Vive Montreal!

Whew,
So I think I'm finally rehabilitated from my 8 day trip to Montreal. I've been home for about three days now and I think my body is clear of all blood alcohol content. My lungs still scream from over exposure to cigarette smoke (damn those quebeckers know how to smoke...it was almost enough make me IN FAVOUR of the smoking bylaw in Edmonton) but that's to be expected and it will take me a solid week before I catch up on all the sleep I missed but c'est la vie I suppose.
Anyway, I won't go into great detail about my experience in Montreal. Most of it was very personally enriching. The people I met there moved me beyond belief. I fell in love with the culture, the people, the ambience and the feeling that there are people in this world who understand me. Moreover, I fell in love with the idea that if I can change, then the world can change. For the first time in a very long time, I have faith again...Let me explain.

I spent a vast deal of time while in Montreal (where I was on conference for 8 days, for anyone who reads this and didn't know that) with a group of seperatists who could only fairly be described as "slightly on the hippie side of the spectrum". I felt like Greg surrounded by Darmas (analogy stolen from a friend of mine who was making fun of me). I never expected to connect with people who have such a different background and belief system. Here I am, this structural functionalist poli-sci-going-into-law thought-I-was-left-wing-but-turns-out-I'm-only-left-wing-in-Alberta girl hanging out with some of the most radical activists I've ever met (Mike Hudema eat your heart out :P ) We talked about politics, about philosophy, about human rights, about what it means to be a human and a member of society. We talked about what we could do to make the world a better place. We did a lot of talking actually, which some said was really a waste of time since talking doesn't accomplish anything. However, I have to disagree.

The conversations I had were among the most inspiring I had had in a long time. It felt good to be talking about ways of improving the world, rather than solely focusing on all the negative aspects. I came back to Alberta a changed person and ready to fight new bsttles out here. I have already embarked on projects to help interrelations between Franco-Canadians and Quebec and will be involved in programs coordinating exchanges. I learned different, more effective ways to make a difference in my community. I learned that the first step to making any change is changing yourself. These are all things I thought I knew but realized that there is a difference between knowing something and becoming it.

I took from Montreal some amazing experiences. I have come home refreshed and ready for a fight. I realize that I am capable of making a difference in my world, and that one step at a time is the only way of accomplishing anything. I made wonderful friends that I hope I keep in touch with. And I found a part of myself that I had lost somewhere along the road...passion, hope and the desire to make things better.

Livin' it up,
Zita