Prva stvar, ki me je navdušil, ko sem prišel v Saint John je bil, da sem nenadoma spoznal, da sem bil kitajski. Jaz sem drugačna od ljudi okoli mene. So Kanadčani in sem Chinese. I didn’t have this feeling when I was in China because all others were Chinese too.

Potem sem začel razmišljati, kaj so razlike. Postopoma, Ugotovil sem, da so razlike povsod! Na primer, Brian, Moja homestay staršev, me je vprašal, za sladico po tradicionalni kitajski obroku sem kuhala zanj. Razočaranje na obrazu, ko sem mu povedal, da ni bilo sladica po kitajski obrok sem še čutil sem nekaj zares groznega. Hej, to je velik posel za Kanadčane, sladica! Obstaja na stotine primerov, ki kažejo na razlike v kulturi, especially between the East and the West.

V prvih nekaj letih, vse, kar sem videl, so bile razlike med mano in drugimi Kanadčani. To me je domotožje in je bilo težko čas. Vendar, z modrostjo starosti in časa, Spoznal sem, da so vse razlike dejstva in bodo tam ni važno mi je všeč ali ne. Prav tako, na drugi strani, imamo več podobnosti kot razlik, ki je bolj smiselno za mene, da odkrivajo in paziti. Načelno, vsi smo se postarala in jih nekega dne umrl; smo vsi sicknesses od časa do časa; vsi smo se morali posloviti od ljudi, ki jih ljubimo in vsi smo včasih morali storiti vse, kar smo mi je storiti. Mi smo več, enaka razliki. Zelo sem vesel, da sem odkril, da je in od tega dne s tem sklepom, Canada became my home.

Ni veliko lahko povem z omejitvijo toka prostora, vendar obstaja veliko deliti. Ljubim Kanado in počutim se dobro živi tukaj!

- Xin v Saint John, Opomba

-Slika: © EdArias

Growing up as an immigrant child was hard. The first question I was often asked was “where are you from?” The easy answer was Pakistan. It was a part of me. Poleg tega, I thought living in Canada was difficult. I was bullied for being a “Paki”, my protective parents didn’t allow me to go to sleepovers and movies and my clothes smelled like the Pakistani spices my mom used in our traditional food. I was caught between two worlds and didn’t know how to reconcile them.

I am not sure when it happened but sometime during my elementary school years, saying that I was from Pakistan was no longer the easy answer to give. My memories and life in Canada became more familiar.  My parents encouraged me to celebrate and contribute to my new home and remember the one I left. I remember attending my Citizenship Ceremony and excitedly telling my 5^th grade teacher Mrs. Burnett that I was now a Canadian.

I volunteered at an MPP’s office and had my first trip to Ottawa where I called my mom from the Peace Tower at the Parliament of Canada in awe of where I was standing.

During my undergraduate years at the University of Toronto, I began to travel during the summers. Working abroad in various communities, I was asked the same question I had been asked in Canada “Where are you from?” I answered, “from Canada”

The next question was “Where are you really from?” In frustration, sometimes dismay, I would answer, “I was born in Pakistan but I grew up in Canada”. I was very proud of my Pakistani birth and early years but I was also very sure that my home was now Canada.

In 2009, my family decided to go back to Pakistan. I was excited and nervous. Before we left Canada, I remember thinking no one will ask me where I was from – I speak fluent Urdu, wear the traditional shalwar kameez and will not stand out in a crowd.

When we arrived in Lahore, I went out with my family and ordered a chana dish from a street vendor. I just started to eat it when a woman’s voice behind me quietly asked “App kahan se hain?” meaning “WherWhere are you from221;

I couldn’t believe it. Not here!

I was born only a few hours drive from Lahore in a town called Sargodha. I told her I was from Pakistan. She wasn’t convinced and asked again.

I said, “I was born in Pakistan but grew up in Canada.” We struck up a conversation and talked about our lives in different parts of world. I couldn’t help but think of the person I would be if my family had never left Pakistan. When I arrived back in Canada, I was overwhelmed by that unexplainable feeling of “home” when I saw Toronto.

