Life in the Lower Mainland (BC, Canada)

In a few short hours, it'll be another year. So much has happened this year to me, my work life, my friends and friendships -- Sometimes it seems the older I get, the more interesting, dramatic, and generally eventful my life gets. And old and long-lost friend old me once upon a time that he had a New Year's tradition of writing down all the crappy things that had happened to him on little pieces of paper, and throwing them into the fireplace to burn them away, and start the New Year fresh. Not everyone has a fireplace (and no, it's not quite the same using a shredder), but I do hope that you can emotionally and spiritually leave behind many of the past hurts and disappointments and start the New Year rejuvenated. I don't imagine I'll have quite the same opportunity as I dig through my box of keepsakes, as they are sure to bring back all sorts of memories -- and probably a few regrets. I'm still not entirely decided about keeping only digital copies of ...

It was really gratifying to get this letter from one of the many students at King George International College (KGIC) where I worked from around 2002-2003. I don't recall this particular student had anything problems other than the usual schoolwork. She was, however, one of the few extra-studious ones, who hung around after classes to get extra help with their English. Word gets around the school, however, and I think somehow just being empathetic to the students about their lives here and their troubles with living abroad had warmed them to me and given me a good reputation. I give a lot of credit to Dale Carnegie's How to Win Friends and Influence People and the Vancouver Crisis Centre for training me with that mindset and giving me the tools. I don't know if I would have done so well at the school if I hadn't started volunteering with the Vancouver Crisis Centre only a few months prior in November 2001 -- especially as I was (and am) still generally very shy a...

There is something adorable about someone older than a young teen who still has the innocent heart to painstakingly create something like the cover to this card. Just count the different colours and elements, and you'll suddenly realize that this is no mere five minute doodle. And crafts like this are at it's best in more mature years, because along with the heartfelt hand-crafted effort are practical, thoughtful, touches like putting the card in protective plastic to give it the best chance of weathering time and travel. Maybe all those seasonal activities that go on in ESL schools (and make them sometimes seem less school than a fun summer camp) contribute toward maintaining a certain playfulness despite the relentless advance of years.

Of all my keepsakes -- and not just the ones from King George International College (KGIC), of which this is one -- this is probably the one that will be hardest to let go of. I'm not even sure if I will clear it out like most of the other photos and letters, to be preserved only electronically in a photo album. So much work had gone into this, and there are so many memories embedded in it. * The picture's not entirely clear about this because of the lighting, but I think that's my khaki-coloured shirt. I still have that same shirt. After all these years, the bend in the collar has finally worn and frayed a bit, but it is otherwise still in excellent condition. Crazy, eh?

Instead of throwing all my keepsakes haphazardly into my treasure box, I probably should have kept them more in order and with little notes to indicate what is what. The letter is from one of the many hard-working students at King George International College (KGIC) where I worked around 2002-2003. If I remember correctly, she was one of the advanced students, had round cheeks, and short hair in a bit of a retro cut. Her letter refers to a Japanese bookmark, so the bookmark pictured, being Korean, is probably not the right one, but it's the only one I could find in my keepsake box. In any case, it was so beautiful and delicate that I just kept it in its packaging. The gift meant something to me and I kept it, obviously, but I also didn't want to lose it. I guess a part of me wanted to preserve it, and the memory, intact. Gifts meant to be used can remind us daily of the person who gave it to us. But what happens when they are worn and damaged, and time to be retired ...

Not very many gifts have really meant a lot to me. I think it takes a deeper personal connection with the person for it to become a keepsake -- and it definitely helps if the gift is non-consumable (i.e., not food or cash). Looking back at all the keepsakes I had held onto, I noticed that gifts were invariably left unopened. Like this little calendar. I'm actually not 100% sure that it was from a student at King George International College (KGIC). If the picture of a dog is meant to indicate the year of the dog, then it would be either a 1994 or 2006 calendar.

Christmas was a stressful time at King George International College, but ultimately a fun one for the students. There was a potluck, a gingerbread house building contest, and every class had to put on some kind of skit. The higher the level of English, the more ambitious the production: One class had a full-blown play involving X-Files character Mulder and Scully, and stolen Christmas toys. Another had a skit about Santa's elves and reindeer going on strike because they were overworked. And then there was what to do with the students during the holidays. School was officially closed, so there wouldn't be any official events. If I remember correctly, some of the staff organized a few drop-in get-togethers at pubs, just so the far-away-from-home students had somewhere to go, somewhere to belong to. Somewhere to belong. I recall having a brief conversation with one of the teachers about that and Christmas. For North America, it tends to be one of those family-get-together ti...