Quidi Vidi Field School: Mallard Cottage

From the day I set up from Beijing International Airport till now, time has passed one month precisely. However I felt that I have left my home over one year. Can’t imagine, field school nearly draws to the end. I felt so worried about it when I still in China. I know I do poor English writing, but I still have to express my feelings by it in blogger. I was nervous when I was in my home- I just cannot speak English well, what about interview and investigate local people- I ever thought that quidi vidi people had totally different ethnical language compared with English and we need translators!… So far, I have done well. That’s what I feel comfort to myself. That is because of my friendly and helpful classmates; that is because of conscientious and considerable teachers; that is because of lovely and self- giving quidi vidi people…

I learned so much in this precious period, not including the field investigation experiences I have added. I drew first professional building draft in my life; I interviewed a totally foreigner for me in one hour; I talked with two Newfoundlanders over 4 hours… As well as joining a banquet in a heritage building nearly 200 years, dancing and drinking in a wholly Newfoundland style kitchen party, “screeching” in the Inn of Olde for becoming a honorary Newfoundlander… Maybe after screechin, I definitely became a Newfoundlander and had same sentiments with the people and understood them profoundly. I learned many fishing common sense and knowledge of stage. I let waves from Atlantic Ocean wet out my pants and shoes when I was bumped till left to right in Frank’s boat. Right in that moment, I thought the waves would capsize the boat!

So many precious memories… let me begin with my first English interviewer Peggy Magnone. She is so kind that she speaks slowly and tries her best to understand me and response me. To this intelligent and generous old lady, I don’t know what to say in this moment. Her tears nearly dropped down when she talked about her hardship period when she was young. I can’t imagine that a lady so optimistic still owns memories about hardships. I completed my interview smoothly in the help of the considerate old lady. But she looked so sad to let us go. I remembered her hardy face when she said goodbye to us- she even did not dare to look straight to us. I felt her strong sentiments of sorrow and pity that she knew that we did not belong to her from beginning to the end. I felt sad these days when I remembered her words and face. She said that you can come to see me interview or not interview… You can call me whenever you want… People in quidi vidi are so sentimental that I can’t help laughing and crying altogether with them.

Peggy Magnone and I with little Comet- Photographer: John LaDuke

I interviewed John and Anne the day before yesterday. I know that Johnny has always waited for someone to interview him- he is so enthusiastic to field school and he and Anne love us so much. Interview completed as I imagined same as Peggy, but beyond my imagination was that we chatted nearly 4 hours after interview… From family fairs to political events, we chatted like old friends. They were so frank that they ask my advice for their private fairs. And I put myself in their position to the best of my ability to comfort them. They are so kind people that when I think of them, tears nearly running down. They trust me rather than I trust them. The trust is what kind of a good feeling! Today, they gave me a postcard by the hand of Christine. I was shocked again. Blessing and sentiments are flowing and going on. They taught me be grateful and be kind to everyone everything.

Kind John with a smile similar with the meerkat standing in the flowerpot

John pretends to be annoyed to Anne's superstitious habit to angel

John, Anne and I hold Queen together- Photographer: Christine Blythe

I have to talk about the Mallard banquet yesterday. The owner of Mallard Cottage Todd treated all of us in the old heritage building nearly 200 years. When I stepped into the house, I smelt a familiar flavour of burning wood. Yes, they burned woods in the original fireplace to make an old atmosphere. The whole old cottage belonged to us in the 3 hours. It was a bounteous meal including wine, salad, dish and desserts in exquisite procedures. I can’t remember the name of main dish… which harbour cod fea? Forgive me. “fi” is a local term means meal. I was full but dessert came. I was full further but the second dessert came…… Desserts were composed by two kinds of bread poutine and cream and blueberry sauce. Totally wonderful experience for me. The cookers and servers as well as the owner treated us with the utmost cordiality. Thanks a lot! Mallard Restaurant will open in October. Booming business!

We will return back to classroom from field next week. But the faces of local people and the scenes will be engraved in our mind forever. I deeply felt the love from local people to their hometown- quidi vidi village. And quidi vidi will be our hometown forever.Thank you all again and again and again…

Elegant Lisa and Adrian who poses a gentleman in Middle Ages

A corner of Mallard Cottage Banquet

Old fireplace put warmth and feelings to us

Delicate tableware with carved pattern

Cheers! Everyone!

(Above photos all were shot by Wang Xuan except the ones illustrated)

Monday we began the section of the field school on vernacular architecture. Ed Chappell, an architectural historian who works at Colonial Williamsburg, is our guest lecturer and has been teaching us how to draw architectural floor plans. During the past three days we have learned the techniques used to draw floor plans and have spent several hours discussing their utility. I’ll have to admit, as someone who was drawn to folklore, almost exclusively, on her own obsession for people and their stories, architecture fell somewhere on the scale between mildly interesting and hardly interesting at all. While historic buildings possessed a certain aesthetic and historical significance that I found fascinating my interest was grounded in the people who lived there, rather than the structural artifact itself.

However, yesterday, as we stood in the Mallard home mapping out its dimensions, meticulously examining the wood, carefully estimating the approximate location of relics now absent, I realized that this home and these vestiges of the past told a story, a very intimate story about the residents who once lived there. The ropes and rags that peak through the wooden panels snuggly positioned along the wall, the remnants of a small lobby roughly etched into the wood, the special elements of the room, and the methodically placed windows all collectively illuminated the past experiences, technologies, and even daily flow of life for the residents who once inhabited the Mallard home.

There is the saying “if these walls could talk…” well I am beginning to think that they do, but we need special skills to make their voices audible. (And after today, I'm realizing it takes a lot of work to make them audible.)