HI Ottawa Presentation

AMANDA STANLEY 4472216 ANT 3140 A HI Ottawa Jail Hostel

“ The Carleton County Gaol” 75 Nicholas St., Ottawa, Ontario

Home Away From Home?

What I Do
Since March 2008
Receptionist:
Check people in and out of the hostel
Help people find things around the city
Go to new museum exhibits and gallery shows
Night watch
Security check!!
Late night visitors
Scared hostellers
Laundry in solitary confinement!

Getting Started
Main Idea
I am observing cultural interactions and responses that take place within an international hostel.
Methods
Observing social and cultural activity within the hostel
Talking and interacting with hostellers and staff

Hostelling
What is hostelling?
Also known as “backpacking”
Low cost, independent, international travel
Public transportation, making your own meals, mixing with the locals
How did hostelling start?
The Hippie Trail (60s & 70s)
From Europe to Eastern Asia
Wanted cheap travel to extend trip as long as possible.
Wanted to “find themselves” or “find God” usually.

Old Timey Picture

History
Opened in 1862 (originally located next door under courthouse in 1842)
Closed in 1972 for inhumane conditions and reopened as a hostel in 1973
Patrick James Whelan: hanged in the jail for the assassination of Thomas D’Arcy McGee
Only 2 other official hangings- though many unofficial hangings at the hands of the guards are suspected
Many other inmates died to the inhumane conditions of the jail.

James Patrick Whelan

History
More evidence of this was discovered during the building of the McKenzie King bridge when many bodies were uncovered in unmarked graves
Many bodies are still suspected of being buried under the parking lot.
Men, women, and children all incarcerated
Every kind of “crime”- murders, thieves, drunks, and the mentally ill were all incarcerated here

Thomas D’arcy McGee

Our Famous Ghosts
Whelan is our most famous ghost
He is blamed for phenomena observed by both guests and hostel staff
Voices, slamming doors, apparitions, moving furniture, and even the occasional physical contact (hand on shoulder, holding hand, - slap!)
Many hostellers travelling internationally are unaware of the jail’s past and they all interact differently
Depending on their culture or origin and their religious views on death and the afterlife.

The Gallows

Why I Chose to Study the Hostel
The hostel brings together people from many countries, races, religions, walks of life, etc to live and cooperate under the same roof.
They must share bedrooms, bathrooms, kitchens, dining rooms, etc
Each sphere of the hostel environment brings a different kind of cultural interaction.
If there isn’t mutual respect for your neighbour’s culture, you’re stay could be an uncomfortable one.

Currency
“ Why won’t you take MY money?”
One of the first things I notice as a receptionist is that many international travellers expect us to take “their” money.
They will often bring American money and expect us to take it in a Canadian institution.
Many international travellers confuse American and Canadian culture and life..

Football
A Unifying Force
I haven’t met a single person at the hostel who doesn’t know how to play football.
No matter what the differences between people are, everyone knows the basic rules and will play with one another.
Rolling out a soccer ball seems to calm most tensions between guests.

You Can’t Resist It’s Power

The Warden
Attitudes Towards Female Authority
A surprising amount of hostellers seem to disregard female authority.
Many ask to speak to a “male” colleague or supervisor.
If I approach them in the hostel to tell them a rule (even one as basic as “no smoking”) they occasionally laugh and brush me off.
My response: “If you don’t like my rules or my gender, you can leave- now.”

American Drinking Culture
Frats in the Hostel
American drinking age = 21
Canadian drinking age = 18/19
This math doesn’t bode well for Canadian hospitality employees.
Blatant disregard to any rules
Binge drinking (call a paramedic!)
Huge mess (trash, barf, etc)
Disrespect of staff and other hostellers.
Don’t realize that backpacking culture has a long tradition of respect and trust.

Mmm! What’s That Smell?
The Communal Kitchen
1 giant walk in fridge
2 stoves
1 oven
Local fresh meat and produce nearby
The kitchen is often a busy place full of cultural interaction
Every kind of food imaginable being cooked side by side
Many hostellers meet in the kitchen and share their recipes and cultural tradition surrounding food preparation and dining etiquette?
“ Pass the fork ?”

The Kitchen

Hostel “Family”
Holidays Away From Home
I was unable to go home for Thanksgiving- I was working in the hostel.
A group of other hostellers with Moose Travel decided we should cook a Canadian Thanksgiving dinner together
Every person was responsible for an element of our dinner.
I cooked the Turkey all day at work
Gravy, veggies, wine, dessert, stuffing, Yorkshire pudding, cranberry sauce, etc
We all sat and ate together and despite our vast cultural differences, talked, enjoyed each other’s company, and talked about our homes and families that we were far away from.

Hostel Family

Impromptu Pictionary
Language Barriers
It is ideal for hostel employees to speak both English and French.
It is exceptional for one of us to speak more than 2 languages.
It is rare that one of us will never have to resort to charades to explain a concept to a hosteller.
Popular charades are “fingers walking”, “eating with a fork”, “walking up/down stairs”
It is impossible to mime “beaver tail”

Beaver Tails!

Children and Families in the Youth Hostel
We have rooms which accommodate families travelling.
With the increase in quality of hostels, it is becoming a low-budget alternative for family accommodation.
Hostelling has been an independent tradition for so long, it is still strange to see a family sitting down in the dining room for a meal.
A 6’5 Russian biker opening a juice box for a 4’5 German child is the strangest thing you will ever see.

Hotel or Hostel?
Changing Hostel Ideals
Hostelling has changed a great deal.
I’ve stayed in private rooms in hostels that are just as nice as hotel rooms, but cheaper!
Hostels often provide: linens, towels, continental breakfast, TV, internet, etc
Many young hostellers come to expect these luxuries and take them for granted when they are really an added bonus.
Older hostellers are very grateful and shocked when we provide towels, internet, and other extras.

The End
Working at the hostel has let me interact with cultures in a way I never would have a chance to otherwise. Every scenario involves more than one culture interacting casually. Working, playing, eating, - just lounging around watching TV- allows for a degree of cultural experience.
Plus, I’ve gained a lot of good ghost stories....
Here are some more pictures!!

8 th Floor Layout

The Jail Today

Incarcerated Women

Drum Cell

The Real End

HI Ottawa Presentation

by silverwyd

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