Paris Farquharson's Story
Category:
Study abroad student
Country:
Grenada
I am extremely grateful that I got the opportunity to be a part of the CELPS 2025 international program. This experience gave me the opportunity to explore places and perspectives I never imagined, and I am so blessed for that. As someone who identifies as African Nova Scotian and Jamaican, my time in Grenada really showed me the Caribbean roots and culture that I’ve been told about by my father. Experiencing the culture firsthand was both eye-opening and deeply personal, making this journey unforgettable.
Surprisingly, Grenada shares some similarities with Canada, but there are also noticeable differences. Both Grenada and Canada were colonized by the British, but Grenada was also colonized by the French at one point. Just like African Nova Scotians, Grenadians also have ancestral ties tracing back to Sierra Leone. Another thing that's similar is that some Grenadians have the same last name popular within the African Nova Scotian community, such as Williams.
Some differences that I noticed that in the architecture. Grenadian houses are typically built with concrete, have flat roofs, and are painted in bright colours, whereas the houses in Canada are more modern, and the roofs are not flat, which suits the colder climate. Another thing that is different is that you will casually see chickens, goats, and dogs roaming around people's yards or in town, which is something completely normal in Grenada, whereas in Nova Scotia you wouldn’t see this unless you’re on a farm. One of my favourite differences was that their food is fresher and tastes a lot better compared to Nova Scotia. This is probably because most of their food comes directly from local farms and is naturally grown.
Overall, I would say that I gained more professional and cultural skills by participating in this program. I got to learn and observe Grenada’s culture and relate it back to what I learned as a Business Administration student. On the first day, the CELPS group went to TAMCC to present to their students the African Nova Scotian communities, history and information about NSCC. In return, the TAMCC students gave us a presentation about their history, their culture and information about their school. This experience allowed me to apply my learning about giving a proper presentation, and my learning about giving a proper presentation to use and was good practice in my future career.
Another thing that I noticed was that a lot of businesses are locally owned business all around the island of Grenada and I think the people of Grenada value and respect them a lot. On our first day, we walked to noticed that some shops looked like they could be easily broken into. There was also no security around in these dark halls so that makes me believe that the people of Grenada truly value the business around them.
Participating in this program has had a huge impact on me, both personally and professionally. As I said before, this international learning experience gave me the chance to learn about Grenadian and Caribbean culture while also gaining a deeper understanding of Caribbean islands in general. I noticed many similarities between Jamacia and Grenada, such as beautiful Carnival celebrations, flavours of food, and even the way the land and houses look. Even though I’ve never been to Jamacia, I truly felt like I was at home. This trip has also changed me professionally as well. As said before, I was required to do public speaking. Public speaking will be an important part of my professional life, and I will need to do it at some point in my career after college.