Tuesday 23 August 2016

What is Poor?

Today I sat with a few of my coworkers at lunch, while discussing one heavy topic - poverty. I had joined in mid-way, just as one was talking about how even when they are struggling here in Nova Scotia, people back home didn't take these complaints seriously because they were in America.

This ideology or understand of what America is has been something I have thought about frequently in the past year or so. At times, I have encountered what I like to call hardship bingo where players either intentionally or unintentionally try to out-do others in the conversation with antidotes of who's had it worse. And, this almost never ends well. The reality is, no country is completely devoid of hardship - poverty is felt in all areas of the world, because it's a social phenomenon. The problem of comparing poverty is that the contexts of said poverty are somewhat drastic, depending on where we're talking.

I have mentioned in previous posts and in many conversations both in and out of my academic and professional careers about my own experience living below Canada's poverty line. This is what I refer to as "Canadian poor," which shows similar characteristics of poverty in other countries, but in no way compares to most. Never have I entered into a conversation about my experiences with an intention of trying to out-do someone else's experiences - regardless of where they are from - because for those who have felt poverty, the instability of meeting basic needs, it is very personal.

The reality is - and I'll be the first to admit this - that no matter how rough we may have it in Canada, there are, unfortunately, far worse conditions out there. And this is pretty much were I joined the conversation.

Yes, I may have lived on $12/week in the first year of my undergrad for food, and sure, I watched my mother skip meals so that my brother and I could have a roof over our head and three meals a day. But that's the point. At all times, experiencing (what could arguably be considered the top end of Canadian poor) these instances of poverty growing up and even in my adulthood, I still had three meals a day - nutritional value aside - and a roof over my head. My taps leaked fresh, potable water within milliseconds of turning them on. I didn't worry about being out on the streets, because there are social programs that aim to prevent that (even if they don't always work). I didn't have to worry about healthcare because that comes with my citizenship/passport. Oh, and I was making the decision to remain in school... university even! These are all things that do not come so easily to everyone, further reinforcing my privilege - a privilege that was bestowed upon me by chance, completely out of my control.

I have seen poverty outside of Canada. I've witnessed it first hand. It's frustrating - because so much of the poverty I have encountered is systemic - it's curable! The problems, the very foundations of its being are rooted in mismanagement, inequality, and lack of education. The latter is probably the most essential component, and yet the most frustrating, cyclical aspect of it all. Studies have shown (Google it!) the impact of education on many social issues (health, socioeconomics, women's rights, etc. to name a few) is incredible. Yet, for the vast majority, obtaining an education - even basic education - is a luxury; it's unattainable. But, not because these individuals are intellectually capable, but because in the choice between feeding yourself or your family and getting an education, one weighs more heavily and has far more obvious short-term effects than the other.

Recently I have had a few conversations with people - friends - who have asked me how I handle being in a place where I'm constantly surrounded by poor people. To be honest, most times I'm fairly oblivious because of the way it is framed. This is because, even though it is sometimes painful to hear or see how poverty is impacting people around me, there's one great difference between attitudes of those suffering from poverty in Canada (or the West), and those from other countries (which from my personal, first-hand experiences include Ghana, Uganda, and to a lesser extend, Kenya). In Canada we focus on what we are without. We complain about not having certain things. Heck - even when we have access to disposable income we still complain about the things we do not have. But outside of the West, I've seen people fight - taking on multiple jobs, working and/or developing community groups dedicated to addressing specific issues, whatever it takes. Yet, they are also some of the most kind, compassionate, giving people. I continue to be amazed and humbled by the generosity of the many Africans I have met while attending church services when in country. That they would hand a few bills each week at their Sunday service**, despite the fact that they are having their own struggles is something we Westerners could really learn a thing or two from. Poverty outside of the West is without a doubt far more harsh, and yet those I have met laugh more, are more appreciative of what they have, and are the first to give the shirt of their back for a fellow human in need without even blinking an eye.

