parade:A large gathering of tourists, orientals, or small teenage girls. Usually offending people by their presence.

“Citizens of the Streets: Parties, Processions, and Revolutions” was a prime example of what I have missed in my now twenty three years of existence. I never realized how important it was for me to be a part of that Remembrance Day parade when I was a young girl, all I could think of was people looking at me in my dorky Girl Guide uniform. It is important though, I now know that. My cousin two weeks ago graduated from the Marines, my mom describes it as an awe inspiring event. She said she almost cried when she saw 500 uniforms walking in formation, especially when she thought of what could happen to them. It was an important event for so many people, but before I would not have thought anything about it. I can remember being in school and wanting to go protest student rights so badly with my friends. Everyone had left school except for me and another girl in my class, we had been left behind because our parents would have murdered us if we had left school to protest. I had wanted to be involved, to have my voice heard and my feet to pound the pavement but I was unable too. I remember yelling at my parents for weeks after saying "Damn the Man!". To be a part of that group of people walking toward a certain goal would just be amazing, I want to be apart of something bigger than myself and hopefully one day I can be.

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Concrete Jungle

Something was said in class today that really stood out to me; that there is whimsy in walking. I never thought about it before, but it strikes me as true. I never once have questioned the way I walk, but when I am in between classes I walk very quickly and with my head down (which is more to avoid ice than anything else). However, when I am not trying to get somewhere in a hurry I generally stroll. I never knew I did this, but I see why I do. When I am just walking along I try to take in everything, every sound and movement because I can. I find that I see parts of Edmonton I have never seen before when I allow myself to take it in. Whether it be the construction on campus, or new graffiti on the side of a building, it is always interesting to see how life is ever changing. I find I can drift through the streets and go unnoticed even by my friends if I so choose, which is nice when I am having an adventurous type of day and want to explore the world around me. I like walking down the street with my ipod on so that I can compare the beat of my music to the beat of the city, and more often than not it seems to mesh well. The best of any city though is when you can walk through a forested area and hear the trees rustle and the birds sing. Bringing nature and city life together like that, to me, shows how society can interact with nature if we give it a chance. It is nice to escape from the stresses of every day life and walk around the city whether it be in nature or walking down the street in our urban jungle.