Two conversations in Vancouver
Posted on Thursday, December 3rd, 2009 at 1:12am. #
He indicates he wants to sit next to me. I move, so he can get in.
He’s probably 65 or so. Shorter than me, he’s wearing a warm, red, windcheater, and a scarf. His wrinkled face is offset with a light brown moustache, and small, twinkly eyes. He puts his rucksack on his lap.
The Vancouver SkyTrain moves off.
He waits a minute or so.
“This new train is excellent. It’s changed my life,” he suggests, in a soft French accent.
It turns out that the SkyTrain – opened only a few months ago – has reduced this part of his journey from forty minutes, on a few buses, to just ten. He’s travelling to the Buddhist temple, where he goes regularly.
His conversation changes tack.
“I wake up at five o’clock every day. I listen to the radio every morning, you know, in the French language (CBC’s Première Chaîne). I hear the news every day.”
And then I’m warned about the dangers of the new European President. He smiles as he talks. He moves on to other stories that he thinks I may find interesting; both local and world events. He talks enthusiastically, with knowledge and understanding about world affairs, all gained from his early morning radio listening.
–
She apologises for taking up all the space on the small table in the coffee shop. She insists on making some room for me.
About 50, she is wearing clothes made of cotton and a scarf made of wool, colour-coordinated, like her rings, to work with her red hair.
She moves more of the Tuesday morning papers, and gives me a little more space.
“I’m waiting for my acupuncture session,” she volunteers. “It releases internal energy.”
She talks about a close young relative to her, who has a band. “He cusses a little in some of the songs, but I suppose it’s trendy to do that, and he’s only young,” she says, in the way of someone who doesn’t entirely approve. But she really likes the music. Tobacco Brown, the band is called, and they’re a great band, she says, offering to send me a copy of the CD.
If only, she says, he can find out how to get his band played on the radio.
Coincidentally, I’m seeing CBC Radio 3 in the next hour. I tell her about it: a service that exists to play brand new music from Canadian artists.
She’s very grateful. She would love to hear his band on the radio, she says. She listens to the radio all the time.
–
Vancouver is a laid-back city, full of friendly people: happy to strike up a conversation with strangers.
Both these people had no idea what industry I worked in; yet, they both talked about the same thing.
The radio.
Which is good, isn’t it?
