A few days ago I decided to go on a bikeride to Victoria Park. I completely forgot about the festival going on there, to my shame not even knew which festival that was. As I got there I noticed that there were quite a few things going on. By the clock tower there were many tents set up with tons of food! …probably the multicultural festival?
On the other side of the bridge (on the island) there seemed to be two things going on. An Ojibway native peoples gathering with stands showing their artwork, free foods and even a nice birch bark canoe on display. And closer to the other bridge, there was the story telling festival. I stayed and listened in to both spots for a while. The singers/drummers on the native people’s side were quite cool to observe, especially when the lead drummer was trying to explain to the others (volunteer ones) how they have to decide on a lead person and a beat and then stick to it.
In the storytelling festival area, there was a lady author speaking about how she got into writing and the fact that she is islamic. I found it interesting, to be quite frank, because of the whole controversy about women and freedom of speech, which seems to dominate that which our western world knows of the islamic commununity. So naturally I was curious of what she had to say.
Supported by her husband, who was sitting on a chair next to her, she started off by expressing how her husband encouraged her to get into writing at a time when she only knew she had a liking for it but was not too courageous about writing things. She then progressed into writing children’s stories; mostly parables, reflecting every-day life truths that affect everyone.
One example that she gave was a story, filled with comic relief, about a little (islamic) boy who had trouble controling his flatulence during the early morning (4am) prayer, during which cleanliness is essential, along with the frustration that came with that fact.
That’s when I was really getting curious, mainly how such topic would be welcomed by the islamic community, which to my knowledge, mostly based on commonly known notions about them, in other words stereotype, is quite on the strict side of the spectrum. Her explanation was that her story was welcomed with laughter and comments such as “this happens to me all the time!”.
Another short story featured a bee that kept flying dangerously close to a spiderweb and which got saved repeatedly by a little girl, only to be stepped on later by the girl’s sister. I forget the rest of the story and the moral of it but I found it interesting when she mentioned how ever since she was little she kept wondering why the coyote never caught the road runner and how she would find it entertaining in a story if that were to happen. That kind of mindset definitely ought to make for an interesting storyline, I’d say!
Sadly I did not stay for long enough to catch the author’s name, but nevertheless it was an enriching and doubtlessly entertaining experience to listen to her.
As I was walking away, for a second I did not find it odd, but then I realized, “Link walked by me!”, yes I am talking about Link, from the famous Legend of Zelda videogame from Nintendo!
I then followed him and got a picture of my own! I can’t believe I didn’t get a picture of his face. Oh well, next time!
(Above Left) A man in an amazing costume, giving a little girl a demonstration of what a native dance would look like! (Above Right) An Ojibway drumming song
A bona-fide Ojibway birch bark canoe!
People astounded by this ideological and engineering masterpiece of “green technology”
Drumming! Ojibway-style
Ojibway hand-made jewelery
AnOjibway family
Native Pride!
A police officer talking to a local homeless man. I love photojournalism, even when there’s not much to journal about.
On my way back to my bike, which I locked up by the bridge, close to the boathouse, I got this image of the bridge. I don’t think I’ve ever seen that bridge so crowded. Along with this picture, I’ve had an apiphany of how beautiful Victoria park really is.
Victoria Park bridge at Courtland avenue West
As I made my way back to the Iron Horse Trail, I heard the train signals going off at the road nearby. I was thinking of what other it could be, since the train doesn’t pass by there very often. But alas, it was the train. I love witnessing such sights, especially when the train passes by Uptown Waterloo late in the evening with the large light on through the woody passages between the small streets. One day I’ll have a photo of that as well.
If you want to discover the beauties of Kitchener by bike or by foot, the Iron Horse Trail is definitely the way to go. Who knows, maybe I’ll see you around there sometime this summer!