Izzy on Being Three

1 - How old are you?

3 years old.

2 - What's it like being 3?

Doing good stuff.

3 - Doing good stuff like what?

Playing nice.

4 - Do you always play nice?

Yes.

5 - What's your favorite thing to play?

Woppa Gangnam Style.

6 - What is that?

Woppa Gangnam Style. Remember? The song called Gangnam Style.

7 - Why do you like it?

It's nice and funny.

8 - How did you hear that song?

Because of Alex and Tiva.

9 - Who are they?

My sister and brother.

10 - Who else is in your family?

My mom, my pop, my little baby brother, my brother, my sister.

11 - Who is your favourite?

My cats.

12 - What's your favorite thing to play with?

I already told you. Woppa Gangnam Style.

13 - Okay, what's your favorite TV show?

Rainbow Brite.

14 - Who is that?

The girl who has a belt that shoots rainbows.

15 - Why does she shoot rainbows?

So her horse can fly on them to rescue people.

16 - Have you ever seen a rainbow in the sky? What was it like?

Yes, it was HUGE!

17 - What's the hardest part about being three?

Staying in the kitchen so Romeo (brother) doesn't fight with me.

18 - What do you want to be when you grow up?

A nurse.

19 - What do nurses do?

They take care of little kids.

20 - What is your favorite colour?

Pink and purple.

21 - How come?

Because they are golden.

22 - Who is your best friend?

Mama.

23 - If you could take a trip anywhere, where would you go?

To the North Pole.

24 - What's at the North Pole?

Snow, polar bears and Santa Claus.

25 - What is your favourite animal?

A unicorn.

26 - What do unicorns look like?

They are pretty and they have a horn on their head.

27 - Where do they live?

They live where it's very hot.

28 - What do they do over there?

They make magical stuff.

Kristen on Being a Female Skateboarder: Part 2

6 – How did people respond to you being a female skateboarder?

Well, I would have to say almost always in a positive fashion from fellow skaters.  Some guys were even stoked to see a girl could actually skate!  The guys I started skating with in Rosenort accepted me without question and I’m so grateful… Without them, I might have given up trying to learn how to skate.  After awhile I kind of developed this reputation, and I would meet a skater in a different town, and they would be like:  “You’re that skater chick from Morris!”  They somehow knew about me through word of mouth!  Crazy!

I have to say that honestly I took the most flack from the young ladies from my town… They would mock my clothes and call me a boy…. I didn’t care…

7 – Where would you and your friends skateboard?

Rosenort, Manitoba was the place to be man!  Angelo Eidse even created a skatepark in town, which to this day, is an act in which I am still in awe of…   I always knew I could count on someone being around at one of our skate spots.  I started skating ramps at Kent’s place and then the mini ramp was built in the park next to my cousin Adam’s place.  Midland, Westfield, the Rosenort Coop, Malcolm’s ramp, Greg’s driveway, the Feed Mill… The list goes on.  Rosenort was the perfect skateboard storm. 

8 – Tell me about a great/funny memory you have of those days.

They are all great and funny.  Those days were so free.  Growing up in a small community (without an RCMP detachment) has its advantages.   The best part was is that we made our own fun and it was never intended to hurt anyone… We drove our cars around like maniacs.  We would all pile in cars and take road trips to skate in Steinbach or go get food in Winnipeg.   We did a lot of stuff together as a group and I loved that solidarity.   I guess the best memory I have of those days is realizing that I had really good friends…

9 – Did you ever have any crazy injuries? Or see any really bad falls?

Well, two knee surgeries have happened.  The impact on my knees from throwing myself off of stuff with a skateboard for all those years took a toll…  Two years ago, I had a ligament reattached with titanium screws.  That was an injury that started off by falling off my board.   I’ve seen people hit their heads and go unconscious… good times…

10 – What was your favorite trick to do? Were kneepads and helmets ever involved?

My favorite trick would have to be a heelflip.  Besides that an ollie… an ollie is pretty much involved in the vast majority of skateboard tricks…  I wore knee pads when I rode ramps, but never owned or really used a helmet.  I look back on some of the dangerous stuff I used to try and I probably should have been wearing a helmet. 

