I had my first real step into non-...shall we say marinated Finnish culture a couple weekends ago, when a Finnish friend took myself and another Canadian hunting with him at his home near Kuopio. My Canadian friend had been hunting before and shot a gun multiple times in her life as she competed in biathlon, so I was the only one new to both the hunting and firearms "scene". The Finn was concerned (and I must admit that I was, too) that I would "lose it" when they killed a rabbit and he would have to deal with female emotions; an unpleasant scenario even when you don't have a dead animal lying at your feet waiting to be gutted.
After a nice breakfast of leftover's from our hostess' restaurant, we started off the morning with firing practice. As I had never held a gun before, let alone fired one...this seemed like a good idea. Our Finnish friend had two guns that he took out hunting. One was a double barreled shotgun and the other was a pumping shot gun. Please note that I have no idea what the technical terms for these guns are, so excuse my juvenile nomenclature. The double barreled gun had the barrels stacked on top of each other and two triggers, one for each. You used the same sight for both barrels and picked which one you used based on how far away your target was. The lower barrel was for when the target was close to you and you use the trigger that is further way from your hand to fire it. They put one bullet in and let me try this gun first. My target was a pop bottle stuck onto a tree branch and we fired from the side of the road. Thus fulfilling all hicks with shotgun stereotypes in one go. To make it even more Rambo-esque I got to try out the pumping one as well, ejecting the cartridge like the veteran himself...well, kinda.
After target practice we went to a woodlot and met up with my friend's dad for the actual hunting. As much of the land is privately owned in Finland, if you are interested in hunting, you belong to (and pay dues to) a hunting club in your area. These hunting clubs talk to local woodlot owners in the area and organize permission to hunt on their land or really to have access to the land for hunting. Besides that, there are a certain number of licenses allocated to each species for each hunting club. So, if you were hunting something big, like a moose, everyone would go out together and you would share what you killed. We were just hunting bunnies (technically hares) though, so it was just a small group of us.
To start off with my friend's dad was going to be the "dog", meaning that he would go on the other side of the bushes and try to scare the rabbits out. Our mission was simple....shoot the bunnies, not him. As resident photographer and person not allowed to shoot a gun at living things (rightly so I might add), I took my place firmly behind both hunters and "dog" while we waited for the rabbits to be scared out of their homes. Despite the best efforts of our pseudo-canine friend, there were no rabbits to be seen. Our next attempt was to move into the more forested area and look for rabbits hiding in their. Again the dog walked along the outskirts of the woodlot trying to scare the rabbits in our direction. We had been walking around for only about 5 minutes before a white flash passed by just in front of us. My Canadian friend had enough time to say "Th..." before our Finnish friend had shot it. There's that mandatory military training paying off!
The waiting and being a photographer was fun, but this was the part I found the most interesting. Keeping an eye on me to see if I was going to "lose it" the Finn brought the bunny over to us. I was surprised at how big it was and the lack of blood. He explained that because the shot gun releases tons of little pellets, the animal gets shocked into dying by the physical impact rather than from the bullet piercing their skin. The next step was to gut the rabbit (a girl that I named Jana after the Finnish work for hare: janis). To do this you make a small cut just below the belly button and rip the hole big enough to fit your hand in and then some. Then you stick your hand in a just pull out all of the intestines and organs. The scientist in me came out as I looked through all the different organs and partially digested food, but I think the part that really struck me was how simple it was to do. Just a small cut and you can take out all of an animal's (or a person's) organs, it makes it seem like a natural process. After the rabbit had been gutted, they put branches into its body cavity to keep it from collapsing and put the rabbit on its stomach to drain the blood.
While waiting for the blood to drain, toasted (without my prompting I swear!) the life of the rabbit with yrttisnapsi (herb schnapps, which tastes kinda of like Jägermeister). Something that I have always found really interesting is how there is so much negative publicity about hunters when generally they're quite an environmental bunch. They are usually very considerate of the impact they have on the environment and are often the first ones to notice changes in wildlife populations. It's such a shame that their intimate relationship with wildlife is not better exploited in conservation policies, but back to the hunting trip!
We said goodbye to my friend's father and safely tucked Jana in the trunk on a newspaper bed before heading to our next hunting spot. I was always under the impression that hunting was a lot of standing around waiting for animals to show up (which I still think that it is), but we were lucky enough to catch our rabbit within the first 30 minutes of hunting. As we were already successful in our mission, the rest of the day involved less effort on our part in terms of the hunting and was more about wandering around in the woods. We looked for animal tracks in the mud and tried to attract birds with a call whistle. For lunch we made a small campfire and roasted sausages over it on sticks. It was so peaceful to sit out in the woods, eating sausages and warming ourselves by the fire.
We ended up cutting our day a little short because we still had to look for a couple Christmas trees for my friend's house and his neighbour's. In Finnish Christmas tree is joulukuusi or Christmas spruce because they only every use Norway spruce (the original Christmas tree I am told). We had a lot of fun wandering around the forest looking for the perfect Christmas tree. I am a huge fan of weirdly shaped Christmas trees, so I kept getting out voted in favour of a more traditional style. The benefit of spruce is that they are usually very beautifully shaped for Christmas trees, but in terms of ornament possibilities, the lack of branches is very limiting. It all depends on what you like though and we had a lot of fun wandering around in the woods some more anyway.
After our Christmas tree hunt we went back to the house to skin and butcher the rabbit. To do this we went to the wood shed and hung the rabbit up by its neck. To start you make a cut in the skin around the neck and then you just pull downwards. It does not come off quite as easily as pulling down clothing would be, but it looks very similar. It is quite a surreal thing to watch an animal being skinned. It starts to look a bit more human when it loses its fur, but not in a way that creeped me out, more just the realization that all mammals are really very closely related in the grande scheme of things. The only part of the skinning and butchering that irked me was when my friend got to the wrists and ankles, he broke them off rather than attempt to skin their hands. I mean it makes sense because there would be little meat on them and it would be very hard to skin, but that act of breaking bones, or maybe the sound of bones breaking, was the only part that made me twinge a little.
I cannot claim that the experience made me not want to eat meat. On the contrary, the whole process seemed a lot more natural, even more respectful, to me than buying pre-marinated meat wrapped in plastic from a grocery store. I am not 100% sure that the experience changed me at all, but I am glad that I had the opportunity to experience it. I like the idea of hunting and eating hunted meat, but, to be perfectly honest, wandering around in the woods waiting to kill something is a little boring. I would much rather go for a hike and see animals that way...though to be honest, there's not much difference in the two activities. And maybe that says a lot. That the intention behind the activity can change the way the actions feel, but I don't know that it even really does. Maybe it's all in our heads...isn't it usually.
Monday, December 12, 2011
Friday, December 2, 2011
Snow, Slush and Ice
It was brought to my attention that I never mentioned that I got a bike. It was about two months ago that Skeletor and I were brought together and it has been a wonderful relationship ever since. But like every good relationship it has its ups and its downs. The latest down has been due to the lovely autumn weather we have been having recently. Like autumn back home, the weather has a really hard time making up its mind. Here it alternates between overcast and rainy, and snowy and cold with nice icy bits in between.
It's hard to decide which is the most difficult. The overcast rainy days where you don't see the sun are the ones where you definitely want to take your Vitamin D. I would never have guess what a difference it makes! On the days where I forget to take it, I am sleepy by about 3 in the afternoon as the sun is setting and it is definitely harder to wake up the next morning as well. So the sun kind of makes up for how cold it gets on the cold clear days.
In terms of biking though, these days each pose their own challenges. Rain I can handle. As a Vancouver girl it's what I know best, but cycling in snow and ice is another story. I was pretty nervous about even attempting to ride my bike in snow. I should mention that Skeletor is a lovely streamline racing bike with very thin tires that have no tread. Excellent for racing along to class in the summer, less so for navigating snow filled roads. So the first day I woke up and it was snowing outside. I left early to give myself enough time and went very slowly to class. And mission accomplished! I made it to school in one piece, faster than walking and didn't fall off my bike, although there were a few narrow misses. The second day I was filled with a little more confidence and sped off to catch up with a friend I saw leaving. About two seconds on the bike and the snow makes my back tire twist out of my control making me fall. Thankfully no one was around, as my friend was long gone at this point, so my dignity remained more or less uninjured like myself.
I haven't fallen since then, but I have been more careful in my riding style. Here are some of the tips I have picked up on when cycling in the snow or ice:
1. If you get stuck in a rut (like when driving a car), just go with it. If you try to steer out, you'll just fall.
2. Stay upright when you turn and try to just turn using the handles, not your whole body )a shame because I had just gotten used to turning with my whole body on my new bike).
3. If your back tire starts to fishtail (which happens every time you go through uneven snow or slush) don't steer or brake and just go with it til you have control again.
4. Leave a lot of space between yourself and others because they will fall and you will crash into them.
5. Pump your brakes and start braking way before you need to stop.
6. Wear a helmet and when you inevitably fall try to go limp, so you don't actually get hurt.
Now that you've had your unasked for advice for the day, the only other news that I have is that I am going hunting this weekend for rabbits. I have never been hunting before let alone held a gun, but I have been wanting to get to know Finnish culture more than what is offered at the bar or in my classes, so my friend is taking me hunting near Kuopio. I also kind of feel that as a meat eater, I need to better understand what is involved in the process of killing an animal for this purpose (even though most of our meat is obviously not hunted, but farmed). So I will have to let you all know how my first hunting experience goes. Have a nice weekend!
It's hard to decide which is the most difficult. The overcast rainy days where you don't see the sun are the ones where you definitely want to take your Vitamin D. I would never have guess what a difference it makes! On the days where I forget to take it, I am sleepy by about 3 in the afternoon as the sun is setting and it is definitely harder to wake up the next morning as well. So the sun kind of makes up for how cold it gets on the cold clear days.
In terms of biking though, these days each pose their own challenges. Rain I can handle. As a Vancouver girl it's what I know best, but cycling in snow and ice is another story. I was pretty nervous about even attempting to ride my bike in snow. I should mention that Skeletor is a lovely streamline racing bike with very thin tires that have no tread. Excellent for racing along to class in the summer, less so for navigating snow filled roads. So the first day I woke up and it was snowing outside. I left early to give myself enough time and went very slowly to class. And mission accomplished! I made it to school in one piece, faster than walking and didn't fall off my bike, although there were a few narrow misses. The second day I was filled with a little more confidence and sped off to catch up with a friend I saw leaving. About two seconds on the bike and the snow makes my back tire twist out of my control making me fall. Thankfully no one was around, as my friend was long gone at this point, so my dignity remained more or less uninjured like myself.
I haven't fallen since then, but I have been more careful in my riding style. Here are some of the tips I have picked up on when cycling in the snow or ice:
1. If you get stuck in a rut (like when driving a car), just go with it. If you try to steer out, you'll just fall.
2. Stay upright when you turn and try to just turn using the handles, not your whole body )a shame because I had just gotten used to turning with my whole body on my new bike).
3. If your back tire starts to fishtail (which happens every time you go through uneven snow or slush) don't steer or brake and just go with it til you have control again.
4. Leave a lot of space between yourself and others because they will fall and you will crash into them.
5. Pump your brakes and start braking way before you need to stop.
6. Wear a helmet and when you inevitably fall try to go limp, so you don't actually get hurt.
Now that you've had your unasked for advice for the day, the only other news that I have is that I am going hunting this weekend for rabbits. I have never been hunting before let alone held a gun, but I have been wanting to get to know Finnish culture more than what is offered at the bar or in my classes, so my friend is taking me hunting near Kuopio. I also kind of feel that as a meat eater, I need to better understand what is involved in the process of killing an animal for this purpose (even though most of our meat is obviously not hunted, but farmed). So I will have to let you all know how my first hunting experience goes. Have a nice weekend!