Danes, I still get asked where I am from. To say that I am Pakistani-Canadian is the easy and the right answer to give. I may have been born in one part of the world and relish in the few memories I have but Canada is my home. Together, the two places have made me who I am and for that, I am grateful.

-Sadia in Mississauga

Ko zapuščate Liberija, da se usede v Kanadi, da vas ne bo trajalo dolgo, da priznajo številne razlike v kulturi. Many Liberians back home would disagree with me because we believe that our culture is closely linked to North America since the country was established by free slaves from America. But it was quick for me to notice that our assertions are wrong.

Poleg mojo državo izvora, Živel sem v treh različnih državah na treh različnih celinah v zadnjem desetletju. Kanada je sedaj četrta. Glede na moje izkušnje, je bilo enostavno za mene, da prepoznajo kulturnih razlik. Kaj ni bila lahka, čeprav, mi je bilo prilagoditi spremembam v kulturi. This confirms a saying in my country that “old tree can’t be bind easily”.

Dve leti sem ponavadi v Kanadi, Sem se boril z pozivajo starejše ljudi s svojo prvo ime. Če menite, da o skupnosti, kjer seniors sta največja starostna kohorta, kot boste razumeli, kaj sem moral iti skozi dan. Ampak to ni problem za moje 8 letno hčerko, ki so se preselili v Kanado, ko je bila le 20 mesecev. Ona lahko preprosto pokličete starejšo osebo o starosti babici s svojo prvo ime. Jaz naprej jo je opomnil, da od kod prihajamo to ni dovoljeno. Menimo, da je ime kliče prvi korak pri prikazovanju "spoštovanje". Torej so ročaji pritrjena imeni, odvisno od starostne razlike in status v. Zato so vsi starši v soseski so bodisi stric ali teta. Da bi se izognili kliče prvih imen, I approach people without calling their name which at time looks awkward.

Prav tako, Hitro sem opazil, da hišne ljubljenčke, se mačka ali pes je sestavni del mnogih gospodinjstvih. Občudujem, kako se živali obravnavajo z dostojanstvom in spoštovanjem. Pogosto se sprašujem stroške dviga ljubljenčka, in žal mi je za tisoče ljudi v moji državi, ki živijo z manj kot dolarjem na dan. Kje sem iz, psi in mačke obravnavajo različno. Kadarkoli, Moja hči mi pove, da želi biti Vet, Sprašujem se, če bi rekla ona odraščala v Liberiji. Ker Vet ni kariera otrok v Liberiji bodo sanjajo, saj živali niso nikoli sprejeti za veterinarje. Poleg tega, I can’t remember seeing a section in the groceries store for pet food.

Kaj najbolj občudujem o ljudeh atlantskega Kanadi je njihova gostoljubnost in kako dostopna so. Čudi me, kako se ljudje začnejo pogovor s pogovorom o vremenu. Pogosto gre takole, "Imamo dober dan danes". Tovrstna poteza, za mene, breaks all communication bearers and creates a platform for communication.

 - William v Saint John, Opomba

Čeprav sem že govoril angleško tekoče, ko sem prišel v Kanado je bilo dni borijo z angleščino me čakajo, along with French.

Po 6 mesecev živijo v Moncton, moja žena in sem se preselil v Ontariu, zaradi delovnih reson. Smo živeli tam 2 let in 2 mesecev. To je bil drugačen od New Brunswick. I went to English LINC course there.

Bilo je pozimi, ko smo se preselili v Ontariu. Ko že govorimo o zimskem , kjer sem sprva prišel imamo le nekaj dni snega. Bilo je izjemno žaljiv za mene, da vidim količino snega in debel led. Bilo je grozno. Vse sem mislil je: "Zakaj sem tukaj?"

Živel sem samo v Saint John za 19 days now but I think I like the good mix of culture here.

I certainly have been home sick quite bad and have experienced some hard days coming from cultural differences as well but I can comfortably say that I am glad that I came here because I experienced something that I could not have experienced back home.

