Saint Patrick's Day Greeting from Edmonton

Sunday, March 17, 2013   Mill Woods Public Library, Edmonton

Happy Saint Patrick's Day, readers, from the Edmonton Public Library (EPL) branch in Mill Woods Town Centre Mall.  Patrick is centuries old.  EPL turned 100 this month:

 http://www.epl.ca/

This year's library memberships are free, not the usual $12.00.  Last week I renewed the annual membership I got in September, 2012.  I thought it would then last until March, 2014, but it will last until September, 2014.  I will move from Edmonton this month, but I will still be able to borrow electronic books.

As my return home to British Columbia approaches, I rejoice at this city's libraries and pools.  As of today, I have been in all branches of each.  This morning I was in the city's wave pool:

http://www.edmonton.ca/attractions_recreation/sport_recreation/mill-woods-recreation-centre.aspx

I type in a busy library, packed with people of all ages minutes after it opened at 1:00 this afternoon.   Many patrons are South Asian, whose people came to this southeast Edmonton suburb decades ago.

Edmonton is more multinational than it was the last time I lived here, in 1986.  I have met people from many countries:  Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Lebanon, Egypt, Kenya, Burundi, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Somalia, Zimbabwe, South Africa, Ghana, Senegal, Gambia, Congo, Nigeria,  Spain, France, Germany, Italy, England, Ireland, Poland, Ukraine, Romania, Serbia, Bosnia, Azerbaijan, Russia, China, Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka, Vietnam, Japan, Philippines, Australia, New Zealand, Fiji, Chile, Peru, Colombia, Brazil, Venezuela, Guyana, Jamaica, Guatemala, El Salvador, Mexico, and the United States. 

Perhaps children growing up here will accept other cultures, and bring peace to a fractious world.

Meanwhile back in Ireland, Saint Patrick died centuries ago; but his emerald isle exported so many people to America that 20-50 million there have Irish blood in them.  My dad's mom was born in Ireland, came to Canada in the 1910s, and died a year before I was born. 

I drank green beer on Friday:  looked like lime juice, tasted like beer.

In a couple weeks, I'll drink springwater from the Chilcotin Region, home, 1 000 kilometres west of this  multilingual city of a million on the edge of the Canadian Prairies.