What a topic for Friday the 13th, eh?
I stumbled across one of Yahoo's Questions that they pose to the online world, and this one basically asks is Canada unified? As one poster pointed out, the only thing unified about us is that we are not unified. We all agree to disagree. Well, there are a couple of posters who think we are unified, so not even that works.
I think what bothers me most is the few anti-multicultural posts. I guess I can sorta understand the resentment to some extent - it's hard enough to define the whole "English Canada" culture, and then we get new Canadians with a very distinct culture that they bring from their own countries. Sometimes it might feel like this is being pushed on us, but really, I've never had a new immigrant come up to me and say, "Hey, I'm celebrating such and such tonight, you better be there or else!" Yet the response to immigration always seems to turn into slogans like "give Canada back to its own people." I wonder if they really mean the First Nations, or if they mean specifically the white Europeans who ended up here and now make up the majority. And it's not even just those Europeans who founded Canada - how about the waves of immigrants in the last 100 years who at one point were the "new immigrants" and were oppressed by the "real Canadians". Now, they're the ones we want to give Canada back to, and keep it away from those other "new immigrants." It's a vicious cycle.
I guess this is a little different in Quebec, at least from remembering some of the people we met and the stories they shared. Quebec culture is more defined, and they want to keep it strong. I can understand that, there is something special in Quebec. However, Montreal is more of an international city, such as Toronto and Vancouver, and as such has more mixing, more cultures to compete with the Quebecois culture. And most new immigrants head for the cities - more work, more opportunities, etc. And I remember someone telling us that these immigrants are choosing English over French as their Canadian second language, so I can understand that being a serious issue. We can get all annoyed that people in Quebec won't speak English to us, and how rude they are and other such nonsense. When Quebecers come to the rest of Canada, do the English speak French to them? Are we rude for not speaking French to them? I don't care if there are more English-speaking people than French in this country, most of us took French in school. And isn't this country bilingual? Shouldn't we expect everyone then to be a little bilingual, not just the French speakers? Yeah, this is coming from someone who needs to get all my French interviews translated cause I can't understand a word of it. But I want to learn French. I took a year of it in university. I am continuing to work at it. Slowly.
Anyway, I guess my main point in this whole thing is that while we are a long way from being united, I don't think that needs to be the goal. We're not going to find unity, and really, we've never even defined what we want to be united about. Do we hope to be united about politics - good luck! - or culture - have we even defined what culture is? - or some other enormous concept? I don't think we should be looking for unity, we should be looking for understanding. If we can understand where the rest of the country is coming from, understand at least the issues facing other provinces and territories, then we can understand the country as a whole a bit better. So I'll get back to work on that with the documentary, and you guys can go check out the Yahoo discussion if you want to. At least people are talking about this stuff. That makes me believe there's hope :)
Yahoo's Canada question and the answers:
http://ca.answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=Ah_YiYpTmcSgJgsDQDso.RbOPhV.?qid=20070713105214AA5wrIc&cp=2&tp=2&tnu=59#all-answers
Friday, July 13, 2007
Thursday, July 05, 2007
The map is up
Ok, finally got the map up. I'm off for a few days now, gonna get back to work on getting the film done. Will update again in a week or so when I've got something more to show for myself.
Sunday, July 01, 2007
Happy Canada Day!
Ok, the map is almost done, I've got the route all laid out finally. However, it's still in black and white, so it's hard to see what's what, so I'm gonna add some color before posting it.But I have got something to show! There are some pictures uploaded now!!
I figured this one is appropriate for Canada Day. My friend Claire was out from England just as I was starting to really get serious about this whole project, and we ended up taking a road trip
I don't know, but the way this plaque is written, it sounds like they really wanted to add "for better or for worse" at the very end.Photo: Claire Benson
Sunday, June 24, 2007
Happy Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day!
We should all go out and drink some blue beer!
Malliardville (one of the founding French communities in greater Vancouver) was having a celebration in the park that I was going to go to, and then got too caught up in work. But I'll dig up some blue food coloring tonight and have a drink, does that make up for it?
Blogger.com has a draft thing running, so people can post videos on their blogs. Which is awesome! I've got a trailer to post, but there are a few bugs as of yet. So first, I'm going to overhaul this blog and get some pictures up and make it look nicer, and finally get a map of the route across Canada up. And soon, you'll be able to see some of the stuff we shot.
Malliardville (one of the founding French communities in greater Vancouver) was having a celebration in the park that I was going to go to, and then got too caught up in work. But I'll dig up some blue food coloring tonight and have a drink, does that make up for it?
Blogger.com has a draft thing running, so people can post videos on their blogs. Which is awesome! I've got a trailer to post, but there are a few bugs as of yet. So first, I'm going to overhaul this blog and get some pictures up and make it look nicer, and finally get a map of the route across Canada up. And soon, you'll be able to see some of the stuff we shot.
Thursday, June 21, 2007
Happy National Aboriginal Day!
I don't know, something about National Aboriginal Day sounds a little too politically correct or something. Couldn't we at least drop "National" and just assume it's national? I don't know. Maybe it's just me.
Also, happy solstice!
We've come to the end of transcribing. It took a lot longer than I thought it would, but this whole project is a learning experience, eh? A lot of people have asked me why I would bother transcribing all the interviews. With so much footage, I need to be able to keep track of it, figure out where interviews overlap on similar subjects, see what I can juxtapose next to each other - basically, now I go back to my original idea and outline, and structure the interviews so they fit, or restructure my outline so it fits the interviews. Because the basic structure is a road trip, it should all go together without too much forcing. But the practical end of it means I need to rewrite the script to match the dialogue. Yes, it does sound backwards.
Also, happy solstice!
We've come to the end of transcribing. It took a lot longer than I thought it would, but this whole project is a learning experience, eh? A lot of people have asked me why I would bother transcribing all the interviews. With so much footage, I need to be able to keep track of it, figure out where interviews overlap on similar subjects, see what I can juxtapose next to each other - basically, now I go back to my original idea and outline, and structure the interviews so they fit, or restructure my outline so it fits the interviews. Because the basic structure is a road trip, it should all go together without too much forcing. But the practical end of it means I need to rewrite the script to match the dialogue. Yes, it does sound backwards.
