A Note from the Blog Curator
June 14, 2016
Spring is officially in full swing in BC, and so is the BC Studies blog! With over 30 posts since the blog’s inception in January, it has been a tremendous ‘first season’ for the blog. I would like to thank and congratulate everyone who has made it possible – from the BC Studies editors and IT staff, to the viewers and to all the amazing British Columbians who have contributed a wealth of great reading to the blog. For without our valued contributors, none of this would be possible!
I would like to extend the invitation for anyone and everyone to participate in the blog by submitting posts. We accept posts anytime on a diverse range of BC related topics and warmly encourage first time submissions to any of our 5 categories (blog@bcstudies.com).
We would also like to encourage the blog community to maintain the BC Studies blog as a dynamic and engaging platform, where discussion can be generated, by posting comments on blog posts.
Once again, thank you all for the enthusiastic response to the BC Studies blog!
Back to the Blog
On a more personal note, my spring was a bit of a rougher start. I have now been back to the blog for just over a month and a half. My spring was riddled with doctor’s appointments, physiotherapy and ice cream cones.
In early February I broke my hand while cycling to my school, UVic (for a very important meeting with my Master’s supervisory committee). I clipped the curb with my front wheel on a turn, and was flung into the base of a streetlight. My hand took all the impact. Luckily no cars were involved, and I always wear a helmet, but the accident left me with a gaping wound and a shattered medial metacarpal (bone below pinky finger) of my right hand. Stitched up and sent home for the weekend, I thought the worst was over. Then when I went in for surgery that Monday, we discovered my hand was severely infected. I spent the following week in hospital fighting and flushing the infection and finally had surgery the next Saturday, to pin my hand in 2 places. After a few weeks of cast wearing, the pins were removed (much to my surprise) and I spent the next month in hand physio, working my hand 20 times a day. Originally my mobility was so poor that the surgeon doubted I would regain full use. However, I worked that hand hard and put all my positive energy into healing, and as I type this today (with both hands), I can happily say that my hand is fully mended.
Change & Reflection
What I am grateful for is the perspective and gratitude this accident has given me. A hand injury is one that completely takes you out of commission. From brushing your teeth with your non-dominant hand to attempting to get dressed – even the simplest things become difficult. It forced me to slow my pace of life, to reflect on the fragility of the human body, to appreciate what I could do, and let the rest go. I focused on healing and taking care of my body (which is easy to neglect is this faced-paced era) because we are only given one. With only 1 hand, everything I did was more thoughtful, more mindful, because each action took that much longer, that much more effort and that much more pre-meditated thought. For this time of personal growth and self-reflection, I am grateful.
As an otherwise healthy person, I feel fortunate that this has been my greatest injury. I sympathize deeply with those who have chronic issues where the basic elements of life are a constant struggle. Health is something never to be taken for granted and I will maintain it as a high priority throughout the rest of my days.
Where I am Now: New Places & New Opportunities
Now that I am back in action, the summer brings new opportunities and new places of BC to explore. I am currently on a co-op work placement as a soil research assistant with the BC Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations in Prince George. Here I am working on paleo-shoreline research (as I do in my Master’s) by looking at sediments, to map the relic shorelines of an ancient glacial lake within the Omineca region.
I am thrilled to be based out of “BC’s northern capital” for the summer and to experience the wondrous landscape the northern interior has to offer. Each weekend presents a new mountain to hike and wildlife to see (in my first 2 weeks I saw 12 bears!). I have discovered that the Omineca region embraces an amazing alpine backcountry cabin culture, where any keen hikers can climb mountain trails and overnight in various public cabins. For instance, last weekend after a 2.5hr climb, with the last hour through a foot of snow, we slept at beautiful Raven Lake (in Sugarbowl-Grizzly Den Provincial Park and Protected Area) where we shared the cabin with a young family of 4. The wood for the stove, that heats the small 2-storey cabin, is even helicoptered in to conserve the small alpine trees (see pictures above).
Each new place visited (or lived) offers a new understanding of the diversity of landscapes and cultures that together constitute beautiful British Columbia. You never truly fathom a place until you live there, so I am excited to experience, explore and, most importantly, learn the wonders this region has to offer.
– Alex Lausanne
BC Studies Blog Curator (blog@bcstudies.com)