http://www.spaceandculture.org/2006/11/28/etat-d%e2%80%99urgence-montreal/ Welcome to Space and Culture - the international journal and weblog dedicated to social spaces of all kinds. Sun, 16 Oct 2011 20:07:05 -0700 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 http://www.spaceandculture.org/2006/11/28/etat-d%e2%80%99urgence-montreal/comment-page-1/#comment-348 Jack Armitage Tue, 27 Nov 2007 01:57:38 +0000 http://www.spaceandculture.org/?p=603#comment-348 I visited Montreal this past week as a way of escaping America's overblown Thanksgiving holiday. For me, the introspective visit to Montreal was sharpened when I arrived at the Place Emilie-Gamelin unplanned. I stepped in gingerly, not certain what the "event" was and found myself feeling welcome in the only setting that could possibly have made sense relative to my reasons for hiding in Montreal. I sat on the benches around the campfires listening to the conversations and interaction. I warmed myself discreetly, never speaking myself, but listening intently to the range of discussions from the zany and drug induced to the dead on political presentations. It was an odd sort of enjoyable - if only because the people attending were speaking the language that I have long longed to hear at the Thanksgiving table of my youth and now advancing middle age. And it was a circus of sorts - lots of dancing and wild acting out. Street kids sound asleep warmed only by an attending dog. A few adventurous people had built shelter. As our economies falter, we are each and all that much closer to homelessness. This gypsy band gathered all together was a stunning public act. If the earth is to be inherited, let this meek group have warmth and meal by Christmas. This would bring the absolute message of the holidays home. Thanks for giving me a sobering day of peace. I visited Montreal this past week as a way of escaping America’s overblown Thanksgiving holiday. For me, the introspective visit to Montreal was sharpened when I arrived at the Place Emilie-Gamelin unplanned. I stepped in gingerly, not certain what the “event” was and found myself feeling welcome in the only setting that could possibly have made sense relative to my reasons for hiding in Montreal. I sat on the benches around the campfires listening to the conversations and interaction. I warmed myself discreetly, never speaking myself, but listening intently to the range of discussions from the zany and drug induced to the dead on political presentations. It was an odd sort of enjoyable – if only because the people attending were speaking the language that I have long longed to hear at the Thanksgiving table of my youth and now advancing middle age. And it was a circus of sorts – lots of dancing and wild acting out. Street kids sound asleep warmed only by an attending dog. A few adventurous people had built shelter. As our economies falter, we are each and all that much closer to homelessness. This gypsy band gathered all together was a stunning public act. If the earth is to be inherited, let this meek group have warmth and meal by Christmas. This would bring the absolute message of the holidays home. Thanks for giving me a sobering day of peace.

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