Here! Magazine Winter Preview 2015/16
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Transcript of Here! Magazine Winter Preview 2015/16
NEWCOMER IRENE OGBOMIDA
THE INTERLOVEPROJECT
REMNANTS OF WAR
TRAILING SPOUSES
HIKING THE WET COASTJANUARY 2016
a language & cul ture quar terly for newcomers to Canada
plus EXCERPTS FROM THE WILD IN YOU BY LORNA CROZIER & IAN MCALLISTER
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IN THIS ISSUE Volume 3‚ Issue 1
new 7
Victoria welcomes Irene Ogbomida! Irene arrived from Nigeria in 2014 and is
finding a place for herself at Royal Roads University and in the greater community.
learn 20Get yourself ready to hit the trail with
word mentor and trail guide Ryan LeBlanc of The Natural Connection.
money 22Leat Ahrony introduces credit score
repor ts and tips for maintaining good financial health.
rent 23Alex Creighton of Devon Proper ties shares
the Top 3 Problems for landlords and tenants and how best to solve them.
read 24Governor General ’s Award-winning poet
Lorna Crozier and photographer Ian McAllister share their collection of poems
and images from T he Wild in You.
home 26Kedsanee Broome opens up about her
feelings of loss‚ guilt ‚ and doubt when a family member falls seriously ill back in
her home country of Thailand.
REMNANTS OF WAR by Fiona Bramble 12
TRAILING SPOUSES by Susan Johnston Taylor 17
8COLIN BOYD SHAFER’S INSPIRING NEW PROJECT
M any of us came from somewhere else. Some of us arrived 100 years ago; some of us 100 days ago.
Now we are here—working‚ l iving‚ and learning together. We may have arrived in dif ferent ways and may have come for dif ferent reasons; we may be going down dif ferent paths , but one thing is the same: here is home.
www.heremagazine.ca
Publisher | Functionall Books
Editor | Fiona Bramble
Copy Editor | Warren Layberry‚ Christy Sebelius
Contributing Writers | Annie Wu‚ Erin Renwick‚ Leat Ahrony‚ Kedsanee Broome‚ Alex Creighton‚ Hyeyoung Jeon‚ Renée Layberry‚ Susan Johnston Taylor
Illustrators and Designers | Josephine Aucoin‚ April Caverhill
Design and Layout | Fiona Bramble
Print and Production | Glenmore Printing
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@heremagazineCA /heremagazine.ca
All contents copyrighted. Written permission from the publisher is required to reproduce‚ quote‚ reprint‚ or copy any material from Here! Magazine. Ideas and opinions expressed in the articles do not necessarily reflect those of the publisher or advertisers. The publisher neither endorses nor assumes any liability for the contents of any advertisement in this publication.
Full subscription price for one year is $18.99 plus applicable taxes.
HERE! IS THERE: OUT AND ABOUT IN THE COMMUNITY
From top lef t ‚ clockwise: Hari ‚ new Canadian ‚ with his Cit izenship Cer t i f icate ‚ at the Special Cit izenship Ceremony at the Royal B.C . Museum ‚ Oc tober 2015 ; Canadians - to -be taking the Oath of Cit izenship at the Special Cit izenship Ceremony at the Royal B.C . Museum ‚ Oc tober 2015 ; the winners ’ circle at the Bri t ish Columbia Mult icul tural Awards ‚ November 25 ‚ 2015 ‚ at the Fairmont Hotel Vancouver (The Royal B.C . Museum won the award for “Mult icul tural Excellence in Government ” ) ; Yi ‚ Viv ian ‚ and Lix ian ‚ newcomer par t icipants at Here! Magazine ’s community focus group event on October 10 ‚ 2015 ‚ hosted by the Greater Vic toria Public Library‚ co - sponsored by Thri f t y Foods ; Here! Magazine ’s Hyeyoung Jeon is learning how to wear a hi jab at the Masjid Al - Iman open house on November 29‚ 2015.
