Field School Part One

Julie Andrews takes the "field" in "field work" quite literally

Hello! I bet you probably thought you'd gotten rid of me. Alas, I'm not that easy to shake.

For some reason writing this blog post about field school has seemed so completely overwhelming to me that I've kept putting it off and putting it off... Well, that's fairly obvious. The last entry on here was nearly a month ago.

But here we are. And as completely daunting as I still find the notion, I'm here anyway to try to talk a little bit about Folklore Field School 2016. I'm going to split it into a couple posts because otherwise it would be waaaaaaaaayyyyyy too long.

First of all, what is a field school? It's when a group of grad students and professors are dropped in the middle of a small community in rural Newfoundland for three weeks for a crash course in how to document folklore - interviewing people, taking photographs, writing detailed field notes, etc.

The group size and location differ every year. We apparently had quite a large group this time with 12 grad students and 2 professors. We were given the theme of "work" and divided into teams to develop projects somehow related to that theme. And the community we were in is somewhat famous historically as the oldest English colony in Canada, founded back in 1610: Cupids.

Here's a view of the town from above...

See that tiny church on the far left? What looks like a cluster of white-ish buildings behind it to the right is the Cupids Legacy Centre, a museum where we met daily for classes. That photograph was taken from the top of Spectacle Head...

Yep, that huge rocky thing is Spectacle Head. And I climbed up there! Not once, but three times! Sorry... getting ahead of myself. The tan buildings below it belong to the fish plant, which one of the groups focused on for their project as it's a big part of work in the local community.

And here's the Legacy Centre a bit closer up...

But maybe I should backtrack a little. First of all, there aren't any huge hotels in Cupids. It's more of a "quaint bed and breakfast" type of town. So where were a bunch of students going to stay for three weeks straight? Well, the answer came in the form of what I've been told is a very Canadian staple for campers and vacationers: the gravel pit RV park.

Fortunately, Roaches Line RV Park had cabins as well as RVs. Very colorful cabins...

The camp store and office

Our cabins! (I was in the yellow one)

With the size of our group it worked out perfectly for each cabin to hold 2-3 people each. There were bedrooms, a kitchen, a living room area, and a bathroom ("washroom" in Canada) in each cabin. (Ours even had an enormous indoor jacuzzi that put me in mind of the prefect's bathroom in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire!)

Our first night in Cupids we were invited to the Orange Lodge where members of the community had prepared a traditional supper for us called Fish and Brewis. Those of you who know me well may remember that I generally loathe the taste of most creatures from the sea, but politeness ruled the day and I had a heaping plateful anyway. It was quite a salty dish, and you could tell it was prepared by a skillful hand, so the more savory flavors masked the "fishiness" that usually bothers me.

The Orange Lodge decor... living up to the name

Fish n Brewis

The next day we were given a tour of the Legacy Centre, which contains artifacts from throughout the 400 years the town has been in existence.

One of my favorite sections was set up like an old schoolroom

We were also given a driving tour of the community in classic cars owned by two local collectors!

Roy and Ross are the brothers who so kindly chauffeured us around

Qian and Ceallaigh enjoy the ride!

Getting a bit of history from Roy

A church steeple we saw on our tour

They also showed us a cool theatre where Shakespeare plays are performed during the summer. We grabbed the opportunity for a group picture on the stage steps. Unfortunately, it's not the greatest picture of many of us (myself included), but it's the main group shot I've got. So here we all are...

Top L-R: Tan, Grace, Ceallaigh, Cassandra
Middle L-R: Gerard, Qian, Jill, Emma, Marissa, Ema, Mahdi
Front: Nataliya

Since we were there during blueberry season, Ross extended an invitation for any of us who were interested to come and pick in the blueberry patch in his backyard. We soon understood the generosity (aside from just being kind, that is). With such an abundance of berries there was no way Ross and his wife could pick or eat them all! This experience also proved helpful as my group ended up focusing on the work associated with blueberries in Cupids for our final project.

SO. MANY. BERRIES. 

