Author: Emma

Personal Response to “Romeo and Juliet”

Romeo and Juliet is a classic that I have wanted to read and watch for a while now, and I think watching the 1968 movie really helped me fully visualize the story. Reading the book seemed terrifying to me, because I know how challenging Shakespeare’s writing is, so I’m glad I got to watch the story on screen first. Seeing the characters, setting and emotions in a movie made it easier to understand the plot and enjoy the drama of the movie.

One of my favourite parts of the movie was the scenery. The Italian town, with its old buildings and small streets, made the fight between the Montagues and Capulets more realistic. It made Romeo and Juliet’s love story even more beautiful and the whole storyline more vivid, which I really enjoyed. The scenery also helped me follow the plot because I didn’t always understand the dialogues. Even though I sometimes struggled with Shakespeare’s vocabulary and the actors’ lines, I really loved the writing of the play. The wording seemed very poetic and I’ve never seen a movie written like this (based on Shakespeare). The “old English” enhanced the romantic and dramatic atmosphere of the movie and made, in my opinion, even the unimportant/uneventful scenes stick out through memorable speeches. 

While I can see why this story has remained a masterpiece and a classic for so many years, I don’t necessarily view it as the “ultimate love story” or the epitome of love. The romance between Romeo and Juliet is intense and tragic, but it also feels impulsive and reckless to me. The idea of love at first sight is something many people strive to find, but in reality, it isn’t entirely true or realistic. I believe love comes in endless shapes and forms and can be found all around us, but stories like Romeo and Juliet tend to romanticize it too much. Love can also be tragic and complicated. However, this is what makes the intensity in the movie so memorable and special – it makes us want to believe in love like the one between Romeo and Juliet. The way Shakespeare captured youthful passion is so impressive and I can understand why people continue to be drawn to it.

Overall I really loved and enjoyed the movie. I think that it was beautifully made and I’m happy that I finally got to enjoy and see the full story of Romeo and Juliet. I believe that this adaptation into a movie also enables more people to become familiar with Shakespeare‘s work by making the story more accessible. Instead of having to put up with the complex language of his plays, everybody can enjoy the story and relate to the emotions.

PW #6 The Silence of the Lambs

Recently, I’ve been trying to convince a lot of my friends to watch my favorite (favorite = better than any other movie I’ve ever watched) movie: The Silence of the Lambs. It’s been my favorite for an incredibly long time – I fell in love with it the moment I first watched it (I was about 9), and I still can’t quite explain why. I have always loved watching crime documenteries, reading and researching about crime and psychology and this movie perfectly captured all of my interests and I just couldn’t get it out of my head for months. Maybe it’s the way the story is built around such a deep psychological battle rather than just action, but it completely mesmerized me and when I found out that it wasn’t based on a true story, I couldn’t believe it.

Every single aspect and plot twist in Silence of the Lambs is so fascinating and incredibly thought-through. Not only is it extremely realistic (it was based on the actual serial killer called “Buffalo Bill”, but the story isn’t actually true) but also very entertaining to watch. It plays with fear – not through cheap horror, but through really unsettling dialogue, tension and the feeling that the main character, Hannibal Lecter, is always one step ahead. It’s so fascinating to watch a movie where the most terrifying character isn’t the one chasing people through dark alleys but is sitting completely still, speaking in a clam, intelligent voice, peeling apart someone’s mind like a puzzle. The actual psychological depth of the film is what interests me the most. Clarice Starling, an FBI trainee, is forced to seek the help of Hannibal Lecter to catch another serial killer, Buffalo Bill. What makes their “relationship” so interesting is that while she is trying to analyze him, he is analyzing her. Every conversation between them feels like a “mental chess match”, because while Hannibal is picking apart her past, her fears, she is trying to use his knowledge as a “retired serial killer” to find other criminals. There’s something about the way he “dissects” people, that makes him one of the most interesting characters I have ever seen.

What makes this film even better, is that it’s part of a larger collection of movies. Red Dragon talks about Hannibal’s earlier years and serves as a prequel, while Hannibal follows his life after escaping captivity (after Silence of the Lambs) and Hannibal Rising is all about his childhood and origins, and gives a lot of insight into how he became the figure and serial killer we know. I love how all these movies intertwine and connect, revealing more layers of Hannibal’s character and the investigations around him. Every time I rewatch these movies, I seem to discover something new about the story – they’re brilliant.  So yeah, I’ll probably keep trying to convince my friends to watch them – because, honestly, they’re missing out.

