Christmas in Sarnia

The Vandenboom-Laird-Nolle family was reunited again in Sarnia to celebrate Christmas together in the new house of Marcy and Joe. They did an amazing job building this new house together and their three sons Spencer (18), Parker (17) and Wil (14) did a lot of work with their Dad to make it happen.

Carly and Mark were there for two nights from Toronto together with Hilary and Shayd who came over from Vancouver for a few days. We brought Opa Vandenboom from Fonthill.

Fiona, Sue and Ralph completed the party. We ate some good food, played a few games and went for walks; we read poems to each other we all had prepared in advance with some presents (poking fun at each other through the poems a bit) and unpacked presents. A few nice days to close of 2019.

Hilary visiting

Last night I picked up Hilary at the Toronto airport when she arrived for a week at home. She has a few weeks break from her work in Vancouver; so nice to catch up in person with her!! Shayd will follow on Friday and we will all go to Sarnia for the annual Christmas get-together. Hilary and Shayd fly back to Vancouver again on Christmas Day (cheaper flights....).

Seneca International action

Today another MOU signing with an excellent university in Korea. Their first agreement in Canada; for Seneca the 6th of such partnerships in Korea. The signing is relatively easy; the hard work afterwards follows to make the good intention and plans a reality.

Winter wonderland

After a day of icy rain + a night of light snowfall; December 3, 2019 in Fonthill....

Opa Vandenboom

Opa Vandenboom is happy living in Fonthill now so close to Sue, Ralph & Fiona, as well Mary and me. We all spend time with him and play many evenings "Rummikub". Last Saturday I took him for a few hours to the Seaway Mall where we walked around, had a coffee, did some "people watching" and talked a lot about the past.

First snow in late 2019

We woke up this morning to a white world. The first snow of the next winter season. November 7. The roads where I stay during my nights in Toronto were pretty (but cold.....). Are we ready?

International Education in the Americas

In Bogota this year a bi-annual conference on the internationalization of higher education is hosted and we use this as a good networking event with fellow educators from the region.

This afternoon we had several meetings with Canadian Trade Commissioners with the education portfolio based in Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Chile, Brazil, Panama, Mexico and Jamaica.

Colombia once again

Once more a (this time very short) visit to Colombia. I flew via Panama City with COPA Airlines to Cartagena where I was the guest for two nights of Derek and Carolina. Derek is a graduate from Niagara College with whom I stayed in touch over the years. He was in Bogota when I was there as well in 2013, trying his luck in this country. He did find luck in a variety of ways including marrying Carolina, a captain on the A320 planes of the national airline AVIANCA. They live right next to the airport in Cartagena with a nice view over the Atlantic Ocean.

Derek and I enjoyed a wonderful local fish lunch near his condo building (while Carolina was flying) and afterwards we walked around in the old city of Cartagena; sweet memories....

The ocean was very quiet and offered us a beautiful sunset in a bar on the old city wall where I have been watching several such sunsets during 2013. Also Mary and I enjoyed that together during one her visits to Colombia that year. The place was packed this time...

The old city is always such a delight to see with its traditional streets and houses. They should make the old city even more "car free" to have the visitors enjoy it even more.

And today - after the short stay in Cartagena - on again to the colder and rainy climate of Bogota for three days of meetings to introduce one of the new team members of Seneca International who will arrive her tonight. Tomorrow starting with a meeting at SENA where I worked all year in 2013.

Conference on developments in Africa

The past two days a few of us attended a small conference on economic developments in Africa and specifically in Nigeria. Several Canadian-Africa and Canadian-Nigeria business associations were the organizers of the conference hosted in the Radisson Hotel along the lake shore in downtown Toronto.

Last night the city lights were cool to see again + the moon over Lake Ontario was beautiful.....

There were interesting presentations from the Africa Development Bank and several business associations as well as the Nigerian and Canadian governments. During the afternoon discussion groups were organized around several industry sectors including the education & training sector.

MSF .... 30 years later

Tonight I helped out the MSF Canada fundraising team during an event for regular and larger donors to the organization. It is now 31 years ago that I started working for them in November 1988.... The world in which the current staff members - some 42,000 around the world - work in is more complex.

One of the auditoriums at the University of Toronto was well filled with interested donors who came to listen to several current experts of MSF on the topic of how global warming is already impacting global security and health. One of the speakers talked about water and sanitation. After field work he now is a researcher at York University in the team led by our friend James Orbinski, who was one of the former International Presidents of the MSF movement (he gave the acceptance speech on behalf of MSF in Norway when we were awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1999).

Amsterdam........again

Our friend Age in Amsterdam became "Opa" (grandfather) a year and half ago. His son Marnix (who grew up and was educated in the US) and his wife and son live & work in Amsterdam at the moment. That means Age & Lea get to take care of the little Hank every now and then. Today was one of those days. In fact the first two days in a row including a night sleep over. Little Hank is a spitting image of his Dad Marnix who I saw several times during his first 5-6 years....

Of course :Oma" Lea keeps a close eye on all of the "taking care off".... Once Hank left again with his parents, Age & Lea took me out for a few hours on their boat along the beautiful canals of the city of Amsterdam. One can never get enough of that....

We pulled for a while a stranded little boat full of students. Oh to be young......

We passed on one of the canals the house where I lived from 1984 to 1988....

Another short but good fun 22 hours in my dear old Amsterdam....