Saint John’s, Newfoundland, the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly...

...Or, Anouk has an unintended adventure in Canadian health care

The Good…

On Monday, 19th May, Victoria Day, we landed in Saint John’s. In some regards, Saint John’s is an old city (it is described as the oldest city in North America), having been around for hundreds of years. In other regards, it is not all that old since the city has burned numerous times—the fire of 1892 burned over 1,500 buildings—so not many structures predate the turn of the century.

The old port, down by the waterfront, has loads of charm: Technicolor “jelly bean houses” line the blocks around Water and Duckworth Streets; pubs aplenty, enough to put Saranac Lake (in New York State’s Adirondack Mountains) to shame, seemingly each hosting traditional music; Signal Hill with its views of icebergs; the outport community of Quidi Vidi, a separate community within the city limits, perched like a seabird colony on the cliffs near the harbor entrance. Saint John’s is a steep city with major elevational change between streets parallel to the harbor.

And perhaps the single best thing about the city (and the province) is the people. Whether you are a “townie” (a person from Saint John’s), a “bayman” (what people from Saint John’s call someone from anywhere else in the province), or a “CFA” (“comes from away”), everyone is treated like a friend. On three separate occasions, when I asked for directions while walking around, the person began describing where I needed to go, then ended up saying it would be easier for them to show me.

The Bad…

The day after we landed in Saint John’s, Anouk managed to pull a cup of tea, fresh off the stove, onto herself. She sustained second-degree burns on much of her right arm, shoulder, and the chest above her right nipple. It was sickening to see the skin literally melt away from the scalding water. We stripped her, poured cold water over the burn, and took her the one kilometer to the hospital within minutes. Despite the intense pain, once she was treated and her pain managed, Anouk has been a real trooper, generally being her usual happy self. Natalie has written an emotion-filled piece which will be posted soon describing the ordeal. Needless to say, this has been the worst moment of my life! The one good thing that has come out of this trauma is meeting the wonderful nursing staff of the emergency room and the pediatric ward.

The Ugly…

Saint John’s would not be a city without its share of strip development, box stores, malls, asphalt, parking lots, and miasma of roads. The roads and traffic are a nightmare requiring an advanced degree in navigation! It is definitely NOT pedestrian friendly. And, what may be the worst part of it is that to get from the hospital, Memorial University, and our campsite—all located within a region known as Pippy Park—to the old port, you have to navigate your way through the maze of ugliness.