Step 3. Scout for Resources

Assessing your surroundings is one of the first things to do after any more. Now that I have been here for a whole 2 weeks (almost), I figure it is time to get a lay of the land. I want to know the city, in case I ever need to buy something, or go somewhere, or run from zombies. (Ha! Of course we all know that is a joke, because if there were zombies, a city center is probably the last place you would want to go.)

Fort Mac has your major store chains. There is a giant Wal-mart, offering lots of stuff from China. Then there is the Canadian Tire, the highest grossing in Canada, offering lots of stuff from China.

This is the local Borealis Park. We had the first annual Scotiabank AIDS walk here last weekend. The river here cuts straight through town and can be quite pretty. The walk was attended by our staff, and then 3 community members who are heavily involved in our programs. As you can probably imagine, most people here want to ignore AIDS. Either that, or they HATE walking.

This is Franklin, the main drag through town. This is the lovely view from outside the office. I cannot see the street from the office, because there are no windows. But the lack of windows won't matter too much in the winter, when there are less than 5 hours of sunlight a day. Ha!

Here are my co-worker Kyle and I, enjoying our $4 coffees from Coco Jo's, the coffee shop right by the office. And finally, the is the exotic dance bar that our office is right beside. I bet this one makes my father quite proud. You can only imagine how awkward I felt standing beside the main road having this picture taken.

And as an Aside: One of this town's best resources is cheap clothes!

In the shopping mall there are your basic chain mall stores. Right now all the summer clothes are on sale, and it is amazing! I bought some killer jeans for $10 and a bunch of $5 t-shirts. When I asked the clerk why the clothes were so cheap, and all in my size, she explained that a 29” waist wasn't normal for here so they couldn't sell them all. So not only are my clothes cheap, but I feel quite skinny. See the pic above for my killer jeans.

And check out all the garage sale signs! I got into town in time to enjoy the last day of the garage sailing season. I got some great stuff! As an ardent thrifter, I have now learned that the only place better to shop than a Mennonite thrift store is a rich person's garage sale.

Among other treasures, I bought a box of lego and never worn Dr. Scholl's leather shoes! I had been told to go garage sailing here in Timberlea, the newest and most expensive part of town. Things were very high quality and very cheap because nobody needs the money. This is the only town I have been in where people want less money for their possessions than is on the price. I was having money given back to me all morning long! A fabulous town indeed.

About work this week: The outreach staff have been overwhelmed with new clients while homeless people look for a place to stay over the winter. This means that I am getting to do a bit of frontline stuff, which really keeps me on my toes. On Tuesday I was driving Larry around, to 4 different places, trying to get a notorized letter because he doesn't have photo ID, and can't apply for disability without proof of identity. Yesterday I drove DJ out to the detox center- it is her umpteenth time trying to get clean. The crack here is dirty and is giving a bunch of the users open ulcers. The clients are smart and with it and I really like hearing about their lives. No one grows up hoping to be a crack addict.