Building your own belonging
Each year‚ in a large room tucked away down
a hallway at the Royal B.C. Museum‚ fifty new
Canadians-to-be gather around tables with
other community members and organizers to
share their deeply personal experiences along
the road to citizenship. Each time I have the
honour of facilitating a table‚ I get goosebumps.
It ’s not just the diversity represented that makes
the magic in the room—my last table hosted
immigrants from Croatia‚ England‚ Australia‚ India‚ and Mauritius (yes‚ I needed to look
it up) and included engineers‚ homemakers‚ educators‚ and entrepreneurs—but also the
common experience shared by our newest
citizens: a sincere‚ dedicated effort to build
their own belonging.
These new Canadians didn’ t expect or wait
for their neighbours and community to make a
place for them (although each person insisted
Canadians were very welcoming!). They did the
hard work of integration by reaching out.
They joined play
groups and sports
teams and sought out activities and hobbies
similar to those they did in their home countries; they got involved; they volunteered. Almost
every participant agreed that volunteering
had helped them create a strong sense of
connection to their community.
As I write this‚ CBC Radio is hosting a
discussion about refugee support and‚ in
particular‚ how listeners feel about settling
refugees from Syria here in British Columbia in
the upcoming months. This is a remarkable time
for Canada‚ and it seems‚ for the most part‚
that Canadians are mobilizing in every way
they can to help welcome and support these
displaced individuals and families. This gives
me goosebumps too. I hope together we can
help them begin the process of building their
own belonging in their new home.
This late-winter issue is about love‚ loss‚ finding‚ and belonging—and that sometimes
your heart finds a home in an unexpected
place. I won’ t give it all away here but will let
you discover the magic for yourself. Best wishes
for 2016 from the Here! team.
Letter from the editor
Fiona Bramble, EditorSecond-generation Irish-Scottish Canadian
Here! Magazine is now a not - for -profi t organizat ion ‚ and we hosted our f irs t focus group in late 2015. We were lucky enough to have our own special group of newcomers join us and share some of their ideas for a bet ter Here! Magazine. Hopefully‚ you ’l l not ice some of the posit ive changes inspired by this focus group. Remember‚ we always welcome your feedback too‚ so please reach out to us!
“Our enviable, inclus ive society d idn’ t happen by accident and won’ t continue without effort.” —Pr ime Minis ter Jus t in Trudeau
Vic tor ia and Vancouver I s land Greek Communi t y Socie t y 4648 E lk Lake Dr. ‚ V ic to r ia ‚ B .C .
Victoria Filipino-Canadian Caregivers Association Bayanihan Communi t y Cent re 1709 B lanshard S t. ‚ V ic to r ia ‚ B .C.
Ukrainian Canadian Cul tural Socie t y of Vancouver I s land 3277 Douglas S t. ‚ V ic to r ia ‚ B .C .
OUR MULTICULTURAL COMMUNITYVic tor ia has a v ibrant and growing mul t icu l tural communi t y ! These organizat ions celebrate cul ture and
divers i t y wi th annual events l ike the Dragon Parade ‚ F lamenco Fes t ival ‚ Greek fes t ‚ Fes t ival Mexicano ‚
India Mela ‚ Loy Kratong ‚ A fr iCa Fes t ‚ and the Highland Games and Cel t ic Fes t ival . They also of fer
suppor t and ser v ices to their members and newcomers ‚ inc luding language suppor t ‚ heal th and
wel lness ac t iv i t ies ‚ network ing oppor tuni t ies ‚ and work- re lated sk i l l development .
Please contac t us at communi t [email protected] i f you need to update your organizat ion ’s in format ion or i f you would l ike to highl ight your organizat ion or event in Here! Magazine.
Vic tor ia Canada-China Fr iendship Associat ion Facebook: V ic tor ia Canada-China Fr iendsh ip A s socia t ion
V ic tor ia Highland Games A ssocia t ion 555 Lampson S t. ‚ V ic to r ia ‚ B .C .
Whi te Eagle Pol ish A ssocia t ion 90 Dock S t. ‚ V ic to r ia ‚ B .C .
