Memories of Quidi Vidi

Today is the hump day of the last week of the Quidi Vidi field school and this is my final blog entry. As such, I feel that it is only appropriate for me to reflect upon my time in the village. In the last three weeks I have been blessed with the opportunity to meet countless wonderful people. The fact that so many residents of this village have openly told us their stories and welcomed us (complete strangers!) into their homes, sheds, stages and boats, is amazing and heart warming. 

 

Peg Smith and her dog comet 

When I arrived in Quidi Vidi on the first day of classes I felt a bit like a black sheep. I was the only non-folklorist, in a group of folklore students, at a folklore field school. Nevertheless, I quickly felt welcomed by instructors, fellow students, and those within the community. While all of the people that I have met have been truly special, I would like to talk about some of my most memorable experiences.

In my first blog entry I wrote about meeting Randy, and how I couldn’t wait to hear more about his stories. Since then, I have had many conversations with Randy and his stories are better than I ever expected. His tale of breaking the 9:13 was gripping, and an anecdote about his father on the Irene B. Mellon was hilarious.

During the first week of the field school China came in to visit our class and share memories of his days fishing on the great Atlantic. The early fishery is one of my special research interests and I have read a fair bit about the subject. Hearing China talk about his personal experiences with the fishing industry truly made the topic come alive for me.

Mid way through our second week I met Peg on the road beside her home. From our first conversation I knew that she was a world traveler, and I was very lucky to experience her world class hospitably when she welcomed us into her home.

Ed Chappell explaining the ins and outs of architectural drawing.

I signed up for this field school because I was confident that I would learn skills that would help me in many ways throughout my academic career. I never imagined, however, that I would learn quite as much as I did. The expertise of John, Guha, Ed, Jerry, Lisa, and Dale has been absolutely inspiring.

John and Clara, my architectural drawing buddies.
 

Last but not least, I could not have experienced half of what I did without my wonderful classmates. They have helped me along the whole way.

To all those who I have met in the last three weeks, thank you from the bottom of my heart.

Much love,

Adrian