Travelling is not only about taking pretty pictures and meeting exciting new people, of course we all also want to learn something about the country and culture we stay in.
Therefore Public Holidays are just the perfect opportunity to widen our horizon and learn about what people are actually celebrating or thinking of.
As you might know and surely must have noticed when walking through town, next Monday is Remembrance Day. This is not only a topic we should gather some information about, because we are currently staying in Canada, but also because this is a topic each and everyone should keep in mind and think about from time to time. Therefore here some helpful information about what this day is all about.
Starting from scratch, the Remembrance day, or earlier known as the Armistice Day marks the end of hostilities during First World war. It is a day remembering all the fallen soldiers, not the victory or any political and/or military events.
Nowadays it’s not only supposed to remind on First World War, but all Wars!
Because it is and always will be very important to remember all the horror and grief wars drag along. Nobody should ever forget, how hard times like these effected each and everyones life. Even though the first world is long gone, we should think about it from time to time and never get lazy speaking about it.
Most ceremonies in Canada include certain things, like two minutes of silence, the playing of the ‘Last Post’, the recitation of ‘In Flanders Fields’, and the wearing of Poppies. ‘In Flanders Fields’ is a poem written by a Canadian soldier and became one of the most famous symbols of First World War. The poem embodies the sadness, the loss of loved ones, the worries, but also the faith that needs to be kept up. Within the poem John McCrae mentioned the Poppies, which were found on most of the western front. Throughout the bombed and destroyed landscape the poppies were the only thing giving colour to this tragic scenery. Later on the blood-red poppies overgrew many mass graves and therefore they became more and more symbolic for the fallen soldiers and tragedy of First World War.
Almost in every part of Vancouver you will find different ceremonies, concerning this very important day. In downtown you’ll get one at the Cenotaph Victory Square (located on the corner of West Hastings Street and Cambie), starting about 9:45 am. Afterwards there will be a big parade.
Another big ceremony will take place in Stanley Park at the Japanese Canadian War Memorial, starting at 10:40 am.
As this is a public holiday, I hope you’ll have a great day off and spent your free-time wisely, thinking about this very serious and important topic.
Cheers,
— Nadja
International Village,
Suite 2077, 2079 – 88 West Pender Street
Vancouver, Canada -V6B 6N9-
Web: http://www.internexcanada.com
Email: pr@internexcanada.com
In the 1960s, it was discovered that gravity in Hudson Bay and surrounding areas is lower than in the rest of the world. How? Well, it is pretty complicated, so pay close attention. One theory involves convection in the Earth’s mantle. A complex sentence, I know. So let’s break it down. First of all, it is important to know what convection is. Convection means “the transfer of heat through a liquid or gas, caused by molecular motion.” Secondly, the Earth’s mantle consists of magma. Magma is a hot, molten rock that is always moving in order to create convection currents. Convection brings the Earth’s continental plates down, which means the mass in that area gets smaller and therefore, there is a reduction in gravity. Considering this paragraph is basically a brainteaser that contains a lot of complicated science words, I will spare you the second theory.
It might not be Christmas just yet, but that doesn’t mean we can’t talk about it! In fact, Canada has such a great fact related to Christmas, that I just HAVE to tell you all about it. In Canada, you have the opportunity to send a letter to Santa Claus. There is an actual postal address you can send your letter to and as long as you include a return address, Santa will read the letter and send one back to you! Santa and his elves make sure every single letter is personal and exciting. Don’t worry; you don’t have to be a kid to participate! You just have to believe in Santa and the magic of Christmas.
I wanted to experience a new country and I wanted to strengthen the general and specific knowledge and skills that are necessary for the work in NPOs or NGOs. At the same time I wanted to do this on an international level.
INTERNeX Canada 