The view from Ross's front yard

The next day we continued learning about the history of Cupids with a visit to the Cupids Cove Plantation Site archaeological dig. Our guide Bill showed us around the place, explained some about the history they're in the process of uncovering and also the more recent history of the archaeological efforts themselves. It was fascinating to see a dig site in-progress. They've uncovered a lot, but there's still plenty more to find.

Cupids Cove Plantation Site dig

Sandbags and plastic to protect original structures

I included that final picture because (a) it shows the skeletal recreation of the house that would have once stood in that location, but also (b) it's one of the few pictures I have with both of our professors in it: on the far left is Jillian, and next to her in the red shirt is Diane. (I should put "Dr. Jillian etc..." but for the purposes of this blog I'm trying to stick to first names only, so just know that they both have fancy titles that I'm not including here.)

Can you see already how our time in Cupids was really jam-packed? It made for fun and interesting times, but also a great deal of exhaustion. In an effort to not exhaust you, oh intrepid reader, I will leave things here.

In the next installment (which I promise will be later this week and not a month from now): race cars, lots of hiking, even more berries (but a different kind!), greasy delicious food, boats, and more!

Everything Ok

I realized the other day that so far all this blog consists of is lists of things I've done and pictures of places I've been. And that's fine. That's likely what it will mostly be. But sometimes you've got to pause in the midst of all that doing and seeing and just think for a bit.

When I moved into the dorm room (the one I've spent only a handful of nights in so far because of being whisked away to field school), they had a standard form like any you'd fill out upon moving into a new apartment. You go down the list and check everything to verify that it's in working order so you won't get charged at the end of your stay for damages you didn't cause. The girl who handed me my form said, "Just write 'everything okay' in the blank if there are no problems." I found out later that any sort of marking would have worked - a checkmark, just 'OK,' even leaving it blank.

But there was a bit of genius in that girl's instructions.

There's something to that act. Writing it out over and over again. It becomes like a mantra. It becomes a thing that resonates in the back of your mind.

And this comes at a moment where you're maybe feeling that no, things aren't okay. You're far from home and the money is weird and you don't have sheets to put on your bed because you had to leave them behind to have room to bring your books and the stores are closed for a holiday, and you missed half of your orientation because you were sent to the wrong orientation, and you don't know how to get in touch with your advisor, and even if you did you don't really understand fully what you've got in mind for your own thesis so you're kind of trying to avoid talking to your advisor, and what does it matter anyway when you're presented in one of the university's welcome speeches with such a sunny picture of academia as this...?

Imposter syndrome is kicking in full force. You feel like the stupidest person in every room you enter. You're wondering why you ever would have been so foolish as to think you could or should change your life in such a way. And you have to sit there at the desk and fill out the form, writing one phrase over and over again...

Everything ok.
Everything ok.
Everything ok.

And maybe it won't be. After all, you've got no control over that. But for one soothing instant you think, alright, well, this is okay at least. Tonight is handled. And maybe I've got a grip on what's coming tomorrow. And after that we'll see.

That's just how you've got to take it. One line at a time. One step, one day. All the way down to the very end.

Everything ok.
Everything ok.
Everything ok.

Until it stops being a comforting lie you tell yourself and finally becomes the truth.

Welcome To My World

It would be pretty dull to begin each entry with an apology for being late, so let's just acknowledge a universal fact: when you're in the process of having an adventure, it's really really hard to squeeze in the time to document said adventure. So if in the future I'm a little behind, bear with me.

That said... ONWARD!

So, part of the reason I've been so scarce on the blog is that this past week I've been at something called Folklore Field School. I'll go more into what that's about soon enough, but suffice it to say they've had us in a sort of "folklore boot camp." We're away from the normal school campus, staying in a community, and for the past six days straight (including Saturday!) we had class from 8:30am to 6pm. Pretty intense.

But actually, I would like to take a magical journey into the past for a moment to get you caught up on where I'll be normally, when I'm staying on campus and not off doing crazy folklore things in the Newfoundland countryside.

First up, a tour.

Below is my building, Gilbert Court. It's one of several "courts" that make up something called Burton's Pond Apartments. These are on campus apartment-style residences. So I get the perks of being on campus but the freedom of having my own room and kitchen.

If you were wondering, they're called Burton's Pond Apartments because they're right across from Burton's Pond...

