Hello everyone. It's been a while, sort-of. Its crazy busy and hard to go over everything and keep in touch. We are having to plan alot of things for this trimester and we are only here for about 2 and 1/2 months. We are trying to get out for a weekend to a woofing farm north of Vancouver in March. I want to get out of the city and really see some mountains. I might go hiking with some guys from another Katimavik group during our 48 hours off. There's alot I'd like to do outside of Katimavik, but right now there is no room outside of Katimavik. There are poetry slams and live music often at a little place called Cafe Deux Soliel. One night I went there but the place was so packed and there were people at the door listening to slam poetry through the mail slot. There are all sorts of stuff going on, it's a tad overwhelming. We manage to go to the odd thing. We went to a service at a Buddhist temple on Jackson, neer Hastings and Main. The sect of Japanese Buddhism is very westernized with no talk of reincarnation, very few rituals (besides the burning of insense and muttering of thanks), and no meditation. It was more like a Christian church service. There was a congregation sitting in pues and listening to the Teacher speak about not getting road rage. There were even english hymns. There was some chanting in Japanese which was really neet. Everyone was extremely welcomeing and imediately offered us tea and organized a discussion afterwords were we could learn more about there beliefs, but in no way impose them.
We went to Chinatown for the Chinese New Year parade and festivities. The parade was alot of fun depite the cold rain. Though there was alot of commercial and political leverage, and an emphasis on the Olympics which is popping up everywhere here. One nice side of the Olympic connection with the days festivities was the music tent supported by a branch of the Olympic committee. The music was unbelievable. There was traditional chinese dancing and drumming, as well as a mix of many other cultures. A percussionist from Uruguay played a solo so incredible, it sounded as though five of the finest drummers were grooving together. Chinatown is an amazing place to see. The shops are really something special. There are pharmacies in which 90% of the items I have never seen before.
Anyhow, there is bread to be made and other things to be organized, and I should try to get over this cold, so I will say farewell for now, and stay in touch.
(totems on Burnaby Mountain right neer Simon Fraser University) 
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