Ottawa: Reflection on a Week

Bayonets were attached to the end of riffles, and used in combat. If an enemy got within a distance where you were unable to shoot them, bayonets could be used to protect yourself. Bayonets were essential in the war if you wanted a chance at surviving. 

Two Canadian Peacekeepers were shot at and attacked by Serb forces.

One of them was shot three times in the head and once in the shoulder.

Even though they were badly wounded, they still managed to drive away to safety and they did in fact survive.

This is a collage of photos that I took at parlement.

This is a picture of a very large map. This was a map of all the trenches located at Vimy Ridge. We had the opportunity to walk around on this map to take a closer looks and its content. This gave us a chance to get a better understanding of how the trench systems worked, as well as how they would’ve used this map to plan their next move against the apposing forces.

Canada’s role in World War 1 was to assist Britain in the fight against the Germans. We sent in over 424.000 men overseas and our biggest accomplishment was the success of taking back Vimy Ridge, which was something that other countries had tried many times to do, but only the Canadians were able to accomplish the task.

the contribution that Canadians made in WW1 shaped how we view the war today.

If I ever had the choice to fight in the war, I would most definitely decline. First of all, I don’t believe that war would solve whatever despute that started the fighting in the first place. Another reason i wouldn’t go would be the conditions of the trenches. Being covered in lice and rats just isn’t my thing. Also, I am a big fan of sleeping, so having to always be on my guard and rarely ever having a chance to take a nap would be a disaster for me.

This photo was taken at the Diefenbunker. The Diefenbunker was a big part of Canada’s history. It was used to shelter for important people associated with Canada’s government. They needed a bunker to survive from a potential nuclear blast.

This is a painting found in a small gallery at the Diefenbunker 

This is the large safe located at the Diefenbunker 

This is Anne. She was kind enough to let us film her answering  the question of how the First World War effected the identity of Canadians.

This is foxy. Foxy is a dog that roamed around encounters. She was very sweet and loved attention. She was owned by one of the people that worked at the youth centre. She was one of the highlights of the trip for me.

Today we went shopping. It was our last day in Ottawa before we went back to Vancouver. At first, I found it weird that we would spend our last day in Ottawa at a shopping mall. Then I realized that a lot of the people at encounters were from places that didn’t have a mall close by, and had to drive into main cities to do a lot of their shopping.  Either way, I had a fun time walking around the mall and going into shops with my friends.

Canadians captured the Ridge when no other country could 

Canada is home to the Tomb Of The Unknown Soldier 

I’m Kailey. I’m 14 years old, enjoy making art, doing photography, and singing. 

Replace this text with a drawing of something that happened today. Then, give your masterpiece a title!

This is a diagram depicting us on the plane to Ottawa

Press for an explanation of the picture

This is Rhonda. Rhonda was a teacher that I met at encounters. She shared with us her perception of Canadian identity.  She made some very good points about how we are a very multicultural society. She stated that our society is constantly changing.

The Diefenbunker was built to as a hideout for the Canadian government from nuclear war. This rebar was used to build the bunker. It is over four times bigger than a regular rebar. It’s massive size helps indicate just how strong they needed the bunker to be to be able to withstand a nuclear blast. They had planned to build an underground bunker. This bunker would ensure the safety of important government members. The materials used to build the bunker were really important. They had to be very durable and had to be able to stay together when hit by a nuclear blast. Without these thick pieces or rebar, there would be a higher chance of the bunker collapsing under the pressure. The safety of the occupants of the bunker was vital. These people were valuable. They were needed to govern Canada, so if anything were to happen to them, things could go very wrong.  It’s cool to think that something as irrelevant as a single piece or rebar could have such an impact on Canada’s history. To think that if it wasn’t strong enough to withstand a blast, that history would change forever. To think that the lives of over a hundred people depended on it. 

This drawing represents the unity of all Canadians in WW1, specifically after the battle of Vimy Ridge. After spending the whole week learning about it, I feel that the biggest impact it had on Canadian identity would be the fact that it brought us closer together as a country. We were no longer separate colonies, but one nation. I heard an inspirational quote about the topic that I will never forget. It goes “ we went up the ridge as Alberta’s and Nova Scotians, we came down as Canadians”. And that is exactly what my drawing represents, the unity of this beautiful country that we call home.

This is what it sounded like in the dorms

On day six of our trip, we finally got the chance to roam around the streets of Ottawa on our own. While I was walking, I came across this totem pole. I feel that it is a good example of Canadian identity and how diverse we are. Here in Canada,  we harbour many different cultures from all over the world, and to me, that in itself is a major part of Canadian identity.

Name

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