The Student and His Teacher… Winnipeg!

Winnipeg is a fascinating place.  Here both water (3 Rivers – Red, Assiniboine, Winnipeg) and cultures collide –  and the results have woven a tapestry both naturally and historically that is unlike any other in our Country.

 With humble beginnings and a ‘natural’ choice for a trading post (and later for agriculture), Winnipeg would emerge as the ‘middle ground’ and blossomed into a larger centre in the heart of the nation.  Winnipeg is the mid-way point of the transcontinental railway – VIA rail to this day changes its crew in downtown’s Union Station. Air Canada continues to have one of its main operations bases here – there is even an office  tower downtown!  The largest francophone community and Metis Nation this side of the great lakes lives in and around Winnipeg.  Scottish and Ukranian communities have some of their deepest roots in the area… and more recently Winnipeg is now plays host to a myriad of cultures from around the globe.  Hopefully, you see what I mean…

 Often overlooked as an arts and culture hub, Winnipeg has numerous festivals, theatres, and events that suggest otherwise.  Heck, the Royal Winnipeg Ballet is based here!  I was disappointed to learn that they are on hiatus during the summer months…

  At the Gite de la Cathedrale, I was enjoying an omelette with smoked ham, cheese, and the freshest of vegetables.  More than 80% of the time, Jacqueline and I would speak French.  My French is quite passable, but must admit that it has been put on a mental shelf as of late… that and in my previous job, I had a comfort zone of vocabulary and rarely had to discuss anything beyond our office’s scope.  Certainly not the intricacies of a 3 ½ month adventure across Canada…;).  

 Jean Yves on the other hand was having none of it… he could tell the vocabulary was once there and thus he challenged me to ‘dust’ off my language skills and discuss everything from my trip to philosophy to issues related to current affairs. 

 Jean Yves is a very intelligent man… he is a retired French teacher and guidance counsellor… he is extremely well read… I didn’t want to ‘sound dumb’.  I could have sat silent, pretended not to understand, screamed in frustration, or just spoken within a safety zone… the equivalent to “I think it is bad.” Or “it was nice.”.  And a few months ago, I may have done just that.  Played it safe. 

Instead, I chose making mistakes, sometimes mangling words, and reaching for vocabulary at the outer rim of my memory ….  If I stumbled, Jean Yves would gently correct me  - not the rolling of eyes, groans of frustration, etc. I had envisioned in my head -, if I couldn’t think of a word, he would ask me questions to describe what I meant and would provide a number of possibilities that would ‘fit’.  It was both exciting and terrifying at the same time. 

Each day, Jean Yves would ask what I wanted to see.  I would tell him of my plans and he would ‘insert’ things that I should stop to look at along the way.  For example, when I said that I was going to take a tour of the legislature… he said, be sure to look at both the statue of  Louis Riel here in St. Boniface and on the assembly grounds..  “On va les discuters demain” – We will discuss them tomorrow.  An assignment I happily accepted.

The original statue was built in 1970, in honour of the province’s centenary, on the grounds of the Legislative Assembly.  The artist wanted to capture the anguish and tortured being that would have plagued Riel and been what drove him to lead the Red River Rebellion.  The statue was allowed to stay, for five years anyway, when a collective, including powerful leaders within the Metis Nation, successfully petitioned to have the statue replaced with one that supposedly pays greater tribute to his work as a statesmen.  Afterall, he is credited with successfully negotiating Manitoba’s Secession from the NWT and becoming its own stand alone province within the new Canadian dominion.  But what to do with this other highly valuable statue?  Well, the College at St. Boniface lobbied to have the statue moved to its present home on their grounds.  Quite an interesting contrast in both historical interpretations and artistic styles.  Not to mention, a source of multiple topics for debate over breakfast with Jean Yves!

We would discuss not only the plight of Riel… but the beauty and significance of the sculptures in Assiniboine Park, Winnipeg’s socioeconomic struggles, diversity within the Francophone community, and of course, the Canadian identity.

 
At the end of my stay, Jean Yves gave me a book.  He is the author and the inscription is to his compatriot in exploring our grand country… Jean  Yves writes in fabled verse… “there is much more to learn from a fable than just a fairy tale”.  The second half of the inscription, I realized later, wishes me many ‘fabled adventures’ on my journey. Merci bien mon ami… you have given me more than you realize.