11 – What role did skateboard videos (played on the VCR, obviously) play in your early skateboarding career?

Skateboard videos were super important.  You got to see glimpses into lives of skaters from all over the world, and the crazy shit they were doing!  Skate videos were like movies…. They had their own amazing soundtracks, super stars (in our eyes) and out takes that showcased people bailing off of their boards… We tried memorizing every new trick.  We emulated the clothing and haircuts the skaters wore and were in general awe of these guys.

12 – What was the best ramp or skate park that you ever skated?

I guess it wasn’t until I moved to Vancouver that I got to skate some amazing parks.

They were everywhere; I can’t even pick just one… now there are twice as many!  I envy the kids that get to ride now.  It’s so accessible. 

13 – What did/ do you love most about skateboarding?

Getting to hang out with my skater friends.  Absolutely.

Corrina on Teaching EAL

1 -     Tell me three things about yourself aside from being an EAL teacher.

My husband Derrick and I recently celebrated our first anniversary and last winter we went to Vietnam for our honeymoon.

I like to draw.

I’d love to have a hobby farm. I grew up on a farm and would like a version of that life again one day.

2 -     What is EAL?

EAL (English as an Additional Language) is more commonly known as ESL (English as a Second Language), but here in Manitoba we recognize that English may be the third or fourth language someone is learning.

3 -     How long have you been teaching?

Since 2000.

4 -    What ages do you work with?

I currently work with adults – age 18 and up.

5 -     Where do your students come from? How long have they been in Canada?

My students are newcomers who have been in Winnipeg for about a month. Occasionally I have a student who arrived last week – but jet lag and learning are a terrible combination. My students come from everywhere -- nearly everyone who is immigrating to Manitoba, whose first stop is Winnipeg, comes through the Entry Program where I work.  Currently I have students from India, Ukraine, Mali, Congo, Ethiopia, Somalia, Korea and China.  

6 -     How much English do they generally understand when they begin class?

My students have a very basic level of English when they start my class. They can greet me in English and answer basic questions about themselves or familiar topics. But we have to do a LOT of acting, drawing and repeating to communicate effectively. There is a lot of entertainment and laughter in that process.

7 -    What’s something you appreciate and admire about the students you work with?

The bravery of people to uproot and move their families across the world. The spunk of someone with virtually no formal education picking up a pencil for the first time. The humility of highly-educated people taking entry level jobs. The determination of those who arrive in this foreign, cold city ready to hit the ground running.

8 -     What’s the best part of your job?

The best part of my job is the beautiful chaos of gathering people together from every possible country, culture, religion, socio-economic status, and personality and trying to work together. I thrive in the diversity and unpredictability that every day brings. I have countless stories to tell.

9 -     What’s your least favorite part of your job?

Any teacher can tell you that the job can lead to burnout. It’s demanding to be ‘on’ all the time. I recently described my job as feeling like a 3-hour, one-woman, stand-up comedy show … and sometimes the “audience” can be pretty deadbeat (see jet lag comment in #5).

10 -  From what you can tell, what are some of the major struggles that newcomers face when coming to Canada?

The unanimous answer would probably be ‘finding a job’ and ‘learning English’. There’s more going on with cultural adaptation, changes in family roles, and more … but I think finding work is the challenging priority of most newcomers and to get that job, they need English.

11 -  What do you believe are some common misconceptions that non-newcomers have about newcomers?

It drives me crazy to see someone speaking REALLY LOUDLY to immigrants who might not speak English fluently. Like they’ll understand you better if you YELL!  Imagine someone yelling really slowly in your face in a new language you were learning. I know I’d probably avoid conversation at all costs!

12 -  From what you’ve seen and heard, how do newcomers experience Winnipeg when they first arrive?

People are amazed by the programs and services that exist to help newcomers. They say Winnipeg is quiet and not crowded. They say people are mostly helpful and friendly. Here are a few memorable quotes about some other first impressions:

“Why is everyone carrying a cup?” – someone noticed the ubiquitous coffee cups on the go and thought it very bizarre.

