Things That Keep, Things That Change

(Snow time at Pearson, before I arrived. Credit: Somchit Kittisak)

Last Wednesday morning, tucked into my comfy loft bed in the Tiny House, an ominous series of alarms shook me awake. I had been sleeping deeply, but gradually, the reptilian part of my brain began to register fear. 

It took a few moments to figure out the blaring noise was a campus-wide fire alarm.

Outside, the skies were still pitch black. I dressed quickly. As per the emergency protocol, I shuffled down the hill to the tennis courts to gather with the rest of the community. Under a gorgeous quarter moon, we shivered together. Sleepy-eyed students warmed one another under blankets and huddled beneath sleeping bags. House leaders ensured that everyone was accounted for. Residents dogs took the opportunity to make new friends.

We probably all remember fire drills from our time at Pearson. Waking up in a heavy fog and wondering it if was another drill or something more serious. Disaster planning and risk management have become big issues here on campus. Since I left, metal vaults of emergency earthquake supplies--food and water and first aid kits-- sit on high ground, behind the Max Bell, in the event of a tsunami. Protocols are in place which limit how students are able to engage in waterfront activities. Diving visits to Race Rocks are a thing of the past. It's been many years since students were permitted to drive.

And when it comes to fire drills? I'm sorry to report that Student Firefighters have also been relegated to the collective archival memory. 

"What's changed since you were here?" is the most common question students ask me, over meals or during workshops. There's a fascination with the tension between tradition and change. What did you perform at One World? What was Project Week like when you were a student? They're shocked to learn that we also performed Gumboot, sang Shosholoza in choir, danced imperfect Ukrainian while wearing the red spray-painted, secondhand boots Theo used to score from Value Village.

Village Gatherings

Speaking of villages, I took part in my first Village Gathering yesterday (they're no longer called Village Meetings). On the whole, these are somewhat more formal, very well organized affairs. I remember the sprawling, marathon sessions of my time, full of impassioned pleading and vigorous, unruly debate. Now, Gatherings are student-lead and meticulously planned. Every minute is accounted for. Agenda items are strictly enforced. They're more akin to non-profit Board meetings, with rules of engagement and protocols. Students meet with community 'stakeholders' and craft articulate proposals which are voted on for adoption, rejection, or further discussion by the community. There's even a proposal on the table to adopt anonymous, electronic voting in the future.

At yesterday's gathering, the Eco-Justice group presented a proposal for the College to divest from fossil fuels. Another group proposed changing the way decisions are made on campus. A discussion item was brought forward to explore the possibility of creating gender neutral bathrooms in common buildings on campus.

I was impressed by the preparation and efficiency of the meeting. But I also noticed that the proposals and the majority of the discussion was brought forward by students from North America and Europe. I was reminded of how challenging it can be for students still learning English to feel fully comfortable engaging with this level of procedural minutiae. Or for students from vastly different cultural and social communities to feel comfortable all the time voicing dissenting opinions. We grappled with these same issues during my own time at the College.

I'm sure you did, too. Any memories or reflections on your own Village Gatherings? Feel free to comment below. 

BONUS VIDEO: COOKIE BREAK ANNOUNCEMENTS

The Way We Were: The Nostalgia Project

I believe in ghosts.

More to the point, I believe the ghosts and energetic spirit of each one of us--all 4000+ Pearson alumni--wander the mossy trails of the College still; inhabit the rowdy day rooms, drift through the LLT, stalk the quiet corners of Max Bell Hall. For better or for worse, we've been touched by this place, sucked its salt air into our lungs, uncovered vital parts of who we are (or who we were).

In this unassuming rainforest, some of us fell in love for the first time. Some of us fell apart. We learned to thrive and we learned to fail. All of us were changed, by our choices, and by each other.

What if you had the opportunity to travel back in time, to speak to the person you were at the College? What if you had the chance to offer advice, condolences, wisdom from the future?

What would you say?

In the weeks leading up to One World, I'm inviting all Pearson alumni--from Year 1 to Year 41--to do just that. As part of The Nostalgia Project, alumni are encouraged to snail mail a postcard to your 16- or 17- year old self, care of the college.

While you're free share what you'd like as part of the message--stern words of warning, silly doodles, doctored photos, archival journal entries--you may also choose to be guided by the prompts below. The aim of the Project is to spend time reflecting on who you were during those years of your life, and put that person in conversation with who you are right now.

• Who are you now? Where are you at this point in your life?
• What have you learned about yourself since you left Pearson?
• What secret advice would you offer your former self?

Address postcards to yourself, c/o The Nostalgia Project, via Pearson College. For example:

Trevor Corkum
c/o The Nostalgia Project
Pearson College
650 Pearson College Dr.
Victoria, BC V9C 4H7
CANADA

Postcards will be accepted until One World performances (March 17-18), so get your cards out soon. During One World, cards will be arranged by current Pearson students into an interactive display viewable by the public in the lobby of the McPherson Theatre.

