Journal Entry 1

October 13^th 2004

            The most prevalent issue that we tackled this week was regarding the youth and street people of Mexico.  Benjamin’s poem about the lack of support for poor Mexican’s in Mexico City evoked much sadness in me personally, as well as numerous other members of the class.  Being from a middleclass family and living in a rural yet, fairly developed community, I am unable to imagine the pain and anguish with which the children and street people of Mexico deal with everyday.  Benjamin’s speech made me feel ashamed and guilty for all the things I take for granted.  Things as simple and expected as food and water are not simply a luxury for these people.  Not to mention the presence of rape, drugs, and violence to an extent, that I cannot even dream of, the lives of these poor people truly taught me a lesson about life, and the reality that things that I take for granted are in actuality luxuries that some people will never experience.

The only query I have regarding Benjamin’s speech is the fact that, though

 Mexico is not as economically sound as Canada, and other first world nations, it is also not a country in economic ruin such as Rwanda, and other poverty-stricken nations around the world.  In the last twenty-five years, Mexico (though not paramount) has become more of a second world country then a third.  Politically and economically their power has expanded.  At some points I felt that Benjamin was stating that it is everyone’s moral obligation to look after Mexico, and nowhere else, and in that regard I disagreed with what he was saying.

Essentially, I felt that Benjamin had some extremely prevalent and thought-provoking things to say that made me realize that the life I live, is a very privileged one, however, I disagree with the notion that as a Canadian citizen I should feel guilty for the life I live.  Granted there are nations around the world that are not as economically sound as the one that I inhabit, but we do not live in a utopian world, and though I wish we did, I do not think that I should feel guilty for the privileges which I have been endowed with.

Journal Entry 2

October 21, 2003

Two days ago our class as well as numerous others, were privileged to attend a lecture by the honourable Peter Irniq, regarding present Nunavut and the historical steps taken to make it the territory it has become. 

            In Peter’s speech he addressed the rigours of aboriginal life, and the problems through which they have progressed.  From the complete devaluation of their language, culture, and customs during the 1950’s and 1960’s, to economic disabilities in present day, Peter showed that the Inuit in Nunavut have overcome seemingly insurmountable odds to become a culture rich in tradition and honour.

            During the 1950’s and 1960’s Inuit were taught to ignore their roots and simply learn English.  In classes taught by priests and pastors alike, they were taught that their native tongue and culture were quite unimportant, and were even punished for speaking about them. 

            Peter also spoke about the amazing culture and traditions that the Inuit have.  The ubiquitousness (probably not a word, a la George Bush) of these cultures such as skinning a caribou, ritualistic ceremonies, and simply the existence of such a tight-knit society, make Nunavut an extremely distinct part of Canada.  The difference being that they celebrate this uniqueness, while also celebrating the fact that they are Canadian.

Journal Entry 3

            This past week I went home for the weekend but ended up getting to stay home for an entire seven days!  The majority of Nova Scotia as you know was hit with an enormous ice/snow/rain (as always unpredictable) storm which shut down the Halifax airport and allowed me to stay home for a few days.  Now to be completely honest it was really nice to be able to stay home for a few extra days, but when I really started to think about how it must have been, I looked back to the infamous Ice Storm 98 in Ontario. 

Being from Long Sault, Ontario, I was right in the heart of the storm that plagued nearly a quarter of Ontario and parts of Quebec.  For approximately two weeks we had nothing but ice rain during the day, then freezing cold nights.  The result of which, of course was terribly icy roads, and interestingly a plethora of collapsed power tours resulting in one of the largest power outages in the Eastern region of Ontario.  In Long Sault, we were actually completely without power for two weeks, and being a child you would think that it would have been awful to be without television and computer, and all the luxuries that we take for granted in our jolts per minute society, however the ice storm was one of the best two weeks I have ever experienced.

I cannot say that we weren’t lucky however, because by instinct or luck (I’m not sure) my Dad bought a generator two days before the ice storm got too serious and the power went out.  It’s actually pretty funny how vulnerability can bring members of a society together.  We pooled our generator around between the four houses around us, and essentially kept everyone warm, and kept their food fresh.  Though this was an extremely small gesture between a community it instilled with us all a sense of union and fellowship, and developed a friendship that is still apparent today.  This however was just the adults part as I saw it.

            As a kid who loves winter, hockey and ATVing this was essentially a dream come true.  No school, a hockey rink encompassing the entire neighbourhood, and the ability to skate to my friends and neighbours houses.  During the ice storm all the kids on the street would set up nets across two backyards and have enormous hockey games everyday.  This was followed by getting towed behind a ATV with a ski rope on skates (which now that I look back wasn’t the brightest of ideas) which was a blast!

            I think that the best part about the ice storm was not the hockey, or the 4-wheeling, but finally understanding how lucky we truly are.  Through this experience I realized that the most important thing in life are family, and it was great to be able to spend quality time without interference from any sort of technology.  Just sitting and talking with my family made us all a lot closer, and though the ice storm of 1998 may have effected a lot of people negatively, it was a learning and positive experience for me.

Journal Entry 4

                        Yesterday Drew, Johanna, James and I went to Halifax to hear George Bush thank the people of Halifax for their generosity during the terrorist attacks on September 11^th.  Though this was a nice gesture, in actuality it seemed to be quite fraudulent.  Many of the people who actually housed American passengers during the attacks were not even invited to the ceremony.  Interestingly, it was a compilation of government officials, with a few select guests who housed people.  Now my question is why was the room full of bureaucrats and government employees when the people who actually helped were standing outside in the cold?  The kicker (at the risk of sounding colloquial) was that the president couldn’t even take the time to come out and talk to the people who were there to hear him speak!

            At the time of the event I did not really realize the true intent of the meeting.  I am not a Bush supporter, but I did not realize that he was as bold as he truly is.  I was watching the news later on that day and began to actually listen to his speech.  The premise of which was not thanking the people of Halifax, but speaking about the war in Iraq and asking for Canada’s aid with “star wars” or interspacial ballistic technology.  This came as quite a shock to me, and essentially diminished any sense of respect I had for Bush prior to this endeavour. (Which wasn’t much)

            The most eventful part of the trip was when we got to march around the pier and the area surrounding it with other anti-Bush activists.  Some of the signs and outfits these people were wearing were extremely creative. I personally couldn’t avoid laughing when I saw an enormous paper mache hand giving Bush the middle finger, or the old Toyota clad with a huge shovel and other protective demolition derby like additions.  It wasn’t until we began walking away though, that I noticed the “Smoosh Bush” slogan on the front of the shovel.  The most entertaining and embarrassing part however was when we got interviewed on ATV news.  The result of which was my Dad calling me a radical after he saw it on the news that evening!

            All in all it was a very interesting trip, and a good time with friends, but it galvanized my feeling towards the American President.  It is unbelievable to me that a man could come to a nation to thank it people, yet not even take the time to say hello or even wave to them.  Very ignorant in my mind, but I guess when you are the “Most powerful man in the World” it doesn’t really matter what the little people think.