To close, I just want to make sure anyone reading this knows I'm not painting all of anything with the same brush. Canadian poor can be devastating and hard to get out of. Likewise, all Africans are not poor. In fact, many have done quite well for themselves... many have not. But, many Canadians have done well for themselves, while others have not. My point is not to create the foundation for another round of hardship bingo, but to reinforce that no matter how little or how much we may have, we need to be more appreciative of what is within out reach - be it the tangible or intangible. But, perhaps we need to focus more on the intangible inventory, rather than our physical possessions.

Despite the fact that my brain has been circling this conversation from earlier and piecing together my own thoughts from the past few weeks, it was really refreshing to have such a conversation at work. I'm also happy to report that at least one week has passed without a lunchtime update of Pokemon. So... there's that.

-the Orange Canadian

*I would assume those attending services on other days of the week are equally as generous, I have just not had the pleasure of attending any of these services. 

Monday 22 August 2016

On Sharks and Climate Change Science

So over the last number of weeks I have been enjoying some time on the water in my kayak.


But this relaxing, negative-energy-releasing activity was put to a pretty dead halt a few Friday evenings ago, moments before arriving at my grandmother's, and a few hours before heading back out onto the water for what was supposed to be a weekend full of kayaking adventures. You see, just as the bus was pulling into the Tantallon shopping centre (or whatever it's called), I received a message from my brother that a video of a recent shark attack, in the very area I kayak, had surfaced.


First, let's get one thing straight - I'm not afraid of sharks... I'm afraid of looking like the perfect snack for one of them. What I mean is, the rational part of my brain recognizes that a shark attack is relatively low. But, that doesn't overly comfort me, especially since I do all my trips solo. The fear I felt was mostly based out of the unknown. What happens if I spot one? What do I do if one attacks my kayak? What if I fall out of the kayak during an attack? These are all rational questions. But again, the likelihood of that same shark - be it a great white or other species - finding me in the small cove I kayak in is relatively low.

But, I feel this gives me an opportunity to look at the larger story here... a little something I like to call Climate Change.

In the last few decades we have heard statements such as "Climate change isn't real!" "How can we be experiencing global warming, when we're seeing colder than usual temperatures or later amounts of snowfall?" "Climate change is just a bunch of hippie propaganda" or any number of the others from the never ending list of climate change denials... a denialist? But, let me assure you, climate change is very real.

One of the biggest problems with climate change, is that in many ways, its impact on our daily lives (especially those of us lucky enough to be from a North American or European country... for the most part) is relatively slow. In the same way that paint goes from wet to dry over a series of hours without us supervising it, toxins in our system built up over years of inhaling polluted air or chemicals from processed foods is leading to higher instances of cancer and other illnesses, climate change isn't something that happens overnight... okay, well, maybe the paint example doesn't fit this. But, the point is - it's a slow, gradual process. Also for the record - climate change is a naturally occurring process that has been augmented by human activity. Humans are not the sole reason it exists, and would happen whether or not we were on this planet.

Back to my point - one of the ways in which we have been seeing visible signs of climate change has been through water. We've seen the Greenland ice sheet begin to melt at record levels, and water temperatures have also begun to rise. Don't believe me? Check out the clip below from an excellent documentary called Chasing Ice.


Water temperatures have risen* so much in the last several years that coral reefs are becoming depleted, aquatic species are beginning to migrate further, and in many cases these same species are searching for food from collapsing food stocks (another issue desperately in need of being addressed!), but also because warmer temperatures are inviting. No truer has this statement been than in the last several years in Atlantic Canada. Water temperatures are on a continual high, which has brought unusual-to-the-area visits from a range of aquatic life, including the suspected recent visitor, great white sharks. It's also part of the reason we're seeing a higher frequency of more intense hurricanes (although I'll admit, I'm quite disappointed we haven't had one in Nova Scotia lately... and yes, I realize I will likely eat those words at some point in the future.)

