My first week in Revelstoke, my first week in Canada is over and I realized a few things that work differently here. Back home I made plans of what I want to do here and at what time everything has to be happening and done to keep my schedule working. The first lesson I have learned is that this is not the right way and that you have to be flexible with your plans and trust that all will work out somehow. Making plans for everything is really German but I am in Canada now, so I should try to acclimatize and to calm down a little bit because after all I am still on vacation.
What expressions do I have from Revelstoke after these seven days? Because I live in a town in Germany with 600.000 inhabitans the houses here in Revelstoke looked pretty small and cute for me firstly. Most of the houses are beautiful and it seems like a lot of people put much afford in making themselves a pretty home. I like the surrounding and the awesome view you have of the wetlands when you drive towards the skihill. The people, I have met, were always friendly and really interested in what I am doing and where I come from. It is a small town and somebody said to me “In Revelstoke everyone knows everyone and if not in person than maximal through two other people.”
There a some things that I was really confused and surprised by. At first I noticed that every second person has at least one dog and that a lot of people love them; people taking their dogs into town and nearly everyone pets them. The ranch I am staying at for my visit is the home of 11 sleddogs and six puppies and the whole daily routine is dedicated by the dogs’ needs. My familiy never had dogs so this whole thing of spending time with dogs and taking care of them is fairly new for me.
Another thing that catched my eye was the importance of trucks. It is strange how significant they seem to be espacially for men here. When they meet on the street trucks are always one main topic they talk about. Back at my home you are not so depending on vehicles because you can go to other places by bus or train.That nobody locks their cars impressed me and the trust in other people not taking away any stuff surprised me. It’s really nice to see that there are still parts of the world where you do not have to lock your doors.
The title says “Johnny Cash” and this is the third thing I was excited by: Revelstoke is not a huge city but the people living here try to offer a great variety of cultural activities and events.You can find for example the small concerts given in town by various artists. There is an art walk through town and the possibility to visit shops that present different local painters, potters or sculptors.
All in all my first week discovering Revelstoke surprised me and I experienced a lot of things that I would not have expected.
Chrissi Meyer is a German university student who is exploring and writing about life in Revelstoke as part of a practicum with The Current.