IRJE #5 The Perks of Being a Wallflower

Stephen Chbosky’s The Perks of Being a Wallflower is a beloved novel that was written in 1999 and turned into a movie in 2012. The story follows Charlie, a shy and introverted high school freshman, as he struggles with friendships, love and past trauma in his everyday life. It is written in the form of letters which Charlie sends to an anonymous recipient, which gives the reader a deep look into his personal thoughts, emotions and experiences. I really enjoyed this concept because it made the story seem even more personal and as somebody that writes a diary, also very relatable. As he befriends two extroverted seniors, Patrick and Sam, he is introduced to music, books, and begins to feel as if he “belongs” again. The misery slowly starts to dissapear from his daily life, because he finally found friends that loved and cared for him. However, as he begins to heal from past traumas (which are quite unclear to the reader for a while), he also faces a lot of emotional breakdowns and struggles with mental health. Overall the book is quite an emotional rollercoaster and touches on a lot of relatable topics such as self-discovery, love, loss, friendships, and in my opinion – how important it is to truly live in the moment. Towards the end of the story, one of Charlie’s most important realizations comes when he finds peace and understanding, which helps him heal from his past traumas. He finally seems to grasp the reason behind his story and the stories of everybody else and decides, it is best to focus on your own journey and life and stop getting lost in “what if” questions about the past.

So, I guess we are who we are for a lot of reasons. And maybe we’ll never know most of them. But even if we don’t have the power to choose where we came from, we can still choose where we go from there. We can still do things. And we try to feel okay about them. I think that if I ever have kids, and they are upset, I won’t tell them that people are starving in China or anything like that because it wouldn’t change the fact they were upset. And even if somebody else has it much worse, that doesn’t really change the fact that you have what you have. Good and bad. Just like what my sister said when I had been in the hospital for a while. She said that she was really worried about going to college, and considering what I was going through, she felt really dumb about it. But I don’t know why she would feel dumb. I’d be worried, too. And really, I don’t think I have it any better or worse than she does. I don’t know. It’s just different. Maybe it’s good to put things in perspective, but sometimes, I think that the only perspective is to really be there. Like Sam said. Because it’s okay to feel things. And be who you are about them. (p. 210-211)

This passage really stood out to me and I found myself thinking about its message for quite a while. Since it’s at the end of the story, Charlie finally acknowledges and learns that while our past shapes us, we still have the power to decide how we move forward. I completely agree with this. I believe that whatever happened in your past doesn’t define you, and that everybody is capable of growing past their traumas and experiences, into a new person. After struggling with his past traumas throughout his whole life, Charlie finally meets people that love him for who he is and he realizes that he’s so much more than what has happened to him. His mind doesn’t occupy itself with questions such as “What could’ve happened…?” or “What could I have done differently…?”, instead he’s focused on living in the moment and growing into the person he wants to become. He also realizes that pain and struggles are personal – just because someone else may have a “worse” situation doesn’t mean our own problems aren’t valid. On the contrary, even people in “better” situations might not be doing that much better. His sister feels guilty for worrying about colleges while Charlie is dealing with serious mental health issues, but Charlie reassures her that both struggles matter. Instead of dismissing feelings by comparing them to others, Charlie suggest that the best way to deal with emotions is to fully experience them. This seems to be the key message in the book: showing that personal growth comes from embracing your emotions rather than suppressing them.

Through Charlie’s journey, the novel reminds us that life is filled with both joy and hardship and the most important thing we can do is to be present, acknowledge our feelings and move forward in a way that feels right for us.

PW #5 Marathons

Today marks the beginning of the third week of my marathon training block. With just 15 weeks left until the Vancouver Marathon in May, the reality is starting to set in fully. These past few weeks I have been running and excercising every day and I don’t think I remember the last time, were I didn’t feel sore. The weeks have been filled with highs and lows: I can feel myself getting stronger and faster but at the same time I feel myself getting frustrated over the slow progress. There are days were I feel like I could run the marathon tomorrow and then there are days were even running the smallest distances feels impossible. Running has been a very important part of my life for a while now, but training for a full marathon is a whole new level of commitment to me.

