(last minute) Road trip!

Yesterday afternoon I received an email from a classmate reminding me the Atlantic Provinces Political Science Association conference that was to take place today in Wolfville and asking if I was interested in getting a ride with him. As I had been hoping to attend this conference but had allowed it to slip my mind I was quite pleased to receive this email, as it also included a way to get to the conference.

This morning I got up bright and early so that we could be on the road by 7:15, as we needed to register between 8:00 and 9:00. While the drive took a little longer than I expected, we did manage to make it with a little time to spare (though I wouldn't have wanted to leave any later).

Once we had completed the registration procedure we made our way to a local coffee shop to pick up some coffee. I am not sure if I had lower standards because of the time of day but my recollection is that the coffee was much better than average. I would definitely consider going back the next time I am in Wolfville. (The coffee break coffee was also great today, so maybe they just know how to make coffee in Wolfville).

Things started on a very positive note for me as the first presentation of the day was on the Newfoundland and Labrador House of Assembly, a subject close to my heart. Eventually I was able to get a chance to speak with the presenter and exchange email addresses (I took his as he had cards and I didn't). Though not quite as close to my area of interest, many of the presentation topics were, nonetheless, quite engaging.

During the lunch break I was pleased to be able to talk with a faculty member of the education program at Acadia and a grad student from the University of Toronto. It seems that the grad student and I have a few mutual acquaintances, which is nice to know. The education prof was able to provide me with some information about teacher certification and the problems associated with moving between jurisdictions.

The other incredibly enjoyable parts of the trip were the rides to and from Wolfville. It was great to get a chance to talk Nova Scotia politics with the classmate giving me a ride as he is definitely a little more in-tune with things here than I am (given that he is from Nova Scotia, among other things).