Tuesday, October 17, 2006
BLOG ON HIATUS - Too Much Transcribing and Logging
Ok, there’s not much happening, and not much to comment on at the moment. I’m still ploughing through interviews, which, while they are extremely interesting, are also very long and make my fingers sore. Though my typing speed has increased phenomenally.
When I get tired of transcribing, I log footage. We shot a bunch of B-roll stuff, the landscapes out the bus windows, shots around the towns and cities, stuff we did in different places (like the Hairy Leg contest, snow carving and careening down Mont Tremblant on a toboggan), and stuff like the crab fishing, and stuff that I can’t even remember right now. Let’s just say that there’s a lot of footage that needs to be gone through, and each separate shot or thing that might be used needs to be described and have its timecode written down, and that’s what I do for fun when I’m not transcribing. This is where an assistant editor would come in handy . . .
But this blog is only occasionally being updated as it is right now, so it’s going to go on hiatus for a while so I can get this stuff done. I’ll see you in the next phase!
When I get tired of transcribing, I log footage. We shot a bunch of B-roll stuff, the landscapes out the bus windows, shots around the towns and cities, stuff we did in different places (like the Hairy Leg contest, snow carving and careening down Mont Tremblant on a toboggan), and stuff like the crab fishing, and stuff that I can’t even remember right now. Let’s just say that there’s a lot of footage that needs to be gone through, and each separate shot or thing that might be used needs to be described and have its timecode written down, and that’s what I do for fun when I’m not transcribing. This is where an assistant editor would come in handy . . .
But this blog is only occasionally being updated as it is right now, so it’s going to go on hiatus for a while so I can get this stuff done. I’ll see you in the next phase!
Monday, August 07, 2006
Night Shift
I’m starting to get used to this wacky schedule. Sort of. It changes a little bit each night.
We don’t work Friday night, so the footage that they shot on Friday is what we transfer Sunday night. So it’s ready and waiting when we get there. So we show up early, and leave early. Sunday is the best night. Then Monday morning, the production starts shooting early, so we can usually come in early Monday night, and there will be some film ready, if not all of it. However, as the week goes on, the production starts later and later in the morning, usually because they have long working days (12 - 16 hours sometimes) and unions require them to have a certain turnaround period before they can shoot again. So we get the film later and later as the week goes on, and stay later and later in the morning. So Monday morning, I might get to sleep at 4 am, whereas on Friday morning, I might not get off work until noon. (It doesn’t happen very often that we go that late, but it really sucks when it does.)
Beyond all that, I’m still working on The Distance Within whenever I get the chance. I’m in the transcribing phase. This is the part where I play back every interview and write down everything that’s said. It takes forever, but at the end, I will have a better idea of what people were talking about, and how well it fits with what everyone else was talking about. Cause it’s all kind of a blur to me at the moment.
Once I have the interviews transcribed, I can start putting together bits of interviews that talk about the same subject, area, issue, whatever. And I can look at different ways to tell the stories of the trip and the people we met. For now, I have a lot of work to do just to get past this part.
We don’t work Friday night, so the footage that they shot on Friday is what we transfer Sunday night. So it’s ready and waiting when we get there. So we show up early, and leave early. Sunday is the best night. Then Monday morning, the production starts shooting early, so we can usually come in early Monday night, and there will be some film ready, if not all of it. However, as the week goes on, the production starts later and later in the morning, usually because they have long working days (12 - 16 hours sometimes) and unions require them to have a certain turnaround period before they can shoot again. So we get the film later and later as the week goes on, and stay later and later in the morning. So Monday morning, I might get to sleep at 4 am, whereas on Friday morning, I might not get off work until noon. (It doesn’t happen very often that we go that late, but it really sucks when it does.)
Beyond all that, I’m still working on The Distance Within whenever I get the chance. I’m in the transcribing phase. This is the part where I play back every interview and write down everything that’s said. It takes forever, but at the end, I will have a better idea of what people were talking about, and how well it fits with what everyone else was talking about. Cause it’s all kind of a blur to me at the moment.
Once I have the interviews transcribed, I can start putting together bits of interviews that talk about the same subject, area, issue, whatever. And I can look at different ways to tell the stories of the trip and the people we met. For now, I have a lot of work to do just to get past this part.
Monday, July 10, 2006
Funding for Post
Ok, I am still feeling slightly overwhelmed by the whole trip. And my bank account is even more overwhelmed. That last month of traveling was made possible by VISA, and now they want their money back. So I’ve gone back to work at a local post-production house for a while to pay off this debt and replenish the piggy bank for my own post-production. I’m a scanner assistant, and I got assigned to Smallville which just happened to start filming again as I got rehired, so I get to be on the series from the beginning of season 6. After the day’s shooting, they drop their film off at the lab downstairs where it gets processed. We take it up to the telecine, where it gets transferred from the negative to HD. My big job is to make sure it’s in sync. I also write out the paperwork on the takes we transfer, the timecode, and problems with the negative. The downside to it all is I don’t start work until 1 or 2 am. So it’s going to take a bit of getting used to.
Monday, July 03, 2006
Some stats on the trip
We’re just taking a look at the last five months. Here are a few stats we're using to get our heads around what we've done and where we've been:
2 filmmakers
1 HDV camera
2 microphones
10 provinces
2 territories (sorry Nunavut!)
30,000 km covered
130 hours of footage
200+ people interviewed
3 languages (French, Inuktitut and English)
2 filmmakers
1 HDV camera
2 microphones
10 provinces
2 territories (sorry Nunavut!)
30,000 km covered
130 hours of footage
200+ people interviewed
3 languages (French, Inuktitut and English)
Saturday, July 01, 2006
Happy Canada Day!
We’re home. Got in last night, just before our bus passes ran out. I feel like I could sleep for a week. The whole journey was so big and all-encompassing, it’s hard to really process. It’s hard to remember what I was like before I started the trip, so it’s hard to say how I’ve changed. I know so much more about Canada, and yet, I feel like it was only the tip of the iceberg. There were so many towns that we passed by on the bus. So many places there wasn’t time (or energy) to visit. But I think we did as much as we could. I feel Canada’s borders a little better, a little easier. I think before I didn’t know what Canada was physically. Having grown up on Vancouver Island, and visited family in Saskatchewan, I knew that the west ended with the ocean, and the east trailed out somewhere beyond the endless fields. Now that I’ve gotten past the last field, seen the Canadian Shield, the St. Lawrence, the Atlantic from the Maritimes, it’s no longer just a line on a map. And, more importantly, the people are no longer just news stories and statistics.