Looking back, my running journey started in June of 2023 when I had set myself the goal of running 10km in September. The only way that I can describe those first few months is: painful. But apparently that didn’t scare me off enough, because right after finishing my first race, I signed up for the Prague Half Marathon in April. That winter and spring I spent countless hours on streets and trails, trying to get as much time on my feet as possible. In April I crushed the 21.1km with a new PB and it was one of the best days of my life. After that training block I decided to take some time off and just enjoy the beauty of running without any race pressure, but the goal of running a marathon was always in the back of my head. Before moving to Canada for a year, I subconsciously knew that I wanted to challenge myself. So after countless hours of thinking this whole project and seemigly unachievable goal over, I finally signed up for the Vancouver Marathon in May. I know that running a full marathon is an incredible achievement, so I’m trying to go into this experience open-minded and with a positive mindset (with the hopes of making it to the finish line!).

Personal Response – Brave New World

At first, I didn’t really like Brave New World. Honestly, I found it overly sexual and hard to connect with and I couldn’t quite understand why this was Huxleys idea of a “futuristic/dystopian society”. But as I kept reading, I started to see how much of it reflects issues and actual topics in our own society and I couldn’t help but unsee the parallels made. The characters in BNW keep talking about the problems and stress caused by interpersonal relationships and families and even though I don’t agree with this negative view (because I believe that family, friends and love are necessary), I do think that personal relations cause many problems (fights, domestic violence, divorce, etc.). So it got me thinking: What if everybody belonged to everybody and there was no such thing as relationships between people? Would our world be more peaceful or would we all feel lonely? What is it even that we crave from relationships and love? Is it the feeling of being loved or just lust? Sometimes I found myself confused and almost scared by the possibilities of a certain future that Huxley describes. Even though everything that happens in BNW is made up, I believe that there is some truth to it.

A passage that really stood out to me was Mustapha Mond’s speech to the Savage towards the end of the book. It honestly made me rethink my first impression of Brave New World and left me with a lot to think about. The plot twist, that “the most important” world leader in the story is a rebel and actually opposed to the governement, truly surprised me. I had thought that nobody in the new world (especially not the leader) would acknowledge or even study different types of literature, governments, religions, societies and science, because they were all illicit or simply forgotten. And this conversation connected the society of the World State, which seems incredibly dystopian, with our ‘normal’ world and society, which made me question the impossibility of a society like the World State. What if we actually aren’t that far from collapsing into such a regime?

Mond’s speech about giving up science, art and freedom for stability hit me hard. Especially because he talks about his love and passion for science, which he decided to give up for the good of the World State. That idea felt hearbreaking to me. Science is supposed to be about curiosity and pushing bounderies, but in the World State, it’s just another thing they control to keep everyone “safe”. It made me think about how much of our individuality and creativity we might already be sacrificing for the sake of comfort today. Aren’t we all already victims of it? As small kids we learn how to suppress our creativity and ideas in order to follow a set of rules and this carries on with us through our lives.

As I have mentioned, what surprised me the most was how much of what Mond said felt true, not just in the book’s dystopia but in real life. The World State prioritises happiness over freedom and while I don’t completely agree with that, I could see the parallels to our modern society. So many people, myself included, sometimes choose distractions – like scrolling through social media or binge-watchng shows – over dealing with uncomfortable truths or emotions. We will always choose momentary happiness over long-term comfort and freedom. It’s scary to think how easy it is to fall into a version of that shallow and controlled happiness.

 

PW #4 Winter break in the Alps

This winter break felt like a dream. Just four days after I had arrived back home in Switzerland, I was on my way to the Alps with my family. Sitting in the car, passing through snow covered villages in the mountains filled me with an immense sense of joy: this was a feeling I had been missing so deeply in Canada. Back in our cottage in the middle of Rueras (a tiny town in the middle of the Alps, with more cows then inhabitants), I put on my snow clothes, grabbed my snowboard and headed to the mountain without even unpacking my suitcase first. The feeling of snowboarding down the slopes for the first time after a whole year is (in my opinion) one of the best feelings in the world. After a couple of runs on the slopes, my brother and I decided to head to our favourite off-piste spot. Hidden behind the slopes on the top of the mountain, barely visible from the skilift is a steep crevice that we love to ski down. The snow was deep since it had been snowing for multiple days in a row now, so we effortlessly slid through it, all the way to the bottom of the mountain just to do it again. This is how we spent the next two weeks of winter break: wake up bright and early, head to the mountain, ski for a few hours, eat a traditional ‘Älplermagronen’ in the only restaurant in the resort, ski more, go home at 5pm and do it all again the following day. Even Christmas Eve was celebrated on the mountain with a celebratory fondue chinois and some night-skiing.

I honestly can’t imagine a better winter break and I am so happy that I was able to spend it back home in Switzerland with my family. I’m very glad to be back in Canada but I already miss the endless days spent in the Alps.

