`COUCH-WANDERER' KEEPS UP THE PACE
Being tourism envoy a logistical challenge during pandemic, writes Amanda Short.
A few months into her term as the 10th Saskatchewanderer, COVID-19 came to the province and Leah Mertz was met with a challenge: how could she showcase everything Saskatchewan has to offer to when she couldn't go see it herself?
Mertz found a way to wander from home — and says the province finally felt like home for her after years of living all over the country.
“I've bounced around a lot the last 10 years. I've lived all over Canada. So I haven't really felt this huge weight of what home is for me,” she said. “I felt more at home than ever being in Saskatchewan this year. After being able to travel and see so many places here, it actually feels like home for the first time in my life.”
After a year of putting her creative chops to work showcasing people in the province and celebrating local, Mertz talked with the Starphoenix about her “unpredictable, but fulfilling” experience.
Q How did things change once the pandemic hit in March?
A There was definitely a very full itinerary planned. I had put together a huge calendar in partnership with Tourism Saskatchewan and the Ministry of Parks, and a ton of people had been messaging me and telling me all of these amazing places to go.
But I had to adapt, like everyone else. Things kind of shut down around March, and that included me.
I really love doing videography and documentary-style work, but that became really challenging to do with properly being able to keep my distance. So I kind of shifted into doing more photo pieces, but still being able to kind of conduct interviews here and there and put together smaller scale videos.
Q What was it like early on, having to wander from home?
A At the beginning it was a lighthearted way to capture what was happening. I kind of rebranded into the “sofa wanderer” for a few months. I wasn't trying to do anything crazy, but at the same time I wanted to be a little bit of a distraction from what was happening in the world.
I was able still take in some local things. I did a couple interviews, including talking to past Saskatchewanderers and highlighting some of the things they've done.
It's 10 years into the program and they've gone to hundreds of places at this point.
Q There's a focus on getting a new appreciation for the province in many of your posts. Why did you take that approach?
A For me, even though the world was going through a lot of difficulties and challenging times, it was just to be able to feel at peace about where I live and feel very thankful for it.
Nothing was able to be set in stone this year, but I just tried to take everything one day at a time. It was just a huge moment to really appreciate where I live.
Like Cypress Hills Interprovincial Park is somewhere that I think we've all heard of, maybe we've been there many times. But I wanted to really just sit back and truly appreciate it. I went cross-country skiing there and took in some of the scenery. It's so quiet, so peaceful and such an escape.
Q Why was it still important to showcase community during the pandemic?
A People have wondered if there is a need for the Saskatchewanderer at this point in a pandemic. I think, regardless, it's still a platform that can highlight local things, whether that's sharing what people are doing or smaller scale travel plans.
This year has really made us have to pivot. Local is kind of the only thing we have right now because travel is, of course, a little frowned upon and people are staying put and staying close to home.
So if we can just showcase and appreciate what we have close to us, that's kind of all we need, really.
Q What do you like about living in Saskatchewan?
A The people are the heart and soul of this province. Everyone has been so kind and so open despite all the challenges they faced this year. It's been emotional connecting with some businesses; some have fared better than others in these difficult times.
And the natural beauty. I think people don't often really realize that, despite our hot summers, cold winters and everything in between, there's still so much beauty to appreciate outside.