Trip Over
The rest of the trip just flew by, not to mention we had back to back nights of lousy internet connection...
So after Toronto we flew to Winnipeg to tour the diary farm and interview one of the owners of Hytek, a hog raising company.
On the way to Regina we stopped at a Hutterite Colony. That was a very interesting experience - the most noticeable thing was that the clear gender rolls that were maintained: women in the kitchen and men at work.
The other really great part is that the women of the colony are as interested in you as you are of them. The conversation was great and I got some good pictures!
The children were in school when we toured the school building, and had never been
on a bus. So we loaded them up on our ridiculously big one and drove them around the colony... It was one of those moment I won't soon be forgetting!
From there we crossed the border into Saskatchewan and to a cattle farm. I also really like these cattle - we toured their operation in groups of 3 or 4 in their trucks and then had a catered dinner!
The next and final day we went to a meat processing plant which was okay. It was the feed lots and slaughter house, which they were in the process of building that bothered me!
raising the cattle doesn't bother me, loading them on trucks is okay... and watching the carcasses being prepared (cut and packaged) for consumption was all okay. It seems to be the inevitable bit in the middle that I don't like.
I'm still eating meat though - mainly because the animals are treated so well.
The trip as a whole was amazing - I am sad that it is over, but totally exhausted and really don't think I could have learned anymore without exploding!
Thanks FCC!
Chicken coops to downtown to dairy farms
Yesterday there wasn't much in the way of internet access - not to mention I was exhaused and really didn't want much to do with blogging.
Just to sum up though - we went to a mushroom plant and a chicken laying farm. Got really good and smelly then went and explored downtown TO!
Gotta tell you I would never be a chicken farmer....
I would however be a diary farmer - I loved it there. Those cows are so big and docile they are really wonderful and the one we went to was family owned and operated so there was a little girl running around with her cat and the pet dog lying in the bar.
I saw the whole milking procedure and for sure I am still drinking milk and advising everyone to do the same!
I love milk
...and sleep
Will hopefully be more coherent tomorrow (but I doubt it!)
Of canneries and wineries
Today I thought I was in an episode of 'How it's made' or PMK (popular mechanics for kids). The canning factory we went to, just outside of Trenton, has this label machine that is the coolest thing I have ever seen. The cans come along a conveyer-belt right side up then are turned sideways and passed through this machine which places a label on in under 1 second per can. I imagine the novelty wears off for those who work there but I thought it was pretty cool. This provided lots of amusement for the other girls on the trip. There was also a robot car thing - really really neat also. This is the factory were the Presidents Choice Blue Label soups are made and canned. The good news is I will still by buying them!
The wineries were also interesting, but I guess because of my wine tour around Kelowna-Summerland-Penticton etc. they were not as exciting as they could have been. However, they are dealing with some significant issues that the people of BC don't have to worry about because of the differences in liquor control boards. Also because of the weather the wineries of Prince Edward County (also known as loyalist land) use extreme viticultre - tricks to grow grapes in the cold climate!
Tonight I find myself in Oshawa in a Holiday Inn, where 4 floors below me there is a modeling thing. Where parents are dragging their small children, and teens are primping in order to make it big...
Too much to think about - I'll leave you with some pictures then sleep.
Flower Greenhouses and Onion Growers
A short trip from the airport hotel strip took us to Newmarket and from there the city seemed to disappear as we drove down a few back roads to the Holland Marsh. There have been canals created to drain the marsh and make it into the fertile farming ground it is now. On the trip to the greenhouses we crossed over the canals and more often then not there were small community hockey games occuring. It was so well - parrire-ish. It was someone else on my trip who pointed out that Agriculture really was that an entire sub-culture. It is one that I really would like to understand better.
For example today we stopped at there flower greenhouses that used migrant workers from Mexico. Usually I am fairly opposed to the program the Canadian government has set-up especially when Ag. has special rules that allow people to ignore the 40 hour work week. But, their employees kept coming back - they have had the same employees for 5-6 years. That has to count for something - I must research this more before I comment further.
We also learned that the money always seems to be going somewhere else. Usually the middle man and usually that middle man is the packer. They key now is to look and see where is the product is grown and where it is packed! This means that the farmer who packages their own produce is making more than one who isn't - also there is greater accountability because if they pack those veggies you know you are getting theirs. There are no gaurentees with any of the packing houses.