IRJE #2 The Bell Jar

Before the winter break, I found myself in a reading slump. I was struggling to find and pick up a book that interested me, and then I found a recommandation on the internet that moved me, so I decided to give it a try. Sylvia Plath’s The Bell Jar tells the story of Esther Greenwood, a young woman that moves to New York City in the 1960s after winning a presigious internship but finds herself struggling with her identity and mental health while feeling trapped by society’s expectations. Even though she seems to have everything – talent, opportunities and a promising future – she feels disconnected and lost. Esther struggles to ‘find herself and her identity’ and she feels society pressuring her, which all leads to her falling into a depression. Through Esther’s journey, Sylvia Plath leads us through themes of identity, mental health and societal expectations placed on women in the 1960s, which I find very interesting. One of the book’s most famous metaphors, the fig tree, illustrates Esther’s fear of making life-defining choices and their consequences.

I saw my life branching out before me like the green fig tree in the story.
From the tip of every branch, like a fat purple fig, a wonderful future beckoned and winked. One fig was a husband and a happy home and children and another fig was a famous poet and another fig was a brilliant professor, and another fig was Ee Gee, the amazing editor, and another fig was Europe and Africa and South America, and another fig was Constantin and Socrates and Attila and a pack of other lovers with queer names and offbeat professions, and another fig was an Olympic lady crew champion, and beyond and above these figs were many more figs I couldn’t quite make out.
I saw myself sitting in the crotch of this fig tree, starving to death, just because I couldn’t make up my mind which of the figs I would choose. I wanted each and every one of them, but choosing one meant losing all the rest, and, as I sat there, unable to decide, the figs began to wrinkle and go black, and, one by one, they plopped to the ground at my feet.

The fig tree metaphor really stuck with me because I believe that it perfectly captures and explains the fear of making decisions and the weight and responsibility of having so many options. Esther’s vision of the figs, each representing a different future is such a relatabe image, especially for anyone who feels pressured to make the ”right” choices. But what even are ”right” choices? I think that especially young people feel so overwhelmed by the amount of choices waiting to be made by them, that could completely alter their future. Me and many others find ourselves at the point in life where every day, we decide something which slightly changes our paths. There’s so much to do, see and explore and every single decision in our lives leads up to these moments. There is so much that I want to experience and do, but I know that I can’t and this thought paralyzes me. Sometimes this feeling of paralyzation drives me so far, that I end up undecided and see the opportunities ‘wither away’ infront of me. That is why I always like to remind myself of how important it is to make choices, even when they feel slightly daunting, rather then letting fear stop me entirely.

PW #3 Vorfreude

Going to an international school and being surrounded by people from such diverse backgrounds and cultures has made me realize how important and valuable languages are. Growing up, I never realized what a gift and privilege it was, to be able to communicate in such a variety of languages. I’m very grateful for my parents, to whom I owe my ability of speaking Czech. Being born in Switzerland meant that German immediately became my second language, helping me communicate with everybody on a daily basis. And while I must admit that German is definitely not my favourite language (considering my personal preference for French, Italian and English), mainly because of how complex it is, I still believe that it should be admired for it’s beauty. Its literature, poetry, and rich history reflect a depth of thought and emotion that deserves greater appreciation.

One of my favorite aspects of German is its ability to capture complex emotions in unique ways. A great example is the word Vorfreude. This word, which translates to the joyful anticipation of something yet to come, has no direct English equivalent. It perfectly describes the spark of excitement and happiness before an anticipated event. Vorfreude is something we all experience daily, whether it’s the thrill of planning a trip, the anticipation of a celebration, or the joy of knowing you’ll see a friend after a long day at school. Vorfreude can always be found in the simple moments.

The word ‘Vorfreude’ always reminds me to savor the build-up and not just focus on the outcome. These layers of excitement to ordinary moments have made me look for joy in the everyday.

Reflection on “The Moral Equivalent of War” & “Can real men live in a peaceful society?”

In ”The Moral Equivalent of War” William James talks about how humanity’s natural drive for aggression and bravery could be redirected into positive and productive activities rather than violence. He points out that traits like courage and discipline – which might often be associated with military and war- are still valuable, but that our society should find ways to encourage these qualities in peaceful ways. I agree with his statement because I believe that the army/military – as seen in our WW1 literature and poetry unit – encouraged a sense of belonging for many young men. The strong bonds and friendships might have been formed during unpleasant circumstances, but they still led to lifelong companionships. This feeling of collectivity was what many of the young soldiers felt they needed; feeling confused and lost after entering adulthood. I believe that these values, which the army represents, can be continued, by giving young men the chance to willingly enlist or serve in the army.

