Stampede season is in full swing right now, and on my first visit down to the grounds this year, I got to experience it in a bit of a different way!

My friend, and former Katimavik family member, Anna Dell, has spent the last year representing BC as a BC Ambassador. The Ambassador program, from what I could gather, is a business-focused scholarship program open to former municipal ambassadors and royalty. In BC there are about 30 communities with their own representatives, and BC Ambassador is a step up from that. Each summer, 3 new candidates are crowned ambassadors, out of a competition averaging 15 contestants. After Anny served her year as the Williams Lake Stampede Miss Congeniality, she took on the challenge of BC Ambassador, won the title, and here we are nearly a year later!

Anny wanted to visit the Calgary Stampede as former rodeo royalty and as one of her last events as Ambassador. She asked me to escort her, so I went along, taking photos and showing her around.

First, we went to Premier Ed Stelmach’s Pancake Breakfast at McDougall Centre in downtown Calgary. There, Anny was able to meet the Premier, who was quite interested in the program.

On the train, she got quite a bit of attention due to her large, sparkly crown, and banner. Starting at the train station, and throughout the day, she stopped to take photos with all sorts of people, including soldiers, police officers and little girls who were in complete awe of her shiny tiara.

We attended a few events, looked around at all of the kiosks and chatted to a lot of people. At first we tried to track down the Stampede Royalty, but they had such a busy schedule that they seemed impossible to catch! As per Stampede tradition, however, a huge storm blew in, postponing several outdoor events. So, I contacted the Stampede Guest Services, and they put me into contact with the Queen’s and Princesses’ coordinator. Soon, we were watching the Cowboy Up! challenge in their special suite at the Saddledome. They were absolutely lovely ladies.

It was beginning to get late, and we’d been out since 7am, so we left the grounds in the early evening. Anny needed to leave Calgary at 6am the next day to go to a coronation in Quesnel, and we needed some sleep!

But, it was such a good day! It was very nice to spend some time with one of my dearest friends after not seeing each other since Christmas 2008! And the Stampede Guest Services personnel were just so amazing and helpful while we were there. They answered all of our questions very promptly and went the extra mile to ensure we were able to meet with the Queen and Princesses! Thank you!

In Katimavik, there would often be boring times, between work and dinner, when not everyone was home, and those that were would gather in the living room or kitchen to chat about the day, read, or have a nap. This was especially true of our Orleans (Ottawa suburb) placement, since 4 of us finished our jobs as teacher’s aides around 3:30 with the rest of the group not returning home until past 5, and the sleepy nature of a commuter suburb. Never has a group of 10 young adults taken more trips to the library or become such book worms… simply because we were bored.

I’m well known for enjoying cuddles. They are my go-to comfort for pretty much everything. If someone is upset, I give them a cuddle, and part of me believes it will instantly heal all and the world will fill up with rainbows and yay! When I am sad, or sick, or breathing, I probably want a cuddle.

So, one of my room mates decided to conduct an experiment during a nap that I was having in the living room one sleepy Orleans afternoon. See, Gwobs was notorious in our group for having icky smelling feet. They were absolutely horrid. In fact, I have video evidence:

Haha, you can hear me say “Yeah the wet, dirty part has to go in your mouth.”

See? Gross.

So, I was just laying there, deep off in dream world (surprisingly, since I am an incredibly light sleeper, normally), and my roomies decided to see just exactly how far my love for cuddling things goes. So… they stuck Gwobs’ dirty socks in my arms.

Now, being within a few feet of his socks was normally pretty bad enough. But what I did was even worse. I cuddled the socks. And not just a holding cuddle, but an actual, all-out, clinging cuddle.

And of course, nobody woke me up until everyone got home to laugh at me.

Today marks an anniversary that… well, I can’t believe is already here, and at the same time, feels like it should have happened a millenium ago. But alas, time has continued its pace, and this is where we end up calendar-wise: August 22, 2008.

So, what was I doing this time last year?

After pulling an all-nighter, receiving a cheque for 1000$, and catching a bus at 2am, I arrived in Montreal. I was then forced to say goodbye to my best friends in the whole world, save for 2 other Westerners who were being dropped at the airport with me, while everyone else was being taken to the bus depot to catch rides to closer destinations. Sobbing, I hugged and kissed each one of my friends, and as they got back on to the bus, I leaned over, and barfed all over the Pierre Elliot Trudeau airport. Lovely. And, quite fitting since it was his government that approved Katimavik in the first place. As much as I love them, I can’t help but think they are cruel, for bringing us all together, making us become a family, and then ripping us apart. But, there you go.

After Nick was able to help me up off the sidewalk, and grab my luggage, we went to sign-in, yadda yadda, realized we had Jade’s wallet, blah blah, mailed it back to her, met up with other Katimavik participants also on their way home, and— well, it didn’t really seem like the end. Three of us were still together. And in the back of our minds, maybe we thought the rest would join us.

Of course, they didn’t, because we were done. As I write this, I remember that at this very moment one year ago today, Nick and I were boarding our flight to Calgary. Anny was seeing us off before heading for her plane to Vancouver. We were all crying, and I was trying to give Anny more hugs over the barrier. Then, we actually had to go and Nick had to lead me down the gangway, because my eyes were burning like hell! Owww…

Then, in no time, I was home, and away from them all. Some of us still chat on MSN. I’ve seen Anny and Nick and Jade, but not since last fall. But mainly, we have our own lives, which only brush up against each other ocassionally.

My brother comes home from Katimavik on the 29th, and although I know I won’t be able to completely help him, I’m sure it will be a comfort to both of us to have the other around. I know what it’s like to be thrown back into the “real world,” after an experience like that. And he knows the magic of the experience. Because, really, I can sit here and describe everything until I am blue in the face, and most of you still won’t even grasp the tiniest bit of what Katimavik means to everyone who participates in it.