Travel Day for Ag 101 on Hwy. 1
Travelled to the big TO today - of course the flight leaving Regina was late...
I got to the airport on time and stood at the back of a really long line up of people - a really long line up - apparently an earlier flight had been cancelled. Fortunately I was at the back of the line with the chaperones of my trip - the bad news was the line was 45 mins long.
The good news was our plane was even in yet
The bad news was it still wasn't in after we reached the front.
The plane was delayed taking off until 12:30, we were suppose to have left at 11:20. But we got here eventually and I was sitting next to Todd Maffin (of the CBC) he was super cool. He gave me his card and the name and number of a photojournalist for the CBC in TO. Shoot that reminds me I have to e-mail him.
Met the other girls I am travelling with - they all seem really nice. All three are more print oriented and they hail from Conordia, Ryerson and Mt. Royal... so we have been comparing program notes.
After a couple bottles of wine and lots of laughs we headed back to the hotel - were assigned our computers. And now I am here and sleepy and have a long week ahead of me so that's it.
Except today I left a pair of red gloves in the taxi - I'm sorry red gloves - you will be missed!
I hate loosing/leaving stuff behind - makes me feel guilty.
I refuse to believe that I am sick
I refuse to believe that I am sick - except for one small hitch....
- A cough, which is the main symptom of acute bronchitis. It may be dry at first and after a few days may bring up mucus from the lungs . The mucus may be clear, yellow or green. Occasionally, small streaks of blood may be present. CHECK
- A mild fever, usually less than 38.5°C (101°F). CHECK
- A general feeling of tiredness (malaise). CHECK
- A sensation of tightness, burning, or dull pain in the chest under the breastbone that usually is worse when breathing deeply or coughing. CHECK
- Whistling noises when breathing, especially during physical exertion. CHECK
- Feeling short of breath CHECK
Ladies and Gentlemen, what does this get me???
Acute Bronchitis
The Assignment: Spot News..
Another word for spot news for a photographer is Ambulance chaser etc.. I have to find and produce several spot news photos in a month - should be interesting.. Here's where I started... a poor old lady being loaded into an ambulance at a medical clinic....
On the Spot: Episode 2
The Question: Do you think the commercialism of Valentines Day creates a pressure to be coupled??
The Answers:
Amber LearnedInternational Languages
“(My boyfriend and I) don’t celebrate it much because we think it has become to commercialized”
Dallin Perrault
Psychology
“I do, you see all the hype and cards and everything…You think why aren’t I with anybody – what’s wrong with me?”
Karolayna Isley
Psychology
“No, because now it’s almost cool to be wallowing in your self pity”
Jerami Pergel
Journalism
“No, I never celebrate Valentine’s Day, never been in a relationship of Valentine’s Day. So, I don’t feel any pressure.”
Busy Week
You know you have had a busy week:
- When on the phone with your boyfriend you start getting angry because he isn't getting points across fast enough - you don't have time to sit and listen
- When sitting in class the maximum amount of time you can sit still for is 10 minutes
- You constantly check for voice and text messages and you constantly have them
- When you try and take five minutes of down time your leg does that repative twitch thing
- Car rides see to take hours, even when you are only going for five minutes
- Everytime you go to check something off a list as completed it reminds you to add two more things
- You get about 4 hours of sleep a night
- Your body aches
This last week was brutal...
Four Things
The girl from Geeks Make me hot was tagged with 4 things.. I liked the idea - here are my four things...
Four jobs that I’ve had
Front Desk Agent
Guest Services
Labratory Assistant
Reporter
Four movies I can watch over and over
Pirates of the Caribbean
Star Wars
Beyond Borders
Hollywood/Bollywood
Four places I have lived
Victoria, B.C.
Sidney, B.C.
Ucluelet, B.C.
Regina, SK
Four TV shows I like to watch
Crossing Jordan
ER
All the CSIs
Passionate Eye
Four foods that I like
Pasta, any type - done anyway
Thai Chicken Salad
Soups
International foods
Four websites I visit daily
Waiter rant
Girl with the one track mind
Overheard in New York
Globe and Mail
Four things I want to do before I die
Live abroad
Be a doctor
Learn other languages
Take photos for National Geographic
So after Toronto we flew to Winnipeg to tour the diary farm and interview one of the owners of Hytek, a hog raising company.
on a bus. So we loaded them up on our ridiculously big one and drove them around the colony... It was one of those moment I won't soon be forgetting!
