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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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 y@heremagazine.ca 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

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EA

ST

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ALL

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BIG

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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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