The morning dawned early when we were awakened very early at 7 am. Okay, so it wasn't that early, but after last night's movie, it felt extremely early. After breakfast we left late and got to Inn from the Cold after an uneventful train ride. At the Inn from the Cold, we listened to Bonnie and Jessica talk to us about Homeless Awareness Calgary, an organization for which they worked. Part of the morning was playing a fun but challenging game called "Standing Room Only." The objective of the game was to stay alive and gain status. Some of us were business owners were responsible for properties, while others were given the task of trying to fight off homelessness. It was a good game and made us all think how hard it actually is to live in the real world if you are not born into a good family or home and already have money.
We finished the morning early so we went to the Olympic Plaza Park for lunch. It was a gorgeous day today and we had lots of fun hanging out on the steps and observing very entertaining Calgarians (such as a man doing strenuous stretching.) While we were there a film crew was setting up for "Dear Santa" a movie set in Chicago at Christmas time.
Following lunch we set of for the Alpha House, which is a place that takes in intoxicated people experiencing homeless for the night. As soon as we got there we were put to work making Peanut Butter and Jelly sandwiches. Our impressive record was 704 sandwiches in 82 minutes. If you care to do the math, our spm (sandwiches per minute) was about 8.5! Another highlight of Alpha House was the tour in which half the group was rattled when one client decided to throw a shoe at us. Because of our stellar assembly line, we were done 1/2 an hour early, so we got some free time downtown.
After a delicious meal at Milestones, we went back to Alpha House for the Night Tours. Because there were so many guides and so few of us, we were split into groups of two and got to take a personal tour of the core of downtown Calgary with someone who has experienced or is currently experiencing homelessness. All of us came away from the evening wiser and astonished at what we saw. If ever you get the chance, we highly recommend it!
We are all very tired now, so we are going to bed now. Thanks for the prayers and support!
Judith, Gwen, and Sam
