filled with people of all ages, races, and cultures, engaging in Anne's diary and her story, the story that was a horrific reality for so many people. 

There was a quote from Otto Frank (Anne's father) that really resonated with me and summarized my feelings after touring the museum.

"To build a future you have to know the past"

Otto was the only one to survive the war, live through Auschwitz, and later had been presented with his daughter's journal. He published Anne's journal, now her story is accessible in multiple languages and has touched millions of people all over the world. 

Afterwards, we met up with some other exchange students that we knew from GCU for a drink and a tour through the Red Light District - my Australian friend James brought me this Tulip! What a sweetheart, unfortunately I've lost the tulip, I'm sorry James!

Here is a #ladsontour photo of Adam, James, and Emilio - what goof balls! 

We spent the day in Utretch - little Amsterdam, it was a gorgeous day and we had so much fun!

A Broodje Mario sandwich, literally one of the best sandwiches I have ever tasted. If you ever go to Utretch I recommend hunting down one of these food trucks. Soooo yummy! Salami, chorizo, hot peppers, pickled veggies, and Dutch cheese - mm, mm, mm!

We had the amazing honour to brew beer in the Moulen Windmill, here is us adding Hops to the Double Trouble batch of beer, named after Roos and her twin sister Iris. Kees (Roos' father) is a brewer and he owns a company called Brouwerij Hommeles! Their beer is amazing, I really recommend you try it if you visit the Netherlands!

This was the coolest pub ever, it was actually a Belgian pub called Olivier! It used to be a secret Catholic church that had to be hidden so it looks like a plain building on the outside, but now it serves as a pub with great food and beer!

Hey look its Double Trouble! Spent the evening dancing and drinking Kees' beers in Roos and Iris local favourite pub! Such a fun night - I even got up and did some Highland dancing to some Dutch music, it was so fun!

Here is a little taste of my favourite Dutch song (that we constantly quote now), Roos even requested it at the pub:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XpbTI4zN1FY&spfreload=10

Easter Sunday we spent the day in Naarden!

A lovely church in Holland, seriously Europe has the most stunning architecture. 

And we finished the trip off at the Pancake House! This was a heavily anticipated day for me, as Roos had been raving about having Dutch pancakes at her favourite restaurant and I adore any excuse to eat good food smothered in maple syrup, so to the pancake house we went!

 I ordered a pannakoeken that was bigger than my face filled with ham, bacon, and cheese, smothered in maple syrup and covered with powered sugar. My hot chocolate even came with all the fixings -whipped cream, chocolate shavings, and even a cookie to dunk in it!

Do I need to say any more?

And finally, here is a lovely 7am shot of us after our amazing time in the Netherlands - sadly Patrick who stayed up all night to catch our 4am flight, doesn't look too pleased!

Thanks for reading!

Cheers,

Meagan