Today we had a chance to visit with two women at Women Aware, a non-profit in Montreal supporting those who have experienced abuse and advocating to prevent abuse. Many people do not realize the many forms of abuse that are not merely physical, abuse that may begin at a young age. The women explained to us how abuse is cyclical so many children who grow up with a parent who abuses their spouse will more likely be in an abusive relationship themselves. It was interesting to learn from these women how they work with schools to raise awareness and start a discussion about abuse to end this cycle. Women Aware was one of the first non-profit organization in Canada to support women after the limited six to eight week window that they are a part of social services, a time that is nowhere near sufficient in healing both the physical and emotional wounds of abuse.

On a happier note, the two pictures on this blog post are based on the Canadian cuisine that we were able to try after leaving Women Aware. Poutine is a Canadian dish of French fries, gravy, and cheese curds. I was very skeptical about the dish, but I ended up really enjoying it. Pictured above is the basic Poutine that I ordered, but some people in my group ordered some of the more extravagant poutines as shown on the menu or created a build-your-own poutine.