CANALS, CAMDEN, CONTRASTS AND CONFLICT

Spoiler alert: I’m rather dispirited today. Sometimes things happen that just stun you.

Anyway, we had a schedule change today, so we also changed our photo focus. I was (and am) really tired. Our first week here really took it out of me, and I have the blister to prove it, not to mention the laundry here at the centre. I spent almost four hours down there!

                   

We took the Regent’s Canal Boat Trip to get to our destination, which was kind of cool. Our focus was to look for contrasts, and the trip along the canal was filled with some heartbreaking ones. We passed a couple of magnificent canal-side estates which must be unspeakably expensive. Then there were stretches with just trees and boats. Our boat moved very leisurely, and it was tempting to close one’s eyes and just enjoy the tranquility. In fact, it occurred to me that the people manning the tour have kind of an awesome job. Then we came across a homeless person, sleeping on one of the benches lining the route. The class system in England is apparently rather rigid, and clearly demarcated. It’s likely that the wealthy residents are none too pleased with their less fortunate neighbors. The boats, which line the canal endlessly, are actually homes to their owners, who thrive on the community and culture they have nourished. But most of the boats were clearly old, and some were fairly run down. The Olympics last year forced the relocation of some, so there is an ongoing struggle to maintain this type of residency.

I VERY MUCH enjoyed our destination – Camden Town. Granted, it’s basically a tourist trap of epic proportion, but with great rock and roll and funky stuff. I could have stayed and wandered for hours. I’m planning to take my sister there, via the canal, when she comes to join me.

I want you to think about all of the GOOD, PLEASANT, absolutely ordinary inter-racial, inter-ethnic, and inter-gender occasions you experience every day. Extend that awareness out to others, and try not to ‘react’ to people whose opinions are different than yours. Just try.