Saturday, November 12, 2011
Friday, November 11, 2011
Icy Picnics and Dancing Finns
Last Saturday was my birthday and, despite it being close to 0 degrees out, it was the first year where it didn't rain on my birthday! I had suggested previously that if it was nice weather out that we should go for a picnic by the lake. Nice weather being a relative term, we decided that not raining counted and set to planning a small picnic. Unfortunately, my birthday happened to fall on All Saint's Day. This is kind of like the Finnish version of Halloween except that it is nothing like a North American Halloween at all. It is the time of year when Finnish people remember their loved ones and relatives that have passed away. They usually go down to the cemetery and light a candle in their memory, so the cemeteries on these evenings are absolutely beautiful all lit up with candles!
But back to the picnic... All Saint's Day is a national holiday, so all the shops are closed. I biked around looking for a place that was open in order to stock up on picnic supplies and all I could find was a gas station. So I bought some suffeli puffi (a corn puff covered in chocolate whose name has been making me and the other Canadian laugh every time we see it) and decided to see what I had in my fridge. I was able to through together a couscous salad, along with a block of cheese and some crackers for my contribution to the picnic. Everyone met at my house by about 3:30 with their meager supplies and we walked down to the lake.
...by which point the sun had already set. So there we stood. In the dark. Torn between trying to eat our gas station food and leftovers with mittens on or frozen fingers. And toasting with pink champagne to just how ridiculous the idea of a November picnic in Finland was. It was the best picnic I have had in a long time!
After giving up on the picnic and warming up at my house with hot tea and cake, we split up. Some people went home and I went with some others to see the candles in the cemetery. Then we went to get all dressed up because, conveniently enough, there happened to be a salsa party on my birthday as well. What are the chances that there would be a salsa party in Joensuu that happened to fall on my birthday? I had to jump at the opportunity! So, I finished off my birthday dancing the night away with my friends and practicing my newly learned bachata. Yes, the bachata. The hip dislocating dance that I have spent the last seven years making fun of with my friend. I have learned it and, to be honest, I think it's growing on me. It's quite fun to dance to even if it looks a little silly to observers.
Speaking of dancing, I have also recently started taking a Finnish folk dancing class. Well...it's an exercise class that incorporates steps from Finnish folk dancing. But it's tons of fun! It reminds me a little of Scottish country dancing, thought it's definitely unique in it's own way. I have only been to one class so far, as I was too busy to go last Sunday, but I'll have to write more about it once I am more familiar with the style.
I have also recently learned that Finns are very fond of the tango. They even have a festival in the summer where everyone goes to tango in the streets! Every time I think I have these Finns figured out, they surprise me with a random fact like this. They're a very oxymoronic peoples!
But back to the picnic... All Saint's Day is a national holiday, so all the shops are closed. I biked around looking for a place that was open in order to stock up on picnic supplies and all I could find was a gas station. So I bought some suffeli puffi (a corn puff covered in chocolate whose name has been making me and the other Canadian laugh every time we see it) and decided to see what I had in my fridge. I was able to through together a couscous salad, along with a block of cheese and some crackers for my contribution to the picnic. Everyone met at my house by about 3:30 with their meager supplies and we walked down to the lake.
...by which point the sun had already set. So there we stood. In the dark. Torn between trying to eat our gas station food and leftovers with mittens on or frozen fingers. And toasting with pink champagne to just how ridiculous the idea of a November picnic in Finland was. It was the best picnic I have had in a long time!
After giving up on the picnic and warming up at my house with hot tea and cake, we split up. Some people went home and I went with some others to see the candles in the cemetery. Then we went to get all dressed up because, conveniently enough, there happened to be a salsa party on my birthday as well. What are the chances that there would be a salsa party in Joensuu that happened to fall on my birthday? I had to jump at the opportunity! So, I finished off my birthday dancing the night away with my friends and practicing my newly learned bachata. Yes, the bachata. The hip dislocating dance that I have spent the last seven years making fun of with my friend. I have learned it and, to be honest, I think it's growing on me. It's quite fun to dance to even if it looks a little silly to observers.
Speaking of dancing, I have also recently started taking a Finnish folk dancing class. Well...it's an exercise class that incorporates steps from Finnish folk dancing. But it's tons of fun! It reminds me a little of Scottish country dancing, thought it's definitely unique in it's own way. I have only been to one class so far, as I was too busy to go last Sunday, but I'll have to write more about it once I am more familiar with the style.
I have also recently learned that Finns are very fond of the tango. They even have a festival in the summer where everyone goes to tango in the streets! Every time I think I have these Finns figured out, they surprise me with a random fact like this. They're a very oxymoronic peoples!
Monday, October 24, 2011
Oishii Ruoka
Alright, so you want to know what kind of food people eat in Finland. Well, they're definitely a country of meat and potatoes kind of people. Some classic Finnish dishes include sausage and potatoes, meat sauce on pasta (there is no tomatoes involved in this meat sauce...just ground beef/pork and thickened gravy) and ground beef/pork and cabbage casserole with lingonberry sauce. I have written beef/pork because it is rare to find ground beef by itself. It is usually a beef and pork hybrid or just ground pork in and of itself. The main meats you find in the grocery store are pork (definitely number one), chicken and to a much lesser extent beef.
Vegetables are a rarity in the actual main dish itself, but everywhere you go they have salad buffets before your meal. I do not exaggerate on the everywhere department; restaurants, the school cafeteria, after hours kebab stands. Similarly to Canada, Finland is a nation of wild berries. By far the main fruits grown in Finland are blueberries, lingonberries, and, to a lesser extent, wild cranberries. Furthermore, most of the berries you buy in stores was picked in the wild, not grown on farms. There is a huge culture in this country around picking wild berries and mushrooms. Some of the people I have talked to go berry and mushroom picking every week. This is partially because of the Everyman's Right law that states people have the right to collect things grown in the wild (ie. not cultivated berries, but ones that are there just because) even if they are growing on private lands. [As a random side note: this is a concept I am contemplating doing my Masters thesis on...assuming I can make it work]
There is also a huge coffee culture in Finland. This was one of the aspects of Finland that I loved right away. Coming from Vancouver, I know that the South African habit of drinking instant coffee was not something that I wished to repeat in a new cultural experience ;-) But, yes, coffee breaks are a wonderful thing and, in Finland, they are usually accompanied with a "light" snack of pulla. Pulla is possible the most delicious pastry/bun/thing I have ever had (coming only slightly short of coconut buns). They are a sweet bread baked with cardamom inside and I have eaten far too many of them since I have arrived in Finland. I will definitely need to learn how to make them before I go back home. There is something about the light flavour of cardamom that makes them irresistible!
So basically my Finnish diet consists of meat and potatoes with a salad for my meals, interspersed with multiple coffee and pulla breaks throughout the day. Delicious!
Vegetables are a rarity in the actual main dish itself, but everywhere you go they have salad buffets before your meal. I do not exaggerate on the everywhere department; restaurants, the school cafeteria, after hours kebab stands. Similarly to Canada, Finland is a nation of wild berries. By far the main fruits grown in Finland are blueberries, lingonberries, and, to a lesser extent, wild cranberries. Furthermore, most of the berries you buy in stores was picked in the wild, not grown on farms. There is a huge culture in this country around picking wild berries and mushrooms. Some of the people I have talked to go berry and mushroom picking every week. This is partially because of the Everyman's Right law that states people have the right to collect things grown in the wild (ie. not cultivated berries, but ones that are there just because) even if they are growing on private lands. [As a random side note: this is a concept I am contemplating doing my Masters thesis on...assuming I can make it work]
There is also a huge coffee culture in Finland. This was one of the aspects of Finland that I loved right away. Coming from Vancouver, I know that the South African habit of drinking instant coffee was not something that I wished to repeat in a new cultural experience ;-) But, yes, coffee breaks are a wonderful thing and, in Finland, they are usually accompanied with a "light" snack of pulla. Pulla is possible the most delicious pastry/bun/thing I have ever had (coming only slightly short of coconut buns). They are a sweet bread baked with cardamom inside and I have eaten far too many of them since I have arrived in Finland. I will definitely need to learn how to make them before I go back home. There is something about the light flavour of cardamom that makes them irresistible!
So basically my Finnish diet consists of meat and potatoes with a salad for my meals, interspersed with multiple coffee and pulla breaks throughout the day. Delicious!
Sunday, October 16, 2011
Shopping 101
I have received a request of information from my lovely Nana about the type of food I eat here in Finland. But before I respond to this request, I will tell you the story of my first Finnish shopping experience that I meant to tell you about weeks ago.
When I first arrived in Finland, the day I was going to move into my apartment, my fellow Canadian and I decided to stock our kitchens with all the essentials while we still had access to a car. Our student tutor pointed us in the direction of a grocery store and off we went. first was the produce section. Collecting all the necessary fruits and veggies wasn't too hard because they look the same all over the world. Proud of our collections we went to move on when I had a flashback to my time in South Africa and the then foreign concept of weighing your produce before hand and taking it to the till with a barcode sticker on it. I scanned the produce area and saw some similar looking machines. First crisis averted and embarrassment avoided.
Next we had the navigate the world of Finnish labels. Our Finnish friend from field school had been kind enough to provide us with some basic grocery-related vocabulary, so we new words like maito (milk), voi (butter), juusto (cheese), kala (fish), and some others. This was very helpful when finding things, but less helpful when distinguishing low fat from delicious milk. For this we had to rely on the efficacy of marketing, assuming lighter coloured packaging meant lighter milk (and it worked!!). After about an hour of clumsily collecting everything necessary to stock an empty kitchen, we moved towards the till.
Only one till was open, so we stood in the only available line to wait. Once we had stopped the learning experience that was our shopping trip, we had time to look around. Maybe see what other people were buying and judge a whole countries diet based on that, like I do back home. That was when we realized the error of our ways. the people in line around us had a maximum of 5 items each and there we were. Carts piled high with everything a new kitchen could ever want or desire. Surrounded by people buying chips and beer for a relaxing evening. Then it dawned on us. We were about to buy everything we would need to survive...at a convenience store. We were next in line, making sneaking out and putting some of our stuff back impossible.
It took the woman about 5 minutes to ring all of my stuff in, at which point there was a growing line of 7 people behind me carrying only candy, chips and beer and looking disgruntled at best. To top it all off the cashier didn't speak English and we had no idea how to ask for bags in Finnish. So our groceries were piling up on the conveyor belt behind the till as we tried to mime that we needed bags. Now there are 10 people behind us in line. We had officially become those incompetent foreigners. Eventually we successfully mimed our need for bags, hung our heads in shame and ran from the grocery store. I snuck a glance back as the sliding doors began to close behind us...they had just opened a new till.
When I first arrived in Finland, the day I was going to move into my apartment, my fellow Canadian and I decided to stock our kitchens with all the essentials while we still had access to a car. Our student tutor pointed us in the direction of a grocery store and off we went. first was the produce section. Collecting all the necessary fruits and veggies wasn't too hard because they look the same all over the world. Proud of our collections we went to move on when I had a flashback to my time in South Africa and the then foreign concept of weighing your produce before hand and taking it to the till with a barcode sticker on it. I scanned the produce area and saw some similar looking machines. First crisis averted and embarrassment avoided.
Next we had the navigate the world of Finnish labels. Our Finnish friend from field school had been kind enough to provide us with some basic grocery-related vocabulary, so we new words like maito (milk), voi (butter), juusto (cheese), kala (fish), and some others. This was very helpful when finding things, but less helpful when distinguishing low fat from delicious milk. For this we had to rely on the efficacy of marketing, assuming lighter coloured packaging meant lighter milk (and it worked!!). After about an hour of clumsily collecting everything necessary to stock an empty kitchen, we moved towards the till.
Only one till was open, so we stood in the only available line to wait. Once we had stopped the learning experience that was our shopping trip, we had time to look around. Maybe see what other people were buying and judge a whole countries diet based on that, like I do back home. That was when we realized the error of our ways. the people in line around us had a maximum of 5 items each and there we were. Carts piled high with everything a new kitchen could ever want or desire. Surrounded by people buying chips and beer for a relaxing evening. Then it dawned on us. We were about to buy everything we would need to survive...at a convenience store. We were next in line, making sneaking out and putting some of our stuff back impossible.
