Task 1 What is in your bag ?

I am Rania and I am an elementary class teacher in SD36. I have been teaching for almost 14 years. In my humble opinion a purse should only carry the bare necessities. In the past decade my motto has changed to “Less is more.” It is all about functionality in a stylish manner.

For this exercise I chose my school purse, since it is the one that I carry around throughout the entire year. I have taken a picture of the most indispensable items in my purse and did I mention that I am obsessed with creams. As well, I am always prepared for any type of weather and that is why I usually have sunscreen and sunglasses in my purse. Ironically, I live in Vancouver. On top of that I like to have a bar of chocolate or a candy bar as an emergency supply. As a teacher and mom you can never tell how your day is going to go. Intriguingly, my bag has a lot to say about me and shadows my daily plan. I have been working on downsizing, but normally my purse ends up with a lot of random items that gets tossed in throughout my hectic week. Apparently, adding less items to my purse is a sign of self-confidence, so I am still working on that.

We live in a digital world and perhaps that is why I am not carrying a notebook and a calendar like before. Although, I still like to keep my flashy pen in my purse, since it holds a sentimental value to me. However, nowadays I prefer to take notes on my phone. The Volkswagen logo on my car key with its flat two-dimensional design denotes sophistication that is associated with practicality.

The debit/credit card is a perk that allows me to connect with the digital banking systems. I rarely carry any cash anymore aside from a few coins that I use for grabbing a shopping cart. My driving license contains personal information about myself. Smarties has both French and English writing, which is a reminder of Canada’s two official languages and that French has equality of status. The Phone is a convenient tool that helps me engage with the outside world. I am able to record memos and take notes in a digital form instead of dragging a planner or a notebook along with me. I can send emails, book appointments and make payments instantaneously. News reach me in real time and this display that I am overwhelmingly engaged. We are unconditionally immersed in fragmented text and narrative.

Phones and digital technology have evolved and are continuing to do so offering ubiquitous communication challenges and opportunities at our fingertips. It is a definite paradigm shift in the way we interact with each other. The buzzing phone is a continuous reminder of the digital technology that permeates our world with all its frequent distractions from the different notifications coming from emails, text messages or twitter/ facebook alerts.

An archeologist aiming to understand the era that I lived in through my purse can draw a vivid, but also a distorted image of the world that I used to live in. It is definitely a material world that has a lot of shiny objects. One glimpse through the items in my purse reveal the diverse and global nature of my world, which is portrayed in the vast global economy that we inhabit.