The past three weeks my family and I have hosted my sister-in-law's cousin from Japan in our home. He is an 18 year old trendy Japanese boy and my sister and I were nervous about where to take and what to show him, and how to make it look cool. Last weekend we were making the trek, via my car, from Whyte ave to Downtown and my sister pointed out the Edmonton skyline (to Satoshi) and he noted that it was beautiful. My sister and I agreed. I felt proud that he was impressed with our city view. Looking at the city from a tourist perspective I think I would be impressed with this view as well as the view of our river valley which I drive everyday but very seldom enjoy the beauty of.

How I see nature in Edmonton.

I think we are very fortunate as Edmontonians because we get to experience all four seasons. Despite the unequal length of the seasons I look forward to each one for different reasons. Nature looks very different in Edmonton depending on the time of year. My favorite is fall, because of the amazing colors and the temperature is perfect! My fondest memories as a child are walking through Hawrlek park across the footbridge, with my family in   autumn and simply enjoying how beautiful nature was in our city. Despite the fact that fall does bring an extremely long winter it is still my favorite time of year. I think it smells the best outside and it brings about a sense of new beginnings and starting over. Another favorite place of mine in the fall are the parliament grounds. The trees here are outstanding and its a great place to walk around and enjoy the view.

How 380 has changed me

I came into this course with the idea that we would be attempting to thwart Edmonton stereotypes and perhpas change our current views that we hold of the city. A few months later I have actually learned that part of being an Edmontonian is embracing stereotypes and using them to add to our definition in a positive way. An example of this is the literature that has come from Leslea Kroll, in Ten Degrees of Separation. The comical interaction between what we can interpret to be Edmonton and Toronto feeds off of stereotypes that add to the diversity of the city. Toronto seems to think Edmonton strives to be like her, but what we can take away from this story is that maybe Edmonton wants to stand on its own and be unique. I really enjoyed this reading and got me thinking about Edmonton in relation to its rival cities. Edmonton might not be as big....the weather might not be as nice as places like Victoria, but this adds to the character and I think Edmonton inhabitants have learned to love what we have so far as a city and that this is the first step in growing together......maybe...thoughts?

If I had to write about a single Edmonton location.....I would probably choose Whyte ave. Its an amazing place to walk down with so much to do, and I love how the dynamic changes from day to night. In the day it is more relaxed and you see an older crowd: at night its a booming party street! Its great to have one spot to go where you can park your car and spend a whole day and night, on foot, seeing whatever you are in the mood for. I think Whyte ave is a very important part of our city and Edmontonians are proud of it. Anytime I have someone visiting from out of town I take them to whyte ave to show them a bit of what Edmonton is about.

moving around the city

I think I move around the city well in a very limited space. I have the places I go and the places I know.....but finding a new address or the far south side...and I am lost. A goal I have after taking this class is to learn how to read maps better and navigate myself around the city...after all I do live here. Its embarrassing when somebody asks me in the mall "excuse me, how to I get to so and so..", and I have no idea how to explain....

I really enjoyed Trevor's visit on Thursday I think he had some very interesting things to say and his videos were fantastic! I loved the idea he talked about showing the highlevel bridge only in the winter. It is comical because it does seem like winter never ends here. Its like an inside joke we all share as edmontonians. I think that the weather however negatively affects how we move through the city.....I don't like going out as much or exploring the outdoors when it is 25 below. My dad however, is a former cross country Olympic skier and he gets out on the trails of edmonton as much as he can and waxes up his ski's. He always tells me how peaceful winter is outside because it is silent and crisp...one of these days I will go with him and hopefully have a similar experience.

What I have learned thus far: Not your usual Enlgish course.

In most English classes we read authors from seemingly far away lands, and the stories they tell occur in settings very far removed from places I visit on a daily basis. This is not necessarily a bad thing: I like to read as a form of entertainment. I find it exciting that I can experience a new place or journey from the comfort of my couch with a cup of hot tea! That's part of why I love to read. This class however, (as cliche as it sounds) has opened my eyes to see what is going on in my city that I didn't know about. I realized I don't have a very good sense of "the local" in Edmonton. Yes I dwell here, go out here, and go to school here, but I never really took pride in things like local authors, or music or art. I always assumed I had to look elsewhere to experience culture.

My favorite class thus far has been Darrin's visit. His story is fascinating and I am inspired to learn more about scenes in this city that I didn't know about previously. I am interested in experiencing nightlife from another point of view, rather than just the places I usually go.

I also am nervous about and look forward to our map projects. I had never even stopped to think about maps or the idea of creating a map to take another person on a conceptual journey. I am excited to see what someone else see's everyday, as well as what they will make of my concept of the city.

Exploring counter culture in the city

 I remember my first encounter going out to the "non-mainstream" bars with my older sister when I had just turned 18. Living in the St.Albert suburbs all my life I was incredibly surprised and excited to experience a new culture and scene that I never knew existed. My my sister who went to the university and lived on Whyte ave always encouraged me to explore outside the St.Albert bubble and wantedto show me what the city and in particular the night life in the city of Edmonton looked like through her eyes. She took me to The Black Dog, and Blues on Whye, and New City Suburbs. To a fresh 18 yr old from St.Albert this was a huge deal! I saw cross dressers and gothic culture at New city, and homeless people at Blues on Whyte. I thought the city was fabulous and loved going to new places where I didnt know anyone and got to experience new types of culture.

When reading Darrin's book I thought about my first experiences seeing certain minority groups in the city and how I was shocked at first, and then as I began to experience new things I became greatful for those people who have the courage to express themselves and be the first ones to step out and do something different. One thought that deeply resonates with me is why our society is so afraid to break the boundaries of social norms we have? When we push the envelope on gender or even contemporary style why do some people become deeply offended?