It took the woman about 5 minutes to ring all of my stuff in, at which point there was a growing line of 7 people behind me carrying only candy, chips and beer and looking disgruntled at best. To top it all off the cashier didn't speak English and we had no idea how to ask for bags in Finnish. So our groceries were piling up on the conveyor belt behind the till as we tried to mime that we needed bags. Now there are 10 people behind us in line. We had officially become those incompetent foreigners. Eventually we successfully mimed our need for bags, hung our heads in shame and ran from the grocery store. I snuck a glance back as the sliding doors began to close behind us...they had just opened a new till.
Sunday, September 18, 2011
What happened in Finland
It’s hard for me to believe I have been in Finland for almost three weeks now. So much for being more regular with my blog updates!
Finland is a very fascinating country. I must say that it feels harder to adjust to than South Africa, but the circumstances that I am here under are very different as well. In South Africa I didn’t know anyone before I arrived, so I had to throw myself into the culture and had only my own observations of cultural differences. Here, I have a friend that came with me in the same program, so I get twice as many observations and a kind of safety blanket in her to avoid loneliness. I think it makes it harder to adjust because it's so easy to go back to familiar Canadian things.
I am learning about the style of doing things and mindset that Finns have despite my attachment to all things Canadian. At times Finland reminds me a bit of Canada in its personality. The underdog lumped in with the surrounding countries from an outside point of view, but proud in the fact that it is an entity in and of itself. However, it is so very different from anywhere I have travelled to before. I really enjoy exploring countries I know nothing about. It makes it much more exciting because you are constantly learning new things and you have no preconceptions about what it is going to be like. The only thing I knew about Finland before coming here was that Santa was from here and that Finns are reputedly quiet people. And I'm not going to lie...there's a little bit more to Finland than just that.
But anyway, enough of my thoughts and feelings, what have I actually done while I’ve been in Finland! Well, I sorted out all the fun stuff, like bank accounts, registering for classes, etc. All of which is a very confusing process in Joensuu and not at all straight forward. You have to talk to an entirely different person in a different building in a different part of town and each task takes a million different steps. I was so thankful to have my student tutor to drive us around and let us know all the little details of what we had to get done. I don’t know how I would have done it without her!
After about a week of organizing my new life, two friends and I went to Koli National Park to go hiking. Koli is a national pride of Finland. It is a beautiful little mountain that you can hike (read: Stairmaster) up and get a gorgeous view of miles and miles of lakes and islands. We had a lot of fun exploring and picking blueberries (mustikka) and lingonberries (puolukka) throughout the park. Then we went mushroom picking. I am terrible at mushroom picking, but I had tons of fun...minus the hirvikärpänen (mooseflies). Hirvikärpänen are the most horrible little devil creatures known to man! They are blood sucking little demons that fly onto you then, drop their wings and burrow into your hair and flesh. They never die, no matter how many times you smack them, and do an amazingly good job of sticking to you despite excessive swatting. And to top it all off they look super creepy. In conclusion, I hate them with every fibre of my being.
I feel like this post is becoming far too long, so I will just quickly say that other than that excitement, I have been attending many less than exciting orientation/introduction classes (though they should all be ending this week and my interesting classes can begin), exploring the town and getting to know my fantastic roommate! Despite the conscious effort to adjust to Finnish life, I really enjoy it here. The people are very friendly and honest about themselves. I may not feel at home just yet, but I do feel welcomed!
Finland is a very fascinating country. I must say that it feels harder to adjust to than South Africa, but the circumstances that I am here under are very different as well. In South Africa I didn’t know anyone before I arrived, so I had to throw myself into the culture and had only my own observations of cultural differences. Here, I have a friend that came with me in the same program, so I get twice as many observations and a kind of safety blanket in her to avoid loneliness. I think it makes it harder to adjust because it's so easy to go back to familiar Canadian things.
I am learning about the style of doing things and mindset that Finns have despite my attachment to all things Canadian. At times Finland reminds me a bit of Canada in its personality. The underdog lumped in with the surrounding countries from an outside point of view, but proud in the fact that it is an entity in and of itself. However, it is so very different from anywhere I have travelled to before. I really enjoy exploring countries I know nothing about. It makes it much more exciting because you are constantly learning new things and you have no preconceptions about what it is going to be like. The only thing I knew about Finland before coming here was that Santa was from here and that Finns are reputedly quiet people. And I'm not going to lie...there's a little bit more to Finland than just that.
But anyway, enough of my thoughts and feelings, what have I actually done while I’ve been in Finland! Well, I sorted out all the fun stuff, like bank accounts, registering for classes, etc. All of which is a very confusing process in Joensuu and not at all straight forward. You have to talk to an entirely different person in a different building in a different part of town and each task takes a million different steps. I was so thankful to have my student tutor to drive us around and let us know all the little details of what we had to get done. I don’t know how I would have done it without her!
After about a week of organizing my new life, two friends and I went to Koli National Park to go hiking. Koli is a national pride of Finland. It is a beautiful little mountain that you can hike (read: Stairmaster) up and get a gorgeous view of miles and miles of lakes and islands. We had a lot of fun exploring and picking blueberries (mustikka) and lingonberries (puolukka) throughout the park. Then we went mushroom picking. I am terrible at mushroom picking, but I had tons of fun...minus the hirvikärpänen (mooseflies). Hirvikärpänen are the most horrible little devil creatures known to man! They are blood sucking little demons that fly onto you then, drop their wings and burrow into your hair and flesh. They never die, no matter how many times you smack them, and do an amazingly good job of sticking to you despite excessive swatting. And to top it all off they look super creepy. In conclusion, I hate them with every fibre of my being.
I feel like this post is becoming far too long, so I will just quickly say that other than that excitement, I have been attending many less than exciting orientation/introduction classes (though they should all be ending this week and my interesting classes can begin), exploring the town and getting to know my fantastic roommate! Despite the conscious effort to adjust to Finnish life, I really enjoy it here. The people are very friendly and honest about themselves. I may not feel at home just yet, but I do feel welcomed!
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
No Matter How Late We Stay Up
It’s strange to think that the field school portion of my Masters is already over. Considering how little I’ve slept these last three weeks, they have gone by incredibly quickly. I’m currently in the Frankfurt airport, waiting for my flight to Helsinki, so I’ll do a quick recap of what happened after we left BC.
A lot.
Ok, I’ll elaborate a little. The Alberta crew was great! They welcomed us with open arms and, after laying the ground rules, it was like they’d been with us from day one. You could tell that they’d put a lot of thought into what they wanted us to get out of this portion of the field school and had picked some really knowledgeable guest speakers from which we could learn. Having the coordinator there to supplement everything we were learning, meant that we were able to get a really good idea of forestry in Alberta!
In Alberta, we learned a lot about how to use forestry to imitate natural disturbance when harvesting. Our coordinator having a fire fighting background meant that we learned a lot about this in relation to fire management and prescribed burning. I found it especially interesting because of the time I spent working in Dawson Creek. For the most part we explored the Peace Region of Alberta (a similar area to Dawson Creek) and it was really neat to relate my experience on the other side of the border to how things were done in a similar ecosystem, but a different province.
To finish the Alberta leg of our adventure with a bang, we decided to stay up all night instead of getting some sleep before our 6am flight! I think Edmonton is still recovering from our adventures and I must admit, I think I am as well. But it was all in good fun and there will always be time to sleep later....right?
In New Brunswick, the welcoming committee took a little time to warm up to us. At this point we’d been with only each other for 14 days and it was starting to show. We had about a million inside jokes and must have looked like a motley crew to any outsiders. I like to think that in the end they realized that though we may party hard and joke around a lot, we are responsible adults who are there because we are curious and actually like learning. At least, I hope the message got across!
As different as BC and Alberta were, New Brunswick was in a world of its own! As it was one of the first areas of Canada to be colonized, they are dealing with a lot of private land in their forest management. Another big difference in how the Maritimes work is that they do a lot more value added products. And by a lot more I mean BC and Alberta do none, as compared to New Brunswick doing almost only value added products! This meant that a lot of this leg of the journey was visiting mills and factories and seeing the diversity of products being made, from low grade fencing to paper to high end kitchen cabinetry. Coming from my conservation background, this was a whole new world. I’d never seen all these wood products being made and the questions from me and the whole group were endless. I think we went over time at every stop we made. Our hosts deserve a thousand thanks for their knowledge and patience with us!
The most interesting thing about this field course was learning just how differently everything is done all over Canada. You wouldn’t think one country would have such diversity in resource management strategies, but when you take into consideration the vastly different social and political climates in these areas...it really makes a lot of sense. What one region of a country adopts without a second thought, wouldn’t even be on the radar in another region. Especially in a country as large and politically young as Canada! I also learned that my UBC education was VERY BC-centric and I’m glad I chose to go to a different university (or two) for my Masters.
A lot.
Ok, I’ll elaborate a little. The Alberta crew was great! They welcomed us with open arms and, after laying the ground rules, it was like they’d been with us from day one. You could tell that they’d put a lot of thought into what they wanted us to get out of this portion of the field school and had picked some really knowledgeable guest speakers from which we could learn. Having the coordinator there to supplement everything we were learning, meant that we were able to get a really good idea of forestry in Alberta!
In Alberta, we learned a lot about how to use forestry to imitate natural disturbance when harvesting. Our coordinator having a fire fighting background meant that we learned a lot about this in relation to fire management and prescribed burning. I found it especially interesting because of the time I spent working in Dawson Creek. For the most part we explored the Peace Region of Alberta (a similar area to Dawson Creek) and it was really neat to relate my experience on the other side of the border to how things were done in a similar ecosystem, but a different province.
To finish the Alberta leg of our adventure with a bang, we decided to stay up all night instead of getting some sleep before our 6am flight! I think Edmonton is still recovering from our adventures and I must admit, I think I am as well. But it was all in good fun and there will always be time to sleep later....right?
In New Brunswick, the welcoming committee took a little time to warm up to us. At this point we’d been with only each other for 14 days and it was starting to show. We had about a million inside jokes and must have looked like a motley crew to any outsiders. I like to think that in the end they realized that though we may party hard and joke around a lot, we are responsible adults who are there because we are curious and actually like learning. At least, I hope the message got across!
As different as BC and Alberta were, New Brunswick was in a world of its own! As it was one of the first areas of Canada to be colonized, they are dealing with a lot of private land in their forest management. Another big difference in how the Maritimes work is that they do a lot more value added products. And by a lot more I mean BC and Alberta do none, as compared to New Brunswick doing almost only value added products! This meant that a lot of this leg of the journey was visiting mills and factories and seeing the diversity of products being made, from low grade fencing to paper to high end kitchen cabinetry. Coming from my conservation background, this was a whole new world. I’d never seen all these wood products being made and the questions from me and the whole group were endless. I think we went over time at every stop we made. Our hosts deserve a thousand thanks for their knowledge and patience with us!
The most interesting thing about this field course was learning just how differently everything is done all over Canada. You wouldn’t think one country would have such diversity in resource management strategies, but when you take into consideration the vastly different social and political climates in these areas...it really makes a lot of sense. What one region of a country adopts without a second thought, wouldn’t even be on the radar in another region. Especially in a country as large and politically young as Canada! I also learned that my UBC education was VERY BC-centric and I’m glad I chose to go to a different university (or two) for my Masters.
Thursday, August 25, 2011
Aaaaaand Continued...
1858 – The Gold Rush and creation of BC
So now the secret was out and the gold rush began. When the first ship of prospectors arrived in Victoria, it doubled the population of the town. Most of these prospectors were Californians that were reaching the tail end of their own gold rush and were hoping to try their luck further north.