The essay  ”Can real men live in a peaceful society?” discusses how middle-class values in the 19th and early 20th centuries reshaped ideas about masculinity. Back then, instead of focusing on war and physical strength, men were expected to work regular jobs, provide for their families, and live quiet, stable lives. While this shift created a more peaceful society, some people felt it took away a sense of toughness and excitement, which led men to seek these qualities through sports or fitness. I believe that this image began shaping strong male stereotypes but at the same time began to spread negative female stereotypes and the image of a ”weak woman”.

Both of these essays made me rethink these male and female stereotypes/roles which have been around for a long time and how these concepts of ‘manhood’, ‘chivalry’ or ‘hyper-masculinity’ might have emerged and shaped our modern day society.

PW #2 ‘Carpe diem’

A few days ago, I decided to rewatch one of my all-time favorite movies: ‘The Dead Poets Society’ and rediscovered a quote that has stuck with me since. ‘Carpe diem’ which translates to ‘’seize the day’’, is a quote which plays an important role in the storyline and represents one of the main messages and central themes that the movie wants to deliver.

The Dead Poets Society is a story which follows a group of boys at a strict, elite boarding school, who, under the guidance of their ‘unorthodox’ English Teacher Mr. Keating, learn how to think for themselves. The phrase that Mr. Keating repeats throughout the movie ‘carpe diem’ had a big impact on me as well as the group of the boys in the movie. They began to learn how to break free from expectations, follow their true passions and most importantly, how to make the most of their lives. This made me think about my own life and how often I hesitate to take risks. Do I do what makes me happy or do I hold back because I’m scared? I strongly believe in ‘’living in the moment’’ even though it often gets lost or forgotten in the busyness and chaos of life. ‘Carpe diem’ or ‘living in the moment’ aren’t about being reckless but more about doing what makes you happy with confidence. I wish that more people could hear this and begin embracing each moment and memory they get to experience. Life is beautiful.

IRJE #1: ”Freedom to and freedom from”

In Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale, the story is set in the dystopian society of Gilead, a totalitarian regime that has overthrown the United States government. Gilead enforces strict social hierarchies and severely restricts women’s rights, reducing them to their one and only purpose: bearing children.  The protagonist, Offred, is a ‘Handmaid’ whose sole purpose is to bear children for the ruling class. Through her eyes, we witness the oppressive nature of the regime and how her mentality is slowly manipulated by the conservative views and laws. In one moment, Aunt Lydia speaks to the Handmaids, explaining Gilead’s view on freedom and control. Offred reflects on Aunt Lydia’s teachings about how society has shifted from one of dangerous choices to one of supposed safety.

I remember the rules, rules that were never spelled out but that every woman knew: don’t open your door to a stranger, even if he says he is the police. Make him slide his ID under the door. Don’t stop on the road to help a motorist pretending to be in trouble. Keep the locks on and keep going. If anyone whistles, don’t turn to look. Don’t go into a laundromat, by yourself, at night. (…)

Now we walk along the same street, in red pairs, and no man shouts obscenities at us, speaks to us, touches us. No one whistles. There is more than one kind of freedom, said Aunt Lydia. Freedom to and freedom from. In the days of anarchy, it was freedom to. Now you are being given freedom from. Don’t underrate it.  (p.27-28)

This quotation really stands out to me because it shows how Gilead twists the idea of freedom. Aunt Lydia’s words make it seem like the strict rules are for women’s protection, but they really take away their choices and freedom. She thinks that in the past the ”freedom to” act and make choices based on ones own interests/desires led to chaos and that the current ”freedom from” focuses on the absence of threats against women and makes everybody feel safe and protected. In ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’, Gilead promotes this ”freedom from” danger as a justification for its oppressive rules (trying to get rid of the ‘freedom to make personal choices’ mindset, that women used to have).

This passage highlights how the regime uses fear to control people, but they hide it behind a guise of supposed ‘safety’ and a strict set of laws which everybody has to follow. This passage really emphasizes the idea that when safety comes at the cost of freedom, it isn’t true safety at all.

