We started our day today by visiting the Center of Public Health at the University of Iceland. We heard from three speakers. The first speaker taught us about her study on how the trauma faced by women in Iceland throughout their lives affects not only their mental health but their physical health as well. The second speaker taught us about the prevalence of c-sections across the world and how Iceland has a low c-section rate and a low maternal and infant mortality rate. Studies suggest that there is a strong correlation between these two factors. Our last speaker taught us about prenatal care and her study on group prenatal care.

Later in the afternoon we visited the Landspitali hospital. We heard from the educational director of the hospital who taught us about the Icelandic healthcare and wealth fare system. It was very interesting to compare not only the US and Iceland but also Canada and Iceland. Our second speaker was the head midwife for the hospital who shared further details about Iceland’s maternal healthcare. One interesting fact is that Iceland is one of the three safest countries to have a baby in because the infant mortality is 1 in 1,000.

Today we had our first full (and rested) day in Iceland. While I could share so many pretty pictures of the city (visit the photo page of my blog), here is a local cuisine that I was able to try. We started the day with a tour of the city. One sight that was particularly interesting was the old city jail, and by old, I mean used until 2016. This city jail only held around twelve people, so Iceland has a waiting list for people going to jail. This fact also reflects the crime rate because there are not many serious crimes in Iceland, so those who were arrested and are awaiting jail time are not immediate threats. The most common crime is tax fraud. We ended the tour at the hot dog stand. Our tour guide suggested that we try the hot dog with everything which includes ketchup, Icelandic mustard, a mayonnaise sauce, fried onions, and cooked onions. The hot dog is also made out of lamb as well as some pork and beef. Some people were skeptical of this fish, but I really enjoyed it.

After our full day, we went to the bonus store where I found these special treats. Milka Oreo bars are now sold in the US, but these two flavors can only be found in Europe. The first time I tried these chocolate bars was when I was on a mission trip in Budapest, Hungary. These chocolate bars remind me of friendship and laughter. Last night I was able to enjoy these chocolate bars with the company of new friends. We stayed up late taking, laughing, and enjoying this chocolate. One thing that I have learned about Iceland is how deceiving the sun is. We ended up staying awake until 1:30 am talking, but we didn’t even notice because the sun had just set yet it still looked bright outside.

Greetings from Iceland! Last night (or this morning?) we flew from Montreal to Reykjavík. The picture above shows our IcelandAir plane which we were thankful to walk off of into the cool air after the five hour flight. After the forty-five minute drive from the airport, we arrived at the hotel at 7 am, and thankfully our rooms were ready, so we were able to take a quick nap. It is kind of surreal to think that we are finally here. Due to the jet lag, today is just a rest day, so we haven’t seen many sights yet, but I can’t wait to share everything that we get to see!

This second photograph shows the sign leading from the gates to customs. I don’t think that the reality of being in Iceland really started to set in until I saw “Exit to Iceland” meaning when we walked outside of the airport we would be in Iceland. I am so excited to explore tomorrow after hopefully getting a great night of sleep!

Today is our last day in Canada. We leave tonight on an 8:30 pm flight to Iceland. To say that our whole group is very expectant is an understatement. However, since our flight does not leave until tonight, we have had the majority of our day to explore. This morning I went to brunch with Jordan and Mary Clair at Tommy, a delicious brunch spot in the Old Port area of Montreal. I first ordered a lavender matcha latte pictured above. Brunch was a great time to debrief and wrap our heads around the fact that we’d soon be flying to Iceland.

I then ordered this scrumptious waffle sandwich which did not disappoint. We spent the rest of this afternoon wandering around Old Port and preparing ourselves mentally for our next adventure. Overall, Canada has been a great place to learn and has provided us with a unique opportunity to compare a country so near to our own that still has many differences. However, I would be lying if I said we are not all ready to fly to Iceland tonight. We are all very excited to explore such a new and different place. Until Iceland!

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.

Today we visited McGill University to meet with a women working in the Center on Population Dynamics. She is a professor who has been studying how stereotypes and patient/provider relationships affect the care that indigenous women receive when pregnant. Something that I did not realize is that indigenous women have to travel from their villages to larger cities such as Montreal to receive medical care for pregnancies if there is no hospital in their village, which is very common, or if they have a high risk pregnancy. Since many indigenous people live in remote villages, they must fly to the larger cities which costs thousands of dollars and is thankfully covered by Canada’s health care. However, the women are usually alone in a new and different city because their families can not afford to pay for someone to accompany the woman. After our visit, we ate some famous Montreal bagels at the Montreal Central Station. The photograph above shows the stunning lobby of the station.

After eating lunch, we headed to the Montreal Archaeology and History Museum where we learned about the history of Montreal based on the remains of architecture and archaeological findings. The photograph above shows the remains of a bowl found underneath the city. The museum provided a good overview of the history of Montreal as well as of Canada and provided answers to many questions I had about Montreal and the Quebec province about things such as the language, the settler history, and the indigenous population.

