- Home
- 1st Phase - La Pocatiere
- Orientation Camp
- *Counterpart Selection
- New Community
- Orientation in La Pocatiere
- *Our life in La Pocatiere
- Departure
- 2nd Phase - Karadje
- *Our life in Karadje
- EADs in Karadje
- Market Day!!!
- Activities in Karadje
- Wildlife in Karadje
- Our Community in Karadje
- Mi-phase in Mali
- Closing time
- So long...
Anne and Adiata
Anne and Adiata
Anne and Adiata lived with a big family on a dairy farm. Their family had five kids! They were always busy and they had lots of fun being with all those children. We held a get together at their farm for Sedio’s birthday and that was really great. We even got to go skating and many of the Maliens tried out skating for the first time. It was a really fun night where many of the different host families were able to talk and connect as well as our entire group. I would describe Anne as patient, determined, hardworking, tough, and understanding. I would describe Adiata as reserved, proud, obedient, hardworking, and independent. I also worked with Anne closely because we both were taking a course that gave us academic credit for our CWY experience.
Sedio and Philip
Sedio and Philip
We had a really great and unique experience of having almost two host families in La Pocatiere. We got along well together and we had lots of fun while in Quebec. Our situation changed when we got to Mali, but that was mostly my fault due to culture shock. Sedio worked in his village as a teacher. He obtained his degree in Bamako, and he was responsible for organizing many things in the village. Such as a local youth organization, animal sharing program, and several other projects. He worked very hard all the time and he had a great sense of humour. I also worked very hard, but I had trouble in Mali due to problems learning the language and not spending enough time with my host family and counterpart. I would describe Sedio as a joker, dedicated, hardworking, reserved, and thoughtful.
Julia and Rose
Julia and Rose
I would describe Julia as independent, artistic, loud, honest, and empathetic. I would describe Rose as emotional, expressive, stubborn, proud, and opinionated. Julia finished a degree at the university of Victoria. Rose is from the region of Mopti in Mali. She came to the program to improve her French and her public speaking skills. Rose was one of the more fiery members of our group in terms of opinions and emotions. Julia and Rose held large scale art projects on the farm of their host family in La Pocatiere. It was pretty cool to see their land art projects.
Boubacar and Scott
Boubacar and Scott
I would describe Boubacar as athletic, easygoing, confident, independent, and relaxed. I would describe Scott as introspective, thoughtful, creative, quirky, and empathetic. Scott studied English literature at Trent university. He is an enthusiastic cyclist and music aficionado. He held a very intimate and enthusiastic poetry night in Karadje. He was one of the quieter and self-reflective members of our group, but he always had a big smile and big heart for everyone in the group. Boubacar is an awesome football player. He is a great presenter and public speaker as well. He was born and raised in Bamako, and he has a cool swagger that is associated with coming from Bamako.
Isabelle and Mme. Assan
Isabelle and Mme. Assan
I would describe Isabelle as independent, passionate, strong, confident, and emotional. I would describe Mme. Assan as proud, strong, determined, dedicated, and independent. Our supervisors put forth a tremendous effort in both La Pocatiere and Karadje. They made sure that our health was looked after and that our relationship problems were attended to. They had their own problems that they worked through. It doesn’t matter if you are a supervisor, participant, or anyone else. A counterpart relationship is an amazing gift and challenge. It isn’t always easy, but it can be profoundly rewarding.
Alexandra and Fanta
Alexandra and Fanta
I would describe Alexandra as opinionated, independent, confident, stubborn, and self-reflective. Alexandra came to our group after completing a double degree in Physics and Mathematics from McGill university. She speaks French very well and was fearless when it came to presenting her ideas and questions. She never hesitated to question decisions or pose questions that she did not know the answer to. She is quick and a bit stubborn, but her arrival brought a missing piece back to the group since Samantha’s departure. Fanta was very happy to have a counterpart for the remainder of the exchange.