In history they say that when slaves were taken to a new country, the first thing they did was to give them new names and to strip them of their language. This was in an attempt to force them to adjust to their new home and forget their past.

Even though I have been here for over a year, I feel like in many ways I am still adjusting, and that my language and speech is one of the things getting battered in the transformation.

It is interesting that this is a problem even though my first language is English. It seems that even though we live in a society that is proudly multicultural and facilitates cultures and languages from around the world, there is still a divide between Canadians who sound Canadian, and Canadians who sound like they came from somewhere else. Sometimes this otherness displays itself in their use of another language; other times it is displayed simply through the faintest of accents. Either way as soon as you hear the question “Oh, where are you from?” you know you have been discovered.

I admittedly have tried to disguise my accent in many ways. Sometimes it seems to work - other times I feel as if I am working in vain, like last week when a woman on the phone told me I had a problem with English. It was funny since the woman I was speaking with had a strong accent herself. I would have laughed at the whole thing, if it did not just remind me of the way people reassess you when they hear you speak perfect english with a slight lilt. You can almost see them put you away, on the back shelves of their minds as something for consideration at a later date. So much for all the work you’ve done before.

So what are the options? Do I change my name to a more Western sounding ‘Cathy’ or ‘Zoey’ like some eastern people do? Or do I see a speech therapist about how to lose an accent. And can that be seen as progressive, or is it really a betrayal of self?

Its hard to really tell. All I know is that having to repeat yourself because people don’t understand you gets pretty old after a while.

Any designer will tell you that fashion is revolving. However, we all agree that there are some things that should never come back, like parachute pants and over-sized shoulder pads. We had hoped that apartheid would be one of those things that would stay buried in the past. But just like skinny jeans, it seems, if you put a good label on it, namely Afrocentric Schools, then everybody will buy it. I can see Martin (Luther King Jr) rolling over in his grave right now.

I think the most disappointing thing for me is the proportion of black people who are supporting this idea. I can understand their reasons for resorting to such extreme measures. After all the present Canadian education system has certainly failed our black students in many ways, hence the large percentage of black students who flunk out or worse, drop out of school. In fact it is more accurate to say that the present education system has bullied blacks in the same way that most kids at school are bullied, to the point that it becomes more preferable and less painful and humiliating to stay away from school than it is to go to school. (more…)

I am all about rights and freedoms. Freedom of speech, the right to life, freedom of thought and all those other shining tenets that make western life so wonderfully unfettered. Canadians I have found are especially big on protecting their rights and freedoms, and will, when necessary, fight tooth and nail to make sure they are respected. So my question is, if you are willing to die for your rights, why not use them while you are alive? Why do so many Canadians refuse to exercise their right to vote? (more…)

Since I arrived in this country and discovered the joys of reduced shipping when buying from the US, I have been an avid sponsor of Amazon.ca. Being a self proclaimed bookworm, I was elated to have the world as my bookstore. However since I started going back to school and returned to my student life of debt and limited resources, I have had to satisfy my reading needs through other sources, mainly the Toronto Public Library. When I first took the time to check it out, I was amazed at the wealth of resources available to its users. For those of you who don’t know, this includes access to books from every branch of the library within the GTA; an online catalog that details the location and status of all the library’s resources; and, until recently, opening hours that accommodated the most hectic of schedules.

However, some of that changed recently with our Mayor’s decision to cut library hours across the city. What made this decision even more surprising was the fact that many of us did not know about the cuts until we encountered locked doors on a library visit one Sunday.

But that was not all. If library closings did not get the attention of all of us, then the subsequent closings of over 100 recreational centres on Mondays seemed to finish the job. (more…)

One of the stories on last night’s news focused on the question: “How safe are Toronto’s Schools”. Bearing in mind the multiple school shooting incidents that have taken place this year at US schools, it is actually a question worth pondering.

I remember when I first came to Canada, I was told that this was one of the safest places to live. Being from a country that, admittedly, can sometimes be unsafe for various reasons, it was a comforting thought. In some sense I guess that this particular rumor is true. You probably are less likely to be the victim of a suicide bomber, or be wiped out by some terrorist attack, or even be shot in a drive-by. It however seems that the crimes that do take place are of a more complicated nature. So, you might not get hit by a stray bullet while walking home late one night, but you might get dragged off by a psychopath, cut into 15 pieces and stuffed in a garbage bag. And while some might suggest that these crimes are few and far between, I find it hard to take much comfort in that thought, because not once back home did I hear of anyone who had to be identified by their multiple body parts which had been found buried in some pig farmer’s back yard.

