Our group worked on 2 houses while in the gulf. At both houses we painted the inside and outside and cleared the exterior. It was tedious work, but work that had to get done. The last day was the only warm day, as you can see from me wearing a t-shirt. For most days however I was wearing at least 5 layers with a maximum of 7 for 2 of the days. The most rewarding moment for me took place while I was painting indoors. I was painting a room with Mel and Adam when this little girl ran in and told me it was her room. We then painted it together. ... read more

First off I would like to THANK ALL THE PEOPLE WHO SUPPORTED ME ON THIS TRIP!! This entry will be about the background to the trip and the next one will be the actual trip. Some Background information: Hurricane Katrina swept through the Gulf Coast of the United States in August 2005, causing at least 1,836 deaths and over $80 billion in damages. (For more information on it check out: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hurricane_Katrina) A group of 18 Montreal students were chosen to participate in Hillel’s Hurricane Katrina Alternative Break, a week long exploration of hands-on service, education and community building. During our winter break, we traveled to New Orleans to rebuild houses with students from Montreal, Toronto and all over the United States. I spent my days painting, puttying, and learning. It has been over two years since ... read more

Nighttime Photos with some quick stories: Sam's Visit: My uncle Sam came to visit while he was doing business in Europe. We went for a delicious steak dinner and then out to Dancin' Bij Jansen. This club was the Thursday hang out with 1 euro beers. Lance Vegas: Lance Vegas was the name of my first bike and by far the best. It was named Lance Vegas. Lance because like Lance Armstrong my bike was a champion and Vegas because it was purple.... read more

Being on exchange in Amsterdam over a six month period was out of this world! The next three entries compose mostly of pictures from my experience that don't fit in an entry of their own. I have divided them up into three simply because there are so many photos. Overview 1: Amsterdam, Vondel Park and Views from Ross's Window Overview 2: Daytime Excursiouns Overview 3: Nighttime Adventures... read more

I went to Leeds to visit Gali who was there doing her exchange at the University of Leeds. Our two exchanges were opposite in many ways. Gali lived in an American Style dorm complex with British students, Leeds is considered a student city by many with a growing economy and job market, and the University of Leeds has a huge campus comprising of many different faculties and disciplines. On the other hand, I lived in a single building that housed only exchange and international students, Amsterdam is a historic city which once had the biggest port in the world, the city continuous to boom however due to its geographic size, that growth is limited, and my school had only one building, with one faculty. While walking the streets of Leeds, it really did feel like a ... read more