A few days ago someone asked me how long I had lived in Squamish. I looked at her, smiled, and said "three hours."
I'm safely past the three-hour point. I've managed to trip, fall, embarrass, laugh and frighten myself through a whole week - which amounts to five working days here at The Chief.
Seeing as how I get to learn all about your community, I figure, in fairness, that you should know a little about me. After all, I'm going to be at your school board meetings, sporting events, concerts and community events.
People are always asking me when I decided to become a journalist. I say I can't remember not wanting to be one, and when I was Grade 8 someone told me anyone could go to school for journalism. My path was set.
For 99 per cent of my life, I've lived in Aldergrove, which is smaller than Squamish. But for the past two years, I've felt like I've lived at Langara College, where I studied journalism.
There, I drank far too much coffee as I and my fellow students attempted to learn the art of putting out a weekly newspaper and an annual magazine. At the end of two long, sleepless years, the college gave me a flimsy piece of paper reading "Journalism Diploma" in big block letters.
So I hauled myself to Vancouver Island, where I spent four months living in Courtney working at the Comox Valley Record and the Campbell River Mirror as a temporary fill in reporter and photographer. I covered everything I could possibly imagine, and some things I never wanted to imagine. City council, education, diseases, crime, drug and alcohol issues, animal rescues, concerts, tragedies, events - the list goes on.
What I learned there has already proved valuable for my work here at The Chief, as I've delved into new developments, concerts, education, and people. And at the end of the day, all the news in the world is really about people.
The most important thing I've learned so far about people in Squamish is they are really great. I've asked stupid questions like "What is the river called?" and no one laughed, and I've stared blankly at people while they're giving me directions, and they've just patiently started again. Sports enthusiasts have directed me around Brennan Park Recreation Centre and explained what all the teams are called.
We all know that Squamish is a beautiful place to live. I may not have known it until I moved here, but it's something I won't take for granted. And it's small enough that even though I have no sense of direction, I haven't gotten lost.
I'm happy to be at The Chief and in Squamish. I hope you'll all have me.
