How did I get here today, how did I find myself in Prince George BC, in the Bachelor of Education program. Well, I am currently 24, and thus far in my 24 years of life I have lived in 3 distinct phases that have gotten me here today. This post here today is going to be going into phase one, looking all the way back at my earliest years of life. I was born and raised into my teenage years in Terrace BC. Terrace is a small Northern town, it is surrounded by mountains, and is known well for its great salmon fishing in the Skeena River. Its that very same river that holds one of my fondest memories from living in Terrace. My grandpa and uncle ran one of the two fish hatcheries in Terrace, so I spent an abundance of time learning about the fish run, fishing, and different kinds of fish. My dad was a fishing guide for a good chunk of his life pre kids. So, when it was fishing season ever since the time, I can remember we spent out summers on my dad’s river boat, fishing off the boat or off the riverside. I absolutely loved going fishing, it was incredibly peaceful, and there is no other time in my life to this day that I had felt so connected to the land and the natural life around me. When we weren’t fishing in the summer season, we were camping at one of the two beautiful campgrounds in the town. Both grounds were attached to some of the nicest lakes I have ever been to. My parents had a trailer for a decent amount of time, but there was no camping I loved more then just roughing it in a tent on an air-mattress that was usually flat come morning. To this day there is no smell that brings back the sense memories that a campfire does for me, it is my favourite scent and if ever I am invited or find the opportunity to have a campfire whether it be camping or just in a backyard, I am the first to start piling up the wood.
When it wasn’t sunny and hot with the frequent chance of rain, and the snow was flying that meant me and my family were probably at the Arena. If you don’t know by know I play hockey, and well it is a major piece of who I am. I was not only at the arena for me however, my two sisters one who was two years older than me, and one was my twin, they were both figure skaters. Hence the emphasis on when I say my family basically lived in the arena in the winter. I will never forget the early morning ice times, my mom would bring me along as she played the music for the figure skating practice, and once it was over, she would bring me and my sisters over to McDonald’s, or A&W… whichever was less busy, to get us our breakfast before going to school. It seems like such a small thing, but my family didn’t eat out much at all so this always felt like such a big deal and something to look forward to. I have always said that if I have children some day this is something I would love to do for them, because it’s a memory I hold so valuable to myself. Another hockey memory I hold close is the fact that my dad coached me all the way through my hockey career up until university. My parents always tell the story of trying for that second baby, they wanted a boy so he could play hockey for my dad to coach… well they ended up with two twin girls. Imagine my dads delight when he realized one of them was going to love hockey just as much as he did. The bond I have with my dad today is one I am so grateful for, and I frequently look back on my young days of hockey and going to the rink with him, or tournaments around the area, I genuinely feel so lucky I got to share a sport that has formed my entire existence to this point with my dad. As I write this and think back to my early memories of hockey, I can’t help but smile, and feel immense fulfilment with the memories I have.
When I reflect on these memories from the first phase of my life, I can see how right now they have gotten me here. I hold so close my childhood; I feel so lucky I got to experience what I did. I at now 24 realize that lots of kids may not be as lucky in their life, and what if I can change that. I want to give experiences to children that might not otherwise get them, and I think that is the start of me wanting to get into education the way that I have. This is phase one of me getting to this place I am in today, stay tuned for phase two, you can find it under the Values tab under, “Mid Point” header.
