Comments for Das Bloggen

Comment on Dealing With Culture Shock by Dan B

Dan B — Tue, 01 May 2012 01:45:36 +0000

I’m afraid Timmy’s hasn’t converted me. Maybe it’s because I don’t like coffee. Or maybe it’s because their doughnuts are pretty crappy. The only positive thing I can say is they’re cheap!

Comment on Dealing With Culture Shock by olujideo

olujideo — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 10:59:58 +0000

just discovered your blog, great post! it’s so true when you go to a new place everything is exciting, when I went to Canada on exchange for four months, I would get excitied about seeing a 7 Eleven, or Wendys or a yellow school bus haha because it was all stuff I knew from TV (the day I saw an actual Chuck-E-Cheese…yeah pretty much failed to restrain myself). but then eventually I went from wanting to immerse myself in the culture to quickly comparing things to the UK, like ‘aw why is Canada like this? in the UK we do this’ etc. I would still go back to Canada though, the UK doesn’t have Tim Hortons

Comment on Walking Through Vancouver by phatso (@phatso2)

phatso (@phatso2) — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 17:48:13 +0000

VANCOUVER / ADDICTION / HOMELESS / CHAOS / POVERTY

THE HARSH REALITY OF ADDICTION

The producers of this short film are both recovering addicts who have both spent time living and indulging with drug addiction in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside. Today they are both clean and sober with multiple years of recovery

Addiction: Chaos in Vancouver

http://www.archive.org/details/VancouverAddictionHomelessChaosPoverty

Comment on Walking Through Vancouver by DTES Worker.

DTES Worker. — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 06:31:08 +0000

http://supervisedinjection.vch.ca/

Comment on About by EllaDee

EllaDee — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 06:02:35 +0000

Hi ,
Just to let you know, I have nominated you for the Versatile Blogger Award. The details are here: http://elladeewords.wordpress.com/2012/04/17/the-versatile-blogger-award-ii-and-an-open-letter-to-mercury-retrograde/
All the best, EllaDee

Comment on Walking Through Vancouver by Christina

Christina — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 05:32:28 +0000

Wow! What a difference! I’ve asked as I had very similar experiences. Yet, I don’t know what, how or when I will do anything about it. I’d be so interested in hearing about whether anything eventuates from your experiences! Btw, I love your blog. Please keep writing.

Comment on Walking Through Vancouver by Dan B

Dan B — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 04:41:28 +0000

I don’t fully grasp the situation at all, because all I have to go on at the moment is what I’ve read, what I see etc. As somebody else pointed out, the whole thing is so complex that I think I’ll never truly have an entire grasp of it. I’m truly thankful to you for sharing your view and giving me some more perspective. I’ve just had a look for Insite tours and am not really finding any info?

Comment on Walking Through Vancouver by DTES Worker.

DTES Worker. — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 04:12:44 +0000

I don’t know if you fully grasp the situation of people living in the downtown east side. I urge you to schedule a tour at insite (they cover the history of the neighbourhood, social justice, harm reduction) and participate within the community. No person in the DTES will go homeless or without food. There are plenty of services available and meals being served. DTES has possibly the most concentrated area of services within the city. People who sleep on the street do so because they are not accessing shelters or rooming services offered to them. When people receive social assistance it covers rent but not much all, if one chooses to work for other expenses it can nullify their social assistance. Boredom is a huge issue, so is getting the extra cash for food, drugs, recreation, etc. Men drug deal, steal, or prostitute; women prostitute or drug deal. Also know that most people who live in the DTES aren’t there because of poor decisions or bad luck. The vast majority have a history of trauma/abuse and or mental illness both which tie into addictions. There are complex issues which is why suggestions like “just get a job” or “just go to rehab” doesn’t work. Then tie in chronic conditions like Hep C or HIV. Working in the DTES has made me learn the community is made of the friendliest people in the city with the greatest sense of humour and sense of community I have EVER experienced. If you get to know some of the names to the faces your feelings will change.

Comment on Walking Through Vancouver by Dan B

Dan B — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 03:06:48 +0000

I think modesty is definitely a problem in the modern age. We’re all brought up to think it’s a bad thing to think positively of our achievements, which just leads us to focusing on our flaws.

I agree, from now on I’m going to think more positively about the homeless and treat them as I would like to be treated.

Thanks for the comment, Robin.

Comment on Walking Through Vancouver by Dan B

Dan B — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 03:00:34 +0000

There’s a good documentary (made 10+ years ago) about the homeless in Vancouver. It follows a group of policemen as they interact with the drug addicts on the street. One of the drug addicts featured in the film is a kind woman called Nicola, who has a great sense of humour. The film was quite eye opening for me to watch.

Anyway, a few days after watching the documentary, I was walking along, and there she was on the street corner asking for spare change. I felt sick to my stomach because she’s been on the street for so long – just makes everything seem so hopeless to me.