Further, your stories will be "released" during the Life After Pearson workshop for current Pearson students. Current students will take part in a "releasing" ritual by reading your postcards aloud to current second years, ensuring that your memories, your words and secret advice will be kept alive and nourished by the energy of the College in 2017.

Your help sharing news of The Nostalgia Project widely within your Pearson network is greatly appreciated. In return, I'll share an update on the Project (with photos) in March, after One World.

Questions? Feel free to be in touch.


Photo Credit: Pearson College

Two Decades Later: Dreams, Schemes & Fairy Tales

A few days ago, sprawled in the sun on the deck of the Spirit of British Columbia ferry, I was remembering my first journey across what is now called the Salish Sea, winding through the Gulf Islands to Schwartz Bay, just north of Victoria.

Back then, in another millennium, I was sixteen. I'd just come off a flight from Montreal, so excited to start my journey at Pearson College that I imagined everyone remotely within my age range on the flight was headed for the College, too (As it turns out, the skinny guy drinking milk in front of me, reading a physics textbook for fun, ended up becoming one of my best friends in first year).

Some things don't change. While the ferry deck this time was filled with families and tourists and ESL students from China and Korea wielding all manner of digital devices and selfie sticks, I still napped against my backpack on the metal life jacket containers while the sun dazzled Mount Baker and the rugged, snow-covered Olympic mountains. A pod of Orca whales played hide and seek alongside the ferry beside us. A colony of sea lions slept on a rocky outcropping on the tip of Galiano Island. Seagulls shrieked and begged for Hickory sticks and fries.

A bit later, driving through Metchosin, spotting the green Pearson College sign near the MyChosen Cafe, snaking along the winding, winding, hilly, hilly driveway (fact: the hills get higher with age), all the old feelings came back. Though I've been back to the College many times since our wailing, tearful, early morning departure in 1993, the same tumble of memories come back...late evening walks in the dark with a friend down to Weirs Beach, to spill our heartfelt secrets; jogging through the rain along the Galloping Goose to Matheson Lake; the pungent smell of salt and cedar and muck and moss permeating every cell and molecule of my being. Despite what's been a long, snowy winter on Vancouver Island, the daffodils are set to bloom. Project Week is just around the corner. Meditating in the gorgeous new Spiritual Centre overlooking Pedder Bay, deer nibbled fern and salal as the mists rose over the water and daylight finally broke.

I'm not sure about you, but over the years I've had dreams, every now and then, where I return to the College, as a kind of second chance to relive my time. In these dreams, I'm often accompanied by my entire cohort of fellow years, or sometimes just a few. Sometimes faces will appear, co-years or first years or second years I never really had the chance to know, except as a passing face, and I'll realize, in the dream, that I'll finally have the chance to sit down and have that heart to heart conversation. In these dreams, we're getting off a bus from the city or wandering along the trail to the waterfall or prepping for an exam (or realizing that the IBs are tomorrow, and we have missed an entire two years of class! Dreams of anxiety, anyone?). We're eating tacos in the  noisy dining hall or running off to service or suiting up to launch a kayak or clambering onboard Second Nature to head out to Race Rocks. These dreams are often beautiful, a distillation of time and sensation, like peering into a kaleidoscope.

I'm not back as a student, but in a lot of ways, waking up this morning to the sound of rain on the roof, making my way, with sleepy eyes, towards the Caf for a cup of coffee, sitting in one of the back rows of the Max Bell Hall for Global Affairs--it all still feels like a dream.

Updates in Photos

A few days ago, the Pearson campus was blanketed in a thick layer of snow...It was stunningly beautiful to see all the trees lined in white along the Bay. Since this was the second snowfall of the year, there seemed to be less excitement than when I remember it snowing during my first year.  Back then, for my classmates who had never seen snow, it was quite the event. Regardless, there were many snowball fights and snowpeople made this year.

On the weekend, some Canadians and I took a trip to East Sooke Park.  It was a wonderful adventure as we stopped at a local Tea House on the way back.

Yesterday I had the joy of participating in Special Topics Day.  The topic was the 5 Senses: Exploring Creativity. There were some amazing workshops throughout the day put on by students.  I attended the Expressive Painting and Intro to Charcoal Drawing.  

Only four days left of my residency and I am so grateful for the adventures I have had here at Pearson.   If you'd like to check out my blog from my time at Pearson (going back 6 years) check out: http://emmyatpearsoncollege.blogspot.ca/

First Week

My first week is almost up!  It's hard to believe I am nearly half way through my residency here at Pearson College.  There have been so many emotions coming up these days - missing my friends from my time at Pearson, excitement to share my experiences, peace, tranquility, joy, sadness.

Some highlights from the last few days:

- Doing yoga in the spiritual center with students
- Buying chocolate from the student store and having some great conversations with students
- Mealtime conversations and actually enjoying the food!
- Leading a workshop on emotional resilience and effective communication
- Meeting up with former teachers and friends
- English tutoring
- Living in the tiny home

Not much has changed since I left Pearson 5.5 years ago.  The lower branches on many trees have been cut off to make the campus more bright and for safety reasons. Calgary House is beautiful after the renovations.  New chairs in the caf.  That's all I can think of right now!  I'm sure there are other subtle differences, though.