Each residence on campus has a mascot. They use these for spirit activities. Ra-ra pep rallies, team pride, etc etc. Since Burton's Pond has more than one building, we get a mascot for each building. All are water-related: the Ducks, and Pirates, and - mine - the Gilbert Court Gators. Here's a picture of the mascots.

(As a brief side note, the first night we moved in they had a huge pep rally/"Minute to Win-It" style game for the chance to win prizes. I didn't win anything, but it was fun to watch...)

Mascots from all the residences

Since we are Burton's Pond, one of our pep rally cheers was "Pond Squad!" which explains the window art:

So I arrived on campus, signed in and got my keys, and dragged my luggage up three flights of stairs to my new home with the help of a lovely fellow international student whose name I immediately forgot. But he and my Residence Life staff member helper each grabbed a bag, which made the going so much easier. (Especially with my sprained ankle!)

Inside the stair wells, the walls are mostly cinder block so many people have left artwork or messages in chalk, including this lovely ode to the ducks that congregate at Burton's Pond:

Our door name tags are green (because we're Gators) and shaped like Pokeballs (because we're just that awesome.)

There's actually a third one now, for my other roommate Tresha

I met my roommates. Tresha is from Jamaica, so she and I immediately bonded over getting used to the new culture (and especially the weather). She is a grad student like me, studying education. We didn't meet our roommate Julia until the next day because she's a native Newfoundlander and stayed with her parents (who live just an hour away) until right before classes started. She's an undergrad and has been here for a few years now, but is coming back after having taken some time off. Anyway, I totally forgot to take pictures of either of them, so you can't see their beautiful smiling faces here yet, but I assure you they'll pop up somewhere in this blog over the next few months.

But we're not done with the tour yet! I keep getting sidetracked. Let's give you the lay of the land.

Here's the kitchen and living area. Our bedroom doors all connect to this space. Mine's just to the left of that table.

Here's a peek inside the room. It's small but efficient, and doesn't feel claustrophobic... (yet. I've been warned this may change when we're snowed in during winter.)

Learning from snack food: the French for "Despicable Me" is "Detestable Moi." Who knew?

Books and knick-knacks... now it feels a bit "homier"

And after a few days, I realized that the view out my window is of more than just a traffic intersection. If you look above and beyond, you can see Signal Hill! I was lucky enough to glimpse it during sunrise one morning...

And of course no place is truly home until you've scoped out the local libraries. I didn't get a chance to explore the public library yet, but did find my way to "QEII" (Queen Elizabeth II, the on-campus library.) Floors and floors of books...

While exploring I stumbled into one of the study rooms, and noticed that someone had drawn a little arrow on the desk pointing toward a drawer I'd assumed would be empty. I tugged it out, and found a treasure trove inside...

The drawer was filled with notes of encouragement, positive quotes, funny doodles, and offers of help for anyone struggling with stress or depression. Sifting through the messages was beautiful and surreal. So much love in one little drawer! I ended up leaving a note of my own before I departed. The next time I was in the library I went straight to that room but it was already occupied. I hope the guy thought to try opening the drawer...

So there you have it! A little glimpse into the tiny pocket of campus I've been able to witness so far, before being whisked away to Folklore Field School in Cupids, Newfoundland. We're about an hour away from the city out here. We arrived on September 11th and will finish up on September 30th. It's been a lot of info in a short amount of time, but also quite fun.

Stay tuned for next time, wherein we shall discuss the first week of field school and the various adventures contained within!

P.S. I have a mailing address now! It's probably not the best idea to post it publicly on the interwebs, but if you want it and don't have it let me know and we'll work something out.

Best Laid Plans

Well as the saying goes... "the best laid plans of mice and men often go awry," and all my good intentions to add to this blog every Sunday have already been derailed as I missed last week. Sorry!

So here is the blog post I should have had up last week. It details my time initially getting here and exploring the city before school starts. My next post (which I'll try to post on Tuesday) will describe life this past week as I’ve gotten settled into my living situation and begun to meet people, learn more about classes, and explore what the campus at Memorial University has to offer.

So…onward!