Hungar ian Socie t y of V ic tor ia 476 Bay S t. ‚ V ic to r ia ‚ B .C . 250 -388 -5004
V ic tor ia Nat ive Fr iendship Cent re 231 Regina Ave. ‚ V ic to r ia ‚ B .C . 250 -384-3211
Vic tor ia Fi l ipino-Canadian Seniors Associat ion Bayanihan Communi t y Cent re 1709 B lanshard S t. ‚ V ic to r ia ‚ B .C .
Chinese Consol idated Benevolent A ssocia t ion 636 Fisgard S t. ‚ V ic to r ia ‚ B .C .
Sons of Scot land ‚ 204 Balgownie Web: sonsof scot land.com/about-us/prov inc ia l -loca t ions/204-balgownie
La Socié té f rancophone de V ic tor ia 200 -535 Ya tes S t. ‚ V ic to r ia ‚ B .C . 250 -388 -7350
V ic tor ian Croat ian Communi t y 4081 Gordon Head Rd. ‚ V ic to r ia ‚ B .C .
V ic tor ia Fi l ip ino-Canadian A ssocia t ion Bayanihan Communi t y Cent re 1709 B lanshard S t. ‚ V ic to r ia ‚ B .C .
Leonardo Da V inci Cent re 195 Bay S t. ‚ V ic tor ia ‚ B .C .
Vic tor ia Korean-Canadian Women’s Association Web: vkcwa.wordpres s .com
India Canada Cul tural A ssocia t ion Facebook: Ind ia Canada Cul tura l A s socia t ion
V ic tor ia A f r ican Car ibbean Cul tural Socie t y Web: vacc socie t y.com
Jewish Federat ion of V ic tor ia and Vancouver I s land 3636 She lbourne S t. ‚ V ic to r ia ‚ B .C .
V ic tor ia Nikkei Cul tural Socie t y Facebook: vnca.ca
Vancouver I s land Thai A ssocia t ion Facebook: Vancouver I s land Thai A s socia t ion
Mex ican Canadian Communi t y A ssocia t ion of V ic tor ia Web: v ic to r iamex icancanadian.org
VICTORIA IMMIGRANT & REFUGEE CENTRE SOCIETY
930 Balmoral Rd. ‚ V ic tor ia ‚ B.C. 250 -388-4728 637 Bay St ., 3 rd Floor, V ic tor ia ‚ B.C. 250 -361-9433
Irene‚ what is your background? I have a undergraduate degree in International Studies and Diplomacy from the University of Benin‚ Benin City‚ Nigeria. Now I am a student at Royal Roads University in their Conflict Analysis and Management Masters program. Diplomacy has a connection with conflict because you have to negotiate and bargain on a diplomatic basis.
Tell me about your family. I am the first-born in my family. I also have two brothers and a sister. One of my brothers is studying at the University of Winnipeg—he travelled there alone from Nigeria at the age of seventeen! My other brother lives in Singapore‚ and my younger sister is still in school in Nigeria‚ but I hope she will come here one day. My mother and father are both still in Nigeria.
Is Irene your birth name? Yes! But actually‚ normally‚ in the African tradition‚ when a first child is born‚ a lot of people come and give names. So‚ your grandma‚ your parents‚ everybody just gives names‚ and because we have such big families you can have‚ like‚ twenty names! My dad gave me my name—he was schooled in France‚ and his best friend in France was named Irene. It means ‘peace’.
What has your experience in Canada been like so far? You know‚ some people say they face things like segregation‚ but my experience has been awesome. I just feel so free here. I have a bunch of good classmates‚ and I feel like I’m really integrated into the system—even my friends say I’ve integrated so fast. My best friend from Nigeria who has also lived here said‚ “Irene‚ do you know that you are just so integrated into this culture. You’re going to the lake! When did you start going to the lake? Did you even go to the lake back in Africa?”
What do you miss most from home? The food! And my family of course. In Canada‚ I don’t really see the family culture. Back in Africa‚ you’re all connected. In
Africa‚ a community is family. For example‚ you are from Langford‚ and everyone living in Langford would be your brother‚ or someone from Goldstream would be family with anyone else from Goldstream. That sense of community doesn’t happen in Canada‚ so I really miss that‚ that feeling of extended family. In Canada‚ family usually just means husband‚ wife‚ and kids.