Today we had the opportunity to visit with one of the two staff members from Coalition des Families. Coalition des Families is an organization in Montreal that advocated for diverse families as well as diverse populations. Some of this work is done in local schools which was of particular interest to me. The topic reminded me of my course work in Children’s Literature where we talked about how teachers can incorporate children’s literature into the classroom to teach students about social issues. The above picture is of a book used by Coalition des Families to teach students about gender roles. I think that literature is a very effective way to introduce social issues such as homelessness and diverse families to students and to start a conversation especially at a younger age.

When we were leaving Coalition des Families, we asked our speaker the one thing she recommended we do while in Montreal. She recommended Marché Jean-Talon, so we decided to venture there for lunch. While there, I was able to browse through all the food vendors as well as produce and flower vendors. The fruit vendors even offered free samples. I would be happy to share which vendor had the best cherries because I of course had to try them all. For lunch I had a Colombian arepa which was so very delicious. The photograph above shows one of the vendors from a local farm. This particular vendor did not offer samples, but the produce was too green and fresh to not photograph.

Yesterday we made the three hour trip from Quebec City to Montreal, and this morning we were able to explore our new home for the next five days. While our bus driver showed us many parts of Montreal, my favorite was the view of Montreal as a whole. During the middle of our tour, our bus driver took us to Parc du Mont-Royal. Parc du Mont-Royal is about 765 feet above the city and offers a wide expanse of green space inside the city. The best part of Parc du Mont-Royal is the platform that overlooks the city. The picture above was taken on this platform in the Parc du Mont-Royal and shows the amazing view. I love this view because we were able to see all the pieces of where we had just driven come together. A fun fact about where we are is that we are a forty-five minute drive from New York and an hour and a half drive from Vermont. However, it seems like we are in a completely different world and nowhere near the United States.

Our last stop was at the Notre-Dame Basilica of Montreal. One thing that I learned is that Notre-Dame means “our lady” and is used when parishioners wish to dedicate their church to the Virgin Mary. This is why so many churches are named Notre-Dame. I learned that to build this cathedral took many versions as well as many years. However, I think that the final version is unbelievable. This photograph shows the altar area of the basilica. The detail and decor of the basilica is stunning, and much work went into it. Construction began in 1824, and the entirety of the building was not complete until 1880.

Today we road the bus as a group to the Quebec parliament. On the bus, we were able to travel as locals and experience more how locals live. This photograph shows parliament from the front. When we arrived at parliament, we walked all around the building to see it from every angle, and it was both ornate and simple. It was ornate in that the building has so much detail, but it was also located in the city in such a way that it blends in with the surrounding architecture and does not overpower it. Due to construction and scheduling, we were not able to take a tour, but even seeing the new landscaping being planted was exciting because all of the gorgeous spring flowers were being planted.

We were not able to take a tour of parliament, but we were able to take in the surrounding sights. One sight that we were able to see just out front of parliament was the foundation. The beautiful fountain in this picture is called Le Fontaine de Tourny. After doing some research, I found that this fountain was designed in France in 1853 and even appeared at the Paris World’s Fair in 1855. After many years and many owners, department store owner Peter Simons bought the fountain from an antique dealer and had it restored by a Parisian specialist. Peter Simons gifted the fountain to Quebec City for its 400th anniversary. I love this fountain because it reminds me of TCU. The first reason is the tulips surrounding the fountain that are infamous at TCU, and the second reason is the frogs in the fountain (go frogs!).

Today we learned to be adventurers. Since today was our day off, we decided to search the internet for must-dos in Quebec City. One that seemed to appear over and over again was the Montmorency Falls. After doing some research, we found that the falls were only a ten minute drive from our hotel. This is where the adventure began. Our uber dropped us off near the top of the falls where, after a short walk and a few stairs, we reached the suspension bridge. Since our day was about adventure, I tried to keep my knees from shaking as I stared over an 83 meter (or 272 feet) drop which for reference is 30 meters (or 99 feet) greater than Niagara Falls. After crossing the suspension bridge, we took stairs down to the base of the waterfall where we were overwhelmed with the mist of the waterfall. In this photograph, Jordan, Mary Clair, and I are standing at the base of the falls where we decided that we might as well get the full experience of being right next to the waterfall no matter how wet it made us.

After going to the falls and drying off at the hotel, we made our way back into Quebec City where we shopped, ate lunch, and visited some more sights. One in particular that we were able to visit was Cathedral-Basilica of Notre-Dame de Quebec. The picture above shows the front of the cathedral after the completion of a mass service today. I learned that this church is actually the oldest church in Canada having been built in 1647. However, the cathedral has caught fire twice in its history, so many features of the church have since changed. The cathedral was originally built on this site to incorporate the chapel constructed by Samuel de Champlain in 1633. When walking around old Quebec City, the bells of the cathedral clearly rang across the streets. The church is a staple of the community religiously as well as a central piece of architecture.