Even before the gold rush had begun in earnest, James Douglas feared that the lawlessness that occurred in California during their gold rush would occur in New Caledonia as well. In 1857, he created a law that required every miner to have a license and imposed a 10% customs duty on imported goods. The fee was low, so that a gold panner could pay it back with a day of work, but it created a controlled access to the area.
The next year, James Douglas really cracked down on policing New Caledonia and imposed a colonial government in the area without permission of the British Crown. Tension was high between the miners and the First Nations, so there was little resistance to the imposed governance from the side of the Europeans. When the British Crown found about Douglas’ rogue governance, they decided to make his authority in the area official by making New Caledonia a British colony. Queen Victoria herself was the one to come up with the name British Columbia for New Caledonia. At the time Americans were colloquially calling their land Columbia, so the moniker British Columbia was a cheeky way of saying they may have lost their American colony, but they had laid claim to this new land. On November 19th, 1885 the proclamation naming British Columbia as a new British colony was read in Fort Langley. However, New Westminster became the capital as it was easier to defend being further from the border and lying on the Fraser River.
As the Gold Fever began to intensify around 1860, a 108 mile wagon road was built from Harrison Lake (Fort Douglas) up to Lillooet by the Royal Engineers and contractors. This road made it easier and cheaper to transport goods and people up the Fraser. Shortly after the construction of the Douglas-Lillooet Wagon Road, the Fraser Canyon gold rush reached its peak in 1861 with 50,000 miners along the Fraser River. These miners were mostly Americans come up from California, with a smaller percentage of European and Chinese immigrants.
At this peak, the British Crown changed British Columbia’s eastern border to go directly North in the Peace River area. This was done in an attempt to keep gold-seekers under the control of the British and more effectively monitor who entered the colony from the North. However, after 1861 gold become more capital intensive as it was buried beneath rock and dirt as you moved further North and the alluvial gold was removed.
The Role of Lillooet
So how does the, now little, town of Lillooet come into this gold rush. At one point Lillooet was the largest town west of Chicago and north of San Fransisco. Lillooet was the furthest north the Fraser Canyon Gold Rush went before gold was found in the Cariboo and sparked the Cariboo gold rush. Not only was Lillooet difficult to get past using the river, it was harder through the mountains to the northeast. When they had built the Cariboo wagon road, the engineers had to blast through rock and create bridges over valleys and rivers.
The Lillooet people were often described as being destitute at the onset of the gold rush and were colloquially known as the “friendly Indians”. They were definitely up for a shock when the gold rush occurred and brought with it a huge influx of people so different from themselves. No one is sure of just how many people were there, but estimates range around 25,000 people arriving in only a few months. In spite of their friendly nature, the Lillooet, like so many First Nations at the time, were pushed back from their waterfront communities. Up to the Main Street area of modern day Lillooet is directly on top of the main village of a former First Nations band.
First Nations and their role
There was a great deal of tension between the First Nations and Europeans during the gold rush and it has continued to this day. Some of the reasons for this animosity on the end of the First Nations came from the rotgut whiskey brought in by the Americans, poor treatment of First Nations women by white men, and miners stealing their caught fish in the river. However, the dependence Europeans had on the First Nations to navigate the wild lands of BC put Europeans in a vulnerable position that they did not seem to appreciate. This one-sided dependence and one-sided exploitation of people and resources caused a great deal of armed conflict during the gold rush. Many people on both sides lost their lives and the tension just increased as a result.
The government went about “Indian law” under the assumption that First Nations would be wiped out by European diseases and thus were doomed to extinction. First Nations in BC, unlike the other parts of Canada, were not allowed even the opportunity to sign treaties and get some immediate compensation for their land and resources. For obvious reasons, this was not pointed out to the First Nations. James Douglas even made the claim that British law was there to protect the rights of the Indians and white men equally.
Tie it back to forestry
The fact that no treaties were signed by the BC First Nations during the time of the gold rush means that they are able to negotiate more easily for the management of their historical lands today. This is especially evident in the growing popularity of community forestry.
Early on James Douglas recognized that gold mining was not a stable basis for an economy as it was too destructive to the environment. The other major natural resources in the area were salmon and trees. Salmon fisheries had already taken off as an industry because you could transport them down the river. Trees were not as easy to sell especially to the American market because of the distance the goods had to travel with no roads and high American tariffs. Furthermore, the raw logs had to be shipped because there were very few sawmills in the area, other than a couple at the mouth of the Fraser that sent their products to the Pacific Rim. So, initially, most of the timber used in BC was shipped from Puget Sound just south of the border.
Forestry really became a viable industry in BC after the creation of the TransCanada Railway. The Railway made it possible to ship the timber around the country and helped to create a bigger market for it. Plus there was a lot of lumber needed in the creation of the railway itself and to create homes for the new people it brought to BC after its construction.
So now the secret was out and the gold rush began. When the first ship of prospectors arrived in Victoria, it doubled the population of the town. Most of these prospectors were Californians that were reaching the tail end of their own gold rush and were hoping to try their luck further north.
Even before the gold rush had begun in earnest, James Douglas feared that the lawlessness that occurred in California during their gold rush would occur in New Caledonia as well. In 1857, he created a law that required every miner to have a license and imposed a 10% customs duty on imported goods. The fee was low, so that a gold panner could pay it back with a day of work, but it created a controlled access to the area.
The next year, James Douglas really cracked down on policing New Caledonia and imposed a colonial government in the area without permission of the British Crown. Tension was high between the miners and the First Nations, so there was little resistance to the imposed governance from the side of the Europeans. When the British Crown found about Douglas’ rogue governance, they decided to make his authority in the area official by making New Caledonia a British colony. Queen Victoria herself was the one to come up with the name British Columbia for New Caledonia. At the time Americans were colloquially calling their land Columbia, so the moniker British Columbia was a cheeky way of saying they may have lost their American colony, but they had laid claim to this new land. On November 19th, 1885 the proclamation naming British Columbia as a new British colony was read in Fort Langley. However, New Westminster became the capital as it was easier to defend being further from the border and lying on the Fraser River.
As the Gold Fever began to intensify around 1860, a 108 mile wagon road was built from Harrison Lake (Fort Douglas) up to Lillooet by the Royal Engineers and contractors. This road made it easier and cheaper to transport goods and people up the Fraser. Shortly after the construction of the Douglas-Lillooet Wagon Road, the Fraser Canyon gold rush reached its peak in 1861 with 50,000 miners along the Fraser River. These miners were mostly Americans come up from California, with a smaller percentage of European and Chinese immigrants.
At this peak, the British Crown changed British Columbia’s eastern border to go directly North in the Peace River area. This was done in an attempt to keep gold-seekers under the control of the British and more effectively monitor who entered the colony from the North. However, after 1861 gold become more capital intensive as it was buried beneath rock and dirt as you moved further North and the alluvial gold was removed.
The Role of Lillooet
So how does the, now little, town of Lillooet come into this gold rush. At one point Lillooet was the largest town west of Chicago and north of San Fransisco. Lillooet was the furthest north the Fraser Canyon Gold Rush went before gold was found in the Cariboo and sparked the Cariboo gold rush. Not only was Lillooet difficult to get past using the river, it was harder through the mountains to the northeast. When they had built the Cariboo wagon road, the engineers had to blast through rock and create bridges over valleys and rivers.
The Lillooet people were often described as being destitute at the onset of the gold rush and were colloquially known as the “friendly Indians”. They were definitely up for a shock when the gold rush occurred and brought with it a huge influx of people so different from themselves. No one is sure of just how many people were there, but estimates range around 25,000 people arriving in only a few months. In spite of their friendly nature, the Lillooet, like so many First Nations at the time, were pushed back from their waterfront communities. Up to the Main Street area of modern day Lillooet is directly on top of the main village of a former First Nations band.
First Nations and their role
There was a great deal of tension between the First Nations and Europeans during the gold rush and it has continued to this day. Some of the reasons for this animosity on the end of the First Nations came from the rotgut whiskey brought in by the Americans, poor treatment of First Nations women by white men, and miners stealing their caught fish in the river. However, the dependence Europeans had on the First Nations to navigate the wild lands of BC put Europeans in a vulnerable position that they did not seem to appreciate. This one-sided dependence and one-sided exploitation of people and resources caused a great deal of armed conflict during the gold rush. Many people on both sides lost their lives and the tension just increased as a result.
The government went about “Indian law” under the assumption that First Nations would be wiped out by European diseases and thus were doomed to extinction. First Nations in BC, unlike the other parts of Canada, were not allowed even the opportunity to sign treaties and get some immediate compensation for their land and resources. For obvious reasons, this was not pointed out to the First Nations. James Douglas even made the claim that British law was there to protect the rights of the Indians and white men equally.
Tie it back to forestry
The fact that no treaties were signed by the BC First Nations during the time of the gold rush means that they are able to negotiate more easily for the management of their historical lands today. This is especially evident in the growing popularity of community forestry.
Early on James Douglas recognized that gold mining was not a stable basis for an economy as it was too destructive to the environment. The other major natural resources in the area were salmon and trees. Salmon fisheries had already taken off as an industry because you could transport them down the river. Trees were not as easy to sell especially to the American market because of the distance the goods had to travel with no roads and high American tariffs. Furthermore, the raw logs had to be shipped because there were very few sawmills in the area, other than a couple at the mouth of the Fraser that sent their products to the Pacific Rim. So, initially, most of the timber used in BC was shipped from Puget Sound just south of the border.
Forestry really became a viable industry in BC after the creation of the TransCanada Railway. The Railway made it possible to ship the timber around the country and helped to create a bigger market for it. Plus there was a lot of lumber needed in the creation of the railway itself and to create homes for the new people it brought to BC after its construction.
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
A (less than) Brief History of the Fraser Canyon Gold Rush
The industrious logger by a fallen tree and gold panner hunched over a stream are the iconic images of British Columbia. While these may initially appear to be unrelated industries, their histories were inevitably intertwined with the creation and development of BC as a province and a part of Canada.
Let me set the stage, back before the West became so wild. Before any country had laid claim to the land that is now British Columbia, it was mostly under the control of fur trading companies in the area and the First Nations or native people that had originally lived there. One thing that surprised me in my research on this topic was the actual size of the native population at this time. The history books always made it seem as though the population of BC was mostly composed of Europeans. Many First Nations had a lot more control of the area than some might believe solely because their knowledge of the area provided the expertise needed to navigate the dangerous rivers and mountain passes. Fur traders at the time were very dependent on the native people to get around.
The biggest player in the fur trade at the time was the London-based Hudson Bay Company. The HBC was kind of the eyes and ears on the ground for the British Empire at the time; Canada was a little too far away and spread out for Britain to bother sending resources to claim and defend it. Most of the British investment at the time was put into hot countries, such as India, South Africa, and Australia, which were thought to be more valuable (spices versus fur hats). Therefore, the men involved with the Hudson Bay Company tended to be the same people the British put into positions of power once BC had become a colony.
The biggest threat to the stability of the HBC in New Caledonia (now BC’s mainland west of the Rockies) was from American “mountain men” coming in to trap beaver and other animals for their pelts as well. In an effort to deter Americans from moving further North, the HBC trapped all the beavers in the Snake River Valley so if they did move north, they would only find a wasteland devoid of the animals for which they were looking.
In 1849, the Hudson Bay Company moved its headquarters from Fort Vancouver to the more convenient location of Fort Victoria and Vancouver Island became a British colony with Victoria as its capital. As I mentioned before the leading members of the HBC were often put in positions of power by the British government and this case was no different. The senior HBC officer James Douglas was appointed governor of Vancouver Island and was put in charge of the British subjects in New Caledonia.
The joint roles he performed created a conflict of interest as he was affiliated with the largest company in the area and the government meant to control resources and manage the land. In fact, James Douglas and the HBC knew about gold in BC long before it was made known to the British government or the public. The First Nations had known about gold in their rivers and its value to the Europeans, but bands like the Haida in Haida Gwaii (then Queen Charlotte Islands) did their best to keep this fact hidden from the Europeans. The Haida people tried to prevent the HBC from exploring their islands, but they didn’t have any luck if they wanted to continue trade with the HBC. In 1857, the HBC slipped up. James Douglas sent a shipment of gold he collected from the First Nations down to San Francisco and the word spread that the HBC was trading gold with the First Nations in BC.