One thing that has come up many times is the pressure students feel to succeed - in academics, and just general life here.  I forgot how stressful life here can be and how the comparison game plays out.  I am trying to have  conversations openly about the fears that the students have and share my experience in the hopes of reassuring them that they are not failures.

Talk soon!

Jumping in the Bay - a Reflection

Hi everyone! 

I arrived back home in Ontario yesterday and decided to write one last blog post reflecting on my two-week residency at Pearson College.

What a trip! My purpose in returning to Pearson was to re-engage with the school, find out how it had grown/developed/changed and to give back in whatever way I could. I was also curious to try living in a Tiny House! I would say overall it was a successful trip, and I left feeling much more connected to the community and the mission, grateful for the opportunity to have helped out, and having made some lovely new connections with many students and staff.

The two weeks included a variety and abundance of activities that, in typical Pearson fashion, kept me busy and inspired. I taught group workshops in Public Speaking, Clowning, and Drama for the Campus Kids. I taught three early-morning yoga classes in the stunning new Spiritual Centre. I also gave one-on-one Public Speaking tutorials in the LLT as well as ESL tutorials, and helped out in the library, keeping it quiet and orderly. One of the highlights of the residency was participating in three separate English A classes in which I taught introductory sessions on Shakespeare’s Othello. The students were finishing up a section on famous speeches and were about to start studying Othello so I presented some insight into Shakespeare’s text from an actor’s perspective. Very fun! I also had a chance to help out in the English B classroom, working with students on their public speaking/ speech-writing assignment. I got them up on the Max Bell stage individually and gave them all sorts of tips and crazy exercises to help them animate, relax, and enjoy public speaking. 

Another highlight was sitting in on three days of One World auditions and helping out as a part of the selection committee. Things sure have changed since my time at Pearson, as the audition/selection process is now much more thorough and diplomatic. This is due in large part to the wonderful influence, initiative and guidance of the school’s theatre teacher, Libby Mason.

Special Topics day was another new and wonderful experience. Twice per term classes are cancelled for the day and replaced with a series of activities, presentations, lectures and meals based on a community-chosen topic. The Special Topics Day I attended was called “Innovation – World Changing Ideas.” There was a really interesting lecture in the Max Bell by Peter Scott, an Artificial Intelligence specialist, some intriguing documentary films, and loads of interesting activities and presentations including some crazy shelter-building project for eggs which were then dropped from a tree-top! I also had the pleasure of organizing and initiating a “silent breakfast” activity for this day. The idea being that practicing intentional silence can facilitate and add more mindfulness, presence, and sensory enjoyment to our daily lives. I put some signs up, sent some emails and at precisely 7:30am in the morning everyone in the cafeteria stopped speaking. Even the kitchen staff respectfully turned off their radio. Except for the odd giggle, silence was maintained for a full half hour. I was very impressed and several students commented afterward how much they enjoyed it. Woohoo!

Eating three meals a day in the cafeteria ensured that I stayed really engaged with the students. I tried to sit with new people each time. To my delight caf conversations are, as ever, animated, silly, passionate, and unpredictable! There was a Musical Cafe that I attended and got up the nerve to play a song on the guitar. I had learned the song as a student at Pearson and, it being a bit of a comic/spoof number, I was happy to pass it down to current students. I also had the good fortunate of joining the kayaking group on one of my final days. It was a gorgeous day and exciting to go out beyond the bay. I was, of course, a far cry from challenging Garth (the head of kayaking) to a kayak race for speed. Apparently he’s unbeatable.

And yes, the last time I left Pearson College (20 years ago) I jumped in the bay to celebrate the end of two years. So at the end of two weeks I got up early in the morning and shivered my way down onto the docks. Somchit, a 2^nd year student from Laos with a passion for film-making, came down with me to shoot the event on video, and my new pal Charlotte, a volunteer from France, also showed up to support. Thanks guys! Was it frigid? Of course! Was it awakening, thrilling and life-affirming? Yes it was…just like the Pearson College experience.

 Thanks to all who made it such a wonderful time, especially Dani who opened up her home to me. I wish all the best to Emmy and Trevor for their upcoming residencies. And, if you are an alumnus considering a residency…I highly recommend it!

First Days

I am slowly being absorbed back into the Pearson bubble - blogging, connecting, sharing, learning...it's so familiar to be back here.  It feels seamless yet different.  Tensions between the place that I knew and the place where I now exist.

The tiny home feels like a tiny sanctuary. It is cozy, warm, inviting, and smells like trees.  I am sleeping soundly and feeling refreshed when I wake up.

It is becoming apparent to me how busy life is here.  There is always so much to do.  When it comes to mental health on campus, there is a lot of work to do and also a lot of exciting initiatives and energy surrounding the topic.  Today we have a "Collaborative Space" where members of the community can interact and work together on projects. I'm excited to go!  Tomorrow I am leading a workshop on emotional resilience and effective communication.  Fingers crossed, everything goes well!

The conversations I have had so far have been fruitful and insightful.

Feeling so much gratitude!