Qeb Archives: Cov dab neeg tseeb

Chanukah nkauj, Leej twg?

PatternSquare08When my son was in grade 1, the teacher asked if the Jewish children in the class would like to sing a Chanukah song at the upcoming seasonal party. They enthusiastically agreed, including my son. When my son reported this to me, I asked him who in the class was Jewish. He mentioned his good buddy: blue-eyed, blonde Mark with-the-very-Scottish-surname. I thought that was very cute – Mark pretending to be Jewish, likely in order to hang with his buddy, my son.

When I bumped into Mark’s mother I told her that we had a good laugh at home at the thought of Mark singing a Chanukah song. She looked at me blankly and then started to laugh. She explained that they’d had the same conversation at their house when Mark came home and reported that my blue-eyed, blonde son with-the-very-WASP-surname had volunteered to sing the Chanukah song. As it happens, both boys are Jewish by virtue of their Jewish moms. Oy!

- Deborah in Toronto

Tsev neeg cov sijhawm: Ib tug ntxhais uas qhia nyob rau Biracial

PatternSquare06I was born in Vancouver in 1960. My great-grandfather, a Christian missionary, came here from China to minister to the Chinese that were building the CN railway. When my father (Suav) fell in love with my mother (Dutch-Irish) and wanted to marry her, his family opposed it. My mother’s family was not keen on the idea either — they hesitantly gave their approval but that was only because she was pregnant. They never did marry because interracial marriages, in those days, were just not acceptable. Both of my parents have terrible memories of how they were treated in those days. Mus nyeem ntawv →

Nyiaj so koobtsheej Tshooj

PatternSquare06Chinese New Year is a big event in Vancouver, with people getting into the spirit regardless of heritage. During this year’s celebrations in February, it came up as a topic of conversation in our house. I asked my seven-year-old son which of his friends’ families were celebrating New Year’s. He looked at me blankly. I mentioned a name and this time he looked at me as though I ought to know better. He explained his friend was Korean, not Chinese.  Point taken. Ok, but wait a minute I said – our neighbours are Korean and hadn’t they been celebrating? Mus nyeem ntawv →

Cov mov ci thiab tshiab foundations

MC40_AfghanBreadI grew up in Vancouver but feel like I’ve explored new depths to this city having just recently met refugee women who call it their new home. Their perspectives shed new light for me on what it means to live in a multiethnic, multicultural community, one that welcomes people from diverse parts of the globe but doesn’t always know how to help them feel like they belong. I recently met a dozen women who came to Metro Vancouver fleeing violence and persecution back home. Mus nyeem ntawv →

Tam sim no kom kuv xav, kuv npe yog dab tsi?

MC40_spring_festival_coupletsMy daughter and I moved to Canada in July 2011, and since then, I have been flat out working on my MA in Intercultural Communications, looking for work and starting a consulting business. My 8-year-old daughter is happily enrolled in a great public school a few blocks away that has a wonderful ‘learn through the arts’ program. Unfortunately, I have not had enough time to volunteer or get to know her class mates that much.

Txawm li cas los, during Chinese New Year of 2013, I was able to take a few hours one morning to volunteer my time and share with my daughter’s classmates and teacher. Mus nyeem ntawv →

What’s In A Cloud?

MC40_CloudsRecently, a friend, a Chinese Canadian living in Canada over 10 years, drove me along the way from the downtown Victoria to Colwood at the sunset. A glance of the clouds ahead led me to take one snapshot of cloud picture with my mobile.  The clouds in the early evening are in Chinese ink art.  This time they made an “inky” painting in a night color, reminding me of Chinese art inspiration and beauty:  a freehanded piece full of imaginary images: mountains afar, trees, figures, flowers or various animals … with some huge blank spaces here or there that any stories of yours can tell.         – Laura in Victoria

Tsis dhau mus, Eh?

Orange Maple LeafKeeb xeeb kuv tuaj Salzburg, Austria. Txij thaum kuv nyob sia mus thoob ntiajteb ob peb xyoos tas los no kuv tabtom siv interacting nrog ntau haiv neeg tej pawg.

Cas kuv yuav tsis siv los ho yog tias feem ntau cov neeg zoo li tus phooj ywg heev thiab kuv tej yam muaj ntau ntau heev uas yog. Tab sis, yog dab tsi kuv uas ploj lawm siab dawb paug. Yog hais tias muaj ib yam dab tsi uas ib tug neeg tsis nyiam ces cia li hais, yog tsis muaj dab tsi phem txog qhov uas. Tab sis tseem tuaj ua haujlwm thaum twg kuv yuav tsum sau ib lub email kuv yuav tsis pub kom cia li hais tsis yog. Nws qhia kuv kom muaj qab zib lo rau nws thiab tsis hais tias nws mus!!!

Tus ntawd yog ib yam uas nyuaj heev rau kuv vim kuv siv mus hais ncaj nraim.  Tus ntawd yog biggest txawv rau kuv tus Canadian culture thiab kuv nyuas.

- Kathi hauv Vancouver

Thawj qhov cuav ua German

Ich komme urspruenglich aus Salzburg, Oesterreich. Ntaj ich schon einige Jahre txhij Ausland lebe rau hauv ich lawv gewohnt mit verschiedenen ethnischen Gruppen zusammenzuleben. Mus nyeem ntawv →

Lub Snapshot ntawm peb tiam

MC40_wong_kidsKuv dad yog yug thiab nyob Jamaica. Nws tuaj txog los Vancouver li ib tug me nyuam kawm ntawv thiab muaj nws ntsib kuv niam, tus hluas nkauj ntawm Oakville, Ontario nws niam nws txiv tau muaj emigrated los ntawm Scotland thiab neeg no kuj tau ib tug me nyuam kawm ntawv. Ib yam coj mus rau lwm thiab, nrog lawv kom tiav cov kev tshawb fawb cov kab tshoob los lawv. Kuv tseem tsis tau fathom tias tus niam txiv tsis kam mus koom nws kab tshoob vim hais tias nws yog marrying skinned no yawg dub. Mus nyeem ntawv →