Is there anything you find strange or funny
about Canadian culture? Well‚ what I personally consider funny is the style of dressing—there are so many different styles of dressing here! But the strangest thing is when you go on a date here‚ you each pay your own bill. That does not happen‚ would never happen‚ in Nigeria. The African man is going to foot all of your bills! But here! I can’t believe it. I told my friends here that this “sharing the bill” culture must be changed!
Victoria welcomes
heremagazine.ca 7
Sitting down with Fiona Bramble on a November afternoon in the Juan De Fuca
Library in Colwood‚ Irene shares her enthusiasm for her new life in Canada.
Read Irene’s full interview at www.heremagazine.ca
welcome to the community
MY DAD GAVE ME MY NAME—HE
WAS SCHOOLED IN FRANCE‚ AND HIS BEST FRIEND IN
FRANCE WAS NAMED IRENE. IT MEANS
‘PEACE ’.
“
IRENEOGBOMIDA
HOMETOWN Benin City, NigeriaLANGUAGESEnglish, Enwan, Yoruba, Benin
a documen tary s e r i e s f r om
COLIN BOYD SHAFER
people with differing beliefs
come together in love
AWARD-WINNING CANADIAN DOCUMENTARY PHOTOGRAPHER AND CREATOR OF COSMOPOLIS TORONTO COLIN BOYD SHAFER BRINGS US HIS LATEST PROJECT
8 heremagazine.ca
Jameel was born in Toronto
to South Asian parents who
had immigrated to Canada
from Tanzania in the mid-1970s.
He was raised in a traditional
Ismaili household where his
family regularly attended
religious services. Jameel
identifies as an Ismaili Muslim
and acknowledges that his
loving and supportive home life
provided the foundation for him
to become the man he is today.
Lauren grew up in Waterloo‚ Ontario. Her parents moved to
Canada from South Africa and
chose a city where they could
integrate with the local culture.
Her family upholds the traditions
of Judaism‚ and she identifies
as a cultural Jew. For Lauren‚ the beauty and meaning of the
Jewish holiday traditions are
what she primarily identifies
with.
THEIR STORY
Almost a decade ago‚ Lauren
and Jameel met while playing on
the same ultimate frisbee team.
They were‚ at that
time‚ both dating
people and had
not really paid
much attention
to each other.
Over the years‚ they would run
into each other at
social events. It
was not until 2010‚ when Jameel was
on his way to live
in Kyrgyzstan and Lauren was off
to volunteer in Africa‚ that they
really connected.
They kept in touch through
group emails that described their
respective travels and overseas
adventures. Over time‚ the group
emails evolved into personal
messages and then Skype
calls. Being able to share the
challenges of living in different
cultures helped them experience
a special type of bonding.
Returning to Toronto after
both spending almost a year
overseas‚ they went on their first
official date. Jameel remembers‚
“Sitting across from each other
over dinner‚ it felt like we had
known each other for ages. We
have been together ever since.”
They have been fortunate to
have the support and love from
both sides of their family and
from friends. “Considering the
divisive state of mainstream
social politics between Jews and
Muslims‚ some are surprised that
we do not embody those same
political divisions and that our
relationship has not faced any
unique challenges that other
married couples do not also
encounter.” As
they now live in
a one bedroom
apartment‚ their
daily struggles
include such issues
as who takes
up more time in
the bathroom
and whose turn
it is to wash the dishes (Lauren
contends that
it is Jameel on both counts).
“While we do acknowledge that
there are differences between
us‚ there are far more relevant
commonalities that provide a
strong foundation upon which we
base our relationship.”
They are often greeted with
surprise and curiosity when
people discover that they are a
Jewish–Muslim couple. “It is not
lost on us how unique our union is.”
Jameel + Lauren
CONSIDERING THE DIVISIVE STATE OF
MAINSTREAM SOCIAL POLITICS BETWEEN
JEWS AND MUSLIMS‚ SOME ARE SURPRISED
THAT WE DO NOT EMBODY THOSE SAME
POLITICAL DIVISIONS...