Let me set the stage, back before the West became so wild. Before any country had laid claim to the land that is now British Columbia, it was mostly under the control of fur trading companies in the area and the First Nations or native people that had originally lived there. One thing that surprised me in my research on this topic was the actual size of the native population at this time. The history books always made it seem as though the population of BC was mostly composed of Europeans. Many First Nations had a lot more control of the area than some might believe solely because their knowledge of the area provided the expertise needed to navigate the dangerous rivers and mountain passes. Fur traders at the time were very dependent on the native people to get around.
The biggest player in the fur trade at the time was the London-based Hudson Bay Company. The HBC was kind of the eyes and ears on the ground for the British Empire at the time; Canada was a little too far away and spread out for Britain to bother sending resources to claim and defend it. Most of the British investment at the time was put into hot countries, such as India, South Africa, and Australia, which were thought to be more valuable (spices versus fur hats). Therefore, the men involved with the Hudson Bay Company tended to be the same people the British put into positions of power once BC had become a colony.
The biggest threat to the stability of the HBC in New Caledonia (now BC’s mainland west of the Rockies) was from American “mountain men” coming in to trap beaver and other animals for their pelts as well. In an effort to deter Americans from moving further North, the HBC trapped all the beavers in the Snake River Valley so if they did move north, they would only find a wasteland devoid of the animals for which they were looking.
In 1849, the Hudson Bay Company moved its headquarters from Fort Vancouver to the more convenient location of Fort Victoria and Vancouver Island became a British colony with Victoria as its capital. As I mentioned before the leading members of the HBC were often put in positions of power by the British government and this case was no different. The senior HBC officer James Douglas was appointed governor of Vancouver Island and was put in charge of the British subjects in New Caledonia.
The joint roles he performed created a conflict of interest as he was affiliated with the largest company in the area and the government meant to control resources and manage the land. In fact, James Douglas and the HBC knew about gold in BC long before it was made known to the British government or the public. The First Nations had known about gold in their rivers and its value to the Europeans, but bands like the Haida in Haida Gwaii (then Queen Charlotte Islands) did their best to keep this fact hidden from the Europeans. The Haida people tried to prevent the HBC from exploring their islands, but they didn’t have any luck if they wanted to continue trade with the HBC. In 1857, the HBC slipped up. James Douglas sent a shipment of gold he collected from the First Nations down to San Francisco and the word spread that the HBC was trading gold with the First Nations in BC.
Monday, August 15, 2011
Robots in Disguise
As you've probably guessed by my lack of a conscious effort, I've been super busy with school. Our schedule is packed with all kinds of lectures, hikes and "cultural experiences". We're in Alberta now, so I'm going to try and go through the BC highlights in this post, so I don't get too far behind.
When I left you off last we were in Lillooet. From there we headed further north to UBC's Alex Fraser Research Forest at Gavin Lake. What a beautiful facility! It’s a shame I didn’t get to use it in my undergrad, but, as they say, better late than never. There were canoes to take out on the lake, a three foot high ramp for jumping a bike into the lake, the resident fiddle band and a sauna. Everything was so much fun and it was hard to believe we're actually receiving credits for this! The first night we all alternated relaxing in the sauna and jumping into the lake. We even partook in the Finnish practice of beating yourself on the back with aspen branches. As ridiculous as it sounds, it does feel like a strange kind of massage and was welcome after all the day's driving.
The next day we went around the research forest and learned about their shelterwood harvesting research. The idea of shelterwood is to harvest the large trees in a stand and leave all the little natural regeneration in the understory, so that you a) don't have to plant as much, b) the trees already have a headstart at growing , and c) it doesn't look like a clearcut...'cause it's not. It's a really neat idea (not that it's a very new one) and I've never seen a logging operation that looked as beautiful as this one. See below :-)
That evening we had a bonfire and decided to fire up the sauna (pun intended). The night ended on an exciting note when the enthusiasm of the group to create the perfect sauna caused the overheating of the wooden roof. The teamwork we’ve developed over the last week really showed as we all rushed to put out the fire together. I didn't realize fire fighting would be part of the course material, but it's something I've always wanted to try!
The next day was a lot of driving interspersed with a trip to visit the West Fraser sawmill in William's Lake. Then it was time to say bye to BC and get handed over to the Albertans. A horrible fate some might think, but it was assuaged by the surplus of funds providing us with a white water rafting trip down the Fraser River up near Mount Robson. We had a blast and the guide was so impressed when he had to call as back out of the 7 degree river for our end-of-the-trip swim in the Fraser. That's what happens when you travel with a bunch of Scandanavians!
When I left you off last we were in Lillooet. From there we headed further north to UBC's Alex Fraser Research Forest at Gavin Lake. What a beautiful facility! It’s a shame I didn’t get to use it in my undergrad, but, as they say, better late than never. There were canoes to take out on the lake, a three foot high ramp for jumping a bike into the lake, the resident fiddle band and a sauna. Everything was so much fun and it was hard to believe we're actually receiving credits for this! The first night we all alternated relaxing in the sauna and jumping into the lake. We even partook in the Finnish practice of beating yourself on the back with aspen branches. As ridiculous as it sounds, it does feel like a strange kind of massage and was welcome after all the day's driving.
The next day we went around the research forest and learned about their shelterwood harvesting research. The idea of shelterwood is to harvest the large trees in a stand and leave all the little natural regeneration in the understory, so that you a) don't have to plant as much, b) the trees already have a headstart at growing , and c) it doesn't look like a clearcut...'cause it's not. It's a really neat idea (not that it's a very new one) and I've never seen a logging operation that looked as beautiful as this one. See below :-)
That evening we had a bonfire and decided to fire up the sauna (pun intended). The night ended on an exciting note when the enthusiasm of the group to create the perfect sauna caused the overheating of the wooden roof. The teamwork we’ve developed over the last week really showed as we all rushed to put out the fire together. I didn't realize fire fighting would be part of the course material, but it's something I've always wanted to try!
The next day was a lot of driving interspersed with a trip to visit the West Fraser sawmill in William's Lake. Then it was time to say bye to BC and get handed over to the Albertans. A horrible fate some might think, but it was assuaged by the surplus of funds providing us with a white water rafting trip down the Fraser River up near Mount Robson. We had a blast and the guide was so impressed when he had to call as back out of the 7 degree river for our end-of-the-trip swim in the Fraser. That's what happens when you travel with a bunch of Scandanavians!
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
A Conscious Effort
I am going to try to write in my blog more religiously (though I've said this before) while I am at field school. I need to write a blog of what we do each day anyway, so that should be a good incentive to just continue the writing.
Today I had to do a lecture on the BC gold rush, particularily how it relates to the town of Lillooet where we're staying. We ran out of time during the day due to excessive enjoyment of our Joffre Lakes hike just outside of Pemberton, so I had the privledge of doing my lecture in the pub. Each of the students from BC was asked to do a presentation on something related to forestry in BC and I chose the gold rush, aka the least forestry related topic. It was unfortunate that my first choice BC parks was already taken, but I did learn a lot from my topic being the gold rush. It's amazing what they don't teach you in school.
It was an extremely effective way to have to do a lecture. It was more of a conversation or "story time". I told the history of BC and they played a drinking game where they had to drink every time I said "gold". Making the lecture all the more fun and my lapses in memory all the less memorable! I will hopefully post a blog with all I learned about BC during the Fraser Canyon Gold Rush. It is a remarkable story that I am surprised I never learned in school. Much more interesting than incessant babble about the Hudson Bay Company and lacross!
In any case, I think the lecture was a success (at least in everyone's intoxicated state) and I was able to finish of the night with a Finnish (pun intended) lesson. Again, I would like to post the Finnish that I've learnt so far and to thank our resident Finn for all his assisstance in my education. He has been more than patient and deserves all the beer I plan on giving him!
Today I had to do a lecture on the BC gold rush, particularily how it relates to the town of Lillooet where we're staying. We ran out of time during the day due to excessive enjoyment of our Joffre Lakes hike just outside of Pemberton, so I had the privledge of doing my lecture in the pub. Each of the students from BC was asked to do a presentation on something related to forestry in BC and I chose the gold rush, aka the least forestry related topic. It was unfortunate that my first choice BC parks was already taken, but I did learn a lot from my topic being the gold rush. It's amazing what they don't teach you in school.
It was an extremely effective way to have to do a lecture. It was more of a conversation or "story time". I told the history of BC and they played a drinking game where they had to drink every time I said "gold". Making the lecture all the more fun and my lapses in memory all the less memorable! I will hopefully post a blog with all I learned about BC during the Fraser Canyon Gold Rush. It is a remarkable story that I am surprised I never learned in school. Much more interesting than incessant babble about the Hudson Bay Company and lacross!
In any case, I think the lecture was a success (at least in everyone's intoxicated state) and I was able to finish of the night with a Finnish (pun intended) lesson. Again, I would like to post the Finnish that I've learnt so far and to thank our resident Finn for all his assisstance in my education. He has been more than patient and deserves all the beer I plan on giving him!
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
Fighting for the Right to Party
I had a weird moment today where I realized just how old the Beastie Boys are. I always thought the song "Fight for Your Right" came out while I was in high school 'cause that's when it was the most popular and when I first heard it. But my 30 year old friend was sure it came out while he was in high school. Then I talked to a coworker who's almost 40 and he was sure it came out while he was in high school. Imagine being so influential as to directly impact the lives of high school students across at least two decades. It really give me a whole new respect for 40 year old rappers.
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
Symphonic Dancing
Last Christmas my dad decided that he had too much stuff, so for his presents he asked for experiences rather than his usual request for socks and electronics. My mom was already getting him season tickets to a theatre and my brother was taking him out for lunch, so I had to come up with an original idea and decided to get him tickets to the symphony. There were four tickets, so I figured I would go with him once and the second time he could go with my mom.
Unfortunately for me, my mom said she had no interest in going to the symphony, so now I get to go to the symphony twice. Now, don’t get me wrong, I love classical music, but if I’m going to listen to any type of music I would much prefer dancing to it over just sitting. Luckily for me, my father decided to pick the “pop” series of the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra’s performances. The first one, that we’ve already attended, was A Century of Broadway. This was fantastic because I could easily recognize various tunes and they had two amazing singers, so it was much more entertaining than if it had been just the music. Another really interesting aspect of the performance was that the singers gave us a mini history lesson of how each of the songs influences Broadway music and why they were chosen. It was really interesting to see how Broadway musicals and music styles had evolved over the last century and they did an amazing job of singing and playing in such a wide variety of styles.
One thing that really struck me as different from a concert setting was how everyone just sat quietly appreciating the music. Music is just such a wonderful way to express your passion and portray emotions, that I can’t understand why people just sit and listen to it. I suppose, not everyone feels music through dancing and movement. I could feel the people around me taking in the story the music was telling them. They just absorbed it and processed it in their mind, where I would have had to express it in some way. I think that’s a really neat skill to have. To be able to almost meditate on the emotions instead of having to express them through song or dance or art or tears. I think I would like to be able to be completely still and be one with the music. I think I may have to try it out at the next symphony. Although A Night At the Cotton Club might not be the best situation for serenity.
Unfortunately for me, my mom said she had no interest in going to the symphony, so now I get to go to the symphony twice. Now, don’t get me wrong, I love classical music, but if I’m going to listen to any type of music I would much prefer dancing to it over just sitting. Luckily for me, my father decided to pick the “pop” series of the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra’s performances. The first one, that we’ve already attended, was A Century of Broadway. This was fantastic because I could easily recognize various tunes and they had two amazing singers, so it was much more entertaining than if it had been just the music. Another really interesting aspect of the performance was that the singers gave us a mini history lesson of how each of the songs influences Broadway music and why they were chosen. It was really interesting to see how Broadway musicals and music styles had evolved over the last century and they did an amazing job of singing and playing in such a wide variety of styles.
