Edmonton is Not Cold
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By Sheng Xue
“Oh, it’s cold there! Really cold!” This was the only thing I heard about Edmonton when I told people in Toronto that I was going to be the Writer in Exile in Edmonton for 1 year. I was scared of the cold in Edmonton.
On September 3, after 5 days on the road marked by chilly winds and rain, my husband and I drove into Edmonton wearing shorts. Edmonton was hot; the temperature was above 30 degrees Celsius.
We were welcomed by Jeff Collins, an artist and Tenant Representative of ArtsHab (Arts Habitat Association of Edmonton). As we opened the door to my room in ArtsHab, we saw 2 men setting up a bed, a desk and two chairs. David Brundage, from Athabasca University, learned that I didn’t have furniture for the room I had rented. He drove 45 minutes from his home to the city centre with his 17-year-old nephew to help. They came with furniture, and made my room a real home on my first day in Edmonton. “Oh, Edmonton is not cold at all,” I said to myself.
I did not know anyone before I came to Edmonton. Carol, from the Writers Guild of Alberta, called me many times to ask if there was anything she could help me with before I arrived. When I got here, she helped carry heavy furniture into my new home. Ted let me share his office at the University of Alberta, and his wife offered me more furniture and enough dishes and cups to have a party. Miki, the chair of the Writer in Exile Committee, and I walked to the Three Bananas Café on Sir Winston Churchill Square. He told me about the grey, cold feeling of downtown Edmonton in earlier years when he had arrived in Edmonton. “It’s much nicer and more active now,” he said with a smile. “You must have contributed a lot to make it happen,” I added.
My one-year tenure as Writer in Exile started with a welcome ceremony on September 10, officiated by Mayor Stephen Mandel at Enterprise Square. I met so many warm people. I told the audience the meaning of my name in Chinese, Sheng Xue, is “Abundant snow” or “A lot of snow.” It’s my fate to be in Canada, and now Edmonton. Let us be together and have a warm winter.
The first social activity I attended in Edmonton was a Tibetan Bazaar. It was a 3-day event. I went on Saturday, and there were over 100 people in the hall. “There must be a large Tibetan community here?” I asked Marissa, who was at my side. “Three,” she replied quietly. “Three? Just 3 Tibetans can hold such an event?” I asked. “We have a large group of supporters here,” she said, and smiled radiantly with pride. “Edmonton is not cold when it provides a loud voice for the voiceless,” I said to myself.
I wrote this short note in my diary during my lunch break:
Today is the first day I have gone to my office at the library. I rushed from home on to the street. What a warm and sunny day! It must be a blessed day, I thought. I turned the corner from 106 Street to 102 Avenue, and joined the colorful flow of people and vehicles, quickened my steps, and made myself a part of the city’s beautiful scenery. I arrived at the library at 9:50 a.m.; I couldn’t write anything because the Chinese software was not yet installed on my office computer.
On my first day, I decided to have my lunch at Second Cup café, just downstairs from my office. I took a window seat facing City Hall and Sir Winston Churchill Square. In front of City Hall two leaves of light white water arched from the fountain welcoming people.
Pedestrians on the street look so relaxed and confident. Outside the window a DATS bus stopped and blocked the view. A ladder automatically lowered, and the driver jumped out to help a person in a wheelchair get on board, and then drove off. There is now bright sunshine and beautiful scenery in front of me.
As I write up to here, I feel a kind of moving in my heart: the life with freedom from fear, freedom from scarcity…at least half of the population of the world never dares to reach the dream of a lifetime, have the other half realized their fortune?
Where Next?
Sheng Xue
Sheng Xue grew up in Beijing, and moved to Canada soon after the Tiananmen Square Massacre in 1989. She is a member of The Independent Chinese PEN Center and also a member of PEN Canada.
In 2000, she won The Canadian Association for Journalists Award for Investigative Journalism and the National Magazine Award, for an investigative report on the lives of Chinese boat refugees published in the Canadian magazine Maclean's. She is the first Chinese Canadian to win such a prestigious award.
In 2005, she won The National Ethnic Press and Media Council for Journalism and Media Award for her outstanding achievements, contributions, and community service and in recognition of her efforts in promoting understanding the traditions and the interests of Chinese-Canadian communities.
