The year 2011 represented an incredibly humbling experience where failures outnumbered success for Joshua Hamlet, 24, a Commonwealth Correspondent from Trinidad & Tobago. In spite of that, he says Semester at Sea became his journey of belief, and of understanding the quiet whisper of courage in an orchestra of doubt. I want to share my …

“It was the moment I ceased dreaming and began living the dream” Read More »

 Beneath the social unrest of Kashmir lies a paradise, writes Geetha Kanniah, 17, a Correspondent from Malaysia. She describes her visit to Kashmir and how the experience changed her view of the country.  “Kashmir is the boon of contention,” said Iqbal, my ski instructor, a local Kashmiri who learned English from tourists who once thronged …

“Although there is rivalry and fear, Kashmir still remains pure.” Read More »

Indulging in a five-day festival gave Madusha Erandi, 22, a Commonwealth Correspondent from Sri Lanka, new understanding and appreciation of a neighbouring culture. A five-day long event gave me an immense amount of experience and knowledge about Indian society and culture. It happened when I participated in the South Asian Universities Festival, or SAUFEST, as …

"University festival highlights South Asian cultures" Read More »

Food brings comfort, and comfort foods have strong connection to personal history. Shastri Sookdeo, 27, a Correspondent from Trinidad now living in Amsterdam, describes his favourite comfort food and its links to his travels. Food is usually linked to memory. This isn’t an original idea and to many people the food that I’ve chosen is …

“In praise of comfort food – in praise of dosa” Read More »

To many, Wembly means a sports stadium used for the highest level of competition. But Shastri Sookdeo, 27, a Correspondent from Trinidad now living in Amsterdam, learned it is also a vibrant and diverse community, rich in food choices and cultural co-existence. “We’re going to Wembley” is a phrase commonly sung at English football matches during …

“Wembley is a community as well as a stadium” Read More »

Rome is a cliche, but in a good way, writes Shastri Sookdeo, 27, a Commonwealth Correspondent from Trinidad now living in Amsterdam. He has praise for the city’s food, architecture and sense of life. Rome is a cliché. Usually that isn’t a good thing, but when the cliché is that a city is cool, full …

“Rome deserves cliche status – in the positive” Read More »

Pack your bags, get ready to go. Shastri Sookdeo, 28, a Commonwealth Correspondent from Trinidad now living in Amsterdam, takes you on a culinary journey to explore the best elements that Swiss cuisine has to offer.   Rösti is considered to be the national dish of Switzerland. It’s a dish which has a lot of similarities …

“Come and explore Switzerland through food” Read More »