One thing that really struck me as different from a concert setting was how everyone just sat quietly appreciating the music. Music is just such a wonderful way to express your passion and portray emotions, that I can’t understand why people just sit and listen to it. I suppose, not everyone feels music through dancing and movement. I could feel the people around me taking in the story the music was telling them. They just absorbed it and processed it in their mind, where I would have had to express it in some way. I think that’s a really neat skill to have. To be able to almost meditate on the emotions instead of having to express them through song or dance or art or tears. I think I would like to be able to be completely still and be one with the music. I think I may have to try it out at the next symphony. Although A Night At the Cotton Club might not be the best situation for serenity.
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
Tolerance
I've been thinking a lot about tolerance this week. I'm not sure that I've come to any conclusions, but it's the thought that counts.
There are two people in my life that frequently make, in one case, racist and, in the other case, homophobic comments. Now, in the '90s it seemed like everyone just pretended that people's differences didn't exsist, whereas now it's alright (to a certain extent) to poke fun at natural variation as long as all variations are mocked equally. So, at first I assumed the candidness of their words to be this natural progression between extremes.
I was wrong. I've now come to realize that they're just racist and homophobic. The thing is that I still don't think they are bad people. I disagree with what they say, of course, and their words make me very uncomfortable, but I've come to know them before I learned of their beliefs. In my mind they are just ignorant and perhaps I can help them overcome this, but in the interm what do I do?
When I commented to a mutual friend that the homophobe's comments were upsetting me, she said that they should be more careful voicing their opinions in such a public environment, but that they had the right to these opinions none-the-less. I suppose that's what really got me thinking becuase my immediate reaction was that they don't have the right to these opinions. But that's just me being intolerant of their intolerancem and doesn't that make me a hypocrite.
I suppose this is the exact debate surrounding free speech. It is free up until a certain point. Up until people get hurt. But people are so diverse in their opinions that someone's bound to get hurt at nearly every point. So, where do you draw the line? Or should there even be a line at all? Instinct tells me there should be a line, but those are the instincts of someone firmly on the socially acceptable side of that line...
I talked about this with another friend and she said that it doesn't really matter if there are the so called "backwards" thinkers in our society because they will become less backward as the whole society progresses. Theoretically, I can see how that would be the case, but in practice it feels as though we've reached a divergent point. We may have all progressed together up until a certain state and now we're dividing into different groups of extremists with no hope of a middle ground. I suppose that this is an impossible claim for me to make since I never lived at a time where women were burned at the stake for strange behaviour.
In conclusion, there is none. Maybe I should be open minded to people's intolerances or maybe I should call them on it and have them question their beliefs. Either way I feel as though my natural instinct to shun their behaviour or angrily retort solves nothing and just portrays my own bias and intolerance...
There are two people in my life that frequently make, in one case, racist and, in the other case, homophobic comments. Now, in the '90s it seemed like everyone just pretended that people's differences didn't exsist, whereas now it's alright (to a certain extent) to poke fun at natural variation as long as all variations are mocked equally. So, at first I assumed the candidness of their words to be this natural progression between extremes.
I was wrong. I've now come to realize that they're just racist and homophobic. The thing is that I still don't think they are bad people. I disagree with what they say, of course, and their words make me very uncomfortable, but I've come to know them before I learned of their beliefs. In my mind they are just ignorant and perhaps I can help them overcome this, but in the interm what do I do?
When I commented to a mutual friend that the homophobe's comments were upsetting me, she said that they should be more careful voicing their opinions in such a public environment, but that they had the right to these opinions none-the-less. I suppose that's what really got me thinking becuase my immediate reaction was that they don't have the right to these opinions. But that's just me being intolerant of their intolerancem and doesn't that make me a hypocrite.
I suppose this is the exact debate surrounding free speech. It is free up until a certain point. Up until people get hurt. But people are so diverse in their opinions that someone's bound to get hurt at nearly every point. So, where do you draw the line? Or should there even be a line at all? Instinct tells me there should be a line, but those are the instincts of someone firmly on the socially acceptable side of that line...
I talked about this with another friend and she said that it doesn't really matter if there are the so called "backwards" thinkers in our society because they will become less backward as the whole society progresses. Theoretically, I can see how that would be the case, but in practice it feels as though we've reached a divergent point. We may have all progressed together up until a certain state and now we're dividing into different groups of extremists with no hope of a middle ground. I suppose that this is an impossible claim for me to make since I never lived at a time where women were burned at the stake for strange behaviour.
In conclusion, there is none. Maybe I should be open minded to people's intolerances or maybe I should call them on it and have them question their beliefs. Either way I feel as though my natural instinct to shun their behaviour or angrily retort solves nothing and just portrays my own bias and intolerance...
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
April
Well that was an interesting little hiatus. Usually, when I take a break from blogging it's because there's nothing interesting happening in my life that I want to share, but this month it's been because I've been super busy. My schedule hasn't completely eased up, but I'm making time for an update!
Bird Banding
I spent two weeks in the middle of April volunteering with a bird banding project at Iona Beach near the Vancouver Airport. Bird banding is a method of monitoring bird populations that both remain in an area and migrate through it. You do this by setting up mist nets (ie. very fine nets that the birds have trouble seeing) and checking at regular intervals if they have caught anything (usually every 30 minutes, so the birds don't get too cold from having their wings all dishevelled). Then you carefully extract the birds. This is the hardest part because the birds can get themselves quite tangled and you don't want to hurt them. Once the birds are extracted, you put them in a cloth bag until you get to the banding stations, so they calm down.
Once back, you take the bird out of the bag, making sure you're holding it properly with it's head between your index and middle finger and the rest of your hand cupping it's body. Then we get to the actual banding. If the bird hasn't been captured before you get to take a tiny metal band with a number imprinted on it, open it, and close it around the bird's leg like an anklet. You record the number and all the bird's vital statistics; age, sex, wing length, tail length, fat stored, weight and any other comments about their health. Then you release the bird and if you recapture it you can learn more about the local population. Since you're never going to catch all the birds and the ones that have been captured once are going to be more cautious about getting caught again, you can't tell the total population by doing this, but you can get an idea of whether it's stable, growing or declining!
Bird banding is something that I've wanted to try doing since I was in first year of university. In my first forestry class, they had us write up a resume of how we would like our resume to look once we'd finished university. It was a really neat exercise and definitely gave me an idea of possible summer work experiences and internships I could participate in. A lot of the really interesting ones were bird banding, for two reasons. One, a lot of them were international and in the tropics at that! And two, there was so much variety in the type of projects and what you could learn. Birds are, I suppose, similar to a lot of other things in nature in that you don't really find them interesting until you learn more about them. I can definitely understand the appeal of birding, especially after my hands on experience banding. There are so many different kinds of birds, even in a place like Canada, and compared to mammals, amphibians and even insects, they're relatively easy to spot or identify by their calls.
I had a great experience banding and it was nice to put my degree to good use, especially since I'd been feeling that it's been a little wasted working at the restaurant. While I may not have been the most helpful person on the banding team, I learned a lot. I especially learned that handling birds is just a lot about experience and practice. The man running the whole program was amazing! A birding wizard! He was able to tell when you had got one step and were ready to move onto the next, even if you weren't sure you were ready. You could tell he'd been bird handling for years and was really comfortable with it.
One day, it was right when we had arrived at 5:30am, we were walking along the paths opening up the mist nets and there on the path in front of us was a little Northern Saw Whet Owl sitting on a vole on the path in front of us. Apparently these tiny owls have a "dear in the headlights" reaction to light, so the wizard whips out his cell phone and ninja slowly stalks the owl with his hand. He moves so slowly you can barely tell he's moving and then SNAP! He reaches down and quickly grabs the owl with his bare hands! It was abosolutely amazing and after he let us all hold the incredibley light and soft saw whet owl. It was such an awesome (in the true sense of the word) experience and made me wish to aspire to such natural greatness!
Bird Banding
I spent two weeks in the middle of April volunteering with a bird banding project at Iona Beach near the Vancouver Airport. Bird banding is a method of monitoring bird populations that both remain in an area and migrate through it. You do this by setting up mist nets (ie. very fine nets that the birds have trouble seeing) and checking at regular intervals if they have caught anything (usually every 30 minutes, so the birds don't get too cold from having their wings all dishevelled). Then you carefully extract the birds. This is the hardest part because the birds can get themselves quite tangled and you don't want to hurt them. Once the birds are extracted, you put them in a cloth bag until you get to the banding stations, so they calm down.
Once back, you take the bird out of the bag, making sure you're holding it properly with it's head between your index and middle finger and the rest of your hand cupping it's body. Then we get to the actual banding. If the bird hasn't been captured before you get to take a tiny metal band with a number imprinted on it, open it, and close it around the bird's leg like an anklet. You record the number and all the bird's vital statistics; age, sex, wing length, tail length, fat stored, weight and any other comments about their health. Then you release the bird and if you recapture it you can learn more about the local population. Since you're never going to catch all the birds and the ones that have been captured once are going to be more cautious about getting caught again, you can't tell the total population by doing this, but you can get an idea of whether it's stable, growing or declining!
Bird banding is something that I've wanted to try doing since I was in first year of university. In my first forestry class, they had us write up a resume of how we would like our resume to look once we'd finished university. It was a really neat exercise and definitely gave me an idea of possible summer work experiences and internships I could participate in. A lot of the really interesting ones were bird banding, for two reasons. One, a lot of them were international and in the tropics at that! And two, there was so much variety in the type of projects and what you could learn. Birds are, I suppose, similar to a lot of other things in nature in that you don't really find them interesting until you learn more about them. I can definitely understand the appeal of birding, especially after my hands on experience banding. There are so many different kinds of birds, even in a place like Canada, and compared to mammals, amphibians and even insects, they're relatively easy to spot or identify by their calls.
I had a great experience banding and it was nice to put my degree to good use, especially since I'd been feeling that it's been a little wasted working at the restaurant. While I may not have been the most helpful person on the banding team, I learned a lot. I especially learned that handling birds is just a lot about experience and practice. The man running the whole program was amazing! A birding wizard! He was able to tell when you had got one step and were ready to move onto the next, even if you weren't sure you were ready. You could tell he'd been bird handling for years and was really comfortable with it.
One day, it was right when we had arrived at 5:30am, we were walking along the paths opening up the mist nets and there on the path in front of us was a little Northern Saw Whet Owl sitting on a vole on the path in front of us. Apparently these tiny owls have a "dear in the headlights" reaction to light, so the wizard whips out his cell phone and ninja slowly stalks the owl with his hand. He moves so slowly you can barely tell he's moving and then SNAP! He reaches down and quickly grabs the owl with his bare hands! It was abosolutely amazing and after he let us all hold the incredibley light and soft saw whet owl. It was such an awesome (in the true sense of the word) experience and made me wish to aspire to such natural greatness!
Friday, March 25, 2011
Welcome to Surrey
Yesterday, scandal broke in my sleepy little town. Not your garden variety dog-off-leash-on-the-beach, paperboy-late-bringing-the-peacearchnews scandal. This was real, honest to goodness Surrey-style scandal. Yes, my sleepy little town was home to a shooting...a fatal shooting...by the cops.
Now, I'm going to fathom a guess and say that in most Surrey neighbourhoods this type of an event would be met with sighs of acknowledgement and the presence of maybe two cop cars...three if we're feeling lucky. But not my neighbourhood. No, in this lethargic beach town we were lovingly graced with the presence of fifteen police vehicles! It just goes to show how dull, verging on comatose, my corner of the world can be.
Don't get me wrong. This is a tragedy. The police are here to protect us and shouldn't go around bringing the wild west to quaint resort towns. It's just not done. But at the same time...you're kind of asking for it if you walk around brandishing a gun. The people do not stand for such distractions from their yoga and watercolours. They will stand proudly on their lush lawn, brandishing hedge clippers in disgust from behind their white picket fences. They will not turn a blind eye, as they have an opinion on everything.
