It appears some enterprising individuals (or a single occupant?) have embraced the nomadic lifestyle by converting a school bus into a makeshift home, parking it just off Terminal Avenue east of Main Street in Vancouver. I happened upon it the other weekend pre-Science World with the Ms, who were fascinated by its familiar colour and shape mixed with peculiar additions such as the big antennae and random junk piled up in the windows. There was certainly plenty to ogle.
I sent the twins ahead with Allan and made a slightly closer inspection with the older three Ms. As we drew closer, I noticed the forbidding “Do Not Disturb” sign by the front door and kept the kids back, not wanting to invite the wrath of a grumpy person to scare everyone into Nightmare Land. Too spooky for kids!
In the end, no-one emerged, which was just fine with me and I marched us up the street to Science World. I think curiosity is a trait that should not be discouraged in children (or adults, for that matter), as it’s a driving force for discovery, serendipity, and carries with it the excitement of investigation. I have fond memories from childhood when I’d play “detective” in our Winnipeg neighbourhood with my fellow watchdog, Angie. We created incredibly detailed, bogus accounts of people’s lives based on nothing more than how they walked, what they wore, or how they greeted us as we stared up at them holding our pencils and notebooks of extremely important observation data.
I also don’t want to introduce an unqualified bias against homeless people — or, at least, people with unconventional homes. After all, I’ve lived in a tent, a caravan, a campervan, and slept in cars. It wouldn’t be at all fair to characterize the nomadic lifestyle as terribly undesirable or something to be feared. But my gut feeling told me I should check out that bus another day, without kids, so that’s what I’ll do… if it hasn’t moved on already.
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