A lot of people helped us get across Canada and back again. So many people were willing to open their homes to a couple of weary strangers with not much to offer besides a jar of jam or a story or two. So many people were willing to go on camera and answer all our personal questions about why they existed, what was important, what life meant to them. I hope this film will belong to all of you. It is your story as much, or more so, than it is ours.
A lot of people helped us get across Canada and back again. So many people were willing to open their homes to a couple of weary strangers with not much to offer besides a jar of jam or a story or two. So many people were willing to go on camera and answer all our personal questions about why they existed, what was important, what life meant to them. I hope this film will belong to all of you. It is your story as much, or more so, than it is ours.
Friday, June 30, 2006
Calgary to Coquitlam - homeward bound
We're heading home. It's kind of fitting that it's an overnight trip, cause we've spent so much time sleeping on buses. I think I've finally stopped beating myself up for not writing more about the trip and the people. I've been trying to think of more insightful things to say about Canada and all the people we've met and how much we've learned, but I'm just always so bloody tired. It's all I can do to make sure the camera's still in my pocket and I've got my bus pass, and I know where we're going next and the phone number for whoever we're meeting, or the address of the next interview. The scheduling has taken over my life. I've found myself longing more than once for the tranquility of that fishing boat. Or the couple of times when interviews just fell into our laps - due to the work of people in the area. Becky in Thompson and Ewan in Fredericton - and if I start listing, I will probably go on forever. We met so many incredible people who were willing to open their homes and lives to us, and take on our project for the brief period we were there. I wish we could have stayed longer in everyplace we stopped.
Calgary included! The guys were staying with are taking innertubes down the Bow River, which runs through the city. Man, if the passes didn't run out today, we'd still be there. I must admit, we took it easy in Calgary. Did a couple of interviews at the house, met up with a couchsurfer and did a really cool interview with her, and then hooked up with Max from Hamilton and hung out with him for a while. And even took some time to sit outside a cafe and have a frappe. That is rare.
Soon we'll be home. It's weird to think I can sleep in my own bed tonight and wake up and not go anywhere. We've been travelling long enough that the thought is kinda relieving, but I know I'll have the travel itch again before long.
Calgary included! The guys were staying with are taking innertubes down the Bow River, which runs through the city. Man, if the passes didn't run out today, we'd still be there. I must admit, we took it easy in Calgary. Did a couple of interviews at the house, met up with a couchsurfer and did a really cool interview with her, and then hooked up with Max from Hamilton and hung out with him for a while. And even took some time to sit outside a cafe and have a frappe. That is rare.
Soon we'll be home. It's weird to think I can sleep in my own bed tonight and wake up and not go anywhere. We've been travelling long enough that the thought is kinda relieving, but I know I'll have the travel itch again before long.
Saturday, June 24, 2006
Yellowknife to Calgary
Happy Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day!
We had an interview in Quebec (seems like another lifetime ago already) and our interviewee suggested that we might find more unity if Canadians everywhere celebrated French things as well as English things. Like Saint Patrick's Day and Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day. Do we really need an excuse to head out to the pub for a drink or two? Instead of green beer, drink blue beer today!
Anyway, we're celebrating by taking another long bus ride, this time down to Calgary. We've been on the bus about 12 hours. Only 17 or so more to go. I hope Darcy doesn't mind if we get to his place and just crash. I find it's easy to sleep on the bus, but when I wake up, I'm still tired.
The interviews and performances in Yellowknife for the rest of the festival were amazing. And we got so many musicians willing to let us use their music for the film. And they're so diverse. Art Napoleon www.artnapoleon.com & Wajjo - West African drummers with Scottish pipers www.telusplanet.net/public/wajjo/index.html and Michelle Boudreau www.michelleboudreau.ca plus the throatsingers. And finally, William Greenland, a Gwich’in Radio Broadcaster, who struck me first because he shares his name with our high school film and video teacher. Small world.
And we met some awesome artists who were working the festival. Martin Goodliffe, first off, who was making incredibly intricate jewelery in a tee pee. I wish I'd had some of my stones for you. Dan the Balloon Man www.dantheballoonman.ca who can make ANYTHING out of balloons in under 2.4 seconds. Zee Artiste www3.telus.net/public/woodbury/zee.html who drew a very cool caricature of me while I was interviewing him and mosquitoes were eating him alive. And Snickerdoodles www.wonderstuff.ca who kept many rambunctious children happy with her face painting magic. We had a really cool conversation about this documentary and its goals. She mentioned it had prompted a discussion with her daughter about success and what's important in life, and it made me realize that that's my success right there.
We had an interview in Quebec (seems like another lifetime ago already) and our interviewee suggested that we might find more unity if Canadians everywhere celebrated French things as well as English things. Like Saint Patrick's Day and Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day. Do we really need an excuse to head out to the pub for a drink or two? Instead of green beer, drink blue beer today!
Anyway, we're celebrating by taking another long bus ride, this time down to Calgary. We've been on the bus about 12 hours. Only 17 or so more to go. I hope Darcy doesn't mind if we get to his place and just crash. I find it's easy to sleep on the bus, but when I wake up, I'm still tired.
The interviews and performances in Yellowknife for the rest of the festival were amazing. And we got so many musicians willing to let us use their music for the film. And they're so diverse. Art Napoleon www.artnapoleon.com & Wajjo - West African drummers with Scottish pipers www.telusplanet.net/public/wajjo/index.html and Michelle Boudreau www.michelleboudreau.ca plus the throatsingers. And finally, William Greenland, a Gwich’in Radio Broadcaster, who struck me first because he shares his name with our high school film and video teacher. Small world.