To read Jameel and Lauren ’s ful l s tor y and to discover how they brought together elements of Indian ‚ Ismail i ‚ and Jewish customs in their wedding ceremony‚ v is i t www.interloveprojec t .com
a documen tary s e r i e s f r om
COLIN BOYD SHAFER
people with differing beliefs
come together in love
“
heremagazine.ca 9
C a t h o l i c A t h e i s t H u m a n i s t B u d d h i s t S i k h I s m a i l i P r o t e s t a n t A n g l i c a n H i n d u B a h á ' íP r e s b y t e r i a n S u f i B a p t i s t A n g l i c a n P r o t e s t a n t M u s l i m H i n d u S u n n i B a p t i s t M u s l i mAn g l i c a n H i n d u J e w i s h C a t h o l i c P r e s b y t e r i a n A t h e i s t H u m a n i s t P r o t e s t a n t A n g l i c a nH i n d u S u n n i W i c c a n P r e s b y t e r i a n C a t h o l i c H u m a n i s t P r o t e s t a n t M u s l i m A t h e i s tP r o t e s t a n t A n g l i c a n H i n d u P r e s b y t e r i a n S u f i B a p t i s t A n g l i c a n H i n d u S u n n i B a p t i s tM u s l i m A n g l i c a n H i n d u J e w i s h C a t h o l i c P r e s b y t e r i a n A t h e i s t H u m a n i s t P r o t e s t a n tH i n d u S u n n i W i c c a n P r e s b y t e r i a n C a t h o l i c A t h e i s t H u m a n i s t P r o t e s t a n t A n g l i c a nA n g l i c a n H i n d u P r e s b y t e r i a n S u f i B a p t i s t A n g l i c a n P r o t e s t a n t M u s l i m S u n n i B a p t i s tM u s l i m B u d d h i s t S i k h I s m a i l i P r o t e s t a n t A n g l i c a n H i n d u B a h á ' í A n g l i c a n H i n d uJ e w i s h C a t h o l i c P r e s b y t e r i a n A t h e i s t H u m a n i s t P r o t e s t a n t A n g l i c a n H i n d u S u n n i W i c c a n
To read Jameel and Lauren ’s fu l l s to r y and to d iscover how they brought together e lements o f Indian ‚ I smai l i ‚ and Jewish cus toms in the i r wedding ceremony‚ go to in te r lovepro jec t .com
When it comes to the Israe li-Pale st inian
situat ion, we ’ve had some heated debate s.
I think most of our arguments come
from our diffe rent start ing point s: that
not nece ssari ly log ical place where you assume
your people are the only one s coming from
a good place .
“
From top le f t ‚ c lockwise : Eman + Jess ‚ E l van + A l len ‚ James + Mel inda ‚ Av i shka + Sean ‚ Aaron + B r i tRead abou t each un ique un ion a t in te r lovepro jec t .com.10 heremagazine.ca
C a t h o l i c A t h e i s t H u m a n i s t B u d d h i s t S i k h I s m a i l i P r o t e s t a n t A n g l i c a n H i n d u B a h á ' íP r e s b y t e r i a n S u f i B a p t i s t A n g l i c a n P r o t e s t a n t M u s l i m H i n d u S u n n i B a p t i s t M u s l i mAn g l i c a n H i n d u J e w i s h C a t h o l i c P r e s b y t e r i a n A t h e i s t H u m a n i s t P r o t e s t a n t A n g l i c a nH i n d u S u n n i W i c c a n P r e s b y t e r i a n C a t h o l i c H u m a n i s t P r o t e s t a n t M u s l i m A t h e i s tP r o t e s t a n t A n g l i c a n H i n d u P r e s b y t e r i a n S u f i B a p t i s t A n g l i c a n H i n d u S u n n i B a p t i s tM u s l i m A n g l i c a n H i n d u J e w i s h C a t h o l i c P r e s b y t e r i a n A t h e i s t H u m a n i s t P r o t e s t a n tH i n d u S u n n i W i c c a n P r e s b y t e r i a n C a t h o l i c A t h e i s t H u m a n i s t P r o t e s t a n t A n g l i c a nA n g l i c a n H i n d u P r e s b y t e r i a n S u f i B a p t i s t A n g l i c a n P r o t e s t a n t M u s l i m S u n n i B a p t i s tM u s l i m B u d d h i s t S i k h I s m a i l i P r o t e s t a n t A n g l i c a n H i n d u B a h á ' í A n g l i c a n H i n d uJ e w i s h C a t h o l i c P r e s b y t e r i a n A t h e i s t H u m a n i s t P r o t e s t a n t A n g l i c a n H i n d u S u n n i W i c c a n
Inte rfaith love l ike ours i s not without it s chal lenges, but with a st rong core to the re lat ionship, al l the se
chal lenges can be overcome .
