To Ottawa?

Before I boarded the bus and headed back to Montreal, I looked back and told my uncle again that if there is anything they need help with, they should feel free to just ask. I meant it, I really did.

For I could understand their worries and concerns. Though probably not the same as mine, I can imagine at least what it must feel like to be in a completely new environment and to start life afresh. I did it, but I had the benefit of being able to converse in (one of) the local languages well, and also the benefit of years of experience living overseas and years of independence. While my uncle, aunt and my two cousins may not be quite “fresh off the boat”, I can only imagine how daunting it must be to suddenly be transported to another setting, where the signs and words that come out of people’s mouths are jumbles of letters.

So I said I would help them in any way I can. Not because I want anything in return. But like many times before, I really do get a sense of joy and happiness out of seeing someone helped on their feet and watching them flourish later on. It was sort of like this with my friend and my godson, and now, my relatives find themselves also find themselves stepping into unchartered territory. If I could offer some advice, offer some simple assistance, just be there when I’m needed, I think that would do a lot.

I mean, what is happening with my two cousins is more or less what happened to me many, many years ago. I see many similarities, and in a way feel there are things that I could do and say to help make their transition smoother and less troubled. For the sake of the children’s education, my uncle decided to apply for Canadian residency (and got accepted), and last summer has already sent his oldest son to start high school in the Vancouver area. And now my aunt and my younger cousin are immigrating to Canada too, and the family is thinking of staying somewhere more suitable for kids and that will be more conducive for their language learning. The dad, my uncle, will remain in Taiwan and work a few more years before he comes to join them when he retires. It’s a story of sacrifices, of separation, longing, but also of hope, dreams and hopefully hardship that will bear fruits.

As beautiful and pleasant as Vancouver is, it is just full of Asian and Chinese-speaking immigrants, which means there is little opportunity (if any) for my cousin to really pick up English. In Ottawa at least, the proportion of Asian/Chinese-speaking immigrants is much less, so as I told them before, it’ll feel and be more like you really have moved to a whole new country instead of being stuck in a small circle of people from the same region, sharing the same cultural and linguistic backgrounds.

Though it will definitely be tough, the story of my uncle’s family is not new. In fact, today when I was with them, we paid visits to Taiwanese-Canadian families who have made the same sacrifices and arduous trek across the oceans to come to Canada in order to live in a better environment and provide a better life and future for their children. They sat at the table, sharing and listening to stories of setbacks, discoveries, experiences, and their shared gratitude of being in their new adoptive homes.

It is not yet sure whether they will move to Ottawa, but it is very likely. What is not to like about the capital of this great nation? It’s green, peaceful city of a decent size, that’s well connected and has a good transportation network. There are good schools in the area, and also good prospects for university studies in the future on the East Coast. There are sporadic pockets of Taiwanese immigrants, but not so many that the signs of certain areas are just in Mandarin scripts and where the word on the street is the dialect we speak at home. And, if it’s a factor they are considering, I’m pretty close by too, in just around 2hours by bus or train.

I will not say much else to them, and let my uncle and his family decide. But by the looks of their initial reaction, I think it might be soon that I’ll start to shuttle between Ottawa and Montreal sometime.