So, alas, this is what happens when people bring guns and erratic behaviour to a town where the latest excitement was when little Timmy kicked over his sister's sandcastle at the annual festival of the sea. Trigger happy cops and gun-wealding drug dealers. It's nice to feel as though I truly belong to the city on my address for once.
Now, I'm going to fathom a guess and say that in most Surrey neighbourhoods this type of an event would be met with sighs of acknowledgement and the presence of maybe two cop cars...three if we're feeling lucky. But not my neighbourhood. No, in this lethargic beach town we were lovingly graced with the presence of fifteen police vehicles! It just goes to show how dull, verging on comatose, my corner of the world can be.
Don't get me wrong. This is a tragedy. The police are here to protect us and shouldn't go around bringing the wild west to quaint resort towns. It's just not done. But at the same time...you're kind of asking for it if you walk around brandishing a gun. The people do not stand for such distractions from their yoga and watercolours. They will stand proudly on their lush lawn, brandishing hedge clippers in disgust from behind their white picket fences. They will not turn a blind eye, as they have an opinion on everything.
So, alas, this is what happens when people bring guns and erratic behaviour to a town where the latest excitement was when little Timmy kicked over his sister's sandcastle at the annual festival of the sea. Trigger happy cops and gun-wealding drug dealers. It's nice to feel as though I truly belong to the city on my address for once.
Monday, March 21, 2011
A Challenging Puzzle
I had a really fantastic day at work yesterday. I'm not sure if I've mentioned this before, but I generally jump around between bussing, hostessing and expediting at work, and last night I was hostessing. Now I'm sure you can imagine hostessing is not usually the most exciting position in a restaurant. It's a lot of standing around waiting for people to arrive and then just walking them to a table. At first I didn't like it. I felt like I couldn't really help out the other support staff because I always had to remain at the door in case someone arrived (it's funny how uncomfortable people are when they get to a restaurant and there's no one there to greet them, but I suppose I'm the same). Anyway, I hated that feeling that I was just standing there and that my job wasn't actually necessary until someone walked up the stairs into the restaurant, but yesterday was one of the good days.
We've been slow the last couple of Sundays, so the manager cut back on the number of servers working last night. That's why it was unfortunate that it was such a beautiful day out and lots of people called up to make reservations at the last minute. It's days like this when hostessing becomes really fun. It's like playing a giant puzzle in my head. I have to make as many people happy as possible using only a limited amount of resources. It's like when I play Sims; I make someone have next to nothing and then I help them rise from the ashes to earn everything they could want or need. I've always loved doing stuff like that. Trying to survive and thrive with so little on my side. It's so much more rewarding than a night that goes by without any problems. I want the problems because I want to be able to solve them and make a difference.
I know it's just a restaurant and maybe it doesn't seem very important, but it's so rewarding to have even just one person thank you for making their evening lovely. There was one table last night and the couple was so patient and thoughtful. They didn't have a reservation, but had come all the way from Vancouver because they love our restaurant so much. I told them that the earliest I would be able to fit them in would be in an hour, so they went for a walk. When they came back I had just had a table open up, so I told them to wait downstairs while I set it up for them. Of course, that was the moment where the phone started ringing off the hook, about 7 reservations came in that needed to be seated, and a very difficult pair of regulars insisted that I find them a table despite their not having a reservation. I think it took me about 15 minutes to deal with all of this before I got around to clearing there table. When I finally got them seated and thanked them for their patience, they were nothing but thankful that I could get them a spot. The whole time they were pleasant and just wonderful to be around even though they waited over an hour to be seated and possibley the worst table in our restaurant. It's things like that, which make me feel happy with what I'm doing. I love to have that challenge thrown at me and see if I can deal with it. The reward is talking to kind people and I love that I work in the kind of place that respects the kind of patient customers we get and rewards their thoughtfulness with complimentary peanut butter pie :-)
We've been slow the last couple of Sundays, so the manager cut back on the number of servers working last night. That's why it was unfortunate that it was such a beautiful day out and lots of people called up to make reservations at the last minute. It's days like this when hostessing becomes really fun. It's like playing a giant puzzle in my head. I have to make as many people happy as possible using only a limited amount of resources. It's like when I play Sims; I make someone have next to nothing and then I help them rise from the ashes to earn everything they could want or need. I've always loved doing stuff like that. Trying to survive and thrive with so little on my side. It's so much more rewarding than a night that goes by without any problems. I want the problems because I want to be able to solve them and make a difference.
I know it's just a restaurant and maybe it doesn't seem very important, but it's so rewarding to have even just one person thank you for making their evening lovely. There was one table last night and the couple was so patient and thoughtful. They didn't have a reservation, but had come all the way from Vancouver because they love our restaurant so much. I told them that the earliest I would be able to fit them in would be in an hour, so they went for a walk. When they came back I had just had a table open up, so I told them to wait downstairs while I set it up for them. Of course, that was the moment where the phone started ringing off the hook, about 7 reservations came in that needed to be seated, and a very difficult pair of regulars insisted that I find them a table despite their not having a reservation. I think it took me about 15 minutes to deal with all of this before I got around to clearing there table. When I finally got them seated and thanked them for their patience, they were nothing but thankful that I could get them a spot. The whole time they were pleasant and just wonderful to be around even though they waited over an hour to be seated and possibley the worst table in our restaurant. It's things like that, which make me feel happy with what I'm doing. I love to have that challenge thrown at me and see if I can deal with it. The reward is talking to kind people and I love that I work in the kind of place that respects the kind of patient customers we get and rewards their thoughtfulness with complimentary peanut butter pie :-)
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
Finland in my Future?
I applied to a Masters program in January. It was a relatively spontaneous application, since the information session was around January 9th and the application itself was due at the end of the month. But it looked like a good opportunity: one year at a Canadian school and the second at a European school. Who am I to pass up the opportunity to do my two favourite things: travel and learn?
In my mind this application was a bit of a shot in the dark. This is the first year they've done this program and they only accept two people from each of the schools in Canada. After talking to the other people planning to apply at the information session, I put this idea into the "just a dream" category of my mind. After spending the last two months downplaying this idea as a fantasy that was just not meant to be, I heard back yesterday. I got accepted!
I'm insanely happy and proud about it, but now I just don't know what to do with myself. I made it so that I wouldn't be disappointed when I didn't get accepted to the program, and now I don't know what to do with myself. I'm not mentally prepared to accept, but how could I not? It's such an amazing opportunity, but it completely throws off my plans for the future...however vague they were to begin with.
It's funny how our ideas of the future so greatly influence the decisions we have to make. How we fear to stray off course and explore the unknown. I remember when I was about 15, my friends and I made a life plan for ourselves. We decided how many kids we wanted to have and when we felt comfortable having our last kid (for medical and other reasons). Then we counted back from that age. How long did we want to be married before having kids? How long did we want to date our fiance before getting married. According to that plan, I should have already met my future fiance. I may have I suppose, but, as far as I know, that's not the case. And that's a good thing. I'm not ready to be married in the next couple years and I'm certainly not ready to be following a plan that links my life decisions so closely to someone else's life.
I've always been one to believe in fate. I think that things happen in your life when you are ready to handle them and when you are presented with an opportunity, you should jump at it. So, what nagging desire to follow an arbitrary life plan is making me hesitate before jumping at this opportunity?
In my mind this application was a bit of a shot in the dark. This is the first year they've done this program and they only accept two people from each of the schools in Canada. After talking to the other people planning to apply at the information session, I put this idea into the "just a dream" category of my mind. After spending the last two months downplaying this idea as a fantasy that was just not meant to be, I heard back yesterday. I got accepted!
I'm insanely happy and proud about it, but now I just don't know what to do with myself. I made it so that I wouldn't be disappointed when I didn't get accepted to the program, and now I don't know what to do with myself. I'm not mentally prepared to accept, but how could I not? It's such an amazing opportunity, but it completely throws off my plans for the future...however vague they were to begin with.
It's funny how our ideas of the future so greatly influence the decisions we have to make. How we fear to stray off course and explore the unknown. I remember when I was about 15, my friends and I made a life plan for ourselves. We decided how many kids we wanted to have and when we felt comfortable having our last kid (for medical and other reasons). Then we counted back from that age. How long did we want to be married before having kids? How long did we want to date our fiance before getting married. According to that plan, I should have already met my future fiance. I may have I suppose, but, as far as I know, that's not the case. And that's a good thing. I'm not ready to be married in the next couple years and I'm certainly not ready to be following a plan that links my life decisions so closely to someone else's life.
I've always been one to believe in fate. I think that things happen in your life when you are ready to handle them and when you are presented with an opportunity, you should jump at it. So, what nagging desire to follow an arbitrary life plan is making me hesitate before jumping at this opportunity?
Monday, February 28, 2011
Days Like This
I love days like this.
The cold wind blows against my face
Lifts my hair and carries my worries away
As I walk, the cold air brings a sense of reality
Shows me the truth, revealing it gently
I love days like this.
The sun peaks from behind a cloud
Showing it's light; heat hidden by the wind
Days like this bring hope
Show me the fiction of my concerns
I run.
All my troubles fall away
Fall frozen in time and wind
Warmth within the cold
I love days like this.
The cold wind blows against my face
Lifts my hair and carries my worries away
As I walk, the cold air brings a sense of reality
Shows me the truth, revealing it gently
I love days like this.
The sun peaks from behind a cloud
Showing it's light; heat hidden by the wind
Days like this bring hope
Show me the fiction of my concerns
I run.
All my troubles fall away
Fall frozen in time and wind
Warmth within the cold
I love days like this.
Sunday, January 30, 2011
Rabbie's Lassies
Last night I went to my local legion to celebrate Robbie Burns Day. For those who don't know, and I hope there are not many of you, Robbie Burns is a Scottish poet and folk hero. As part of my youthful highland dance classes, every Robbie Burns day of my childhood was spent dancing in retirement homes to celebrate and avoiding trying to eat the haggis; a dish, which, in hindsight, I actually quite enjoy.
Despite having grown up with such an attachment and appreciation to Robbie Burns, I really didn't know much about him...until yesterday that is. As part of the festivities one of the speakers went up to the podium and told us about Robbie's love of the ladies. I had heard rumours of him being quite the heartbreaker, so it wasn't the extent of his infidelity and scandal that shocked me. After the initial tales of love and lust, the speaker went on to state that Robbie didn't love ALL the ladies in his life and proceeded to recite the following poem about his friend's wife.
Willie Wastle dwalt on Tweed,
The spot they ca'd it Linkumdoddie.
Willie was a wabster guid
Could stown a clue wi onie body.
He had a wife was dour and din,
O, Tinkler Maidgie was her mither!
Sic a wife as Willie had,
I wad na gie a button for her.
She has an e'e (she has but ane),
The cat has twa the very colour,
Five rusty teeth, forbye a stump,
A clapper-toungue wad deave a miller;
A whiskin beard about her mou,
Her nose and chin they threaten ither:
Sic a wife as Willie had,
I wad na gie a button for her.
She's bow-hough'd, she's hem-shin'd,
Ae limpin leg a hand-breed shorter;
She's twisted right, she's twisted left,
To balance fair in ilka quarter;
She has a hump upon her breast,
The twin o that upon her shouther:
Sic a wife as Willie had,
I wad na gie a button for her.
Auld baudrans by the ingle sits,
An wi her loof her face a-washin;
But Willie's wife is nae sae trig,
She dights her frunzie wi a hushion;
Her walie nieves like midden-creels,
Her face wad fyle the Logan Water:
Sic a wife as Willie had,
I wad na gie a button for her.
Isn't that terrible! What a horrible thing to say about someone! I mean...fine! You don't like the woman. It's one thing to tell your friend that you don't like his wife. It's mamouthly more horrible to become a famous, world reknowned poet and write a long poem about all the characteristics and physical attributes of her being that disgust you!