And we met some awesome artists who were working the festival. Martin Goodliffe, first off, who was making incredibly intricate jewelery in a tee pee. I wish I'd had some of my stones for you. Dan the Balloon Man www.dantheballoonman.ca who can make ANYTHING out of balloons in under 2.4 seconds. Zee Artiste www3.telus.net/public/woodbury/zee.html who drew a very cool caricature of me while I was interviewing him and mosquitoes were eating him alive. And Snickerdoodles www.wonderstuff.ca who kept many rambunctious children happy with her face painting magic. We had a really cool conversation about this documentary and its goals. She mentioned it had prompted a discussion with her daughter about success and what's important in life, and it made me realize that that's my success right there.
Wednesday, June 21, 2006
Yellowknife and the Solstice Festival
Happy Aboriginal Day and Happy Summer Solstice!
Yellowknife and Whitehorse are the two most northern points we've been to on this trip, and we've seen them both during two opposite seasons, with major festivals. Whitehorse was the Rendezvous, here it's the Solstice Festival, with Aboriginal Day celebrations today. www.solsticefestival.ca/index.htm They were broadcasting the performances today on CBC, and there were some awesome musicians. I was really excited to see the throat singers, which Ewan in Fredericton had told us about. I'm not really sure how they produce the sounds, two women faced each other and made rhythmic sounds back and forth and got faster and faster until one of them laughed or lost their breath. It was as much a game or competition as a performance. Check out www.mustrad.org.uk/articles/inuit.htm or http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inuit_throat_singing for more on throat singing. Anyway, we filmed that and the rest ceremonies, and then booked the rest of the week pretty much solid with interviews.
We did find some time when we first got up here to take a tour of the town. I have an aunt and uncle up here who are putting us up (or putting up with us :) for the week, and we got a tour of the town and pilot's monument. Great view. It's really beautiful up here, and the landscape actually reminds me of parts of Newfoundland. Most of the land is rocky with thin trees. I'd love to make it farther north, but it won't happen on this trip. Too busy.
Though we lucked out with our timing here. We went to eat lunch down by the water, I think at Oldtown Landing, and the Governor General, Michaëlle Jean, was just leaving. She was speaking to some of the employees there as she passed by us, but her husband gave us a big smile.
Yellowknife and Whitehorse are the two most northern points we've been to on this trip, and we've seen them both during two opposite seasons, with major festivals. Whitehorse was the Rendezvous, here it's the Solstice Festival, with Aboriginal Day celebrations today. www.solsticefestival.ca/index.htm They were broadcasting the performances today on CBC, and there were some awesome musicians. I was really excited to see the throat singers, which Ewan in Fredericton had told us about. I'm not really sure how they produce the sounds, two women faced each other and made rhythmic sounds back and forth and got faster and faster until one of them laughed or lost their breath. It was as much a game or competition as a performance. Check out www.mustrad.org.uk/articles/inuit.htm or http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inuit_throat_singing for more on throat singing. Anyway, we filmed that and the rest ceremonies, and then booked the rest of the week pretty much solid with interviews.
We did find some time when we first got up here to take a tour of the town. I have an aunt and uncle up here who are putting us up (or putting up with us :) for the week, and we got a tour of the town and pilot's monument. Great view. It's really beautiful up here, and the landscape actually reminds me of parts of Newfoundland. Most of the land is rocky with thin trees. I'd love to make it farther north, but it won't happen on this trip. Too busy.
Though we lucked out with our timing here. We went to eat lunch down by the water, I think at Oldtown Landing, and the Governor General, Michaëlle Jean, was just leaving. She was speaking to some of the employees there as she passed by us, but her husband gave us a big smile.
Monday, June 19, 2006
Edmonton to Yellowknife
I really felt like an Oilers fan this weekend. I felt like a hockey fan. I don't think I'd ever watched an entire NHL game (at least not by choice) before Game 6, but hanging out in a pub just off Whyte Ave was about the best way to get properly introduced. The game itself rocked (Oilers creamed Carolina for anyone who spent the game in a cave) and the party afterward was insane. Whyte was just jammed with people, and yet the street wasn't blocked off, so cars were crawling by and honking and people were screaming and hollering and everyone wanted to smack everyone else's hand, no matter what was in the way. It's probably one of the few times I've been in a city and the people are actually acknowledging there are other people around them, and in fact seem to be happy about that. We only feel connected in times of shared happiness and excitement.
Some people were lined up to get into pubs or buy hotdogs, or ice cream or whatever, and the rest just seemed to keep circling around up one side of the street and down the other. Cops lined the sidewalks, keeping people crushed together, so there were intersections where we just couldn’t move once we’d crossed the street, waiting for the swarm of people to inch its way forward. I’m glad I don’t have claustrophobia. I actually enjoy being in the middle of huge towering crowd, having to move with the tide or be shoved over. There’s a lot of power in numbers, you can really feel it when you’re in the middle of it.
So that was our personal encounter with Edmonton. Very cool. But while Game 6 kinda dominated our stay, we also managed some cool interviews with Marshall, the guy who put us up on his couches, and his girlfriend, Stephanie, both of whom are going to university to become teachers. And Neil has been thinking of that path himself, and he’s back considering it again.
We also managed to hook up with Frank at the 11th hour. Frank started up the 5 Days for the Homeless campaign with a friend while they were business students. They spent 5 days homeless, unable to leave the campus, sleeping outdoors with only sleeping bags, with no money or food except what was given to them during the five days, and this was done in Edmonton in March. Not the warmest time of year. They also had to attend all classes during the 5 days. No bed, no showers, no shelter. By the time all was said and done, over $5000 had been raised and presented to YESS – the Youth Emergency Shelter Society. They even managed to get one of the professors to hunker down with them for three nights. We got a great interview with Frank – he is a really inspiring guy, and I hope that the campaign finds students who are willing to take over now that these guys have graduated. I wish it would spread to the rest of Canada’s universities . . .
Now we're back on the bus. One of the longest rides of the trip - 23 hours - and we get in late tonight, so it will be our first chance to see the midnight sun!
I must admit, I slept through most of northern Alberta, though I remember Peace River was really pretty. We were in there for an hour and a half for breakfast at about 6:30. So I fell back asleep once we were on the bus again. We stopped again not long after we entered NWT, and my first impression - the bugs are big. REALLY big. When people say the bugs are huge up here, they aren't exaggerating. And the crows are huge, too, but they didn't divebomb us like the bugs did, so I didn't mind them.