“The sun here is fake!” – a student who saw the sun shining brightly in winter and then went outside only to experience the bitter cold of February. One student in our program walked to school with wet hair in winter and when it froze and started whipping her in the face, she ran home and proceeded to cut the frozen parts off! I guess she didn’t realize it would thaw and thought her hair was a lost cause.  

 “It’s a MIRACLE!” – someone seeing snow for the first time with tears in his eyes. Many people think they can’t survive the cold temperatures of Winterpeg, but many agree that the snow is beautiful! I love to see how newcomers choose to stay warm – the vast number of layers they’ll wrap themselves in just to stay comfortable and cozy. One woman didn’t think a tuque was warm enough – so she wrapped an entire Winnie the Pooh blanket around her head in winter. I would always recognize her from a block away downtown.

13 -  How might Winnipeg become a more welcoming place to newcomers?

Cancel winter. No, seriously, there are many things that could change, but I think all I can say is to gain awareness… and act on that awareness. Take time to acknowledge people, be friendly, open-minded, interested and helpful.

14 -  Where did your interest in this work originate?

I think I’ve always had curiousity for people and cultures different from my own; this curiousity might have been fed by my interest in art and languages. I grew up in a very homogenous community and I couldn’t wait to set out and discover the world. My family is full of people who traveled a lot, brought new people to family gatherings, ate ethnic food when every one else was eating macaroni and cheese, and were generally curious and interested in the world. Once I started to visit other countries, I learned that it was easy for me to feel at home in many different places. I also knew that, after ruling out a potentially lonely career in graphic design, I really wanted to work with people.

15. - What’s a typical day at work like for you?

I teach a 3-hour class every morning. The Entry Program curriculum focuses on both language skills development and essential settlement information (taking the bus, map reading, names and amounts of Canadian coins, etc.). My job recently changed – last year I was teaching an afternoon EAL class at an electronics factory, but now my afternoons consist of working on some curriculum projects for the Entry Program.

16 -  How would your students describe you as a teacher?

I think my students would say I am patient, caring, and funny.

17 -  What are a few key qualities of a great EAL teacher, in your opinion?

Flexibility and patience.

18 -  What have you learned about life from your students?

I could make a pretty long list. Besides all the fun stuff I’ve learned – bits and pieces of many languages, how to cook crazy food, how to stomach that food, how to snap my fingers in the “Iraqi way”, etc. etc. etc. .. the most important lesson has been that people are more important than things.

19 -  What have you learned about yourself, by doing this work?

I’ve learned that despite being an introvert, I’m actually also a people-person. I’ve learned that the best way to get over a bad day or a personal crisis is to do something for someone else. I’ve learned that my comfort zone lies in the middle of diversity. I’ve learned that I’m lucky to be able to say I love my job.

20 -  At the end of your life, how might this work have shaped you most?

This work has made my world so much bigger, better and richer. My work has given me an enormous appreciation and love for diversity and in this world, that’s really valuable. I’ve been honoured to learn so much from each student I’ve met and I’ve learned to approach people as individuals with something unique to offer to the world.

Sara on Writing

1 - Tell me 3 things about you aside from being a writer.

I’m left handed.

I have a pet cat named Clementine and a pet pigeon named Cedric.

I have never been a vegetarian or a vegan.

2 - How and when does your writing story begin?

I’ve always written in some capacity. When I was a child and I would get into a fight with my mom, I’d run to my room and write her a letter saying what made me mad and how I was feeling. I’d come down from my room and drop it from the top of the stairs to our living room. She’d read it and come up and talk to me after a bit (when tempers had calmed). She called it my air-mail, and it was how we communicated when talking wouldn’t work.

As I got older I would always write stories and poems, and have books of quotes I liked from things I would hear on the street, and from magazines and books. In high school I was always in the advanced English classes, which was great because I was so terrible at so many other things (simple math still makes my palms sweat and I will undoubtedly be the first person to get hurt when playing a team sport), so being really good at writing was a comfort in a really uncomfortable time.