The worst thing about this is that I still like Robbie Burns. I will continue to attend the annual events where I get to eat haggis, sing loudly, and dance to fiddle music. After all, people are human and I wouldn't want my admirers to change their opinion of me based on angry poems I wrote when I was having a bad day. And I can't know that this wasn't the case.
Despite having grown up with such an attachment and appreciation to Robbie Burns, I really didn't know much about him...until yesterday that is. As part of the festivities one of the speakers went up to the podium and told us about Robbie's love of the ladies. I had heard rumours of him being quite the heartbreaker, so it wasn't the extent of his infidelity and scandal that shocked me. After the initial tales of love and lust, the speaker went on to state that Robbie didn't love ALL the ladies in his life and proceeded to recite the following poem about his friend's wife.
Willie Wastle dwalt on Tweed,
The spot they ca'd it Linkumdoddie.
Willie was a wabster guid
Could stown a clue wi onie body.
He had a wife was dour and din,
O, Tinkler Maidgie was her mither!
Sic a wife as Willie had,
I wad na gie a button for her.
She has an e'e (she has but ane),
The cat has twa the very colour,
Five rusty teeth, forbye a stump,
A clapper-toungue wad deave a miller;
A whiskin beard about her mou,
Her nose and chin they threaten ither:
Sic a wife as Willie had,
I wad na gie a button for her.
She's bow-hough'd, she's hem-shin'd,
Ae limpin leg a hand-breed shorter;
She's twisted right, she's twisted left,
To balance fair in ilka quarter;
She has a hump upon her breast,
The twin o that upon her shouther:
Sic a wife as Willie had,
I wad na gie a button for her.
Auld baudrans by the ingle sits,
An wi her loof her face a-washin;
But Willie's wife is nae sae trig,
She dights her frunzie wi a hushion;
Her walie nieves like midden-creels,
Her face wad fyle the Logan Water:
Sic a wife as Willie had,
I wad na gie a button for her.
Isn't that terrible! What a horrible thing to say about someone! I mean...fine! You don't like the woman. It's one thing to tell your friend that you don't like his wife. It's mamouthly more horrible to become a famous, world reknowned poet and write a long poem about all the characteristics and physical attributes of her being that disgust you!
The worst thing about this is that I still like Robbie Burns. I will continue to attend the annual events where I get to eat haggis, sing loudly, and dance to fiddle music. After all, people are human and I wouldn't want my admirers to change their opinion of me based on angry poems I wrote when I was having a bad day. And I can't know that this wasn't the case.
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Éireannach
That's right! Is Éireannach mé! My Irish passport has come in the mail and it's all confetti and balloons style official. They've accepted me as one of them for Heaven only knows what reason. Obviously, they thought only of my father's birth place and not of my strong Canadian patriotism. To be perfectly fair, I feel a good deal of Irish patriotism as well. I think I just like being patriotic. It's kind of my thing :-)
I do feel a little guilty about getting the passport. It's almost as though I don't really deserve to be accepted into a culture I haven't really been a part of. I've always been drawn to my Irish half, but really...what do I know about it? I don't speak Irish Gaelic beyond "Slainte!", I've never lived in Ireland, and I have no idea of the political system or pop culture. It doesn't seem fair to award someone with citizenship who doesn't have a real understanding of your culture. Then again, I suppose it happens very frequently in Canada and other countries around the world. It's just a hypocritical aspect of my personality, to hold myself to a higher standard than I do others. I'm disappointed in myself about applying for citizenship to a country I feel inadequately a part of, but I would welcome others to Canada if they were in my shoes.
I guess I'll just have to take solace in the fact that one of my favourite authors is Irish.
I do feel a little guilty about getting the passport. It's almost as though I don't really deserve to be accepted into a culture I haven't really been a part of. I've always been drawn to my Irish half, but really...what do I know about it? I don't speak Irish Gaelic beyond "Slainte!", I've never lived in Ireland, and I have no idea of the political system or pop culture. It doesn't seem fair to award someone with citizenship who doesn't have a real understanding of your culture. Then again, I suppose it happens very frequently in Canada and other countries around the world. It's just a hypocritical aspect of my personality, to hold myself to a higher standard than I do others. I'm disappointed in myself about applying for citizenship to a country I feel inadequately a part of, but I would welcome others to Canada if they were in my shoes.
I guess I'll just have to take solace in the fact that one of my favourite authors is Irish.
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
The Qi of Tai Chi
Everyday on my way to work in South Africa, I would pass by a group of people practicing tai chi. While most of the students in my complex were fast asleep attempting to relieve their hangovers and life's stresses, five of them stood on the grass at an ungodly hour to do exactly the same thing only much more effectively. Each time I walked past I had the urge to join them. The only things holding me back were a reluctance to interupt their peace of mind, a fear that by just jumping in I would offend more than show my interest in the art, and an obligation of punctuality for my work.
I've never been drawn to martial arts, but tai chi felt different. Up until Monday I had never tried it, but whenever I have been stressed or tired in the last year I would practice fake tai chi moves of my own invention. It would always calm me down and make me feel more relaxed. So I was really excited to see what tai chi was actually like and not my made up interpretation of it.
To be perfectly honest, I'm not sure if it's the exercise for me. I think I'm going to have the same issue with it that I have with yoga. It's too slow. I like the meditation aspect of it and what little of the history we've been taught so far is really interesting, but there's something about the slow movement that makes me feel restless and agitated. I have come to realize that silence and calm are truely skills to be mastered. It's strange how the ability to not think has become a practiced art over time. That our society is so charged and restless as to need to practice just being. I think that's why I'm drawn to tai chi in principle and why I hope it will capture my interest in practice. I want to be able to purposefully be just present with myself and I think I've wanted this my whole life. When I was 13 I started learning about and playing with wicca. Part of it was because it was unknown and kind of forbidden...what 13 year old isn't drawn to that, but the part that I really enjoyed doing wasn't making love potions, it was the grounding and centering you do before any wicca practice. Just visualizing that you are part of a complex natural ecosystem and connected to everything that is around you. It is very calming and revitalizing. The sad thing is that I feel, as I'm sure many others do, that I no longer have time to take a moment to just be in the moment. Even worse than that, I can't think of what I do that is more important than that...
I've never been drawn to martial arts, but tai chi felt different. Up until Monday I had never tried it, but whenever I have been stressed or tired in the last year I would practice fake tai chi moves of my own invention. It would always calm me down and make me feel more relaxed. So I was really excited to see what tai chi was actually like and not my made up interpretation of it.
To be perfectly honest, I'm not sure if it's the exercise for me. I think I'm going to have the same issue with it that I have with yoga. It's too slow. I like the meditation aspect of it and what little of the history we've been taught so far is really interesting, but there's something about the slow movement that makes me feel restless and agitated. I have come to realize that silence and calm are truely skills to be mastered. It's strange how the ability to not think has become a practiced art over time. That our society is so charged and restless as to need to practice just being. I think that's why I'm drawn to tai chi in principle and why I hope it will capture my interest in practice. I want to be able to purposefully be just present with myself and I think I've wanted this my whole life. When I was 13 I started learning about and playing with wicca. Part of it was because it was unknown and kind of forbidden...what 13 year old isn't drawn to that, but the part that I really enjoyed doing wasn't making love potions, it was the grounding and centering you do before any wicca practice. Just visualizing that you are part of a complex natural ecosystem and connected to everything that is around you. It is very calming and revitalizing. The sad thing is that I feel, as I'm sure many others do, that I no longer have time to take a moment to just be in the moment. Even worse than that, I can't think of what I do that is more important than that...
Thursday, January 6, 2011
Things to do before I turn 24
I would like to sit here and say that I have been so busy since I returned from Ireland that I haven't been able to write, but to be perfectly honest I haven't been busy. I've been kind of depressed. Up until I went to Ireland I had the goal of training for and planning that trip. Now I just have the goal of finding a job. A very intimidation and vague goal. If there's one thing I've learned from years of goal making and planning classes throughout my schooling, it's that vague and intimidating are exactly what you don't want in a goal. This, I believe, is what lead to my depression and inability to make that goal a reality.
Now, if there's one thing that rather arbitrary milestones, such as the new year that we are entering into, are good for, it is reassessing your goals and where you are in your life. I've come to the conclusion that my vague goals and less than sunny disposition are doing me no favours. So, I've broken down my goal into more manageable steps and added a few fun goals for this year. After finding an unfinished list of things I was supposed to do before I turned 18, I've decided to consolidate a list of things I want to do before I turn 24...
- Hike the West Coast Trail
- Volunteer with the Girl Guides and become more engaging when teaching kids
- Take Tai Chi classes
- Make the plans for and build a hovercraft big enough for me to ride in
- Sew a summer dress
- Learn how to make a kayak and start making plans for doing so
- Grow a herb garden
- Read two fun books a month
- Take up Geocaching
- Improve my French
and the kicker...
- Find a job that I'm excited to go to everyday (volunteer somewhere conservation related in the mean time)
It's an intimidating list, but I'm really excited to do everything on it. I have spent so much time these past three months working at a job where I love the people, but it doesn't bring out a passion in me. It's time to decide what I want to do with my life and actually do it.
I keep thinking that because I am not on an adventure like I was in Ireland and South Africa, I have nothing to write about here. Hopefully having these goals will convince me that I can have adventures at home, too. I'm starting Tai Chi classes on Monday and haven't been more excited about it. Girl Guides is going well, too. We've actually started planning our meetings, so I feel more involved in that. I have intimidatingly signed myself up to lead the girls in fulfilling a bunch of their program requirements. I have no idea how well this is going to go, but I'm jumping in with both feet and crossing my fingers that I'll learn quickly this way. I think I need to just find my own teaching niche and become confident in my ability to do that. So, wish me luck! I'll let you know how the Tai Chi and my first time leading the girls through a program requirement go. I'm also going geocaching for the first time on Saturday, so I'll have to tell you how I like that, too!
Happy New Year and I hope you all have your own adventures in 2011!
Now, if there's one thing that rather arbitrary milestones, such as the new year that we are entering into, are good for, it is reassessing your goals and where you are in your life. I've come to the conclusion that my vague goals and less than sunny disposition are doing me no favours. So, I've broken down my goal into more manageable steps and added a few fun goals for this year. After finding an unfinished list of things I was supposed to do before I turned 18, I've decided to consolidate a list of things I want to do before I turn 24...
- Hike the West Coast Trail
- Volunteer with the Girl Guides and become more engaging when teaching kids
- Take Tai Chi classes
- Make the plans for and build a hovercraft big enough for me to ride in
- Sew a summer dress
- Learn how to make a kayak and start making plans for doing so
- Grow a herb garden
- Read two fun books a month
- Take up Geocaching
- Improve my French
and the kicker...
- Find a job that I'm excited to go to everyday (volunteer somewhere conservation related in the mean time)
It's an intimidating list, but I'm really excited to do everything on it. I have spent so much time these past three months working at a job where I love the people, but it doesn't bring out a passion in me. It's time to decide what I want to do with my life and actually do it.
I keep thinking that because I am not on an adventure like I was in Ireland and South Africa, I have nothing to write about here. Hopefully having these goals will convince me that I can have adventures at home, too. I'm starting Tai Chi classes on Monday and haven't been more excited about it. Girl Guides is going well, too. We've actually started planning our meetings, so I feel more involved in that. I have intimidatingly signed myself up to lead the girls in fulfilling a bunch of their program requirements. I have no idea how well this is going to go, but I'm jumping in with both feet and crossing my fingers that I'll learn quickly this way. I think I need to just find my own teaching niche and become confident in my ability to do that. So, wish me luck! I'll let you know how the Tai Chi and my first time leading the girls through a program requirement go. I'm also going geocaching for the first time on Saturday, so I'll have to tell you how I like that, too!
Happy New Year and I hope you all have your own adventures in 2011!
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