The coolest thing so far has been getting off the Fort Providence ferry and being greeted by a bison. Granted it wasn't nearly as impressed seeing us, it just kinda munched away at the side of the road. But it was a real, wild bison.
Some people were lined up to get into pubs or buy hotdogs, or ice cream or whatever, and the rest just seemed to keep circling around up one side of the street and down the other. Cops lined the sidewalks, keeping people crushed together, so there were intersections where we just couldn’t move once we’d crossed the street, waiting for the swarm of people to inch its way forward. I’m glad I don’t have claustrophobia. I actually enjoy being in the middle of huge towering crowd, having to move with the tide or be shoved over. There’s a lot of power in numbers, you can really feel it when you’re in the middle of it.
So that was our personal encounter with Edmonton. Very cool. But while Game 6 kinda dominated our stay, we also managed some cool interviews with Marshall, the guy who put us up on his couches, and his girlfriend, Stephanie, both of whom are going to university to become teachers. And Neil has been thinking of that path himself, and he’s back considering it again.
We also managed to hook up with Frank at the 11th hour. Frank started up the 5 Days for the Homeless campaign with a friend while they were business students. They spent 5 days homeless, unable to leave the campus, sleeping outdoors with only sleeping bags, with no money or food except what was given to them during the five days, and this was done in Edmonton in March. Not the warmest time of year. They also had to attend all classes during the 5 days. No bed, no showers, no shelter. By the time all was said and done, over $5000 had been raised and presented to YESS – the Youth Emergency Shelter Society. They even managed to get one of the professors to hunker down with them for three nights. We got a great interview with Frank – he is a really inspiring guy, and I hope that the campaign finds students who are willing to take over now that these guys have graduated. I wish it would spread to the rest of Canada’s universities . . .
Now we're back on the bus. One of the longest rides of the trip - 23 hours - and we get in late tonight, so it will be our first chance to see the midnight sun!
I must admit, I slept through most of northern Alberta, though I remember Peace River was really pretty. We were in there for an hour and a half for breakfast at about 6:30. So I fell back asleep once we were on the bus again. We stopped again not long after we entered NWT, and my first impression - the bugs are big. REALLY big. When people say the bugs are huge up here, they aren't exaggerating. And the crows are huge, too, but they didn't divebomb us like the bugs did, so I didn't mind them.
The coolest thing so far has been getting off the Fort Providence ferry and being greeted by a bison. Granted it wasn't nearly as impressed seeing us, it just kinda munched away at the side of the road. But it was a real, wild bison.
Saturday, June 17, 2006
Grande Prairie to Edmonton
Ok, first off, Grande Prairie is neck-in-neck with Fredericton for biggest party. Perhaps that was just good timing on our part.
We got in to Grande Prairie and our couchsurfing host, Veronica, graciously picked us up at the bus station. It turned out she was having a birthday party at her place the next night, and told us we should stick around an extra night. How could we say no? And she still found time to give us a tour of Grande Prairie yesterday morning. She gave us the rundown on how the oil boom was affecting her part of Alberta. Similar story that we’d heard, expensive housing, and not enough of it, but relatively huge wages for what would normally be minimum wage jobs. So you don’t have to go as far as Fort McMurray.
Last night we got to meet a bunch of her friends while they were all getting ready to go out. They started off the evening with pedicures, and we interviewed people in between. I hate to admit how much we suck, but by the time they were heading out to the club, it was midnight, and Neil and I were just too tired to go along. I’m blaming it all on the traveling – it sucks the life out of me. And maybe the filming too, I get so focused on the interview. After a bunch in a row, it was getting late, and I just wanted to fall unconscious. So Veronica, sorry again that we bailed, but we’ll catch you next time!
And thanks again for the lift to the bus station this morning. Everyone was understandably hung-over, but we still got to the bus on time. And now we’re heading for Edmonton . . .
We got in to Grande Prairie and our couchsurfing host, Veronica, graciously picked us up at the bus station. It turned out she was having a birthday party at her place the next night, and told us we should stick around an extra night. How could we say no? And she still found time to give us a tour of Grande Prairie yesterday morning. She gave us the rundown on how the oil boom was affecting her part of Alberta. Similar story that we’d heard, expensive housing, and not enough of it, but relatively huge wages for what would normally be minimum wage jobs. So you don’t have to go as far as Fort McMurray.
Last night we got to meet a bunch of her friends while they were all getting ready to go out. They started off the evening with pedicures, and we interviewed people in between. I hate to admit how much we suck, but by the time they were heading out to the club, it was midnight, and Neil and I were just too tired to go along. I’m blaming it all on the traveling – it sucks the life out of me. And maybe the filming too, I get so focused on the interview. After a bunch in a row, it was getting late, and I just wanted to fall unconscious. So Veronica, sorry again that we bailed, but we’ll catch you next time!
And thanks again for the lift to the bus station this morning. Everyone was understandably hung-over, but we still got to the bus on time. And now we’re heading for Edmonton . . .
Thursday, June 15, 2006
Spirit River to Grande Prairie
Neil's extended family has been very good to us this trip. We stayed with Ernie and Cora, his great uncle and aunt for our time in Spirit River. It was a really cool experience.
Spirit River has about 1000 people (including the farmsteads), has one real main street, and an extensive museum for such a small town. It's one of the oldest communities in the area, so I guess it's not too surprising.
We spent the first day catching our breath. Since leaving the Charlottes, we hadn't had much of a break, and the slow pace of Spirit River was beckoning. The next day, Ernie drove us around the area. Got some beauty shots of the fields, some oil pumps, fenced-in bison, and a couple of wild deer. We also got to take a drive up to Dunvegan, the site of an old fort, with a couple of original buildings and a gorgeous view of the Peace River.
That evening, we met and interviewed a couple of longtime residents, Gerard and Eugénie, and this morning we got to interview the mayor, Theresa Sandul. It was awesome that we had so much time there – it really gave us a better appreciation for small towns to be able to sit with someone for a few hours and just talk about how they see life. And we had the chance to take a guided tour through the museum. They had several buildings – including a one room schoolhouse, blacksmith’s, cabin, and a homestead house, all done up in original or period accessories.