INTERLOVE wi l l be exhib i ted a t the Mi les Nadal Jewish Communi t y Cent re in Toronto for the Scot iabank CONTACT photography fes t i va l in May 2016 .
From top le f t ‚ c lockwise : Eman + Jess ‚ E l van + A l len ‚ James + Mel inda ‚ Av i shka + Sean ‚ Aaron + B r i tRead abou t each un ique un ion a t in te r lovepro jec t .com.
“
heremagazine.ca 11
BER
LIN
WA
LL‚
EA
ST
SID
E G
ALL
ER
Y.
BIG
STO
CK
PH
OTO
.CO
M
12 heremagazine.ca
THE SUITCASE had been carefully tucked
away on a basement shelf‚ several long
strings deliberately draped across it to
detect disturbance or unwelcome curiosity.
Ann’s father had hidden the old case
there several years earlier after Ann
had stumbled across it cleaning out the
basement. “Dad!” Ann had said then‚ “Here’s your old suitcase.” Ann knew that
her father had arrived in Canada after
World War II with only a few possessions
in a single suitcase. For Ann‚ here was a
chance to peek into her father ’s past and
possibly glimpse photographs of his family
left long behind in Europe‚ her people
too—family she had never met. Her father‚ Peter‚ had wrenched it from her hands
with lit tle explanation and a sudden‚ raging anger: “Mind your own business!” Peter disappeared with the suitcase and‚ not wanting to upset her father further‚ however strange his reaction‚ Ann put it
out of her mind.
Ann Thomson was born and raised in
Victoria‚ B.C. Along with her younger
sister‚ she grew up in a time seen through
a post-war filter. According to Ann‚ World
War ll was a daily point of reference:
“ the neighbour ’s tree was planted before
‘ the war ’; I had this job during ‘ the
war.’” Everyone had been touched by
the war‚ and almost everyone honoured
an unspoken code to not ask veterans
questions about wartime experiences.
This was particularly true at the Edelweiss
Club‚ where Ann and her family spent
much of their spare time. A social club
still located in Victoria‚ the Edelweiss
Club is a gathering place for all German
Canadians including‚ in Ann’s time‚ veterans tainted
by the Nazi
regime. To have
asked these men
questions about
the war‚ in Ann’s words‚ “would
have been bad
manners‚ rude‚ and hurtful.” “Even now‚” says Ann‚ “ the older ones will
not talk about the war.” Ann also says‚ “ this [unspoken code] is what saved my
dad ’s bacon.”
Ann remembers this time at the
Edelweiss Club as one of dances and
Oktoberfests‚ where she heard “Dad
speak German—often.” Even though they
hadn’ t met or learned anything about
their extended German family in Europe‚ Ann and her sister culturally identified as
German. As children‚ the two sisters would
often choose Germany as the focus for
school projects‚ colouring in many a flag
with stripes of black‚ red‚ and gold.
remnants of war“Remnants of war” is a term most often used to describe the physical and psychological legacy of war. The international community refers to landmines, unexploded shells, grenades, and bombs as “ERW”: explosive remnants of war.
by Fiona Bramble
TO HAVE ASKED THESE MEN
QUESTIONS ABOUT THE WAR WOULD HAVE BEEN BAD
MANNERS‚ RUDE‚ AND HURTFUL.
“
heremagazine.ca 13
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