#London2012

As the Olympics have come to an end, I have decided it is time to share my experience with all of you.
I flew out of Toronto and into London Heathrow on a red eye the night of the opening ceremony. All through the airport in London there were signs about the Olympics, which just made me more excited to be there.

On my first day in London I went right into being a tourist, taking the big red bus tour around the city. We saw all the main areas of the city and I saw the changes the Olympics brought to the area. Flags of all the countries and for London 2012 were draped across the roads. In trafalgar square they had put a statue of the logo with a countdown to when the opening ceremony started and by the time I got there it showed the date and time. The square and the streets were filled with people there to watch the games.

When visiting any country there are bound to be tourists, but this was something different than the ordinary. Everyone had something on to represent their home country, which was amazing to see. People were showing off their pride and excitement for their athletes. The city had been transformed for the Games!

I spent the next three mornings at Eton Dorney, the venue where the rowing events took place. I saw all the Canadian rowers race at least once, including the womens eight with our athlete in residence Ashley. I watched them race in their heat and for them to move directly onto the final they had to come in first. They were set to race in the second heat, the first heat went and the USA won with ease. The Canadians race started and was displayed on the big screen across from the stands. By the first 500m Canada was out in front, my section could not be more excited. As they moved through the 1000 there was a clear winner of the race. Our section of Canadians, including most of the womens 8's family and friends, burst into cheers as they were in the last 500 of the race and were racing in front of us. This was their last big push of the race and with open water they sailed into the finish line. Canada had one their heat and steered clear of the reps (the repeat race to get into the finals, since in international rowing the rule is you have to lose twice).

Even though I was not able to stay and watch as the women raced in the final or as they were awarded their well deserved silver medals it was still an amazing experience being able to cheer on my country and a fellow Champlainer!

Something Fun!

Don't know what to say? When in doubt, Say it in Llama!

Translate it here: http://llamafont.com/

For Example: Hey There! Welcome to Champlain College! 

• h
• e
• y

• t
• h
• e
• r
• e
• !

• w
• e
• l
• c
• o
• m
• e

• t
• o

• c
• h
• a
• m
• p
• l
• a
• i
• n

• c
• o
• l
• l
• e
• g
• e
• !

Summer Reading!

Champlain College Summer Reading! 

Suggested by Mac Fenwick our Senior Tutor, simply because he "never read a better book about what starting university feels like."

This weeks book is by Lewis Carroll, and it is ... 
Alice in Wonderland! 

 

http://bit.ly/QLB9OK

Or Watch the Movie!

Summer Reading!

This week's Champlain Summer Reading is suggested by Cath D'Amico, from the Trent International Program!

The book is by Joan Clarke, and is called 'An Audience of Chairs'

Good Reads describes it as: 

Joan Clark’s An Audience of Chairs opens with Moranna MacKenzie living alone in her ancestral Cape Breton farmhouse, waging a war with the symptoms of bipolar disorder and grieving the loss of her two daughters, taken from her over thirty years previously. There are few people remaining in her life, as Moranna cannot help but tax the patience of nearly everyone she encounters. Her long-suffering brother Murdoch has her best interests at heart, though he is fatigued by her enormous needs and pressured by his ambitious wife to invest less time in her. Pastor Andy politely sloughs off the peculiarly intelligent yet unpalatable sermons Moranna pens for him. Her neighbour Lottie knows what it is to be an eccentric and can be counted on to come through in a pinch. The local RCMP constabulary smooths over her legal scrapes. And her lover Bun, who lives with her when not working on the ferries between Cape Breton and Newfoundland, knows how to give her a wide berth on her “foul weather” days. Thanks to the assistance of these sometimes reluctant guardian angels, as well as to the carefully planned inheritance left by her father (not to mention her own sheer ingenuity), Moranna has managed to get by all these years despite small-town gossips and tormenting youths.

Through a series of flashbacks, we learn more about the devastating effects of Moranna’ s mental illness on her life and that of her family. ButAn Audience of Chairs also gives us a glimpse into the mind of a true iconoclast and wild spirit, who has managed despite overwhelming odds to keep hope alive.