3 - When did it become serious?

I don’t know if it really has. I say I like to write but I don’t consider myself a writer. I’m not sure why. I’ve written articles for zines and newspapers, I’ve written a book about the history of the Woodbine Hotel, and I’m writing for a new site called the Spectator Tribune, but I still wouldn’t call myself a writer if someone asked what I did. Maybe it’s because I did and continue to do these things for me, not to make a living or for anyone else. This is not to say that I’m not really proud of myself for the things I’ve done, but I’m sure it comes from the fact that writing is something that is so near and dear to me, and something I do for myself, and sometimes it’s really scary to put yourself out there for strangers. Not scary bad, but scary good.

4 - What does writing mean to you these days?

These days, I feel very fortunate that I have the opportunity to meet new people who I think are interesting, write about what makes them tick, and share it for people to read. I’m all about sharing things – I feel sometimes to the point of overkill – so this is a great opportunity for me to be creative and share, two things I need to do.

Writing is also a way for me to reflect. It’s a way for me to see patterns, and it’s a way for me to have conversations without actually having them, if that makes sense. If I’m feeling bothered by something, or have just been thinking about something too much, I write about it to get it out and make it more tangible, and I can deal with it in a different way.

I have a tendency to write more when things are shitty, but I also make an effort to write when things are good. It’s pretty great to be like “today was an amazing day because…” and to have that to look back on.

5 - How has your writing journey evolved?

It’s kind of a funny thing. Writing personally, I still write about a lot of the same things I did when I was a teenager: boys (I guess I should call them men now), relationships, work, and life stuff. It’s taken a different tone though (most of the time, haha), but it’s like the same universal issues, just with a slightly different voice.

Writing as a means of communication in relationships has changed, and that has maybe been the most notable evolution, probably because it’s personal. In some of my past relationships, writing was the primary means of communication when things went to shit (and even before). I’ve had some insanely personal and life affecting “talks” through email. I don’t feel like these were trivial or meant any less because it wasn’t face to face. Sometimes it’s a hell of a lot “easier” to say what you need to say through writing. It can start an actual conversation, or it can clarify an action or word that maybe you didn’t feel comfortable asking about at the time. I’m a communicator – in any form, I will talk to you – but not everyone is like that. That’s no excuse not to talk about things, but I understand and am comfortable with writing (honestly sometimes more than talking, depending on the subject), and I appreciate when someone feels comfortable enough to share something with me, in any form.

Professionally, well, I’ve evolved to where writing is a large part of what I do, and I’ve gotten (and am continuing to get) better at it.

6 - When and where is the perfect moment (for you) to write?

Writing personally, I like to write at the end of the day. It’s sort of a winding down activity. Some tea and my notebook, and I’m set.

If I’m writing an article, I like to make a space for myself without many distractions and just get into it. I give myself a start time, sit down, and work it out.

7 - Tell me about a great moment you’ve had writing recently.

The interviews I’ve done for the Spectator Tribune have been fantastic. For me, writing an article on something or someone is a process, and I like the finding out part of the process. I like asking questions and learning about people and places. The people I’ve interviewed so far have all been so gracious and I’ve felt very fortunate to be able to write about them.

When they’re speaking, I’m sort of writing the article in my head, and when they say something that is a really fantastic quote, I think “yes! this is going to be great, I know exactly how this will work.” That’s a really great feeling.

8 - What are the difficult parts about writing for you?

Putting myself out there. Doing this thing that I really love doing, and knowing that people are going to read it. Making myself accessible and vulnerable in that way really freaks me out sometimes. That’s always the thing that makes me procrastinate and get things in late, or sometimes not do them at all.

I’ve gotten a lot better at thinking “well, fuck it, you’re going to do this and people are going to like it, hate it, or not care about it, but you’re still going to do it.”

9 - In your opinion, what are the elements of a great piece of writing?

