Vancouver, BC, A Very Easy City

One of the great things about visiting a new city is finding my way around. Certainly buying a map is a first day project, then spending hours all week being oriented follows. It is especially enjoyable when the city has a well developed bus and metro line, and this is very true with Vancouver, British Columbia. The buses are numerous and very clean. The operators and patrons are polite and helpful. Nobody seems to be in a rush to the point of making you feel like you are holding them up. The Canada Line is the newest of the public works, only in operation for the last 6 weeks. I took this video from the front of the first car. Pretty cool, I think.

Vancouver hosts the Winter Olympics in a couple of months. I believe public transportation was a consideration when the city was selected, but the clean, easy and fast metro they've built since that decision makes the city a joy to wander around. Vancouver has a reputation of being a great place to spend time, and I completely agree. I will come back to this city again, for sure.

This will be my last posting from Vancouver. We must be to the airport around midnight to catch a 2.00 am flight to Hong Kong, then Jakarta. This has been a great holiday, but it will be ok to be back home again as well. Home is good.

Typical Tourist Purchase

So I feel it's like one of those tee shirts with the message printed on the front, "My parents went to Vegas and all I got was this lousy shirt." We have been in some of the finest stores in Vancouver, seen some very nice clothes and other toys, none really that expensive, but in the end all I bought myself was a baseball cap with a Canadian logo on the front. Still, it is fun to wear, but cost twice as much as the jacket I got at the used clothing store. :-)

Most of Thursday was quite nice, and that made it great for walking, walking, and more walking. It is so pleasurable to be in cool air, an unpolluted city and have walking space with real live sidewalks. I'll bet most take these things for granted, but we from Indonesia do not. I am not going to whine on about Jakarta, but only appreciate what I am enjoying this week in Canada.

I wish more students were using their blogs over break, but maybe that will come with more opportunities. Along with that, B and I had a great discussion about our recent movie making process. I'm thinking I only did one thing right, decide to make movies. From then on, made a considerable number of wrong or hurried decisions. This will get much, much better.

Beautiful Leaves, Film School Buzz

Nadia, Hyun Jin, Nathan, Nadia, Young Woo, Gillian and Zoe. You've all posted entries this holiday week. Be sure to visit the blogs of each other and leave interesting comments about their entries. You know how good it feels to read comments on your work. Special note: see the videos put up by Gillian and Zoe. Penguins + a rock star. :-)

Today I was walking along the curb in Vancouver and was absentmindedly working with my camera. One moment the lens came on, and down below my feet was the most beautiful view of colored leaves that have fallen from the trees. They would qualify as rubbish, I guess, but how truly beautiful they were.

This morning I sat in the student lounge of the Vancouver Film School. I was casually reading a book, waiting for Bindu to finish her business, when the students went on break. Immediately I was surrounded by young men and women abuzz with their projects. I could only catch snippits of conversation, but it was not about the words being said. It was about the excitement the students had for their projects. I want to make a special effort to view their work once they post their film festival on YouTube. If they are as good as I think they will be, I'll show them to the sixers.

I'm almost over jet lag, just in time to suffer it again in the other direction.

Change in Weather, Change in Attitude

A sunny day makes all the difference.

Center For Independent Schools?

How nice it was to meet Lulu, someone I've heard so much about, but not yet had the pleasure of an introduction. We had a very quick 1 hour conversation in the basement of Pacific Place. She is someone who we will contact again and again, I'm sure. Bindu and Lulu actually have enough in common there could be a real business connection. We'll see...

So today's big project was to check for jobs in Canada. We'd received word there was a Center For Independent Schools, so this sounded right up our alley. Ok, we walked and walked and walked, looking for the place. Finally, in the very high rent district we came across the offices-in the archdiocese office building. 'Independent Schools' is a euphuism for schools run by the Catholic Church. We had a big laugh at that one, though the information gleaned by the interview process was interesting. It really might be something to fall back upon in the future.

Shopping today? Ha! We were walking Broadway and found a used clothing store. We each found an article we just couldn't pass up. The forecast is for rain tomorrow, so I found a sporty rain style jacket for $7.00. If it rains tomorrow, and it is easy to believe it will in Vancouver, the new old jacket will be a lifesaver.

Van in the sun? I could live here.

Sunday

What a great day of walking, seeing, meeting.

We walked all over downtown Vancouver, pretending to shop, but really enjoying the cool, misty temperature, the stunning architecture, and the eclectic mix of people.

After lunch we went to a very different art exhibit. Gathered at the Vancouver Exhibition Center were the 50 aboriginal artists who have created art for display at the winter games. The artists were there to discuss their art as well as actually do work at the time. They were a very interesting mix of native peoples, very different from each other, all deserving of immense respect.

We met the creator of the Olympic medals. I didn't even know you could alter the Olympic medal pattern or shape. Ms. Corrine Hunt, Native American artist, created the 1,040 gold, silver and bronze medals from one large work of art depicting a killer whale and a raven. Each medal is unique, and each medal fits into the larger work of art in a vast mosaic. Very, very cool.

I hope everyone else is having an equally refreshing break.

Saturday

The long, long trip to North America never gets any easier, but a nice coffee in the food court in Hong Kong was a welcome break. It made us laugh to think how much money we paid for two coffees and two cookies, but, hey, it is vacation, I guess.

Coming in over Vancouver was very special. Though the sky was gray with light rain, the trees still very much had their color. Reds, yellows, oranges and browns all mixed together in a very pretty natural landscape. Though the weather never cleared, even the short walk to the guesthouse through the color was energetic. Plus the temperature, ah, the temperature. How nice it is to be in the cool again. I've appreciated the tropical climate for 20 plus years, but now I'm looking forward to the more moderate temperatures again. More sunlight than what Vancouver has to offer would be appreciated, though. :-)

It was so nice to see Vihan again. He seems to be doing quite well, studying hard and working hours at the burger restaurant. He's a really fine young man, and on the road to doing well for himself. Hmm...but what will that 'well' be? He seems to not really have a plan for when graduation comes. He has lots of talents, a great work ethic, and strong moral fiber, though, so something will come to him. Maybe it will be teaching English, but maybe something else.

Tomorrow will be a very, very cool day. There is an art exhibition featuring aboriginal Canadian artists, their contributions to the Winter Olympics, and how they all fit together into a coherent theme. I'm very anxious to see the exhibit. I wonder if photos will be allowed?

Friday Night - The Best of All?

Tonight I sit in my big chair, as physically comfortable and mentally relaxed as I can be.

It was a good day at school with more finishing videos that I'd hoped 24 hours ago.The students do such good work if you just stay out of the way and let them at it. I hope more can get them posted so their parents can see them.

Added to the academic success was the joy and volume that is Middle School Madness. I thought there was more excitement this year, more effort into developing and performing cheers, than in years past. I clearly noticed in Q2, with students more than once sent outside to rehearse their loud cheers. It is difficult to be angry with students who are 'overly excited' by school activities.

What is really nice about the first night of a holiday period is being finished with professional responsibilities and a full, empty holiday week stretching out before. How nice is that? It looks like a canvas without a drop of paint applied. Each day will be building the art that will be this holiday's memories. I look forward greatly to each day.