On Sunday of last week, I travelled to Ottawa to attend a roundtable discussion.
I was invited by the Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada (DFAIT) to participate in a roundtable for students from the CARICOM countries currently on GSEP or CUSEP program in Canada, representatives from your High Commissions or Embassies in Ottawa and representatives from DFAIT. The goal of the roundtable was to discuss the scholarship program, consider other education initiatives in place with the Caribbean, and explore opportunities for collaboration between Canadian and Caribbean institutions. The roundtable was organized on behalf of DFAIT by the Canadian Bureau for International Education (CBIE).
Ottawa is also the capital city of Canada and it is where Parliament House is located and the Prime Minister of Canada resides.
Our rooms were booked and ready for our arrival. On Sunday afternoon, other Caribbean students and my fellow Bahamian companions arranged to mee in the lobby. The purpose of it was to give us the opportunity to get to know one another. To me, it was nice to see Caribbean students-felt like family was in the midst.
The roundtable discussion was the following day. We were placed in groups, where we all gave our input on ways to improve the exchange programme that will help it to develop between Canada and the Caribbean countries. Present at the event were High Commissions and representatives for High Commissions of different Caribbean countries. I also met the High Commission for The Bahamas- Mr. Michael Smith. Representatives of Host Canadian Universities and the DFAIT International Scholarships team at CBIE were present as well.
After, one of the coordinators, Brian Molerio took the us(Caribbean students) on a tour of Ottawa. Amazing things were every where, such as statutes, House of Parliament, great ancient buildings. Everyine had a camera and cameras were snapping by the second. It was a blast!
We (Caribbean students) all will like to go again.
The trip was a very productive, yet a fun experience for everyone. It was my first trip to Ottawa and will sure not be my last one.
In other news, I have my final exams this upcoming week and the week after. Therefore I’m in the process of studying.
Until next time, this has been words from Shavado
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