Thursday, February 10, 2011
Exposure
What I've taken from English 380 so far has a lot more to do with exposure than learning per se. Not that I haven't learned a lot of things about the Edmonton and the people who live here, but I think more than that, I've been exposed to a new idea of Edmonton. I had a very small-minded opinion of this city in which I've lived my entire life before taking this class. Although I had always appreciated it as home, I hadn't thought about how Edmonton offers alot of unique prospects to the rest of the country, so, that is what this class has done for me thus far: it has exposed me to Edmonton as a more progressive city which does indeed have things to offer Canada as a whole. The online maps and communications alone were interesting to find out about early on in the course, along with learning about some of the amazing authors and activists who inhabit our city. That said, I'd have to say the most enjoyable thing that I've found out about in this class so far would have to be Darrin Hagen. Not only did I love his book, but I loved his vivacious personality, and how genuine a person he was. It was amazing to find out that someone with such an influential and inspiring voice grew up and continues to live in Edmonton. I think it's great that Darrin has stayed loyal to the place that holds so many years of memories for him and not turned his back on the city in order to pursue "better" audiences or locations. Darrin's choice to stay here made me consider my own inhabitance of Edmonton. Although I have wanted to "escape" for most of my life I am beginning to see it as a place to explore rather than avoid. I know better than to judge something before I know it entirely, so why not give E-town the same chance?
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Exposure was something I always associated with going beyond the localized boundaries of normative space. That is to say, I wholeheartedly believed that to truly be “exposed” to new ideas, opportunities, and cultures I would have to leave the country of my birth. Having parents, brothers and other relatives who spent the greater part of their youth travelling the world, I was raised to believe fulfillment was derived from occupying the foreign. Even though a large part of me is still anxious to explore the world, the exposure I have received from this course (especially from meeting the authors Darrin Hagen and Minister Faust) has certainly alleviated some of my restlessness. I now realize there is still a great deal Edmonton has to offer. It is merely time for me to start looking.
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