Day 6: Greetings from Alberta…

June 28, 2007 | 8:42 PM

Swift Current to Medicine Hat: about 2 hours drive-time. I spent most of my morning walking and driving around downtown Swift Current. I just wanted to soak it in so I could describe it well when I write my reports. Most of that would be pretty boring, so I’m not going to concern you with the details. Around 11:00 Mountain Time, I started my trip toward Medicine Hat. I didn’t remember that I hadn’t changed my car clock until I arrived in Medicine Hat two and a half hours prior to my motel check-in. Oops. So I chatted with the desk clerk and then spent an hour at the mall. Which reminds me of something my friend Jonathan (who I’ll visit Saturday in Okotoks) said during my first trip to Canada. Just about any and every string of stores, whether it’s just a Dollar Store and a Safeway, is called a mall. But this one was a mall by American standards- with internal stores and such- not just a strip. Apparently during the first week I lost enough weight that I went down another size in my belt. I’ve already created four extra holes in my current belt, and I don’t have my knife or an ice pick to make another, so I bought a new one.

My conversation with the motel desk clerk lady was kind of interesting. It’s been pretty nice not talking about New Orleans much, although it’s been brought up a few times. I told her that it wasn’t getting a lot better, since I know the news doesn’t tell anybody that anymore. So I told her that I was under the impression Montreal was the Canadian New Orleans. She, of course, balked and said she wasn’t impressed with Montreal at all. I gather that they are very similar- apparently in Montreal you can find a larger Bourbon Street. Great! The clerk… whose name I do still remember, although I don’t want to mention it… went on to explain she was from Eastern Canada and told me her opinion of Quebec was low. I don’t think she hates French Canadians, but I did sense that she felt they received preferential treatment often, and wasn’t appreciative of that perceived slight toward other Canadians. She also explained that French Canadians didn’t speak English except in terms of money. Well, at least the Canadians can’t look down on us Americans for our disapproval of Spanish-only immigrants.

Now, I don’t know if what she said was really true or not. She told me about her family’s experiences that no doubt influenced her opinions toward the French province. It’s not even in question that there is another story from a Quebec native that counters the clerk’s. I just found it interesting. The first real conversation with anybody since Texas, and it’s about the frustrations between the French and English Canadians. Ironically, a couple days ago, I saw a CBC show called “The Hour” with a humorous account of the “fact” that all Canadians outside of Toronto hate Toronto. Apparently this has something to do with the amount of media coverage Toronto gets, to the detriment of the rest of the country (and Vancouver). I guess it’s the Canadian version of “East Coast Bias” on ESPN.

In other news, the First Nations (think Native Americans) are planning blockades to stop transportation across Canada. If you care, you can click here to read more (and why).

And remember, you can still view all the photos I’ve uploaded from this trip by clicking here.

Posted in Canada 2007 Series, Hello Foto Series, Life, Missions, Photography, Travel