- Shigeki in SaiOpomba John, NB

- Photo Credit: Fred Chartrand, Canadian Press

Moje ime je Sophie in jaz sem iz Francije. Prispel sem v Kanadi oktobra lani, 2012 in Saint John. I remember when I arrived, vsakdo uporablja vprašati teh vprašanj:

“Oh, niste kanadski? (zaradi mojega očitno francoski naglas), Ste francosko, iz Moncton, Quebec City? Iz Francije? Res?! Zakaj Saint John?”

Zdi se nemogoče, da francosko dekle izbrati Saint John v svoji prvi namembni kraj v Kanadi. No, sem se uporabljajo za odgovor: “Pravkar sem dodati svoj mojster v Franciji in je bil idealen čas za mene, da imam svojo prvo izkušnjo v tuji državi, izven mojega udobnega, v drugem jeziku, ampak v državi, v kateri bom lahko še vedno počutim kot doma.” Bilo je res smešno, kako so ljudje presenečeni, da sem bil “pravi francoski”!

V resnici je bila Kanada zame, Preden sem prišel, tuja država, ampak res podobna Franciji . In tudi to je povsem drugačna!!

Najprej menite francoski jezik je enak, but not at all…Mislite, da boste našli isto vrsto hrane, but pa sploh ne končno menite delimo isto “kultura” ampak spet je res povsem drugačen!

Ta država je res velik, velikost avtomobilu, cesta, drevesa, hiša, tudi hrana in pakiranje!

As a french person I will take the example of food.

Če greste v restavracijo, Del je res velika. Ampak to je v redu, če ne boste morali končati svoj krožnik si lahko pasji vrečko! Nikoli ne boste videli to v Franciji. Revni kanadski ljudje, ki prihajajo v Francijo, dežela dobre hrane, in bo zapustil mizo še vedno stradajo!

Ponovno, v supermarket, delež hodnika nista enaka. Prehode zelenjave so res manjša, ampak čipi, pizza, coca cola, zamrznjene hrane, sladkorja, junk food so dvakrat večje od Francije. Spomnim se, sem iskal zavihku čokolade, da bi svojo torto. Sem vprašal osebo iz trgovine in mu pokazala moj “Pripravljeni priprava torta”, Rekel sem, da ne želim, da bo res spekel mojo torto, Rekel mi je res? Ob tem pa je že vse pripravljeno? Ga ni mogel, da bi me našli tisto, kar sem iskal. Kultura hrana je res drugačna!

Toda po boljše razumevanje živega slog, vreme, uživajo tudi dobršen del hrane kot jastogov, Kanada je velika država, v kateri lahko začnete novo življenje. Vse, kar hočeš biti, lahko poskusite v Kanadi, and that’s why I fall in love with this country.

Dobrodošli v Kanadi!

- Sophie v Saint John, Opomba

1) Ljudje v Saint John, so zelo prijazni, especially to newcomers.

2) There are not heavy traffic here and you have less chance to meet heavy traffic.

3) The climate here is better than any other cities in NB.

4) You can eat more fresh sea foods because it is seaside city.

Kakorkoli, Ljudje so prijazni, je najpomembnejši razlog za nas živeti tukaj. Po dveh dneh’ hiša lov, smo kupili našo hišo. Veliko prijateljev jokala, da smo naredili noro odločitev, vendar mi nikoli ne obžalujem svoje odločitve. Živimo dobro življenje tukaj in moja hči všeč šolanje zelo. Surely we try different sea foods very often.

To je moja kratka zgodba. Čeprav ni zanimivo, it is really true.

 - Jian v Saint John, Opomba

The Multicultural and Newcomers Resource Center here has played a huge role in my life here. You get to meet people from all walks of life, and appreciate the different cultures around you. I have since graduated and I am now working for a company I love thanks to the multicultural center. I am glad I came here and decided to make this a second home for me.

