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Barbara Mann talks work as a nurse, life as a traveller
ALEXIA MARSILLO alexia.marsillo@eap.on.ca
down in Russell and has been working at the Riverside Hospital. Aside from the daily work she does as a nurse and as a volun- teer abroad, Mann also participates in her community through a group called Trees for Tomorrow, which she helped establish. With the help of several partners, the group organizes the planting of trees around the village. “That’s why I like Russell, there’s all kinds of conservation areas,” she com- mented. Mann also keeps bee hives in her backyard all year round. Mann is already thinking about returning to India to volunteer with Saath again, once her work schedule permits. “I get a lot out of this too; I feel like I’mputtingmy skills to good use,” explained Mann. Mann recounts how every time she gets back from a volunteer nursing stint, she becomes so self-aware of all the tangible, materialistic things we own and how we do not need any of it. “The thing that really hits me is that in the West, we think these people are so poor and then when you get there you realize they are rich in joy,” she confided. “I’malways struck by the generos- ity; maybe even though financially they don’t have anything, they have a lot.” About a year and a half ago, Mann visited Chernobyl with one of her friends – just an- other example of her wanderlust and desire to see as much of the world as possible. “I feel lucky to have a supportive partner, J.P, who lets me go off and do these crazy things,” she said. “Once I can get time off work, I will go back [to India].»
FromEngland to a commune in British Co- lumbia, passing through India to a Kibbutz in Israel, BarbaraMann has livedmostly a nomadic life. She settled down in Russell 13 years ago, although her passion for travel is still prevalent. Mann is originally from Ontario but has spent most of her lifemoving around, expe- riencing other ways of life. She has lived in Germany, India, Israel, the UK and British Columbia. She spent 17 years away from Canada until she moved to Russell 13 years ago from B.C. Mann’s 19 year old son was born in England.They then spent time living in a commune in British Columbia, before coming to settle in Russell, where Mann’s family is close by. “I’d been gone fromhome for a long time, so it was time to come home, to the family,” she said. England is also the place whereMann got her nursing qualifications and began her nursing career. “My granny was a nurse and she just always had the best stories and she loved her job so much,” mentioned Mann. “It’s just a nice way to connect with people. You get to meet people from every walk of life and it’s also a nice career that you can take with you and go to different places with.” Mann worked in Calcutta, India as a volunteer nurse shortly after receiving her qualifications and later worked in the Gaza strip in Israel as a student nurse. She recently went back to India for six weeks, as part of a volunteer programwith Saath Charitable Trust, an NGO based out of Ahmedabad, Gujarat. Saath mostly focuses on empow- erment and offering people life skills they need to better their lives. On this particular trip, her seventh time travelling to India, Mann worked with the children’s program, Child Friendly Spaces. “The girls don’t go to school, so I did work- shops for young women,” she added. “They asked me to do basic hygiene and sex edu- cation workshops with the young women there.” In Calcutta, Mann worked mostly with vulnerable adults, and in the Gaza Strip she worked at the hospital, therefore treating people of all ages. While living in Germany, Mann read about the Kibbutz lifestyle, which are col-
De l’Angleterre à une commune de la Colombie-Britannique, en passant par l’Inde à un kibboutz en Israël, Barbara Mann a vécu une vie essentiellement nomade. Elle s’est installée à Russell il y a 13 ans, bien que sa passion pour les voyages soit toujours présente. Elle est infirmière à l’Hôpital Riverside et a travaillé comme infirmière bénévole en Inde et en Israël. Barbara Mann est originaire de l›Ontario, mais a passé la plus grande partie de sa vie à se déplacer, à vivre d›autres modes de vie. Elle a vécu en Allemagne, en Inde, en Israël, au Royaume-Uni et en Colombie-Britannique. ». Ici , dans les deux photos, on peut reconnaître Barbara Mann pendant son dernier voyage en Inde, sa septième voyage en Inde. —photos fournies
lective communities in Israel, and took off to live on one for a year and a half. “Even thoughmy family thought I was crazy, I just kind of flew to Israel,” said Mann. “I ended up on a really nice community; I love the idea of shared community living.” Mann brought her son to India over ten years ago, when he was eight years old. “I just wanted him to see that there are dif- ferent ways of living in the world, different styles and different types of families,” she said. “It was actually really fun because […] he would go off and play with kids. They couldn’t speak the same language but they would be off playing and he made friends.” Mann’s son now lives inOttawa and stud- ies engineering, while she has quietly settled
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