The ocean temperates aren't the only signs of climate change. Think about the variations in crop production. Nova Scotia is now temperate enough to produce its own wine, using grapes grown in the province's valley region. Varieties of melons and other fruits and vegetables are now possible to be grown in the area outside of a greenhouse or other form of temperature controlled climate. Meanwhile, other parts of the world that use to grow certain crops more easily are starting to show signs of the difficulty in producing, well... anything.

Herein lies the problem, though, because of the slow onset of most of the visible signs of climate change it makes it really easy to deny its existence. It also means that for most of us, dealing with climate change - whether combating it or just plain living with it - means changing our lifestyles. Right now our climate denial attitudes allow us to live comfortably in our one-time-use, throw-away, convenience-based societies. But, if we want to get really serious about maintaining the planet for our own use and longevity, we will need a drastic rehaul in our current ways of living. And better yet, we need to start this process before the slow onset takes on a more overnight appearance.

So what to do? Well, that's really the big question. We all have a responsibility in this, and we all have to start somewhere. Small steps are equally important, if we all get on board (perhaps quit complaining about the inconvenience of sorting out garbage, for one!). I certainly don't have all the answers, and I don't believe anyone does, but there are many initiatives out there to help you and everyone else start the process. All it takes is a little research and some degree of dedication to the cause.

But, to end on a lighter note, I'm happy to report that this past weekend, I successfully completed three relaxing kayak trips, as well as one swim in the (hopefully) now shark-free waters. It also turned out that the reported great white witnessed in the video above was actually a 12-foot mako shark. That scares me. Less.

-the Orange Canadian

*Don't worry, you'll still be able to lose the feeling in your toes wthin minutes after dipping them into any eastern Canadian ocean!

Wednesday 10 August 2016

Healthy Harvests, Weekend Shenanigans and Quiet Reflection of a Past Tragedy

This past weekend kicked off with a pretty great harvest from my garden. Lot's of hot peppers, weirdly shaped carrots and some mystery peas that were grown from seeds labelled "green beans." I also picked a good stash of tomatoes that may have been eaten before I photo could be taken!


After a day at work, I boarded the 330 bus to Tantallon, where my grandmother was waiting for me. We greeted each other with the same surprising news (that story is for another day), and then made our way to Ingramport (aka no technology land - named as such for the lack of technology that exists or works at this location!). 

After dinner, Grammy suggested taking our tea outside to enjoy the cool and calm evening. This was the sunset we witnessed! The picture obviously does it no justice!

My grandmother's backyard.
Saturday, like Thursday, was a failed adventure since we were fog and rained out for most of it. But the two of us had fun exploring. The highlight was a visit with my grandmother's best friend Margaret - the most positive and incredible woman ever, who also happened to get a little Sidney Crosby fame a few weeks ago when he visited Camp Hill in Halifax. 


When we returned home, I decided to go check on the wild blueberries I randomly discovered growing a few months ago. It was quite the harvest!

There'll be plenty more where these bad boys came from!
I thought it important to provide my finger for scale. Smallest blueberries I've ever seen!
On Sunday, we took a drive to Bayswater, where a second (and unknown to me until the previous day) Swissair Memorial can be found. The other is near Peggy's Cove. 

The drive out was stunning, as most of the way is along a windy coastal road. And, with the sun shinning, it made it even more spectacular. It makes it really hard to watch the road when you have that to distract you! 

The memorial site itself was simple but impactful. This is the site where bodies of the victims have been laid to rest. It is covered by a forest canopy while overlooking the ocean. My grandmother and I were both amazed how that event happened almost 20 years ago. I remember it like it was yesterday. What a terrible time for so many families - but I was to be from Nova Scotia knowing and seeing so many people step up to care for those who had suddenly lost loved ones. 