If I’m reading a book, it’s all about the characters. They don’t need to be crazy or outlandish or anything like that though. If you have solid characters – fucked up, totally stable, extraordinarily mundane with a twist (or not) – you’ve got me. I could be reading a book that takes place in a non-existent far away land created from guys brain, that has the most lush scenery and amazing everything, if they characters are boring, I’m not reading it.

10 - Who has been the most supportive of your writing career?

My parents and my friends. My parents, especially my mom, have always encouraged me to write. My friends, especially lately, have been really great too.

11 - Do you have a favorite subject to write about?

Not really. I just really like to share things I think are neat, and I think a lot of things are neat.

12 - What is your remedy for writer’s block?

Ha. I haven’t found it yet. Probably procrastination and an episode of some shitty TV show. Coffee and beer help too.

13 - Do you read much? Who is your favorite writer and why?

I love to read! Netflix has kind of curbed my reading, but I still try and get a chapter in every night.

Oh man, I could go on and on about all of my favorite writers! I have a lot. Off the top of my head, I love Dave Eggers because I think his books are great, but also because of everything else writing related he does, and all that he’s tried to do, and how he gets youth involved, and how he’s worked to make writing accessible and like, not this scary thing for certain groups, which I think a lot of times it can be. He’s like my writer boyfriend.

I also love Gabriel Garcia Marquez because I love his style of writing, and because One Hundred Years of Solitude is the best.

14 - In your experience, how do writing with pen and paper vs. on a computer compare?

It’s easier to write on the computer. For a while I had a Word document journal. I called it my log, ha. I can type as quickly as I can think the words, so it was really great, but I missed the purposefulness and intent of pen and paper. I don’t know what it is, but the written word on paper seems more real. It seems more permanent (maybe because so much of everything on the internet is temporary).

There is something in the ritual of pen and paper that I enjoy, mistakes and all. It’s more deliberate and, for me, going the crazy stream of consciousness route and then reading it after is fun, but also really taking the time to think about what you’re putting down is nice too.

15 - Do you journal? Blog?

I do both, sometimes sporadically. I always have a journal on the go. I love journals. Getting a new Moleskin is the best. I have a blog as well, but it’s less writing focused and more “I found this neat thing on the internet,” or “here’s some pictures of some weird stuff I saw.”

16 - Do you believe Blogs are a good substitute for the old fashioned private pen and paper journal? Why or why not?

That’s tough. I love the internet for the simple ability to find crazy/weird/beautiful/stupid/insane/heartbreaking/wonderful stuff, and share it, so in that regard I think blogs are great. Blogs are a great way to read about things friends have done, and it can help make far away friends not so far away. Where I have an issue (and this goes to your next question) is the crazy personal stuff people should really only write about in their personal journal or share with their friends or family or counselor or something, being put on their blog. The other side of that though is like, maybe that person doesn’t feel like they have anyone to talk to, and they need to get whatever is in them out, so that’s their way of reaching out. I don’t know. It’s a tough one.

17 - Thoughts on the massive amounts of personal information sharing on the internet?

I’ve written and erased and re-written and erased this answer so many times. I have so many thoughts on this I don’t even know what to say. I think people should write/say/take a picture of what they want, but wait an hour (or even 15 minutes) to press send/upload/tweet, and see if they still think it’s interesting.

18 - Do you write for work? How does writing for work compare with writing for personal pleasure?

I do write for work. My work writing is mostly letters, press releases, and other PR type stuff. While it is very different from personal writing, I like it because while it might not seem creative on the outside, it is in a way in that it challenges me to write in a different voice, and to be efficient and obvious. It’s more formulaic, which is sometimes nice.

19 - What have you learned about yourself through your writing?

I have and continue to learn so much about myself. For my personal writing, I write about what has happened in my life, so through those experiences, I’ve learned to be aware of how I let myself be treated, what I think my limits are, and qualities I think are important, both in myself and in others, among so many other things. It’s sort of the combination of whatever happened and writing it down that has helped with learning/self growth. 

20 - What hopes and dreams do you have for writing in your future?

Really, just that I hope I can keep doing it. I hope I can continue to share stores about people and things I think are great on a platform people will see, and I’d like to work on the Woodbine book and make it into something really great.