One week down already!

Well, we have been kept busy by everyone here in Lethbridge, so there has barely been time to draw breath, much less blog!! We have had a tremendous welcome again, and I must thank all our hosts – especially Suzanne and Joseph, for looking after me so well, and also Robin, who is organizing our few days here.

After our sunrise meeting in Thursday at 7 am (yes, I did see the sun coming up and, yes, it was lovely – the sky is so BIG here), we had our vocational day. I went to the prison, where Lori Beresford told me lots about the nurse practitioners working there in the healthcare centre, although there is little oral health provision. After meeting the Mayor (as Wallace reported below) we were interviewed by the Lethbridge Herald – so we now have another picture in another local paper!

In the afternoon, I went to the University of Lethbridge, where I met Sharon Yanicki, who is coordinating an undergraduate degree in Public Health. This plans to increase the Public Health workforce, without taking people, such as nurses, from their clinical jobs. We also met Karoline Philipp, Director of Population Health, who explained about the health promotion programmes which are run in the former Chinook Health Services area. It was good to see oral health included in this! Chris Hosgood then showed me around the University – it is very impressive, built into the coulee hills. I even saw a poster for my “alma mater”, the University of Glasgow!

Friday was a chance to see around the local area. First we went to Head-smashed-in Buffalo-jump - the names of these places are so descriptive here! This was where the First Nations peoples used the natural landscape to catch their meat quota for the season – the details are a bit gory, but we can appreciate their ingenuity!! Our next stop was Frank slide, the site of one of Canada’s worst natural disasters, where part of a town was lost in a huge landslide early in the 20th century. The scenery was spectacular, but the history lesson highlighted the power of nature.

Our final destination was Waterton Park, where I was able to appreciate the stunning beauty of God’s creation in the landscape here at the foothills of the Rockies. I felt this was ‘real’ Canada, with its mountains and lakes – a truly spectacular day.

Finally, in the evening, we attended the Rotary Social, where we were able to show off our tartan, as well as give our presentation. Once again, we were made to feel very welcome and it has been wonderful to meet so many interesting people. Lots of Canadians have connections in Scotland, which never seem to be far from where we live back home. Several folk have mentioned they know Largs and the surrounding islands – it is a home from home. There was even a radio programme of celtic music, presented by a Scot. If I closed my eyes, I could have been back at home!

Saturday dawned bright and sunny again. The weather has been spectacular. Today, we visited a Hutterite colony as part of our cultural development. There is no real equivalent in the UK, so it was quite an experience. We were shown around their colony and given lunch there, which was simple but very tasty. In the afternoon, we visited a local attraction in Lethbridge, Fort Whoop Up (another amazing name!!) where the Royal Canadian Mounted Police Force had its origins in controlling the trading – and the whisky!!

We have had an amazing few days here and I find it hard to believe that a week of our tour has passed already. Tomorrow, we will again have to say goodbye to our hosts and move to our next destination, Drumheller. It is sad to leave behind folk we have got to know so well over the last few days. Thanks to you all for your welcome and hospitality.

Maura