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So What's My Story?

After 3 years of being a poor social worker (the work I loved, the pay I didn't), I decided it was time to go back to school and get my Master's! After weighing my options (school far away from home, or school in a different country that is only an 8-hour drive from home) I decided to try my luck in British Columbia, Canada.

For a year I lived in Surrey, BC while attending Simon Fraser University in Burnaby, BC. However, as the final component of my work toward my Masters degree in Criminology I have moved back to the states to complete an internship at an Independent Living Program for youth leaving the foster care system.

Here is the story of my adventures as a graduate student in a "foreign" country as well as my current work back in the states.

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Friday, May 22, 2009

"Crossover" Episodes

I don't know if this is just a coincidence, but in the last week I have seen two US based TV shows that have decided to do a story line revolving around Canada... King of the Hill's "Uh-Oh Canada" and the season finale of Criminal Minds.

In King of Hill, Boomhauer signs up for a Home-swap program with a Canadian family. He goes north, and has a romantic vacation with a Francophone, and the swapping family comes down to Texas where they complain about American beer, synthetic fabrics and noise when they are trying to read... turning off everyone in the neighborhood (expect Bobby, who learns to appreciate the metric system). Ultimately, Hank and the Canada Dad get into a game of chicken on lawn mowers, drunk, landing them both in jail with DUIs. I don't usually watch KOTH... a friend of mine told me about the episode... and it wasn't fantastic, but it had it's good parts (a couple things that I could definitely relate to!)

Criminal Minds had a case that, I believe, was loosely based on the Robert Pickton murders that happened up here in BC (and is currently still going through the trial/appeal process). Premise: Pig farmer kidnaps "untouchables" in society (homeless, drug addicts, prostitutes), brings them back to his farm, murders them, and feeds the remains to his pigs. The TV show took it a bit farther and made it into a manipulative paraplegic doctor convincing his huge, mentally retarded (think "Of Mice and Men") brother to do the actual dirty work and then utilize their spinal fluid to try to somehow "fix" the brother's condition. I didn't get nearly has many laughs at Canadian stereotypes from this show (but, then again, it's not a comedy), but there were a couple of relate able Canadianisms to be had! =)

All in all, if you haven't seen them yet... I recommend taking a look! =)
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1 comment:

  1. catesterMay 22, 2009 at 9:15 PM

    Were you in Canada yet when DaVinci's Inquest started? Fantastic drama with Nicholas Campbell working in the Vancouver Coronor's office. Very dark.

    Early on -- second or third season? -- they had plotlines that paralleled the Pickton story, but it was before the Picton story actually broke.

    This series is in syndication now, you can see it here on Showcase, and it's on one of the Seattle stations late at night. Try to start at the beginning and take is slow if you get a chance to see it.

    More here: (well just heck it won't let me paste in an URL. Just search on "Da Vinci's Inquest" and go to the Da Vinci Online page.)

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