50p
A New Face in A Familiar Place: An Introduction to Mr. Amiel
A few nights ago, I had the pleasure to sit down with Mr. Oliver Amiel and conduct an interview. We bantered jovially for a time. Born in Sechelt, BC, Mr. Amiel has also lived in Gibsons, Vancouver, Pender Harbour, Calgary, and Mill Bay.
A graduate of Brentwood, Mr. Amiel was in Whittall House, where he is now a duty master. He went on for post-graduate study at McGill in Montreal, QB. No stranger to Canada, he has also lived internationally in places like Pocatello, Idaho; Goring, England; Whakatane, New Zealand, and in Daegu, South Korea where he taught English for some time. He also taught in two schools in Melbourne, Australia.
A traveller of the world, he has returned to Mill Bay to teach full-time alongside his lovely fiancée Mrs. Willow.
LBE: What brought you back to Brentwood?
OA: Well initially, it was just a temporary position, but I met Mrs. Willow when I taught here a couple years ago, and then we were both given the opportunity to come back to Brentwood. (Smiling to himself) When we first met, she actually didn’t like me. She thought I was loud and talked too much.
LBE: What courses are you teaching this year?
OA: Physics and Chemistry AP 11, and one section of Science 9.
LBE: And anything outside of academics?
OA: Junior Novice Boys Rowing.
LBE: Now for the less formal questions. Where do you see yourself in 10 years?
OA: Still teaching I think. I don’t know, I mean I’m getting married this summer! I see myself with Mrs. Willow and a couple of kids, still on Vancouver Island maybe? Maybe at Brentwood? Maybe teaching overseas? Who knows?
LBE: Favourite artist?
OA: Aw man… Uh… See I like that question because it’s open ended. It doesn’t just have to be a singer. Far out man… I can only name one artist? Pearl Jam - Eddie Vedder. I can listen to that all day and never get tired of it. Or Louis C. K. He’s amazing.
LBE: Favourite TV show? Movie?
OA: (No hesitation) How I Met Your Mother. Oh! No! The John Daily Show! As for movies, probably Garden State.
LBE: Favourite book?
OA: A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson.
LBE: What are two things we probably didn’t know about you? Do you have any hidden talents?
OA: Hmm… Well I practice Tai Chi. And I learned how to play the bagpipes for a year once.
LBE: Coke or Pepsi? Nikon or Canon? Mac or PC? Star Wars or Star Trek?
OA: Coke. Nikon. I don’t have a preference. I have a Mac at home, but I use a PC at school. I’m not too bothered. Star Wars, definitely.
LBE: What are some of your nerdiest moments?
OA: Haha, see this would be a great question for Mrs. Willow because she always notices when I do that kind of stuff. Every day something happens to me that I interpret in a nerdy way. Somebody would tell me something and I’d make it so geeky. I nerdify it.
LBE: If you could be any character in fiction, who would you be?
OA: I’d have to go with Ironman. So Tony Stark.
LBE: What is your favourite quote?
OA: I read something by Bruce Lee recently that I loved: “Do not pray for an easy life, pray for the strength to endure a difficult one.” I also save a bunch from nerdy scientists, but I can’t remember them all off the top of my head.
LBE: If (and when) Hollywood makes a movie about your life, whom would you cast as yourself?
OA: (Laughing) Matt Damon. For sure.
LBE: If you could have dinner with any famous person (dead or alive), who would it be?
OA: I can’t imagine I would enjoy myself, I’d be too nervous to ask anything. Obama would be amazing, but I’d be scared stiff the whole time... Yeknow what, Jesus. Maybe? I’m not religious, but I know he existed and I have some questions for that guy. Wait, John Daily, what am I saying? Of course! Absolutely! Or Louis C. K.
As the delightful conversation drew to a close, I thanked the light-hearted Mr. Amiel for his time. We look forward to getting to know him and Mrs. Willow more over the coming years. Welcome back you two!
Lindsay B.E. Alex ‘14
A graduate of Brentwood, Mr. Amiel was in Whittall House, where he is now a duty master. He went on for post-graduate study at McGill in Montreal, QB. No stranger to Canada, he has also lived internationally in places like Pocatello, Idaho; Goring, England; Whakatane, New Zealand, and in Daegu, South Korea where he taught English for some time. He also taught in two schools in Melbourne, Australia.
A traveller of the world, he has returned to Mill Bay to teach full-time alongside his lovely fiancée Mrs. Willow.
LBE: What brought you back to Brentwood?
OA: Well initially, it was just a temporary position, but I met Mrs. Willow when I taught here a couple years ago, and then we were both given the opportunity to come back to Brentwood. (Smiling to himself) When we first met, she actually didn’t like me. She thought I was loud and talked too much.
LBE: What courses are you teaching this year?
OA: Physics and Chemistry AP 11, and one section of Science 9.
LBE: And anything outside of academics?
OA: Junior Novice Boys Rowing.
LBE: Now for the less formal questions. Where do you see yourself in 10 years?
OA: Still teaching I think. I don’t know, I mean I’m getting married this summer! I see myself with Mrs. Willow and a couple of kids, still on Vancouver Island maybe? Maybe at Brentwood? Maybe teaching overseas? Who knows?
LBE: Favourite artist?
OA: Aw man… Uh… See I like that question because it’s open ended. It doesn’t just have to be a singer. Far out man… I can only name one artist? Pearl Jam - Eddie Vedder. I can listen to that all day and never get tired of it. Or Louis C. K. He’s amazing.
LBE: Favourite TV show? Movie?
OA: (No hesitation) How I Met Your Mother. Oh! No! The John Daily Show! As for movies, probably Garden State.
LBE: Favourite book?
OA: A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson.
LBE: What are two things we probably didn’t know about you? Do you have any hidden talents?
OA: Hmm… Well I practice Tai Chi. And I learned how to play the bagpipes for a year once.
LBE: Coke or Pepsi? Nikon or Canon? Mac or PC? Star Wars or Star Trek?
OA: Coke. Nikon. I don’t have a preference. I have a Mac at home, but I use a PC at school. I’m not too bothered. Star Wars, definitely.
LBE: What are some of your nerdiest moments?
OA: Haha, see this would be a great question for Mrs. Willow because she always notices when I do that kind of stuff. Every day something happens to me that I interpret in a nerdy way. Somebody would tell me something and I’d make it so geeky. I nerdify it.
LBE: If you could be any character in fiction, who would you be?
OA: I’d have to go with Ironman. So Tony Stark.
LBE: What is your favourite quote?
OA: I read something by Bruce Lee recently that I loved: “Do not pray for an easy life, pray for the strength to endure a difficult one.” I also save a bunch from nerdy scientists, but I can’t remember them all off the top of my head.
LBE: If (and when) Hollywood makes a movie about your life, whom would you cast as yourself?
OA: (Laughing) Matt Damon. For sure.
LBE: If you could have dinner with any famous person (dead or alive), who would it be?
OA: I can’t imagine I would enjoy myself, I’d be too nervous to ask anything. Obama would be amazing, but I’d be scared stiff the whole time... Yeknow what, Jesus. Maybe? I’m not religious, but I know he existed and I have some questions for that guy. Wait, John Daily, what am I saying? Of course! Absolutely! Or Louis C. K.
As the delightful conversation drew to a close, I thanked the light-hearted Mr. Amiel for his time. We look forward to getting to know him and Mrs. Willow more over the coming years. Welcome back you two!
Lindsay B.E. Alex ‘14
75p