I guess for me, the real problem with this type of crime is that it can’t be avoided. Its one thing to stay away from certain areas because they are prone to gang violence, or to add security systems to your home to guard against a break-in, but how do you prepare for a crime that is unpredictable? How do you prepare your children to face a school shooter? As far as I know, there is no stop-drop-and-roll routine that will help them in that situation. How do you know which of your neighbours is going to flip out on you? What are the signs that your cab driver may be a kidnapper?

I suppose that every country has a set of crime problems that are as unique to it as its culture. And in the same way that one must adjust to the culture, one will have to adjust to the reality of such problems as well.

A reader of this blog(lets call him D’) recently commented that he thought it was wrong for me to encourage immigrants to put their original heritage or culture ahead of Canadian culture. It brought back to memory a running joke we have back home, which pokes fun at persons traveling abroad who, before even setting foot on the plane, begin to adopt the accent they think is appropriate to the country they are going to. At the basis of the joke is the sad reality that many persons who leave their original country for the states often forget the country that gave them their roots. (more…)

Yes its true. Its been a long time since I have posted an entry here. But alas I have been quite busy, doing a lot of interesting things like getting my ankle broken. Well, not broken, more like sprained. But I guess if you happened to see me hobbling past you on the street, complete with my cast and standard issue metal crutches, you would think my ankle was broken. But I digress.

So yes, I popped my ankle playing Netball one evening near Broadview. And while being in a cast is inconvenient on so many levels, it has given me the opportunity to sample the Canadian Health Care system which I have heard so many raving reviews about. Its the funniest thing, I have heard people complain about almost everything in this country. But I am hard pressed to remember one complaint being about health care. As a result I was more than a little curious to experience this phenomenon that seemed to satisfy even the most pessimistic among us. (more…)

As the seasons begin to visibly change, and advertisers flood our mail boxes with spring and summer catalogues, many of us have begun the process of assessment: getting rid of that which is old and useless, in exchange for that which is new and colorful. Spring is in the air, and also in our pockets.

Not surprisingly the rising temperatures and bright colors have stimulated me to do some evaluation of my own; some self-evaluation.

I am sometimes a stubborn person. However, I am slowly, but surely learning that stubbornness is one of those characteristics that will not get you very far in this country. And from my experience it can probably keep you from getting to the Nirvana where you really want to be. So I’ve adopted a new strategy: If at first you don’t succeed - try something else.

As a result this week, armed with my new attitude, and some advice from a coworker, I plunged into the process of finding a Fast Track College program that would help me launch my real career. (more…)

In response to my last entry “Lightbulb” I received the following chastisement from a certain Tony D. that I have chosen to share with those of you who may have missed it.

What are the statistics for NON-immigrants finding a job related to their education?

I think publishing an article like this is irresponsible. If you think there are problems with immigration employment, why don’t you offer some advice or opinions instead of making a joke about it. Or, better yet, why not do some research of your own to determine *why* 50% of immigrants can’t get a job related to their education?

There’s more to that “stat” than you think.

- Tony

Firstly I would like to ask Tony why he thinks voicing my opinion about a matter that was mentioned in the media and which directly affects me was irresponsible. My entry was in no way shape or form written to provoke humour. The tone of my blog on a whole often veers towards cynicism. While there are areas of humour as it relates to lighter matters, I never include humour in entries that speak to the serious issues which affect immigrants - like employment.

Secondly, I do not know the statistics for Non-immigrant employment. I am an immigrant. This blog is about immigrant life in Canada and the article which I referenced dealt with immigrants in Canada. I will say one thing however. Lesser educated non-immigrants seems to be getting by much better in the work environment than their higher educated immigrant counterparts. I of course have no statistics to prove this - at least none that would be acceptable to you Tony.

Thirdly, I think we are all past the point of just ‘thinking’ that there might be a problem with immigrant employment. (more…)

So apparently, based on today’s Metro, Statistics Canada just discovered that almost 50% of immigrants have been having a problem finding employment related to their education and training. Really? I had no idea. And here I was thinking that all us immigrants just really liked working in call centres.

Go figure.