Of An Audience of Chairs, Quill and Quire said: “Elegantly written and deeply grounded in place, this moving, compassionate novel is far more than a story of mental illness. Moranna’s quest is for peace, joy, and connection–the same yearnings that drive us all.”


Find out more at: bit.ly/MIAj3l

Sourced from Good Reads

Cheer Ashley On!

Hey Champlain can I get an attitude check!?

My name is Myles and I am a fourth year Champlainer taking a joint major in Biology and Philosophy. In my first year I lived right in K/L Tower and then proceeded to be an ISW Team Leader as well as joined College Cabinet as a Social Representative.

But enough about me. I am here to tell you all about an amazing opportunity that we as Champlainers have! Ashley Brzozowicz is a Canadian Olympic Rower and is also our Scholar/Athlete in Residence this year! Right now Ashley is in London for the 2012 Summer Olympics and is very busy with preparation and training.  I want to show her that Champlain is behind her 100% for a great Olympic games!

Our College Head, Dr. Mike Allcott, gave Ashley a Champlain scarf before she left for the Olympics, making her an official Champlainer! This means that a Champlainer is in London right now showcasing her skills in front of the world representing Canada. As an official Champlainer we need to show her as much support as we can and also CHEER as loud as we can, something Champlain does best!

Throughout Ashley's time and progress in London I will be posting updates as well as cheers on the Champlain College Facebook page. I want all of you to check out these updates as well as comment your own cheers and "Like" my comments to show Ashley that she not only has Canada behind her but Champlain College as well! 

Thanks,

Myles Latter

Champlain Summer Reading

Second Book in Champlain Summer Reading!

Suggested by Haroon Akram-Lodhi, Head of the International Development Studies Department.
 Written by Tracy Kidder, the book is called "Mountains beyond Mountains"

Haroon describes the book as: “testimonies of everyday acts of conscience that profoundly affect the people around the protagonists in ways that improve their lives.”

Find the book here: http://bit.ly/NCGHq1



Book Summary:

Tracy Kidder is a winner of the Pulitzer Prize and the author of the bestsellers The Soul of a New Machine, House Among Schoolchildrenand Home Town. He has been described by the Baltimore Sun as the “master of the non-fiction narrative.” This powerful and inspiring new book shows how one person can make a difference, as Kidder tells the true story of a gifted man who is in love with the world and has set out to do all he can to cure it.

At the center of Mountains beyond Mountains stands Paul Farmer, a physician, Harvard professor, renowned infectious-disease specialist, anthropologist, the recipient of a MacArthur “genius” grant, who was brought up in a bus and on a boat. His life’s calling is to diagnose and cure infectious diseases and to bring the lifesaving tools of modern medicine to those who need them most. This magnificent book shows how radical change can be fostered in situations that seem insurmountable and how a meaningful life can be created, as Farmer—brilliant, charismatic, charming, both a leader in international health and a doctor who finds time to make house calls in Boston and the mountains of Haiti—blasts through convention to get results. 

Mountains beyond Mountains takes us from Harvard to Haiti, Peru, Cuba and Russia as Farmer changes minds and practices through his dedication to the philosophy that "the only real nation is humanity" - a philosophy that is embodied in the small public charity he founded, Partners In Health. He enlists the help of the Gates Foundation, George Soros, the U.N.’s World Health Organization and others in his quest to cure the world. This book is based on hope and the truth of the Haitian proverb that “Beyond mountains there are mountains”: as you solve one problem, another problem presents itself, and so you go on and try to solve that one too. 

Mountains Beyond Mountains unfolds with the force of a gathering revelation,” says Annie Dillard. Jonathan Harr says, “[Farmer] wants to change the world. Certainly this luminous and powerful book will change the way you see it.”

Sourced from Goodreads.com 

Athlete in Residence!

Olympic Rowing! 

In 9 days watch our future Athlete in Residence compete in the 2012 London Olympic Games! Trent University and Champlain College wish Ashley Brzozowicz Good Luck in the Woman's 8!

Find out more about Ashley's journey to the Olympics here: