With the number days left until I leave for placement
winding down, there are tons of things running through my mind. One thing that
I hadn’t really considered until a conversation with my fellow INDEVOUR Anna,
(you can follow her blog at http://afiume.wordpress.com)
is my identity as a Canadian while on placement. It was certainly on my mind
yesterday while I celebrated Canada day with my family. Being Canadian is
something I’m used to taking for granted, and living 8 months in another
country is really going to make me question what it means to “be Canadian”.
So what makes a Canadian? Is it our excessive use of “eh”?
Is it our tendency to talk about the ever-changing weather? Is it the over-politeness,
or slight obsession with hockey? I think those things do help form our
identity, but what makes us Canadian is our diversity and embrace of that
diversity. We live in such a vastly large country, with mountains and prairies
and everything in between. We’re also home to people from all over the world,
with different cultures and languages which they are free to express and share.
Canada is the country it is today because of the rich variety of people who
live here. I suppose the question “Who are Canadians?” can’t really be answered
then. However, the question “What do Canadians value?” is a pretty easy one to
answer: diversity, acceptance and pride towards our great country!
When I get asked these kinds of questions, I’ll have to be
careful in how I answer. As a student of development, I’m often reminded not to
impose my views and Western ideals when working in a developing country. I need
to respect and immerse myself in local culture, and learn as much from the
people I work with as they learn from me. Of course I wholeheartedly believe
that I need to do all those things, however, that doesn’t mean I cannot express
and uphold my Canadian values and beliefs. Also, I think development
practitioners often forget that development work is a two-way exchange. The
people I meet in Vietnam will want to learn about Canadian culture just as much
as I want to learn about Vietnamese culture! I definitely experience this
sentiment when I lived in Ecuador. People loved when I shared my stories,
photos and recipes with them. I was reminded that Ecuadorians were sharing so
much about their lives with me, that it was only fair I share some of my
culture with them. I don’t doubt that I’ll experience this mutual sharing again
in Vietnam, and I want to be prepared to do it in the best possible way.
I agree that learning about both cultures is very important, but I think in my journeys I'm going to put some effort into being humble about my country's supposed great values. For all that many of us like to celebrate diversity, there is still a fair amount of racism and xenophobia in Canada as well, and our history is full of episodes like slavery, the Chinese Head Tax, internment camps, and the eviction of Africville. I like Canada, but I don't consider it an idyllically accepting place.
ReplyDeleteVery true. I am blessed to be living in Canada, but by far, we aren't the 'perfect' nation. This is a good reminder for me to avoid having the mindset or coming across to people in a way that makes it seem like I am superior to those who live in Botswana because my country doesn't have these huge poverty issues. We have our own issues for sure.
DeleteYou mention that maybe the "Who are Canadians?" question maybe can't be answered, but I think that it can be answered in a perfectly acceptable way that is still in line with the other things you say that we are a unique and diverse nation. It can be answered by saying "I am _____", and then describing oneself. By each Canadian citizen answering the question this way, it recognizes the individuality we all have, but is also able to acknowledge that all these 'I am' statements together perfectly describe our diverse nation.
ReplyDeleteA lot of the Canadian stereotypes you wrote are what people often still think of when you say you're from Canada. But I think the stereotypes are starting to change, and definitely not for the better. It's becoming globally known that the tar sands in Alberta are one of the largest environmental disasters, that CIDA has disappeared, and Canada withdrawing from the Kyoto Protocol.
ReplyDeleteI do think it's good to share cultural differences to better understand each other but at the same time I agree with Caileigh that we're definitely not the positive image that we previously have been
Thanks for the discussion guys! I agree with all of you, and I definitely believe Canada is not a perfect country (nor is any other country). Caileigh, I also agree that there are periods in Canadian history (even today) like you said where diversity wasn't accepted, but I also like to think that as a Canadian I can say that I live in a country where people are accepting of one another. There are exceptions to that statement, and I think that should be somewhat humbling for us when we talk about being Canadian while on placement.
ReplyDeleteThe one which you raised up (representing Canada in Vietnam) was something that I really never thought about. I wonder what kind of image we, as Canadians, have in Vietnam?
ReplyDeleteGood Question Mahmoud! Maybe the image we have of how we are perceived by others is different than what we expect. I guess we have to work to make that image positive though!
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