Part 7: The City That Rhymes With 'Fun'

So Winnipeg, Manitoba promised harsh, unforgiving frigidity but failed to deliver. Surely the next stop on my great Canadian adventure would challenge my untested and suspiciously mocha (considering I am born and bred Irish) skin. That next stop was a town with a name that never gets old. In fact, no matter how many times I tell family and friends from home that I was in this town they always giggle. It could only be Regina, Saskatchewan.

Now for those of you back home in the UK and Ireland here is a quick crash course in all things Saskatchewan. "The Scootch" (no-one calls it that, but I'm thinking it might catch on) is a perfectly rectangular province in the middle of Canada spanning an area about the size of France. Only 1 million people live in the entire province, with every 1 in 5 Saskatchewanians (a real word) living in the capital Regina. Oh, and pretty much the entire province is flat prairies of wheat-land. So, an area the size of France that is so flat you can watch a dog run away for 3 days - sounds like fun, no?

When planning my trip across Canada during February and March this year there were many highlights that jumped off the Canadian map - the natural beauty of Niagara Falls, the "Je ne sais quoi" of Montreal, the snow of the Rockies. These are all the obvious pull factors that attracted me to spending four months in this great country. However, I must admit that Saskatchewan also held a certain mysticism. It was so unknown, unexplored and secluded. For someone like me who has always lived in big, burly, bustling cities where you can hardly see the clouds for all the skyscrapers this land that is so flat it hardly has any horizon seemed fascinating.

I flew from Winnipeg to Regina during the daytime on a plane best described as a vomit-comet. This tin with wings had a mere thirteen rows (an ominous number of rows one might say) but she held together and provided a breathtaking view of the landscape, or lack there of. We flew over Lake Winnipeg and as the plane was so small it flew quite low to the ground thus providing an unobstructed view of never ending fields of wheat. Without exaggeration I could follow with my eye a two lane road for probably 30 miles before losing sight of the rogue back line. On arrival in Regina I made my way to my sombre lodgings for the week and set about exploring. It was brought to my attention that there was an ice-hockey game being played that night between Regina and their local rivals Moose Jaw. These two teams play in the league below the premier NHL, but unlike football at home, players in the junior league are constantly competing to push their way into their local NHL teams. Coaches from these NHL teams frequent the junior games so the level of energy is unparalleled and emotions can be said to spill over into violence approximately every 4 minutes. The game did not disappoint - it was a thriller. Regina were 2-0 up and lost 4-3, setting a dangerous trend which would only be confirmed in Calgary, but more of that later...

Having wiped off my tears and donned my thermal leggings (I am not even in the slightest bit ashamed to admit to owning, wearing, sleeping and generally adoring this piece of haute couture) I was ready to get to work with Habitat for Humanity Regina. In retrospect HFH Regina will go down as one of my favorite affiliates for many reasons. I got to balance my time between building and Restore-ing, met some great volunteers and Restore customers and got the chance to learn some great new skills. Much of my enjoyment at HFH Regina can be attributed to "The Two Gary's" (fingers crossed this will catch on and result in a home-improvement TV show). Restore manager Gary was kind enough to pick me up each morning in an ever-changing array of vehicles and distribute my services to building Gary at the build site.

Building Gary gave me great instruction in the art of dry-walling. Drywall is used globally for the finish construction of interior walls and ceilings. Boards of drywall are cut to size using a large T-square, then fixed to the wall structure with drywall screws. Small features such as holes for outlets and light switches are then cut using a keyhole saw. This is a job that requires strength (the boards are as big as 4ft x 12ft and heavy), agility (especially when maneuvering large pieces through a small house and onto the ceiling) and concentration (it is very easy to cut a piece too small and get angles wrong). However, when you get in a drywall groove it is a lot of fun and the work is instantly gratifying as you can see the fruits of your labor in the walls you build as soon as they are screwed in. After a slow start and a lot of "measure twice, cut thrice" I finally got the hang of it and learned to love the work. A lot of this is because of the light-hearted atmosphere on site with Gary and the volunteers - thanks a million for letting me help out.

As I said, I split my time between the two Gary's and so spent the rest of my days in the soon-to-be-relocated Regina Restore. The team there are the nicest people you could ever meet. Heartfelt thanks must go to Gary, Teresa, Dennis, Jen, Mika, Laura, Dan and all the lovely people who put up with my constant tomfoolery and photos. And thank you all for signing nice messages on a t-shirt - that baby is getting framed! I spent my time in the Restore going back to what I did best in Niagara Falls - interacting with customers and helping out with any odd jobs. This ranged from moving washing machines into customer's trucks, wheeling a cart of purchases about 8 blocks down the street to someone's car, chopping scrap wood up to make merchantable bundles of fire wood and giving resident pianist Dan song requests to play on the store piano! We had a lot of laughs together and I know that the new Restore on Broder St. will thrive because of the great people who work at the current Restore. Happy Holidays and blessings to all of you.

I got the chance to take a bus trip to the Hot Springs Resort in Moose Jaw which was only an hour from Regina. This is a spa and swimming pool which provides healing mineral waters at a naturally warm temperature. The pool is indoor/outdoor so that whilst your body is a enveloped in the toasty 40 F water your noggin feels the wisp of minus 10 Celsius as steam rushes around you. I also indulged in a massage to sooth my aching drywalling-induced bones, although I think the whole experience bordered on physiotherapy rather then anything in the slightest bit sensual. My evenings were spent partaking in some of The Scootch's finest ales with new friends and I even got the chance to enjoy a North American tradition - The Game. This involves a big screen with Canadian Football on a loop, copious amounts of chips (aka crisps) and dips, pizza and absolutely no anti-Saskatchewan Roughriders fans. Constant cheering, giggling, and tongue in cheek comments about the player's unnecessarily tight and poorly color coordinated shorts figured regularly too.

In closing I think it can be said that the people of Regina are of a rural attitude and outlook on life, despite their urban surroundings and this makes them some of the kindest, down-to-earth people I have ever had the pleasure of meeting. The church and the Roughriders Football team are a huge part of life in Regina and this makes for a tolerant yet passionate atmosphere. And not an ounce of the magic that Saskatchewan held for me before I arrived was lost by the time I left.

I bet you thought the Regina entry was going to be a short one, eh?! Well, if you still can't get enough then add me on the Book of Faces for a veritable all-you-can-eat cyber-buffet of Jason! Just quote Habitat for Humanity Canada and let the 'poking' begin!

As always, I'll leave it to a wiser person...

"People here want to prove that they belong... Saskatchewan's greatest export has not been wheat, but people. People here want to show they are as good - and can achieve as much - as anyone in any part of the country or the world".

John Chaput