HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Times Advocate, 2005-08-24, Page 14Crossroads
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Wednesday, Aug. 24, 2005
Exeter Times Advocate
Witnessing history on simmer vacation
By Pat Bolen
TIMES -ADVOCATE STAFF
LONDON — "As soon as
we saw the police, we
realized this is one of the
few times it's actually
happened."
Two South Huron
District High School
(SHDHS) students
received more than their
Grade 11 English credits
this summer in England,
when they were only a
few blocks away in
London July 7 when ter-
rorist explosions ripped
apart subway cars and a
bus.
Brent Johns and Justin
Buchanan of Exeter were
taking part in the Celtic
Experience program,
which sends students to
the United Kingdom to
study and receive credits
in various subjects.
"It's to see what Europe
has to offer and get your
schooling," said Brent.
It was the first time in
England for Brent, who
found out through the
guidance office at SHDHS
about the program, which
is run through the
Toronto District School
Board.
The two arrived in
England July 4 and
returned to Canada Aug.
1, but had their stay in
London cut short by the
attacks when the students
were moved to Oxford
University.
Brent said they were in
Imperial College resi-
dence at the time of the
explosions, the closest of
which was four blocks
away.
"We had to cross the
street to go to dinner, and
you could see the police
all over the streets. They
were telling everyone to
get back to their house...it
was really high security."
While most of the stu-
dents on the course were
from Ontario, there were
two from New York City,
who Johns said "seemed
a lot more calm than the
rest of us."
Back in Exeter, after
hearing of the attacks
early in the morning,
Brents' parents Helen and
Larry spent the morning
trying to find out if Brent
was alright.
With phone lines in
England jammed and the
cell phone network shut
down, it was a "very
stressful morning,"
according to Larry, until
11 a.m when they
received a phone call
from program leaders in
England saying all the
students were accounted
for.
Brent said "it was a
scary morning... but they
handled it quite well, The
people who ran it made
sure everyone was ok and
their parents were being
notified.
"The British people
were scared, they were
surprised it could happen
to them," said Brent.
For the next few days,
he said they stayed inside
with the city locked down.
On the weekend follow-
ing the attack, the stu-
dents were moved to
Oxford where Brent
attended a Harry Potter
premiere as well as trying
the Oxford specialty of a
deep fried Mars bar,
which he described as
"disgusting."
He also tried the English
speciality of fish and chips
wrapped in newspaper.
While not allowed to
drive in England, Brent
said watching for traffic
coming from the wrong
direction as a pedestrian
took some getting used to.
"They have warnings on
the ground to look left
and look right."
Although they didn't
have much time in
London, Johns said they
got to see Big Ben as well
as Buckingham Palace.
"I was surprised to see
how many people were
living in London and how
rich the city actually is.
Every square you saw
Porsches and Ferrari. It's
a really rich city."
After staying in Oxford,
Brent and Buchanan
moved to the American
College in Dublin, Ireland
for the remainder of their
trip, taking in a Hurling
match, a combination of
lacrosse and field hockey.
While in Ireland, Brent
was a witness to another
historic occasion as the
Irish Republic Army
announced its decision to
disarm.
Describing Dublin,
Brent said "it's really
neat, because you can see
the old buildings and
beside it will be a just
built high-tech building.
You can really see both
sides of it."
Before leaving on the
trip, the students had sev-
eral books to read on the
history of the region,
including material on the
IRA.
"Then it started hap-
pening while I was over
there...so I kind of knew
what was going on."
According to Brent any-
one is eligible to apply for
the program.
"You just have to show
them your marks."
The course consists of
110 hours of class time
and is available for sever-
al different areas of study.
"It was great, I would
definitely do it again...it
beats sitting in a class-
room for a year."
Brent Johns of Exeter, along with Justin Buchanan were participants in the `Celtic Experience' program this
summer, going to school in England and Ireland and were in London July 7 when terrorist attacks struck the
city.Above is Johns with Big Ben in the background and (below) at a Harry Potter premiere.(photos/submitted)