And now we’re on to Grande Prairie. It’s a quick bus ride, so we’re almost there now.
Spirit River has about 1000 people (including the farmsteads), has one real main street, and an extensive museum for such a small town. It's one of the oldest communities in the area, so I guess it's not too surprising.
We spent the first day catching our breath. Since leaving the Charlottes, we hadn't had much of a break, and the slow pace of Spirit River was beckoning. The next day, Ernie drove us around the area. Got some beauty shots of the fields, some oil pumps, fenced-in bison, and a couple of wild deer. We also got to take a drive up to Dunvegan, the site of an old fort, with a couple of original buildings and a gorgeous view of the Peace River.
That evening, we met and interviewed a couple of longtime residents, Gerard and Eugénie, and this morning we got to interview the mayor, Theresa Sandul. It was awesome that we had so much time there – it really gave us a better appreciation for small towns to be able to sit with someone for a few hours and just talk about how they see life. And we had the chance to take a guided tour through the museum. They had several buildings – including a one room schoolhouse, blacksmith’s, cabin, and a homestead house, all done up in original or period accessories.
And now we’re on to Grande Prairie. It’s a quick bus ride, so we’re almost there now.
Monday, June 12, 2006
Prince George to Spirit River
I've never seen Prince George the way Goji showed it to us. I didn't know that side of the city existed.
Actually, before visiting Prince George (or most of the cities and towns on this trip) I didn't know much about the place. It's in "the north," it doesn't make the news very often, I might have heard something about the forestry industry, probably something about layoffs. It was far too easy to just stay contained in my own little world between Coquitlam and Vancouver, and I didn't really hear much about the rest of BC, especially the Prince George area and points north and west and east.
Goji brought the place alive. He picked us up at the bus station on his pedal cab. I felt really bad, cause we have these two huge packs, plus another backpack that makes up for its smaller size with weight, plus Neil and I sitting on the back. But Goji managed to pedal us uphill while entertaining us with the history of the area and the story of how he's gotten the nickname "Jesus" because of his all-natural lifestyle, pacifist ways, vegan diet and his striking resemblance to the long-haired, peace-seeking deity. The response to the pedal cab, and to Goji himself, was amazing. I'm used to people walking around with blinders on in cities - pedestrians don't look anyone in the face, and drivers rarely acknowledge there's anyone else on the road, unless an accident is emminent, or they have the opportunity to yell at someone. Here, people were waving, making appreciative comments about the bike - even the cabbies were considerate.
We got in fairly late that night though, so we didn't have much time before we crashed. The next day, Goji took us on a tour of Prince George, with our first stop at a local naturopathic store. We got some cool interviews in there with the employees, and an unsuspecting customer or two. Then we met up with one of his friends for an interview. Anita Hotty, who described herself as a super sexy socialist. Actually, that might be the best way to describe her right now. Wait for the documentary, then you can meet her in person :)
and we got to interview Goji's housemate, and in the middle there somewhere, found some time to interview Goji as well. And got to stop for ice cream. And then ended up flagging down a woman who drove past in her van, and interviewed her as well. It was a really cool day for meeting people. I was sad to leave, but we had to keep pushing on, so we were back at the bus station last night at 11:00 or so.
Today we're still on the bus - this is the 15 hour ride to Spirit River, Alberta. I was hoping we might be able to stop for a night in Chetwynd or Dawson Creek, but it's really difficult co-ordinating interviews and getting stuff done if you're only in a place for an afternoon and evening. So we're gonna spend a couple days in Spirit River and get a good feel for the place instead.
Actually, before visiting Prince George (or most of the cities and towns on this trip) I didn't know much about the place. It's in "the north," it doesn't make the news very often, I might have heard something about the forestry industry, probably something about layoffs. It was far too easy to just stay contained in my own little world between Coquitlam and Vancouver, and I didn't really hear much about the rest of BC, especially the Prince George area and points north and west and east.
Goji brought the place alive. He picked us up at the bus station on his pedal cab. I felt really bad, cause we have these two huge packs, plus another backpack that makes up for its smaller size with weight, plus Neil and I sitting on the back. But Goji managed to pedal us uphill while entertaining us with the history of the area and the story of how he's gotten the nickname "Jesus" because of his all-natural lifestyle, pacifist ways, vegan diet and his striking resemblance to the long-haired, peace-seeking deity. The response to the pedal cab, and to Goji himself, was amazing. I'm used to people walking around with blinders on in cities - pedestrians don't look anyone in the face, and drivers rarely acknowledge there's anyone else on the road, unless an accident is emminent, or they have the opportunity to yell at someone. Here, people were waving, making appreciative comments about the bike - even the cabbies were considerate.
We got in fairly late that night though, so we didn't have much time before we crashed. The next day, Goji took us on a tour of Prince George, with our first stop at a local naturopathic store. We got some cool interviews in there with the employees, and an unsuspecting customer or two. Then we met up with one of his friends for an interview. Anita Hotty, who described herself as a super sexy socialist. Actually, that might be the best way to describe her right now. Wait for the documentary, then you can meet her in person :)
and we got to interview Goji's housemate, and in the middle there somewhere, found some time to interview Goji as well. And got to stop for ice cream. And then ended up flagging down a woman who drove past in her van, and interviewed her as well. It was a really cool day for meeting people. I was sad to leave, but we had to keep pushing on, so we were back at the bus station last night at 11:00 or so.
Today we're still on the bus - this is the 15 hour ride to Spirit River, Alberta. I was hoping we might be able to stop for a night in Chetwynd or Dawson Creek, but it's really difficult co-ordinating interviews and getting stuff done if you're only in a place for an afternoon and evening. So we're gonna spend a couple days in Spirit River and get a good feel for the place instead.
Saturday, June 10, 2006
Prince Rupert to Prince George
Well, we're off our schedule, but we got to see Prince Rupert with the SeaFest going on, which was pretty cool. We even got to catch a performance by some Haida dancers. It was really quite cool they way they began - there were some drummers on stage, and very slowly, all around us, this singing became apparent. It sounded like the audience was singing. The performers appeared from behind us, and made their procession down to the stage. I'd been to performances with that sort of entrance before, but this was really effective.
