I move through this grand city of ours in two ways: I bus down Whyte Ave and then I walk through campus. I've never really thought much about how I move through the city or how I impact the space I'm in. When I do reflect on this, I don't really feel like I affect Edmonton in any matter. I think my movements within the city match most of the people around me; I move in groups, trying to keep pace so no one runs into me. I walk from building to building, pedway to pedway, just trying to stay out of the way. I drift in between people as I move from one space to the next trying to stay outside as little as possible.
I kind of realize that I make no real attempts to exist in these spaces, I'm really kind of a ghost. There's been many a time when I've actually startled people around me because I've "snuck up" on them. I never intended to and I think that's silly when people tell me that. I don't burst into a room, exclaiming my arrival and nor does anyone else. I think this a very Canadian behaviour actually. I'm sure that the fear of inconveniencing others consumes most of us. Think of how many times someone has run into you and you've both apologized.
On the first day of class I made the (hilarious) joke about the Sherwood Park transit system. To most of us, Sherwood park is known as the "bubble" and it really is. The transit system is something I utilize quite regularly because of my need to get to school. Fortunately, my bus route takes me down Whyte Ave, so I have tons to see each time I get to go to school or home. The other day I was on my way home after class and I started thinking about how I view the city and how I affect this space. I began noticing new parts of the buildings I see at least twice a day, I think I even started seeing the city as a living thing. I've never noticed the movements of the city; all the different types of cars, all the different people walking in different directions, going to completely different places. This is significant to me because almost everyone and everything in Sherwood park looks so alike. No offense to my home town which I love, but it definitely does not offer the same type of diversity the Edmonton does. I really want to see the different ways I can affect the space I'm in and different ways I can move through the city. Maybe I will start bursting into rooms and exclaim that I've arrived. Next time someone runs into me I wont play polite Canadian and apologize profusely. I might just start dancing instead of walking. Why not waltz into Rutherford?
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