So I went to Ottawa this weekend, for the Rotary Adventures in Citizenship program. Skeptical? Me too. I went because my guidance councillor called me really late at night (well like, 9:30, which is late for a teacher) and frantically told me they needed someone signed up yesterday, would I please do it? And, it was free. But it was actually one of the coolest things I've ever done, and I rounded out my Top Three I Love Canada Moments List. More about that in a sec.
There were over 200 kids, representatives from every province and territory, flown/variously transported to Ottawa for FREE by Rotary. The students were housed by Rotary members and friends of Rotary, which is such a great thing to do... The lady I was with, Laurie was incredible; an awesome person all around, a lot of fun, beautiful, incredibly kind, and sincere.
Physically, what we did was visit the House of Commons, the Supreme Court, met our MPs at a banquet, listened to Ambassadors from around the world, met Justin Trudeau, danced, went to the War Museum, sang, read poetry, witnessed immigrants become Canadian citizens, explored beautiful Ottawa, sang Oh Canada in all twelve keys, and ate mass amounts of good food. But what's going to stay with every one of us forever, was the incredible unity and patriotism we felt and created in four days in Canada's capital city. The students who were there were selected by their principals, teachers or guidance councillors, or competed; only one from each school. The result was the most well rounded, enthusiastic, fun group of students that I've ever been part of. Everyone there missed as many practises, gigs and extra-curriculars as I did, and resenting an 80% wasn't pretentious. Saying goodbye after such a short time and saying 'nice to meet you' was the most confusing feeling; it felt like we'd known each other forever.
I can't begin to cover everything, but this moment stood out to me; Clapping and cheering until my forearms ached as we watched the immigrants became Canadian citizens. Some were saying that Canada should have been named Heaven. It was truly a life changing moment for so many of them, and that this moment was witnessed by young people from every province, and that they could sing Oh Canada with a voice from every province and territory for their first time as a Canadian citizen was one of the most emotional things that I've ever witnessed. This pride for my country was only surpassed by the emotion the first time I saw Vimy Ridge, and truly grasped the gratefulness of France to my Canada. And followed by, I must say, that moment when all of Canada erupted into a screaming, cheering mass when Crosby scored.
I have a new perspective for politicians, as well; one MP asked us if we felt that politicians were somewhere up there with used car salesmen. No one put up their hand, but it was kinda awkward, because we did. He then asked, where do we get our perception of politicians? The media. Do we feel that the media accurately represents teenagers? Touché, touché.
I also had a really interesting discussion with a kid at the War Museum. We were discussing the Avro Arrow, and the hypothetical repercussions of it being a success. In a nutshell, the Avro Arrow was an airplane designed by Canada after WWII that was essentially better than anything we have now. We built 5 (thanks Wikipedia) but due to cost, etc., the project was scrapped by the Diefenbaker government. We were saying, while it's a tragedy, had we succeeded we would be the hegemon. At the same time, we said... "But I'm okay with not being number 1". Some American's wear Canada pins when they go backpacking across Europe, because, basically, they like us more. Being from Canada is truly a privilege. So our stereotype is self-deprecating, modest and friendly. Explain to me how that's something to be ashamed of.
In short, this weekend was an incredibly experience, that I will actually remember forever. And, here are a few of my new favourite Canadians :)
François from Hearst ON, Lindsey from Halibuton ON, Amanda from Golden BC, Colton from NS, myself and Thierry from NB. I miss you!
Also, handing my camera to a stranger and asking them to take a photo is hilarious. There are people that have never looked through a viewfinder before. I actually thought one girl was going to have a panic attack when she saw all of the numbers on the screen.
Oh, I got into OCAD. Celebratory dance. Also, I decided I'd be entirely okay with playing paid gigs as a bass player in a jazz combo for the rest of my life.
Well, there was nothing cynical, sarcastic, or ironic about this post at all. I'm actually still buzzing from how incredible the last week has been. And to top it all off, I just bought Jakob Dylan's album, and it's awesome.
Lend a Hand - Jakob Dylan
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