By: Bevan Springer
NEW YORK – Last week, I travelled from New York City on the East Coast to the West Coast city of Victoria on Vancouver Island in British Columbia, Canada referred to by locals as “The Blessed Coast.”
The occasion was my 20-year school reunion at Lester B. Pearson College of the Pacific where some time ago I was privileged to pursue the International Baccalaurate with 300 students from more than 80 different countries at that prestigious institution.
Vancouver Island is not called the “Blessed Coast” because travel to and from the Eastern seaboard to Western Canada is easily accessible. Au contraire, travel to Vancouver Island for me was a bit of a cross country pull, especially when one has to make stops in St. Louis and Seattle during a 12 hour journey. As a matter of interest, the airfare on American Airlines was that much cheaper hopping through hubs, but in reality there are easier one-stop itineraries that take you directly to Victoria via Toronto, Vancouver, San Francisco or Seattle, for example.
The coast is undoubtedly blessed because the climate is so mild that summer temperatures are a breeze and winter’s old man is often missing in action for several seasons.
Nicole MacKinnon of Delta Victoria Ocean Pointe Resort and Spa
Nicole MacKinnon, Director of Sales & Marketing at the four-star Delta Victoria Ocean Pointe Resort and Spa, describes Victoria “as the tropics of Canada,” to the surprise of most of us who would equate anything Canadian more with the arctic region.
On reflection, having been exposed to Victoria’s unique blend of old world charm and new world experiences while studying at Pearson College, this island boy certainly had his challenges as he bravely adjusted to the cooler climes. This was not the sunny Caribbean during the winter months and I often reflected that I was now residing in a remote land, much closer to Russia than home. In other words, going home for the long weekend was not an option – but visiting my Barbadian cousin in Vancouver was certainly a life saver!
Lester B. Pearson United World College on Pedder Bay was life-changing – it was where my colleagues and roommates from Canada, Germany, Ghana and Turkey shaped our world view as we spent hours, days and nights learning about lands and cultures across the globe – and had healthy discussions about current affairs and religion.
It was not surprising therefore that I benefited from my education there and found myself several years later headquartered at the United Nations as a foreign correspondent and subsequently working with a global nonprofit with programs in more than 60 countries. To this day, some of my closest friends, now considered “family”, hail from all corners of the globe.
The 10- and 20-year Pearson reunions were similar (with this one providing a little less partying but similar amounts of booze!) as alumni huddled in the cafeteria, common and day rooms to catch up on life and reflect on our respective commitments to peace and international understanding, those lofty ideals we diligently pursued for the two years we were at school.
So rich was our experience, that not only did we commit ourselves to a gruelling academic curriculum, but made commitments to the upkeep of our college campus, delivered volunteer services to seniors and the disabled and gained new skills in sea service, land rescue and other college services. I must confess, my choices were library and pool service since this “home boy” was not going to freeze his person paddling a kayak or donning a wetsuit during the winter season.
All in all, the reunion was great, not to mention nostalgic, being back at one of my favorite spots on the globe. And it was all the more meaningful to witness 50 former students – from Panama to Pakistan – gather for a dinner auction to raise tens of thousands of dollars towards scholarships so future students also can receive a first class education while making the world a better place.
As long as I have God’s blessing of life, I don’t think I’ll miss any future reunions or an opportunity to visit Victoria again – a breathtaking island destination that offers an escape from the busy world with a less busy sense of time.
Bevan Springer, a New York Amsterdam News columnist who writes frequently on travel and tourism issues, is the President of the New Jersey-headquartered Marketplace Excellence LLC – a full-service, integrated mass communications agency committed to excellence in the fields of public relations, marketing and media coaching. He also produces the Caribbean Media Exchange on Sustainable Tourism – CMEx.
