So we are just 4 weeks into our adventure of English 380, and the question has been put: How do I feel about the course so far?
Well, I'm enjoying it, that's one thing for certain. The two authors that have come to speak with us have been very entertaining and informative, and the same goes for all the readings we have done so far. But despite this, I feel more distance now from Edmonton than I did at the beginning of the course.
I suppose the foundation of this feeling comes from the novels and maps and pieces we have looked at so far. As I said before, I have enjoyed them enormously, but when looking at the maps, I discovered the amount I didn't know about many areas of the city. Both "The Edmonton Queen" and "Coyote Kings" tell stories of minority groups in Edmonton. I certainly understand the importance of stories of minority groups, and I found it fascinating to learn about two worlds in this city that I have never had extensive contact with.
I guess what I'm trying to say is that I'm unsure of where I fit in this city now. Before the course, I knew; I'm actively involved in both my neighborhood community and in the university community, and I dabble in the Edmonton arts scene through my dancing and friends performances etc. But with this new information about these extensive sub-communities in Edmonton, I'm feeling somewhat displaced; like my story doesn't have a definitive space in this place. I can relate somewhat to the locations of the stories, but my sense of those places is widely different from what has been discussed in the novels and in class.
I'm sure this problem will reconcile itself shortly (I'm only two pages into Garneau Block, and Babiak has already mentioned my high school with the same sense of biting disdain that I hold so dear to my heart), but for now I'm feeling somewhat...unanchored.
I understand your feeling of exclusion from the sub-communities we have been studying, but wonder how this affects your place in Edmonton. You list the various groups you are involved in, but you still claim to feel misplaced.
ReplyDeleteMaybe you feel distanced from Edmonton because although you (our class in general) are cultivating a new sense of Edmonton—it is still in the early stages of appreciation. Rebecca Solnit's excerpt from this weeks readings compares cities to bookshelves, with completely unrelated books being squished together.
So maybe, the book you most identify with (literally and figuratively here) is still farther along the shelf.