"Whilst I think what you are doing is great, you are a complete idiot* for going to Winnipeg in winter. If you survive - congratulations. But you won't".
*often the word 'idiot' was replaced by 'dooshbag' and other non-Mum friendly expletives
Those of you who know me personally will not be surprised by my zeal to attack this mysterious tundra known to locals as "Winter-peg". Tell me I can't do something and 9 times out of 10 I am going to try and do it (my allergies to licorice and coconut account for the one time in ten I won't try something when challenged). My goal on the trip has always been to work for Habitat for Humanity in every major province I step into come rain, shine or temperatures so frigid that I would be forced to wear man-stockings under my jeans.
For those of you reading from the UK and Ireland Winnipeg is the capital of Manitoba, a province at the center of Canada, totally landlocked except for the Hudson Bay in the north, although it is so cold up there that no-one really knows for sure if there is a Bay up there, or just a big skating rink. It is very common for the mercury to hit -40 Celsius for about a month of the winter. Yes. You read that correctly my rosy cheeked Irish friends. Minus 40 Celsius. That is so cold that if you took a glass of water outside and threw its contents into the air the liquid will freeze in mid air before your very eyes. Apparently in the summer the heat is intense (think 100 Fahrenheit) and the mosquito's are as big as sparrows. In lighter news Winnipeg is also the "Slurpee Capital of The World". Ironic that in the coldest part of a ruddy cold country 4.8million brain freezes are caused by a blue, syrupy drink, not by the weather!
As you can imagine this lad - who grew up spending summer in the toasty confines of Ontario and has been spotted in Hawaii in winter - is not too fond of the cold. But I was not about to be pushed around by mother nature. Mother Druker, maybe, but not mother nature. I stepped off the plane in Winnipeg, grabbed my bag and jumped on a city bus to the youth hostel. Whilst on the city bus the following thought occurred to me: Is there a Habitat for Humanity in Fiji that I could have spent the winter in?!
In all seriousness I think I got very lucky in Winnipeg and in many ways. All of Canada has experienced a freakishly mild November. Whilst I was in Winnipeg the temperature barely dropped below 5 Celsius which is unheard of. I was building outdoors in a t-shirt - that says it all really. In fact, as I write this on December 2nd, I know that Toronto had a snow-free November for the first time in 160 years. Whether or not this crazy weather is a fluke or a result of man's abuse of our planet is a debate for another day, although we may be running out of tomorrows at this rate.
I was also lucky in Winnipeg because I got the chance to work on a brilliant Habitat for Humanity site. On the corner of Nairn and Chester is a development of eleven townhouses, ranging from single story 2 beds to 4 bed houses. I was the only unpaid volunteer on the site and I was surrounded by tradespeople, many of whom were First Nations Canadians. I was teamed up with Merv, a 23 year old father of six aboriginal Canadian with a work ethic that even Obama would call excessive. Merv and I shared a lot of laughs and really bonded despite our numerous differences (I am white, he is native, I am childless, Merv has the loins of Jacob). We were given a really nasty job to do together too. When Habitat builds a home they ensure that it is fully insulated. Once all the pink fiber glass insulation is lined in every wall of the home the interior walls are covered with 'poly' which is like a plastic sheathing (kind of like cling-film/plastic wrap). This poly is sealed to the wall frames using a black glue similar to tar. This tar is sticky and destructive. It attaches to everything and never comes off clothes and barely comes off skin. Merv and I had the enviable task of removing an entire house full of poly (as it was not put up to good standards) and in a sense inviting the tar to ruin our lives.
Just when I thought things could only get better, they did! Walter, my site supervisor and general legend pulled me aside to attend a home dedication on the site. The life line of a Habitat home can be split into several stages: Application, family selection, groundbreaking, build, and home dedication are, I believe, the main steps. I experienced a ground breaking in Niagara Falls (see Part 1) but in Winnipeg I got the chance to attend a home dedication. This is the magical moment when the keys to the house are handed over to the family, and a home is born. The house and its inhabitants were blessed by the family's pastor, gifts exchanged, photos snapped and then the emotions spilled over when the keys were handed to the mother and father. It was a truly beautiful and moment which I will never forget. It is only when you see the enveloping joy in the eyes of a family being helped into their own home that you can understand just how important Habitat for Humanity is. This ceremony gave me the boost I needed to go forward and advocate for the elimination of poverty housing in Canada and throughout the world.
I was also in Winnipeg for Remembrance Day (November 11th). I attended the Veterans Association commemoration ceremony in a huge convention center where easily 5000 people stood in silence to remember the many fallen men and women who have given their lives. I even made it to "Portage & Main", apparently the coldest and windiest intersection in all of Canada. I found it to be rather toasty on Nov. 11!
Special thanks go to Linda P, Ken, Walter, Vern and of course Merv for all the fun and laughs you generously shared with me. I hope you all have a beautiful, warm winter.
