Tod Maffin is recruiting Nanaimo locals to spend a few hours with visiting Americans during the Tod's Nanaimo Infusion event April 24-26. Volunteers don't pay for anything or provide housing, just meet visitors for walks, museums, kayaking, or board games. Sign up on the #adopt-a-visitor Discord channel.
Chapters
Hey Nanaimo! The Americans are coming for Tod's Nanaimo Infusion April 24th to 26th. Some of them want to be temporarily adopted by a local. I am about to show you some of them. This is very low commitment, no money, no spare room, just show someone around, maybe grab lunch, explain why everyone owns the same puffer jacket, and then explain to me because I've never understood. Okay! Gretel is a school psychologist from New York, loves nature walks and museums, will absolutely notice how calm everyone is and then ask follow-up questions. Annette and Bill, they were last in Nanaimo in the 1960s, so expect sentences that start with "well, back then" and then end with astonishment at roundabouts. Mears is a social policy analyst from Seattle, part of the LGBTQ community likes camping and boating. Stephanie and Frank, she's a nurse, he's a bike mechanic, visiting from Arkansas and thinking about moving here. They like dance, painting, and bike riding. Basically an Animo starter pack. Mary is a nurse practitioner from California. She likes easy hikes and home cooking. Easy is doing a lot of work in that sentence. Trisha and MJ and their 5-year-old, she's a nurse practitioner, MJ works in finance, from Oregon. They like kayaking, and I'm guessing their kid will probably out-kayak you. Bethany and Ashley, a social worker and chemistry student from Ohio, self-described nerds, they love board games, they actively do not like hiking, which honestly seems a little brave to admit here. Stephanie works in IT and somehow also the baking industry, from Wisconsin, she likes hiking and history, so if you choose Stephanie, expect very specific questions about old buildings and sourdough. Chris is a mental health therapist, these two like curling, hocking, and hiking, so basically already Canadians. Moose and Mary are from Seattle, they like art and clearly rain, so easy fit. Lee and Kevin are coming from Virginia, they like bookstores and local history, so don't be surprised if they just disappear for 3 hours and then come back with a thriller about a minor civic dispute from 1912. Gwen and Richard are coming from Florida with 2 kids. She's an ICU nurse, he's an engineer. The parents, that is, not the kids. They like hiking and biking and trivia and pottery, which suggests that they have opinions on scheduling software. Carla and Gary are coming from Oregon. She is a nurse scouting the island as a potential future home. Gary works in film, so he'll probably describe our weather as atmosphere. Michael works in IT and has never been to Canada before. He likes photography, fishing, and sitting around a campfire. Corrine is coming from Arizona. She's a gardener. Dave and Diane will be here for their wedding anniversary. They like hiking and wine. Possibly not at the same time, but I respect the ambition. Jamie and Pamela are a doctor and nurse, part of the LGBTQ community. They like walking and sailing and art museums. Pat is coming from California. She's in a 12-step program. She likes dogs and architecture, and therefore will probably appreciate your neighborhood more than you do. If you want to adopt one of these people for a day or just a couple of hours, go to the #adopt-a-visitor channel in our Discord. Again, you're not paying for anything. You don't have to pick them up at the ferry. You don't— you're not sponsoring them for immigration. It's just a way to say hello, welcome, and thank you for visiting.