Personal Reflection: WW1 Literature

Reading All Quiet on the Western Front and other excerpts from books written by WW1 soldiers has drastically changed my perspective about war and life on the front. I had never heard stories about war from the soldier’s perspective, which left me biased against them. How could they have ‘willingly’ enlisted? How were they capable of killing their enemies so cold-bloodedly? Were they truly fighting for their country and willing to die for it? After reading the stories written by soldiers, I understand what war was actually like. What stood out the most to me was the deep relationships and bonds formed between the soldiers. These bonds, formed under the worst possible circumstances, became essential for their survival, both mental and physical. Knowing that the person lying next to you in the trenches could one day save your life, created a sense of incredible trust and dependence.

This feeling of camaraderie really stood out to me in the excerpts from Barthas and Herbert, as well as in All Quiet on the Western Front. Despite the chaos and horror surrounding them, the soldiers looked out for one another. The connection wasn’t just about surviving together but also about the shared trauma and suffering and providing each other support in times of fear and pain.

In the paragraphs from Fear and Diary of a Dead Officer, the bonds formed were a way to find moments of humanity in an inhumane situation. These stories showed me that the soldiers weren’t just fighting for their country, they were also fighting for each other. The friendships and connections gave them the strength to endure the most horrible things a human could possibly endure and this completely changed my understanding of what war meant to those who lived through it. It was so much more then countries and governments fighting against each other, purely for territorial gain, fueled by hate. The soldiers weren’t just figures in a game, they were humans with lives and families that didn’t understand why they had to fight humans just like them.

 

 

PW #1 – My first month in Canada

Yesterday marked the end of my first month here at Brookes and I can confidently say that these past four weeks have been a rollercoaster of emotions and feelings for me. From the overwhelming feeling of homesickness and longing to go back home during the first few days, to the nervousness and excitement of the first week, to the constant feeling of happiness and joy.

I am happy because I’m able to fulfill my childhood dream of living in a foreign country during my teenage years. I am happy because I get to make unforgettable memories. I am happy because I get to meet amazing people from all over the world and form lifelong connections. I am happy because I’m stepping out of my comfort zone every day and challenging myself to grow and thrive towards becoming a better person.

Trips to downtown Victoria, visiting the sunflower fields, joining the volleyball team and playing my first game, going on walks in the forest, camping trips, going to the fair; these are just a few of the unforgettable memories I have made during my first month here. But even the simple things which I wouldn’t have considered as special back home, are memorable for me: constantly being surrounded by my friends and spending every waking minute together  (which I would’ve considered as quite tiring before coming here), visiting Walmart for the first time, walking through ‘the typical Canadian’ suburbs  (it’s just like in the movies), trying my first corndog and caramel apple, running to ‘save-on foods’ after school, just to name a few. Living here sometimes still feels so surreal to me.

I can confidently say that these past four weeks have been everything I have dreamt of and more, and it would be an understatement to say that I can’t wait for the rest of the year!

 

 

Introduction Emma

Hi, my name is Emma Hanek! I joined Brookes this summer as an exchange student and I’ll be staying until next June. I’m from Zurich, Switzerland, where I was born and have been living ever since. Both of my parents are originally from Czech Republic but moved to Switzerland 20 years ago due to work. So even though I’m 100% Czech, I feel very connected to Switzerland and consider myself Swiss. I also have a younger brother who I love and miss very much.

I love living in Switzerland, the nature is stunning! Me and my friends love to go hiking together or go swimming in the Zurich lake after school during summer.  Zurich also has a very vibrant food and art scene, so I visit a lot of galleries and museums during my free time.

Otherwise I do kickboxing three times a week, take piano lessons twice a week, singing lessons and when I have some spare time left I love to go on runs! I fell in love with running two years ago and have improved so much since then! I ran my first half marathon this April in Prague with both of my parents and I loved it. Even though I mostly run on the streets of Zurich, I enjoy trail running much more. Running in the mountains is such an indescribable feeling! After climbing several hundred meters in altitude, you are always rewarded with running back to the valley and sometimes when the trail is very steep and you’ve lost all control over your legs because you’re running so fast, it feels like you’re flying!

Otherwise I also enjoy baking, cooking, reading, watching movies and hanging out with my friends. During winter, me and my family spend every weekend in our cabin in the Alps and we go skiing, snowboarding and cross-country skiing, it’s my favourite time of the year. I’m looking forward to going snowboarding here in Canada!

Doing an exchange year has been my dream since I was 7 and being here is still such a surreal feeling to me. The past few weeks have been the craziest mixture of happiness, nervousness, excitement and a lot of bittersweet homesickness. But I’m extremely grateful to be here at Brookes and I’m very excited to spend this year on Vancouver Island!

xx Emma H.