In advance of the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, my workplace held a few different learning events – including a talk about the intergenerational effects of residential schools. The woman who presented is the daughter of a fellow employee, and I wondered as she talked (beautifully, kindly, firmly) whether it was unnerving for him …
I was recently invited to deliver a guest lecture to a group of university students, and one of them asked if I thought capitalism should be dismantled. The short version of my more nuanced response was something like, “it definitely needs some changes.” It’s no secret I have concerns with how our economic system is …
I was in Mexico earlier this year with family, and we benefited from the regional knowledge and good humour of David, a local guide. Sure, there was one trip to a colonial city and nearby volcano that had me wishing hard that David would, please, stop talking about salt. (Seriously: that guy knew a lot about salt, and he …
It’s all well and good to have the theoretical understanding that systemic racism exists, and to be enthusiastic about reading How to Be an Antiracist with your office book club. But actually dealing with race-related feedback might be a whole other thing. As a part-time university instructor, I recently received feedback from the winter semester (don’t get …
When covid and I reached our first anniversary, I toasted the achievement – not covid’s achievement, but yours, mine, everyone’s. Prosecco in hand, I was prepared for covid and I to part ways in coming months. As usual, covid had other plans. Sigh. I’ve never been good at making a clean break. Some of my …
After my last blog post, I received feedback from a few people: my point wasn’t clear; the writing was rushed; my references were too vague; I was over-simplifying complex problems; I wasn’t being considerate enough of people born into different circumstances. I agreed. Even as I was writing, I had a gut feeling it wasn’t …
I mostly agree with the adage, “there are no stupid questions.” But as I wait for results from the ballots cast by Albertans during our recent elections, I feel there are manipulative questions. For those outside Alberta: you can either ignore this post or continue to be entertained by our situation. Here’s a quick recap …
Like many people, one of my pandemic pastimes has been watching too much Netflix. One of the shows I watched in entirety was the sitcom Superstore. In one episode, a stereotypical hippie takes a temporary job at the store and begins her shift without wearing any shoes. One of her coworkers remarks on the lack …
I’ve had an angry week. Some of the anger is directed at parts of day-to-day life that don’t matter much in the bigger picture. Some of the anger is resentment that’s resurfaced from situations I thought I’d already dealt with. And then there’s the outrage I’ve been feeling about bigger issues. Depending how you’re feeling these days, …
I once stayed a few months in a Tanzanian city called Mwanza. I’d spent most of a year trying to find ethical volunteer opportunities overseas. In the process, I’d learned that was a mostly-impossible task, at least for someone without relevant training/skills. That conclusion was one of the reasons I eventually pursued a master’s degree …
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