Photo above is of the memorial site, and below the parking lot.
Such a tranquil resting place for such a horrific ending.
A few shots from along the road across the street.  Such a beautiful part of the world.

The weekend concluded with a relaxing read nap on the hammock. 


I couldn't have asked for a better weekend considering the disruption of my original plans due to a lurking, unwanted visitor (again, for a later post! I need to build suspense somehow!). Love getting to spend time in this place and with my grandmother. 

-the Orange Canadian

Monday 8 August 2016

Is this a 4-way stop? The misadventures of a trip to Truro

Last Thursday, I thought was going to be a pretty big day. I'd made a mental list of things I wanted to do or see while I was home. Several of those items have been tackled. Last Thursday, I was hoping to take a trip to Truro, Nova Scotia in an attempt to climb up Jacob's Ladder in Victoria Park. 

I have heard many a great things about Victoria Park, and because I hate stairs, I figured this would be a great achievement. So, my best pal and I packed into the car with our first stop actually being the Masstown Market (because we needed hiking snacks, and well, Masstown Market!). 

We left Dartmouth, which was almost unbearably hot at 9:30AM. The sun was shinning, there was no rain in the forecast for days. That morning, while having coffee, I even commented to by brother that we hadn't had any rain in about 2 weeks. This, of course, is great for tourism, but bad for my garden! So anyway, we left sun-shiny Dartmouth, and before too long, the heavens opened up, and we found ourselves driving into rain. 

This did not deter us. We still made our way to Masstown. But the rain was getting heavier. So, instead of just grabbing a few things and making our way back to Truro, we stayed put for a bit. 

When the rain died down a bit, we decided to pay a quick visit to Great Village, because Matthew wanted to check out a favourite antique shop. Along the way, I noticed a sign that said "look off" with an arrow pointing off the main road. After our anti-q's stop, I made the executive decision to check out said look off. And, expecting to find myself overlooking some overwhelming expanse, we, instead, had a great laugh over the fact that there really wasn't much to see.

View from the look off. It's not the worst view I've ever seen, but it's no Canning/valley!
Self-photograph time!
Across the road from the look off. 
After the disappointment of the look off, we made our way back to Truro. We had already resigned to the reality that it would be far too wet for hiking. This was made even more obvious by the fact that on the short trip from Masstown to Truro, we had to pull over and wait for the rain to die down twice.  The rain was so heavy at times, we couldn't see anything in front of or behind us, and even the road was hard to locate!

But, eventually we made it to Truro. Here we took a brief trip around memory land, where Matthew showed me where his Ma had grown up, and we reminisced about Margolians and other shops that used to be found in this small town. Then we made our way back to the big city.

It was at this point that I made yet another executive decision. I thought it would be fun to make a quick stop at Mastodon Ridge to snap a photo of us with the mastodon replica that now faces arse-end* towards the highway.

It turns out, Mastodon Ridge is in great need of repair. Also, somethings just don't make sense. BUT on the up side, I clearly know how to pose like a caveman!



This is one of those why is this here pieces.
No, that's not the reincarnation of Jesus wearing puppy shorts.
No, it's just Matthew reluctantly posing with the Mastodon. 
Here is a fun fact about the infamous mastodon. My whole life, I have been under the impression that this spot was around for a long, long time (like before I was even born!). It turns out, the mastodon that gave birth to this would-be theme park, was only discovered in 1991! I couldn't believe it - that guy is almost as old as me!
Another shot of the not-so-old mastodon. Of course, this isn't what they found. This is a replica. 
A view if the highway and surrounding farm land in front of (or behind, I suppose) the mastodon.
After touring around the Ridge for a while, we called it a day and made our way back to Dartmouth. It may not have been the day either of us was expecting, but we sure had fun!

-the Orange Canadian

*Apparently the folks who own the home behind the park? were not so happy to look out and see a plastic mastodon bum. So, they petitioned the powers that be, and now, instead of seeing the face of the mastodon from the highway, you get mooned!