In episode 3 of Branches Between Generations, we sat down with Arianna and Karen as they explored topics related to family, the past, volunteering, and more.

Special thanks to Isle Golf Cars for sponsoring this session!

Getting started

The session began with a question from Arianna asking where Karen was born and how she found her way to the island. She and Karen both realized that they were the oldest siblings in their respective families. They bonded over this early in the conversation.

Arianna expressed her love for being a good big sister. Both of them have two younger siblings and talked about the responsibilities of being the oldest sibling.

Karen told a story about peer pressure in her youth that resulted in her being taken to the police station and being picked up by her mother. It was one of those incidents that shaped Karen and  ‘scared her straight’ so to say. An eye-opening experience for Karen, and good advice for Arianna’s generation.

Family history and dynamics

Arianna shared some of her dad’s family history, including some details about the farm in Ontario where her dad was born.

Karen spoke about changing family dynamics and a lack of respect from children to their parents and other adults. Speaking of kids with little manners and having no ability to carry on a conversation was a topic further explored in this session.

Arianna shared stories of her siblings having friends over and the level of their manners being subpar. Examples included talking back to her parents and similar behaviours, and both of them agreed this wasn’t a nice way to act. This was an example of a shared opinion that transgressed through generations.

5, 10, 15 Cent Store; modern day Dollar Store

Money is tight for many families, and that includes families from generations ago. Karen spoke about how she grew up with little food in the cupboards and how much she valued having it. Even going so far as to say that she would store food, as there was always a looming fear that the cheques would stop and she’d be hungry.

Powerful stuff.

Volunteering

Karen shared how much volunteering means to her and the community in general. Arianna agreed and shared some of her experiences. She shared stories of volunteering with her dad for the swim club, local triathlon and at school, too.

Karen expressed how much it gave her life meaning to volunteer, especially as she ages. It has helped her to meet new people and build new connections.

She then commented on how important it is that Arianna has been volunteering at such a young age, and that skill will do her well as she ages. It’s such a fulfilling experience to serve others, they discussed.

Historical experiences (1945-current) with a Vancouver perspective

Karen shared her memories of the war; she was very young when the war ended, just 3. She told us about making mud pies, and Arianna shared that her younger sister Evelyn liked to make mud pies, too.

Phone culture

Karen discussed how phone culture has changed from the days of only having a landline and maybe an answering machine, compared to today, where we are available on demand and kind of constantly available. Such a drastic change for her, but part of regular life for Arianna.

Special thanks to Isle Golf Carts

This session was generously sponsored by Isle Golf Cars, whose support helps us continue creating space for intergenerational storytelling and community connection.

Wrapping up

These two seemed to really enjoy speaking with each other and getting to know one another. We’re looking forward to releasing the footage in the future. Stay tuned.