Canada and UNESCO

This last week I had the fortune of going to Saskatoon, where I attended the Canadian Commission for UNESCO's annual general meeting (AGM). As a member of their Youth Advisory Group, I've been to quite a few meetings now, and must say I enjoy participating quite a bit. While the amount of work can grow quite large at times, the focus on Canadian culture has really opened up by eyes to the diversity and creativity of Canada. It's only appropriate that after writing a rant about Toronto being a great city, I write about Canada being a great country.

I remember the first AGM I attended two years ago in Montreal, where I first heard Inuit throat singers -- something completely different from any previous musical experiences, and really beautiful. This year, we visited a Biosphere Reserve, with two photos below.



Talking to participants made me realize there are still a number of things I have yet to experience, either in Canada or in general:

• The Aurora Borealis
  
• Hearing the ice cracking on a lake
  
• The Arctic
  
• British Columbia's forests
  
• The Bay of Fundy (or anywhere in the Maritimes, for that matter)
  
• First Nations reserve / healing ceremony / fasting / anything
  
• Solitude in the wilderness

Okay, that last one is pretty intense, but maybe one day...

On my flight back, the sky wasn't cloudy and I got to see some beautiful views of Canada... And some of that cracking ice I want to hear.