Perspective

Working two weeks in a row has really opened my eyes to this whole concept of perspective.

Here's an example: people that have grown up in Edmonton would take a look at places like Vancouver, Toronto, New York, London, etc. to be big cities. On the contrary, those larger cities in the world would look at Edmonton and think that it's a little hamlet; and as for the actual towns and hamlets, they probably don't even exist to people from the big city.

This week, we were in Red Deer. I told one of the volunteers that I'm from Edmonton, and one of the first things that she said was that she refuses to drive in Edmonton. At first, I didn't know what she was saying. And eventually, I realized that it would be the same for me if I was in a place like New York. Even though I suck at it, meeting people and getting to know their background is one of the funnest things to do. It's great to see from the eyes of different types of people that come from different places. So I guess it would be fair that if you grew up in Red Deer, Edmonton and Calgary would be the big city experience for you even if you've traveled to many different places.

With that being said, there's been one thing that I've noticed with all of the camps this summer. I was talking to my boss a couple weeks back about how things were going and there was one thing that seemed to stick out in terms of the people we're meeting. People from the city are so different from people from the smaller towns and villages. When she told me that she's observed that, I couldn't agree more. It's not that the kids and volunteers from the city are bad, but there just seems to be something about the kids from the smaller places that seem really special. I think that vaguely speaking, the people from the towns and villages in general have been much more pleasant to meet. Playing favorites is not the best thing to do, but my 2 favorite kids this summer live in Cochrane and Athabasca - both towns of just a couple thousand people. And to maybe put it in a harsh way, the kids we've gotten in Edmonton just seem a little brattier than the rest. Of course, that's possibly over generalizing, but it's still true. I'd just think that it has to do with the culture where, especially now, the kids are so spoiled in the city.

So, as much as it sucked that Athabasca didn't have a Starbucks or Tim Hortons, or heck, even a McDonalds, I'd go back instantly to be able to see the people that I've met there.

Just my perspective.