We also got to check out the old cannery - which even has a hotel in it, if you want an authentic old-timers northern BC experience. And we went wandering through the brush above the beach, checking out the World War II underground bunkers and tunnels that were built in case of an attack. That was kinda creepy. They're all overgrown and partially filled with water, so we couldn't go in very far, but far enough to get the picture.
I would have loved to stay longer - exploring more of the bunkers, and seeing the rest of the SeaFest - but we have to get going. So we're on our way to Prince George. At this point I'd like to put in a word about the various bus drivers across the country. They are, for the most part, extremely cool. I remember being on a night bus heading across Ontario the first time. We'd just switched drivers, and I was sitting in the front row, slumped up against the window, attempting to sleep. The driver brought his satellite radio on, and turned it on very softly, and Ozzy was on with Crazy Train. I love that song, and you can't not get into that intro. So I was leaning closer to hear it better, and I mentioned that it was a pity it was so late and he couldn't blast it, the way it was meant to be played. He told me it was being fed through the system, and I could put my headphones on and listen to it there. It rocked! I was up all night, and it was absolutely awesome.
And the drivers in northern BC, time and again, are the funniest group. Sorry to generalize, but heading up to Prince George the first time, as we were pulling in, the driver thanked us for choosing Greyhound over all our other options. This time, we have a new driver, who's learning while watching another driver work. And as we continued down the highway, we switched drivers, but the first guy stayed on. So there are three of them, cracking jokes, enjoying their job. It's really quite cool. I wish all bus rides were like this one.
We also got to check out the old cannery - which even has a hotel in it, if you want an authentic old-timers northern BC experience. And we went wandering through the brush above the beach, checking out the World War II underground bunkers and tunnels that were built in case of an attack. That was kinda creepy. They're all overgrown and partially filled with water, so we couldn't go in very far, but far enough to get the picture.
I would have loved to stay longer - exploring more of the bunkers, and seeing the rest of the SeaFest - but we have to get going. So we're on our way to Prince George. At this point I'd like to put in a word about the various bus drivers across the country. They are, for the most part, extremely cool. I remember being on a night bus heading across Ontario the first time. We'd just switched drivers, and I was sitting in the front row, slumped up against the window, attempting to sleep. The driver brought his satellite radio on, and turned it on very softly, and Ozzy was on with Crazy Train. I love that song, and you can't not get into that intro. So I was leaning closer to hear it better, and I mentioned that it was a pity it was so late and he couldn't blast it, the way it was meant to be played. He told me it was being fed through the system, and I could put my headphones on and listen to it there. It rocked! I was up all night, and it was absolutely awesome.
And the drivers in northern BC, time and again, are the funniest group. Sorry to generalize, but heading up to Prince George the first time, as we were pulling in, the driver thanked us for choosing Greyhound over all our other options. This time, we have a new driver, who's learning while watching another driver work. And as we continued down the highway, we switched drivers, but the first guy stayed on. So there are three of them, cracking jokes, enjoying their job. It's really quite cool. I wish all bus rides were like this one.
Thursday, June 08, 2006
Queen Charlotte City to Prince Rupert
We pulled into Queen Charlotte City just as Monday was turning into Tuesday. Paul docked the ship for the night, so we were able to spend one more night on board. And got to interview him and Johnny before heading onto land in the morning. It was a strange feeling, climbing up the ladder to the dock, the sun still low in the sky, the village still sleeping. (Don't let the name fool you, Queen Charlotte City is very small - it was actually incorporated as the "Village of Queen Charlotte" last year, but QCC just sticks.) We watched the boat pull away,then headed up to the main street.
Just off the dock, there was a small convenience store. Just up from that, there were two cafes across the street from each other, where most people seemed to be grabbing their morning coffees. Further up, a pub on the left (still closed) and on the right the fishing and tackle and general store. We kept going to the highway (two lane road that travels most of the island) and headed along it to the hostel. We probably looked drunk, cause we still had our sealegs, and the ground seemed to be teetertottering back and forth.
We got settled and decided to take it easy - checked out the local supermarket, bought some lunch, went back to the hostel, slept a bit. Being on the water for that long had been really tiring, and that first day was kinda a write off. But we met two women, one from Germany, the other from Japan but currently living in Vancouver, who were also staying at the hostel and we had a barbeque with them that night. They'd been WWOOFing on a local farm for the past couple of weeks or so. WWOOF is Willing Workers on Organic Farms, or World-Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms. Basically if you want to travel and work, you can volunteer on an organic farm, and you get meals and accommodation in return. And the cultural exchange - chance to meet people in the local area, chance to "live" in the local area for a while. Check out the Canadian website: http://www.wwoof.ca/canada/homecanada.html
The next day we got our butts into gear and did some interviews in QCC and then hitchhiked to Skidigate and got a couple of interviews there. Yeah, I swore I'd never hitchhike again, but Skidigate is fairly close, within a couple hours' walk, and as there is no bus service, everyone hitchhikes. So we were quite successful. Maybe mainly cause we'd already met the guy, so he offered us a lift, and he was a minister, but our other hitchhiking attempts were also successful.
Anyway, Skidigate was really pretty. We popped into the pub, interviewed the bartender, and then met with one of Noelle's friends for a bit. She took us down to the main beach, where there was a Longhouse, which houses the Haida language school. I really wanted to get some interviews in the Haida native language, but it just didn't work out this time around. Maybe if I could head up there in the fall . . . it's not that far away.
Anyway, this morning we got going early and headed down to the coffee shops. There's a really nice outdoor area in front of The Purple Onion Deli, and we interviewed a bunch of the customers over coffee and sandwiches.
And now we're on the ferry heading back to Prince Rupert. It's a bit strange looking out over the Hecate Straight, having spent so much time in it in the fishing boat, and now plowing through it in (relatively) no time. Everything is relative.
