-
Breaking out of the comfort zone: A reflection
Salma Rana, Queen’s University I want to start off by thanking God for all the opportunities I have had. I am incredibly grateful for everything that has come my way, through His will. * When I was leaving Manchester last year, although I was excited about my upcoming journey, I was equally hesitant. I wondered if I was making the right choice, if it was worth finishing university a year later than everyone else, and missing out on so much time with my friends and family at home. I had so many “what if’s?” in my head, to the point where I was thinking of backing out in the last…
-
Fitting In
Salma Rana, Queen’s University During my year at Queen’s, there was a huge variety of ways to get involved with both the University community and the larger Kingston community. THE MSA I am very much involved with the Muslim community at University of Manchester (shout to Manchester ISOC!). However, I quickly realized that Muslims are a true minority in Kingston, Ontario. Even more than any place I have been to in England. There is only one mosque. Nevertheless, I quickly realized something else: the love in this community is one of a kind. The transport links to the mosque aren’t too good, so it can be difficult to get there,…
-
Street Art: Montreal, Toronto and Mexico City
Salma Rana, Queen’s University, Canada One of my favorite things to do when I visit a new city is to see the artwork home to that place. Other than museums, something that have I loved about my travels was the beautiful street art embedded within the cities. These told me unique stories about the culture and history of the cities they were created in. Below I give you some of my favorite pieces and recommendations of neighborhoods you should visit if you get the chance. Montreal A friend and I ended up in St-Laurent by accident. After climbing up Mount Royal, we thought we would take a different route back,…
-
The People of Mexico
Salma Rana, Queen’s Unversity, Canada Needing a break from the cold Canadian winter, a couple of friends and I flew out to Mexico for reading week. We spend most of the week in Mexico City and the last couple of days in Cancun. Everything was incredibly beautiful, from the colourful streets and detailed architecture to the delicious food. However, I want to dedicate this post to what made the trip truly special. The people I came across in Mexico were so happy and grateful. The photo above, of a man cheerfully selling us corn on the cob, is one of my favourites from the trip. I did not want to…
-
Love for learning, reignited
Salma Rana, Queen’s University, Canada My first semester as an exchange student, in Canada, is coming to an end, and those of you at university know that sometimes this can feel like a lifetime. I’m going to do some pitstops of my experience here so far, showing you my highs and lows, some of the lessons I’ve learnt and things I have been inspired by. This will be split into a few blogposts that I will be posting over the next couple of weeks. The past few months have been a true learning experience. The academic structure is very different here at Queen’s. Firstly, “electives” are encouraged here. When I…
A study abroad journal by students, for students.
