NJC Student Blog

I know many students at the school had strong emotions with regards to the recent election in Canada, myself included, but if we take a step back and look at our nation's politics, we can see that we have it pretty easy. While in Nepal, we learnt from our walking encyclopedia, aka Kishour, about Nepal's troubled political history. From the murder of kings to Maoist revolutionary groups and massive riots, Nepal has seen it all as far as political instability goes. While we are worrying about Harper, the Nepali people are concerned that their new government might not even last the year. I could go into detail about the situation, but I think one would need to write a book to fully explain the state of Nepali politics. On top of all this, Nepal has one of the most corrupt governments in the world. So while we worry about the way our tax dollars are going to be spent by the government, the people of Nepal wonder if their taxes will be spent on new cars for government officials.

This is not to say that Canadian politics are unimportant; in fact, it is primordial for us to know and think about what is happening in our own country. The problem is over-dramatization. We have a tendency to think that our problems are a matter of life and death, while most of the time they are not. Furthermore, other than to make a big fuss out of the issue, we have the privilege of being able to express our opinions directly to our MP, and through a number of other ways as well.

This being said going to Nepal made me realize just how fortunate we are to live in Canada.

By Bill D.

I think that this election had an outcome that was originally unexpected by most, perhaps not as far as the Conservative majority, but because of the NDP opposition. Never before have we seen the nation so polarized. I think part of the reason for this is the awful campaign run by the Liberals and their leader and the Bloc Québecois. Compared to the NDP and the Conservatives, who showed the voters solutions for our problems, these parties focused on attacking the other parties. This resulted in making them seem hostile. In the popularity contests that are our elections, public image is crucial, and these leaders, particularly Ignatieff, failed in this aspect. And now that we have a majority we can expect to see more movement in Parliament, starting with Harper's budget.

I think Canadian voters had a little too much to drink on the Election Day. The election was definitely not the expected outcome for four of the running parties, the Conservatives, Liberals, NDPs, and Bloc. Not only did the Conservative party win a majority even when the non-confidence vote was called to get Harper out of power, the NDP trumped the Liberals with the Liberal party receiving less votes than their predicted number for a worst possible outcome. The Bloc party was rejected by Quebec and due to their poor results, the head of the party resigned his post.

For the past decade, crime rates have been falling but somehow Harper seems to think that doubling prison spending, $5 billion more annually, is a good way to spend taxpayers' money. An even better idea of spending citizens' money, the purchase of 65 fighter jets is flushing $29 billion dollars down the toilet. Harper tried to deregulate the banking system in Canada; because this motion was rejected, Canada's banks remained under closer scrutiny so that Canada remained one the stronger economies during the recession. Now with Harper holding a majority, he is now able to control everything that does and does not go through which may jeopardize Canada’s current strength and reputation. Harper manipulated voters by creating a platform based on attacking the opposing party.

In reading this, please know that I am a Conservative, just anti-Harper.

NJC Politics student

It is unreal to me that in 48 hours I will be on a plane to Nepal. The past six months have been an adventure, one I never thought I would have the chance to experience before I came to Neuchatel, and the culmination of all our work has never felt more real than in this moment. Finally after all the blood, sweat and tears of fundraising and preparation, we’re actually going.

It’s weird to pack a duffel with the idea that this is the only physical piece of your home and your past that you will have to hang on to for the next three weeks––an eternity when you’re seventeen. What if I forget something vital and perish in the unforgiving himalayas? What if I pack too much and that extra bit of weight makes me faint off the edge of a cliff? And what if every other kid on the trek is breezing by while I pant and crawl at the back of the line? (It’s hard not to think in worst-case scenarios when you’ve never even really been camping in the traditional sense for more than one night in your backyard.)

Nonetheless, I'm incredibly excited. The idea of such a long trek is daunting and invigorating at once. After a year of constantly challenging and developing our minds, we have to put our textbooks away and stretch muscles we may not have used in a while––our cultural identity, our personal conviction, our ability to deal with the same fifteen people for three weeks of a challenging environment––not to mention our physical stamina. We are on the precipice of a trip that will stretch every level of our experience and capabilities as young adults, as athletes and as contributing citizens of the world.

I’m thrilled that I’ll be able see how each of us will change and grow as a result of this experience. Even now, sitting in my pension cramming for that last bit of schoolwork between now and the plane ride, I am counting down the hours.

We, a group of 15 students, are the Nepal-Trekking Team of 2011. Over the past five months we have dedicated ourselves to preparing for the epic journey we’ll embark on in April. Preparation, among other things, has included fundraising, planning, and fitness. We’ve pledged to raise 40 000CHF to purchase and install LED lights into the homes of poor villages. So far, we’ve almost raised 30 000CHF. Our fundraising has included a school-based “Pie-A-Teacher-Day;” a stand in the local market; selling water bottles donated from SIGG; and contacting corporations, family, and friends for donations.

We will do the installation ourselves, hiking through Nepal for 12 days. We will also spend three days at SMD School in Kathmandu, integrating ourselves into the senior class and associating ourselves with the students there. Three of the SMD students will actually join us on the trek!

We are getting ready for the trip and can barely contain our excitement! Over the next couple weeks, we’ll be working on our fitness, having a mock-packing day, and continuing our weekly meetings to discuss further fundraising.