Home Stories Connecting Us All Home: Stories Connecting Us All | 1 Home: Stories Connecting Us All | 2 Home Stories Connecting Us All Home: Stories Connecting Us All | 3 Home: Stories Connecting Us All | 4 Home Stories Connecting Us All Edited by Tololwa M. Mollel Assisted by Scott Sabo Book design and cover photography by Stephanie Simpson Edmonton, Alberta Home: Stories Connecting Us All | 5 © 2017 Authors All rights reserved. No work in this book can be reproduced without written permission from the respective author. ISBN: in process Home: Stories Connecting Us All | 6 Table of Contents Introduction ........................................................13 ASSIST Community Services Centre: Bridging People & Communities ...............45 Letter from the Prime Minister ..................17 by the Board and Staff of ASSIST Community Services Centre War and Peace ...................................................19 To the Far North .............................................. 48 by Hussein Abdulahi by Nathaniel Bimba The International and Heritage Embracing Our Differences ..........................51 Languages Association’s Contributions to by Mila Bongco-Philipzig Multiculturalism and Multilingualism- 40 Years of Service .................................................22 Lado Luala ...........................................................54 by Trudie Aberdeen, PhD by Barizomdu Elect Lebe Boogbaa Finding a Job in Alberta .................................25 My Amazing Race ............................................ 56 by A.E.M. by Ninfa Castellanos Success in the Land of Opportunities.....27 Chinatown ........................................................... 58 by Kameran A. Akrawi Adapted from an Article by Brian L. Evans My Homeland, My Homeland .................... 29 A Pebble on the Beach ................................61 by Amjad Albida by Shreela Chakrabartty Reaching for the Stars ....................................31 Edmonton Chinese Garden ......................... 65 by Randa Alhijawi by Marty Chan Reality Knows No Age ....................................34 Cleaning Sarah’s Room ................................. 67 by Aya Alferai by Leilei Chen Expectation of LIfe .......................................... 36 Pakistani Canadians in Edmonton ........... 70 by Ossama Allam by G. Nabi Chaudhary Paying Back ........................................................ 39 Our Immigration Story ....................................73 by Najm al-Tameem by Odittee Das Choudhury Road to Canada: Diary ................................... 42 Dream Country ..................................................75 by Miki Andrejevic by Shambhu Nath Chowdhury Home: Stories Connecting Us All | 7 You ...........................................................................77 Forgetting Euskadi ........................................ 116 by Alison Clark by Luciana Erregue-Sacchi Home is Where You Are ................................ 79 Culture Shock: My First Weekend in by Anne Cloarec Canada ................................................................117 by Efa Etoroma My Canada .......................................................... 82 by Donna Coombs-Montrose King of Kush ....................................................120 by Minister Faust Meet Sandeep Custnea ................................ 85 A Conversation Re-building a Life .......................................... 123 by Idalia Ivon Pereira Meet Chenlu Dai .............................................. 88 A Conversation Finding Daddy a Job ..................................... 126 by Joseph Feulefack Excerpt from “Us”, A Forthcoming Memoir ................................................................. 90 Journey Within ................................................ 129 by Satya Brata Das by Roger Fodjo Dad, I never say this enough - ................... 94 an instrument for escaping by Kristina de Guzman desolation ......................................................... 132 by Francisco Alexander Fwallah Lessons from the Schoolyard .....................97 by Natasha Deen Life in Canada ................................................. 134 by Sergio Gaggero Excerpt on a Few of the Early Scandinavians to Edmonton ....................100 No Easy Ride .................................................... 137 by Kenneth W. Domier by Shimelis Gebremichael I Eat Strawberries Now ............................... 103 The Bitter and the Sweet ...........................140 by Lisa Dublin by Giselle Quezon General Remembering the Past, Looking Towards Reflections on Our Club’s 100th the Future ..........................................................106 Anniversary....................................................... 143 by Hue-Dieu Duong by Jimmy Gin Home ...................................................................108 The Travels of Ofeigur Sigurdsson and by Arigo Dut Astridur Tomasdottir .................................... 145 by Karen Gummo The Edmonton Chinese Bilingual Education Association (ECBEA) ................113 To a Better Life ................................................ 148 by ECBEA by Maria Hasek Home: Stories Connecting Us All | 8 Kim Hung – 1951-1996 ..................................151 I adore those yellowish leaves on by Mei Hung trees ..................................................................... 192 by Anamol Mani Preserving Africa in Canada ..................... 154 by Wunmi Idowu An Immigrant’s Wings .................................196 by Bakar Mansaray A Filmmaker’s Journey to an Untold Story .................................................................... 157 Conversations Toward a Reconciled by Selwyn Jacob Life ........................................................................199 by Kemoh Mansaray The Edmonton Jewish Community .......160 by JAHSENA First Aboriginal Police Officer to Wear Braids ..................................................................202 New Pathways................................................. 163 by Ian Manyfingers by Nariya Khasanova The Last Game ................................................204 Pursuit of Happiness ....................................166 by Jared Matsunaga-Turnbull by Suraj Khatiwada Meet Monique Mbakopa ............................207 My Success Story ...........................................169 A Conversation by Bhupendra Lamichhane The Cloverleaf Key ........................................209 The Birthday .....................................................171 by Peter Midgley by Juhua (Manna) Liu Sgt Masumi Mitsui MM 1887-1987 ......... 212 My Journey to the Drum ..............................174 by David R. Mitsui by Reckie Lloyd Snowy Experience ......................................... 216 Meet Eveline Luki .......................................... 177 by Desh Mittra A Conversation Canada Dry ....................................................... 218 Edmonton .......................................................... 179 by Tololwa M. Mollel by Junhong Ma Family Life Challenges ................................ 221 Identity and Integration ............................. 181 by Maria Antonia Motel by Savithri Machiraju Story of My Life ...............................................224 Zimbabwe Community in Edmonton ... 184 by Rama Moued by Munya Madzinga Meet Elisa Nazar ............................................226 Cultural Tour ....................................................188 A Conversation by Fatima Mammadova To My Adoptive Father, Mr. Canada .......228 Home: Stories Connecting Us All | 9 by Celestin Niyonizigiye The Blood Racing Through My Veins.... 271 Taste of Japan in Edmonton ..................... 231 by Karen Richards by Sanae Ohki Edmonton’s German Town ........................ 274 Footsteps Into Leadership ........................234 by Kate Rittner-Werkman by Chinwe Okelu Meet Geeta Saboo ........................................277 Finding My Food 8000 Miles from A Conversation Home ...................................................................238 by Eileen K. Omosa Meet Vinit Saboo ............................................279 A Conversation Community Animation ................................ 241 by Madhu Pandey Love after Enmity........................................... 281 by Maitham Salman A Requiem .........................................................244 by Minister Faust Smokey Lake ...................................................284 by Leo Sam Finding the Teacher in Me .........................247 by Nelson Pereira The Deadly Tournament .............................287 by Ahmed Sawan Healing Society with Music and Dance ..................................................................249 Beautiful Imperfection: Living as a by Ereni Perez Muslim in Canada ..........................................289 by Asma Sayed A Path to Reconciliation ............................. 251 by Dr. Sentsetsa Pilane Mosaic Gift ........................................................292 by J. Marilyn Scott Taste of Canada ..............................................254 by P.K. From China to Canada .................................295 by Dr. Jacqueline Shan A Journey ...........................................................256 by Rambabu Poudel The Jamaican Community in Edmonton ..........................................................298 Quest for Home ..............................................260 by Etty Shaw-Cameron by Garth Prinsonsky Life & Lego .......................................................