It was a relatively short visit to the north at four days. One day to get to Kitimat and get the lay of the land, so to speak. Two to do some teaching and engage in some fabulous discussions with the really great team at the local hatchery as well as a couple of wonderful people from the community side of our program, and then a day to have a few sidebar conversations, do a bit of computer work, clean things up, have a mini-social with the hatchery team after lunch, and then hitch a ride back to Terrace for a flight out.
We covered a lot of ground in the two days that we all got together to talk fish health, fish biology, and fish culture. The conversations went in lots of directions I didn’t anticipate, and I got one question at the very end, about fish immune responses, that completely stumped me. So that was fantastic! If I don’t have an opportunity to say “I don’t know the answer to that, but now I have to find out” at least once in a session, then either I’m not working hard enough, or they aren’t asking enough questions, which means I’m not working hard enough. But I got stumped, and I loved that! (I also spent a bit of time doing some research to figure out the answer to the question and the biology behind the answer, so I got to learn something too, and that’s what makes for the best classes every single time.
And this past few days has made me realize just how fulfilled I feel when I spend time facilitating learning on the topics I’ve learned so much about, and still have so much to learn about. And every time I teach in a room filled with people working with fish, I learn more.
If only they understood how much I gain from it.
At the airport, the weather really couldn’t make up its mind. The sun came out, then it vanished, then it reappeared, then everything vanished under a little snow-pellet squall….and then the sun poked its head out one more time as I took off for home.
I’d loved to have had time to go for even a little drive to see what’s changed in the many years since I was here last. But I didn’t get off site except for an hour to go get groceries, and a couple of hours to go to the local brew house for a beer and dinner with a few people from out of Kitimat. So I guess that means I have to come back again soon.
Thanks Terrace/Kitimat. It was a really great visit.
