Calgary
I’ve been home for just under two weeks, and I’m feeling pretty good. While back in Cambridge, I had been wary of romanticizing what being home would be like. So far, my assessment has been pretty consistent. I had anticipated some counter-culture shock upon my return, and indeed, I experienced just that the other day while I was shopping in Costco. I don’t think I’ve seen such massive containers of food and materials in a long time. It felt like walking through a world of giants. More pervasive has been this feeling of being unnecessarily wasteful. Example: on said Costco trip, I purchased an electric toothbrush, the container of which could have held ten. It made me reflect on the magic of marketing, and how much more I was willing to pay for the ginormous box than for what the toothbrush would have actually needed. Perhaps the box was necessary to match its giant siblings. In any case, my conscience was then assuaged by being able to dispose the box into one of the blue recycling bins the city now uses.
But in general, settling in has been quite enjoyable. Coming back to Calgary feels like I’m moving forward because the city and its people have changed. This concept of familiar change can be applied to both spaces and relationships. On a city-wide scale, Wilson and I stepped out of our NW bubble during the holidays and delighted in the quaint neighbourhood bistros and antique shops of Inglewood. Back at home, I unpacked my Cambridge life on New Year’s eve. My room is now a little haven, with areas representing the different places I’ve traveled to in the five years away. I especially like my reading corner. The wicker chair, the woollen throw, and simple rug and reading lamp: my dad says it reminds him of England.
The people have grown up. While in essence they are the same, that essence is becoming more and more nuanced as they take on new roles and are allowing those roles to shape them.
Today I’m sitting in the brand new Taylor Family Digital Library at the University of Calgary. In short: I’m impressed. The building is everything I had written about in my proposal, and I hope I will get the opportunity to weave it into a history of libraries. I love the familiarity of the concrete structures on this campus; the U of C certainly has its own character. Now, in a brand new steel and glass building, surrounded by book shelves that look like honey combs, I am smiling at the thin, Indian librarian with the pitch-black sunglasses and tight PVC pants walking past me; this man used to walk the library halls back in 2001-2005. I guess he now has a new stomping ground. Earlier I picked up my alumni card, and then activated it in the MacKimmie Library Tower. I don’t know what the next few months will look like, but I suspect that I’ll be doing most of my interim research/applications from this building. The library has always been my home away from home. And it’s good to be home.
