Plenty to love about our home

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 04/03/2019 (2710 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

When I was heading to St. Alphonsus School in East Kildonan last week for I Love to Read Month, I wasn’t sure what books to drag along.

So I staggered into my den and literally shovelled a row of kid-friendly candidates off the bookshelf and into my trusty book bag.

When I plopped myself down on a stool at the front of teacher Lucia Whitney’s Grade 6 class, the first book I yanked out was — and I am mildly ashamed to admit this — Farts Around The World by August O’Phwinn.

This is not so much a book as a novelty item with a series of buttons that, when depressed, cause it to emit delightful flatulence sounds, which I thought would help the kids forget the bitter cold snap we are enduring.

So, while I sat there punching buttons, I had these frostbitten young authors pick up their pens and write heart-felt letters detailing the thing (or things) they love most about this frozen city in the middle of the Prairies.

Prepare to have your heart melted, because here are the lightly edited things these hometown heroes want us all to love:

Letter No. 1: “Winnipeg is a very lovely place with very lovely people. And although Winnipeg is a cold, boring-looking place, the people make it about 99.9 per cent brighter. I may be over-exaggerating, but it’s really true. Sometimes when people wake up on the wrong side of the bed, they tend to be fairly grumpy. But in Winnipeg, all you’ve got to do to make them happy is to make them laugh… which is actually not that easy.” — Alexandra, 11

Letter No. 2: “My favorite thing about Winnipeg is how welcoming and safe it is, meaning… welcoming, advanced safety technology, kind, helping people.” — Favour, 11

Letter No. 3: “Winnipeg is one of the nicest places I’ve been to. Calgary people wouldn’t be as nice like Winnipeg. Winnipeg has a good society and everyone loves everyone. If you want a suggestion for something, you could ask anyone. We say sorry A LOT even if it’s something small, like a tiny push. I’ve been to Florida and most people WOULD NOT say sorry.” — Teresa, 11

Letter No. 4: “I really love Winnipeggers because we don’t give up on each other. My dad and I got stuck deep into a snowbank. When I say deep, I mean DEEP! We were tilted almost on our side. We were waiting for someone to help us in the middle of nowhere until a black truck came. They asked if we needed help. Do you really need to ask if someone is stuck in the snow? So we said yes. They had this giant hook and they attached it to our car … Once we got out we said thank you and they left. We never got their names. I’ve seen other people do the same thing but this one is personal.” — C.J., 11

Letter No. 5: “Be happy you live in Winnipeg because we are very friendly people. Has anyone told you that they feel bad for you because you live in Winnipeg? Tell them you feel bad for them because their neighbours are not as kind as they show themselves to be. That will make them angry. For more entertainment, brag how people would help you if you were in Winnipeg. That will make them even more angry.” — Ashneet, 11

Letter No. 6: “I have a bunch of things that are great, but I’ll just name one thing… I LOVE THE WINTER! WHY? BECAUSE… the snow is fluffy; hot chocolate is the best; I have a giant hill in my front yard that I sled down; I make human-sized tunnels in snow; lying in snow is relaxing; I can’t think of anything else.” — Katrina, 11

Letter No. 7: “My favourite part about Winnipeg is the Jets. I like them a lot now because they don’t suck. I also love them because of the fans. They are so passionate about the players and how the game turns out. I also like the jerseys a lot. The navy blue just really looks awesome! They have their ups and their downs but everyone respects the Jets.” — Matthew, 12

Letter No. 8: “I think Winnipeg is generous because they give you offers, even if it’s not a deal going on. OK, so one day my mom went to Home Depot and she had to pay lots of money for something. I don’t know what exactly happened, but she got a cheaper deal from customer service. I really think Winnipeg is great! If any of you are having a bad day today, I just want you to know that you guys are AMAZING, CARING, GENEROUS, NICE, and special. Thank you.” — Andrea, 11

Letter No. 9: “I love the weather in Winnipeg. Now hear me out before you say, ‘Oh, my gosh! How? When winter comes all you see around you is white!’ I will say this: I like the snow. In fact, this winter, my dad and I made a miniature snow track that I could sled on … Summer is great, too! It’s not hot, not too cool, and it has the perfect weather for barbecue, steak and tacos. Who doesn’t love barbecue, steak and tacos? (That was purely rhetorical, don’t answer that.) You can also skygaze and go fishing! You can have picnics and stuff!” — Santig, 11

Letter No. 10: “Personally, my favourite thing about living in Winnipeg are all of the sites to see. Correct me if I’m wrong, but Winnipeg has some of the best sites in the world! We have The Forks, Assiniboine Park, the Manitoba Museum and many more. And, according to the news, Winnipeg is in the top 10 cities to visit in Canada. But I think it should be on the top 10 places to visit in the world. But that’s the reviewer’s problem.” — Kendall, 12

Letter No. 11: “What I love about Winnipeg is our sports fans. I am a huge sports fan. But the reason why I love our sports fans is that when our Jets went away, at the last game before they left, the end of the 3rd period, everybody, I mean EVERYBODY, was so supportive. They were sad, but we were supportive. Now we have the Jets back and also ‘GO JETS GO!’ We have the best sports fans in the world!” — Zachary, 11

There are a lot more letters from these proud Grade 6 kids, but I think you get the picture. My favourite thing about Winnipeg?

Now that I think about it, it’s probably those upbeat kids at St. Alphonsus, and I’m not just blowing hot air, if you catch my subtle drift.

doug.speirs@freepress.mb.ca