Where am I going next? Let's just say it is the town that rhymes with 'fun'! As always, hit me on Facebook for Jason-mania. Just quote Habitat for Humanity Canada and I'll add you right back quick-sharp.
I am going to leave the last word to man who recently passed and left behind a legacy that will live on and thrive forever into the future until our work is done:
For those of you reading from the UK and Ireland Winnipeg is the capital of Manitoba, a province at the center of Canada, totally landlocked except for the Hudson Bay in the north, although it is so cold up there that no-one really knows for sure if there is a Bay up there, or just a big skating rink. It is very common for the mercury to hit -40 Celsius for about a month of the winter. Yes. You read that correctly my rosy cheeked Irish friends. Minus 40 Celsius. That is so cold that if you took a glass of water outside and threw its contents into the air the liquid will freeze in mid air before your very eyes. Apparently in the summer the heat is intense (think 100 Fahrenheit) and the mosquito's are as big as sparrows. In lighter news Winnipeg is also the "Slurpee Capital of The World". Ironic that in the coldest part of a ruddy cold country 4.8million brain freezes are caused by a blue, syrupy drink, not by the weather!
As you can imagine this lad - who grew up spending summer in the toasty confines of Ontario and has been spotted in Hawaii in winter - is not too fond of the cold. But I was not about to be pushed around by mother nature. Mother Druker, maybe, but not mother nature. I stepped off the plane in Winnipeg, grabbed my bag and jumped on a city bus to the youth hostel. Whilst on the city bus the following thought occurred to me: Is there a Habitat for Humanity in Fiji that I could have spent the winter in?!
In all seriousness I think I got very lucky in Winnipeg and in many ways. All of Canada has experienced a freakishly mild November. Whilst I was in Winnipeg the temperature barely dropped below 5 Celsius which is unheard of. I was building outdoors in a t-shirt - that says it all really. In fact, as I write this on December 2nd, I know that Toronto had a snow-free November for the first time in 160 years. Whether or not this crazy weather is a fluke or a result of man's abuse of our planet is a debate for another day, although we may be running out of tomorrows at this rate.
I was also lucky in Winnipeg because I got the chance to work on a brilliant Habitat for Humanity site. On the corner of Nairn and Chester is a development of eleven townhouses, ranging from single story 2 beds to 4 bed houses. I was the only unpaid volunteer on the site and I was surrounded by tradespeople, many of whom were First Nations Canadians. I was teamed up with Merv, a 23 year old father of six aboriginal Canadian with a work ethic that even Obama would call excessive. Merv and I shared a lot of laughs and really bonded despite our numerous differences (I am white, he is native, I am childless, Merv has the loins of Jacob). We were given a really nasty job to do together too. When Habitat builds a home they ensure that it is fully insulated. Once all the pink fiber glass insulation is lined in every wall of the home the interior walls are covered with 'poly' which is like a plastic sheathing (kind of like cling-film/plastic wrap). This poly is sealed to the wall frames using a black glue similar to tar. This tar is sticky and destructive. It attaches to everything and never comes off clothes and barely comes off skin. Merv and I had the enviable task of removing an entire house full of poly (as it was not put up to good standards) and in a sense inviting the tar to ruin our lives.
Just when I thought things could only get better, they did! Walter, my site supervisor and general legend pulled me aside to attend a home dedication on the site. The life line of a Habitat home can be split into several stages: Application, family selection, groundbreaking, build, and home dedication are, I believe, the main steps. I experienced a ground breaking in Niagara Falls (see Part 1) but in Winnipeg I got the chance to attend a home dedication. This is the magical moment when the keys to the house are handed over to the family, and a home is born. The house and its inhabitants were blessed by the family's pastor, gifts exchanged, photos snapped and then the emotions spilled over when the keys were handed to the mother and father. It was a truly beautiful and moment which I will never forget. It is only when you see the enveloping joy in the eyes of a family being helped into their own home that you can understand just how important Habitat for Humanity is. This ceremony gave me the boost I needed to go forward and advocate for the elimination of poverty housing in Canada and throughout the world.
I was also in Winnipeg for Remembrance Day (November 11th). I attended the Veterans Association commemoration ceremony in a huge convention center where easily 5000 people stood in silence to remember the many fallen men and women who have given their lives. I even made it to "Portage & Main", apparently the coldest and windiest intersection in all of Canada. I found it to be rather toasty on Nov. 11!
Special thanks go to Linda P, Ken, Walter, Vern and of course Merv for all the fun and laughs you generously shared with me. I hope you all have a beautiful, warm winter.
Where am I going next? Let's just say it is the town that rhymes with 'fun'! As always, hit me on Facebook for Jason-mania. Just quote Habitat for Humanity Canada and I'll add you right back quick-sharp.
I am going to leave the last word to man who recently passed and left behind a legacy that will live on and thrive forever into the future until our work is done:
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