So last Saturday night my old elementary school, F.W. Howay Elementary, celebrated its 50th anniversary and invited everyone old and new to come back and visit. I finished grade 7 there back in '96, but in a lot of ways I was still young blood co...
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Today is a little bit hilarious for me. As y'all'll recall, I had a 10 year high school reunion earlier in the summer. It was fun.
And now today, I have my elementary school's 50th anniversary to check out. I'm gonna head back over to the ancestral home and check that out.
It's always a little fun to explain to people how Greater/Metro Vancouver works. The City of Vancouver proper is only about 115 sq km (44 sq mi) and a little less than 600,000 population. The entire Greater Vancouver Regional District, however, spans much wider: 2700 sq km (about 1000 sq mi) and a population of just over 2 million.
Myself, I spent most of my life in New Westminster, about 20 minutes' drive from the eastern border of the City of Vancouver. It's a bit of a heritage city, far more suburban than some of the other areas further west, and in all it's just a little city nestled in with these giant other places. Population just under 60,000 and just barely 50 square kilometers (under 6 sq mi) in area, New West is not a big place at all.
So it's kinda hilarious when things like an elementary school reunion pops up. Sure, lots of us have moved on to bigger and grander things. A lot of the families on my mom's street are all the same even if the children have all grown up and some have moved out. But quite frankly, if you grew up in New West, you'll always have that connection with everyone else.
This should be a fun little going about. I think I'll bring my camcorder.
My hometown needs your help!
The Kraft Celebration Tour is making its way across Canada, and is going to make ten specific stops at ten lucky communities along the way. If chosen, each stop will get a $25,000 community refresh from Kraft (the mac' & cheese folks) to help build or upgrade a community centre or location. There will also be a live SportsCentre broadcast from the location documenting the tour.
Choices are made via online votes for one city or another. I speak on behalf of the final stop: New Westminster, BC (my home town) vs Nelson, BC.
Voting ends Saturday/tomorrow/today 9am Pacific time.
My friends here at theOtaku.com, it would mean the world to me if you could help my hometown fix up its Youth Centre with the international vote. It'd take all of a few seconds (unless you tried voting more) to give 'er a click over here:
http://kraftcelebrationtour.tsn.ca/top20
Prior to moving out to the city-proper of Vancouver, I lived in New Westminster for 20 years of my life. I have no memories of my birth town of Kelowna, and most of my memories living in Edmonton are short and spotty. No matter where I end up, New Wesminster will always be my city, and for those of you who have seen it first hand, you know it's a pretty special little place with some neat small-town character in the middle of the sprawling metropolis that is Metro Vancouver.
(We also have the world's largest Tin Soldier. Just sayin'.)
If you've caught this message before 9am Pacific time and voted for New West, 58,000 people will be super appreciative. Please help us out!
PS. And yes, do feel free to ballot-stuff. I don't think they mind.