Chapter One: Playing the Tourist

So, you’re going to Newfoundland. What do you bring with you? As much as two suitcases, a carry-on, and a “personal item” (aka another carry-on) will allow.

Also a must-have travel accessory: an old friend and fellow adventurer, if they’re willing to come along for the ride.

Rebekah and I arrived in town late Tuesday, August 30th, and other than a hiccup with one bag not arriving (which seems a common happening here) all went well. (The bag, by the way, arrived at the hotel the next day. The Newfoundland airport has this down to an art.) We gathered several brochures and maps from the airport information desk to help us plan out our next few days, then grabbed a taxi to our hotel to rest up for our adventure.

One of the brochures from the airport.

The next morning, this was our view from the hotel window...

Much of that first day was spent running errands (setting up my bank account, etc.), poking around the town, ducking into little shops, and getting lost trying to find the Anglican church, where we'd read they served tea in the crypt through the end of August. When we did finally find the church it was only to discover that their tea times were finished for the season. Alas! But our hunt was not in vain: later that night we took the Haunted Hike ghost tour through the city, and our meeting spot was the front steps of... you guessed it... the Anglican church.

Wandering through the (hilly!) city

A lovely building we kept encountering in the process of being lost

Sampling the local cuisine: Poutine (AKA french fries, gravy, and cheese)

That evening we met a lovely couple from Ontario, Stephano and Karen, who were driving around the area on their vacation. We talked about their careers as probation officers working with younger kids and teens. We talked about Canada, what they loved about their home. We talked about American politics ("We look at Donald Trump and we’re afraid for your country, then we stop and realize how afraid you must be yourselves.") And we talked about music, at which they gave us the tip to head to O'Reilly's pub after our ghost tour as an excellent fiddler was set to play there that night.

Stephano, doing his best Al Pacino impression

The next day of tourist-ing involved a quick trip out of town to take a puffin-and-whale-sighting tour. It was late in the season for whales, so we didn't see any of those, but we saw some beautiful scenery and lots of puffins!

Each of those clumpy-looking bits of grass is actually a puffin nest!

A puffin! They moved too fast to get good pictures, but we saw tons of them!

While out at sea, we also participated in a Newfoundland tradition called the "screech in." Once "screeched in," you become an honorary Newfoundlander. It's a four step process. First, you are asked "Are ye a Screecher?" and you must respond in the traditional Newfoundland way: "Deed I is, me old cock, and long may your big jib draw!" (Translation: Yes indeed, my good friend, and long may your sail draw wind.)

Step two involves taking off a shoe and sock. In this case, they told us to do our left foot. Then they brought out a bucket of water and had us dunk our right foot (yes, the one with the shoe still on!) in the bucket.

The next step traditionally involves kissing a cod fish, but since the tour company specialized in puffins they made us kiss the tail end of a stuffed animal puffin instead.

And the final step involves drinking a shot of "Screech," a local Newfoundland rum, to officially seal the deal.

Here we are, officially screeched in.

The last full day of Rebekah's stay we decided to hike to the top of Signal Hill. Not only does the hill offer beautiful views of St. John's, but it's also famous as being the spot where Guglielmo Marconi received the first transatlantic wireless transmission in 1901.

St. John's

It was a long walk, but quite beautiful, and it had its perks... wild blueberries being one of them!

The tower where Marconi received the signal that gives the hill its name

Look at this place!

On the way back down the hill, I sprained my ankle which put an end to our plans to visit The Rooms museum. Instead we walked/hobbled all the way back to our hotel so I could ice and wrap my foot. That evening we caught Pokemon while eating dinner, then found our way to a lovely little place called the Black Sheep to listen to a jazz singer perform (think Norah Jones). We were soon wrapped up in a spell, comprised in equal parts of the music, the drowsy light, the weariness of the day, and the mesmerizing effect of the painting on the wall above us (entitled "Macbeth," though the image of a woman gazing in adoration at a crowned man did not seem dark enough to warrant the title).

In the morning Rebekah jetted off in a taxi to the airport, on her way home to her family. And I stayed behind, resting my ankle and preparing my things for the move the next day into the place I'll be living for the next two years...

TO BE CONTINUED... (dun dun DUN)