Just off the dock, there was a small convenience store. Just up from that, there were two cafes across the street from each other, where most people seemed to be grabbing their morning coffees. Further up, a pub on the left (still closed) and on the right the fishing and tackle and general store. We kept going to the highway (two lane road that travels most of the island) and headed along it to the hostel. We probably looked drunk, cause we still had our sealegs, and the ground seemed to be teetertottering back and forth.
We got settled and decided to take it easy - checked out the local supermarket, bought some lunch, went back to the hostel, slept a bit. Being on the water for that long had been really tiring, and that first day was kinda a write off. But we met two women, one from Germany, the other from Japan but currently living in Vancouver, who were also staying at the hostel and we had a barbeque with them that night. They'd been WWOOFing on a local farm for the past couple of weeks or so. WWOOF is Willing Workers on Organic Farms, or World-Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms. Basically if you want to travel and work, you can volunteer on an organic farm, and you get meals and accommodation in return. And the cultural exchange - chance to meet people in the local area, chance to "live" in the local area for a while. Check out the Canadian website: http://www.wwoof.ca/canada/homecanada.html
The next day we got our butts into gear and did some interviews in QCC and then hitchhiked to Skidigate and got a couple of interviews there. Yeah, I swore I'd never hitchhike again, but Skidigate is fairly close, within a couple hours' walk, and as there is no bus service, everyone hitchhikes. So we were quite successful. Maybe mainly cause we'd already met the guy, so he offered us a lift, and he was a minister, but our other hitchhiking attempts were also successful.
Anyway, Skidigate was really pretty. We popped into the pub, interviewed the bartender, and then met with one of Noelle's friends for a bit. She took us down to the main beach, where there was a Longhouse, which houses the Haida language school. I really wanted to get some interviews in the Haida native language, but it just didn't work out this time around. Maybe if I could head up there in the fall . . . it's not that far away.
Anyway, this morning we got going early and headed down to the coffee shops. There's a really nice outdoor area in front of The Purple Onion Deli, and we interviewed a bunch of the customers over coffee and sandwiches.
And now we're on the ferry heading back to Prince Rupert. It's a bit strange looking out over the Hecate Straight, having spent so much time in it in the fishing boat, and now plowing through it in (relatively) no time. Everything is relative.
Monday, June 05, 2006
Prince Rupert to Queen Charlotte City
Man, it's been really easy to lose track of days.
We spent a night in Prince Rupert at Noella and Paul's. Noella took us on a bit of a tour the next day, and then we got on Paul's fishing boat that evening. He offered to take us across to the Queen Charlotte Islands, cause he's heading out there anyway doing some crab testing for the Department of Oceans and Fisheries. So we should be docking in Queen Charlotte City tonight.
The boat's really cool, all decked with a fully stocked kitchen, and a tv and dvd player and a large selection of movies. We've eaten really well, a huge roast one night, a slab of ribs the next. The guys working on the boat need it though, they work hard. Long hours, fairly repetitive work. Bring up the trap, unload it, keep the good crabs, toss away the small ones, the fish, the starfish, rebait the trap, wrap it up, stack it, move on to the next on. They took a bunch of crabs aboard to test them - size, sex, shell hardiness, injuries. I've shot a lot of footage of them working, but didn't get much of a chance to do interviews unfortunately. The engine was too loud and by the time it got shut off, the guys were exhausted.
I spent some time talking with Paul in the cockpit though. He's got some stories to tell about problems with sports fishing - the overfishing, or at least the lack of record keeping. He's been fishing over 40 years and says there's more salmon now than there was back in the hayday. He also has issues with farmed salmon - there's no regulations, no organic farming, and the fish are pumped full of chemicals. Mmm, I think I'll keep a look out for wild salmon next time I'm shopping . . .
Neil's jumped into the life of a fisherman. He's been out back sometimes helping the guys, sometimes just trying to stay out of their way. But he's having fun.
And I've been sitting on the deck, journal in hand, doing some writing, doing more thinking. What I am looking for, where am headed - both physically and metaphysically . . . heh, you think being on a bus gives you time to think, try three days on a boat. At least on the road, the scenery is always changing, here it's just endless water, and far off mountains. It's gorgeous, but maybe I'm just too antsy and worried about not filming enough stuff, I can't really relax and enjoy it and appreciate it. In two months, I'm gonna wish I was back here. Right in this moment. I should enjoy it now.
We spent a night in Prince Rupert at Noella and Paul's. Noella took us on a bit of a tour the next day, and then we got on Paul's fishing boat that evening. He offered to take us across to the Queen Charlotte Islands, cause he's heading out there anyway doing some crab testing for the Department of Oceans and Fisheries. So we should be docking in Queen Charlotte City tonight.
The boat's really cool, all decked with a fully stocked kitchen, and a tv and dvd player and a large selection of movies. We've eaten really well, a huge roast one night, a slab of ribs the next. The guys working on the boat need it though, they work hard. Long hours, fairly repetitive work. Bring up the trap, unload it, keep the good crabs, toss away the small ones, the fish, the starfish, rebait the trap, wrap it up, stack it, move on to the next on. They took a bunch of crabs aboard to test them - size, sex, shell hardiness, injuries. I've shot a lot of footage of them working, but didn't get much of a chance to do interviews unfortunately. The engine was too loud and by the time it got shut off, the guys were exhausted.
I spent some time talking with Paul in the cockpit though. He's got some stories to tell about problems with sports fishing - the overfishing, or at least the lack of record keeping. He's been fishing over 40 years and says there's more salmon now than there was back in the hayday. He also has issues with farmed salmon - there's no regulations, no organic farming, and the fish are pumped full of chemicals. Mmm, I think I'll keep a look out for wild salmon next time I'm shopping . . .
Neil's jumped into the life of a fisherman. He's been out back sometimes helping the guys, sometimes just trying to stay out of their way. But he's having fun.
And I've been sitting on the deck, journal in hand, doing some writing, doing more thinking. What I am looking for, where am headed - both physically and metaphysically . . . heh, you think being on a bus gives you time to think, try three days on a boat. At least on the road, the scenery is always changing, here it's just endless water, and far off mountains. It's gorgeous, but maybe I'm just too antsy and worried about not filming enough stuff, I can't really relax and enjoy it and appreciate it. In two months, I'm gonna wish I was back here. Right in this moment. I should enjoy it now.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