 - Victoria in Saint John, Opomba

I was really excited as I was going to experience snow for the first time in my life. Very first day of the school, it was storming. I probably fall couple of time on the way to school in that day. The cold was unbearable for me. Still I found it was fun to cope up with the weather. The most beautiful thing I enjoyed after coming here was the environment of the school. Everybody is so welcoming and helpful. I was involved with different cultural club in the school. That gave me the opportunity to meet lots of friends from different part of the world. I am so blessed to have my two best friends whom I met at the University of New Brunswick Saint John. One is from Canada another one is from UAE.

After I completed my graduation, I was involved with the Saint John Multicultural and Newcomers Resource Center. Here again I meet lot of people from different region through different activities. So after I have moved to Saint John, I had the opportunity to learn about different culture, food and I am enjoying it every bit of it.

 - Nazma in Saint John, Opomba

O mesec po tem potovanju, Najeli so me na Univerzi v New Brunswick (Saint John campus) V Mednarodnega urada. Verjetno so res všeč, kar sem imel za povedati o kubanske kulture, ker v tistem času, da je bilo za vsako multikulturne izkušnje. Spomnim se na moj prvi dan misleč, da je to bil, da bo tako noro, neposredno delo z mednarodnih študentov, ker nisem imel nobene multikulturno ozadje in, again, ni nikoli zares zapustil Saint John. Do konca prvega, čeprav, I knew that I had found my passion.

Nad Naslednji 7 leta, Imel sem priložnost spoznati študente iz vsega sveta. Vzel sem lekcij v korejščini in mandarinščino. Udeležil sem se vsak multikulturno prireditev na kampusu. Študiral sem in izpolni svoje poučevanje angleščine kot potrdilo drugega jezika in pod tutorstvom mednarodnih študentov. (Jaz še vedno vodi v stiku z mnogimi, vključno z mojim prvim študenta, Yuki iz Japonske.) Prav tako sem imel priložnost potovati kot del mojega dela na UNBSJ in sem obiskal 11 države v dveh letih. Sem izvedel toliko v tem času (vključno z dejstvom, da je svet tako majhen ..... potem ko je spoznala moškega iz Sussexa, NB, poučevanje v Čilu!). Čeprav ne delam na UNBSJ več, Jaz sem še vedno precej blizu številnih mednarodnih študentov - mnogi med njimi so diplomirali zdaj. Nekateri so se preselili iz province, ampak mnogi so še vedno v New Brunswick, including Vicky from Kenya who graduated and now works full-time at the Royal Bank.

S svojim delom, Vicky je srečal veliko ljudi, ki Ponovnoznajo (ki ni pretežka b / c, again, Sem bil v Saint John vse moje življenje) in ona vedno pove ljudem, kaj sem naredil za njo. Ji niti ne sanja, kaj je naredila zame! Sem še, da se učijo toliko od Vicky in drugi; moja strast za multikulturalizem nikoli opustitev. In, je, No Doubt, zaradi moje ljubezni do mednarodnih študentov kot Vicky, da sem zavzel stališče - sem bil eden od prvih dveh ljudi najel - za začetek Saint John večkulturna in Novinci Resource Centre, where I still work today.

- Mary v Saint John, NB 

One day the father of two little boys approached me and asked if I might give his sons more English-sounding names.   My own opinion was that they might want to keep their names in order to hold onto something familiar in this new place.  But their father was adamant.

Če pomislim zdaj, Zavedam se, da sta oče in jaz sva oba zdravijo imeni kot kulturni simbol - njun oče želel imen, ki bi pomagali njegovi fantje vklopil v tej novi kulturi, and I was thinking about their names connecting them to the culture they had left behind.

Sem vzel resno zadevo. , I hit on two names that were as close sounding as I could come to the names they had arrived with.

V preteklih letih sem opazoval in se čudil, volje in odločnosti teh vietnamske družine, da bi zatrli nove korenine, work hard and thrive in their new home.   I wonder how Ian and Neil have fared with the names they were given as they launched into their Canadian lives.  I hope they’ve served them well.

- Mary v Alberti

- foto kredita: Begunci čakajo na prevoz v ribiško ladjo; PH2 Phil Eggman [Public domain], preko Wikipedije