Hello everyone! My name is Wongelawit Teka Zewde and I am in my last year at UBC studying Mathematical Science. This is the first time I am taking an English/literature course other than English 112 (which is a requirement for all science students) and running a blog. I am nervous but excited to improve my analytical thinking, writing and communication skills. Most importantly, I am looking forward to learning about the Canadian society and its complex history by analyzing colonial narratives and stories told about First Nations.
Why am I interested in this subject?
As an international student, I had very little knowledge about First Nations People before coming to Canada. After living here for five years, I have realized that there is fundamental gap between the historic incidents that took place and the stories told when it comes to First Nation’s history. Above all, I am deeply troubled by the fact that Canada is one of the most developed countries in the world but fails its First Nation basic human rights and downplay its history of colonization. I believe, as Mandela Kuet mentions in his article, as a newcomer to Canada I have the responsibility to learn the truth about the history and the currently situation of the First Nations. I believe learning the historic complexity the First Nations and as well as the country will help me understand my role here and be a better person in the community.
Reconciliation Pole, Vancouver
What I expect in the course?
I anticipate that this course will give me the tools to determine which stories about the First Nation are true and which stories are not and understanding of the connections between literature and colonist history. I expect to unpack the complex history of the First Nations and the effect it has in today’s Canada. Truth and Reconciliation Commission was formed to create dialogue where the truths of their experiences were honored and kept safe for future generations. I believe at the end of this course, I will be equipped to analyze finds of this kind of movements and be a part of it.
Hello! I really liked reading your blog and hearing from the perspective of an international student. I also believe that it is really important for international students and people who have recently immigrated to Canada to learn about the Canada’s past and present relationship with it’s Indigenous people. I am planning on becoming an ESL teacher and I really hope to be able to educate my students on the problems throughout Canada’s history. When some people first come to Canada they may be under the impression that Canada is a really peaceful country and that all the people are nice which is true but I feel like this is true only to a certain extent as Canada has a really dark history. I want my students to learn about how the Canadian government tried to assimilate the Indigenous population by forcing them to attend residential schools and how that the European settlers stole the Indigenous peoples land. As I believe that in order for international students and people who have recently immigrated to Canada to understand the current events of today they first need to understand the history and how things played out in the past.
Thank you for taking the time to read my blog and share your insights. I think you will make a huge contribution by educating newcomers the true history and the current situation of Canada. I think the lack of knowledge that newcomers have about Aboriginal People is an overlooked problem in Canada. The immigration process does not teach you the things you need to know before coming. In the first weeks or months after arriving, they will end up having a preconceived knowledge based the stereotypes they hear on the street and media. As you said, the history is the key to what is happening and integrating that in education programs like ESL is crucial. Thank you for taking the initiation to do that and play your role. What actions do you think international students should take as individuals?
I think the actions that international students should take are similar to the actions that most Canadian people need to take. For instance I grew up in the countryside in a very white community and went to an all white school and I feel that in my community and school I was only hearing stereotypes and a lot of prejudice remarks. And it was not until I started taking classes and learning from really knowledgeable people that I became more sensitive and aware of what was happening. Therefore, I feel that international students should be open to taking classes like this one ENGL 372 where they are introduced to primary sources and material that teaches them about the history of Canada from different perspectives and then they can also have in depth discussions on the topics like the one we are having right now.
I could not agree more! I look forward to learning more and dive in conversations with you through out this course.
Sindy, I think your blog link is broken. I wanted to read your new blog post.
It’s fixed now!
Hi Wongelawit,
I like your first post very much and looking forward to reading your blog during this course.
I agree with you that it’s hard to believe that Canada being one of the most developed and progressive countries with a historically multinational population, welcoming immigrants from all over the world, has such a dark chapter in the past.
I agree with Sidney, I think that people in Canada are the nicest people I ever met. When I immigrated in Canada with my family a few years ago, I was really impressed with the people I met every day. I could barely speak English at the time, but the people around me made it very easy and comfortable to interact with them. This is why, when I first learned about Indian residential schools, I was genuinely shocked. I just couldn’t reconcile in my head the vast discrepancies between people I personally encountered here, and sad experiences the First Nation people had to deal with for many years in the same society.
I was also surprised to get to know that the last residential school was closed in 1996, while the Statement of apology from the government came out only in 2008. On the other hand, the Truth and Reconciliation program has launched in the same year (2008), and we can see today that it really works. Overall, I think the most crucial point here is that the Canadian government and society recognized Canada’s wrong role in the Indian Residential Schools system, which caused a colossal harm to many generations of the Aboriginal people, and that today Indigenous and non-Indigenous Canadians work together to heal relationships between them and build a stronger Canada.
Zhanna (or Joanne)
Hello Zhanna! Thank you for reading my blog and your inputs. You are right people are very polite and nice. You must get out of your way to learn the real history of Indigenous people because there is a lot of stereotype and stigma you hear about Indigenous people as a newcomer. I look forward to engaging with you as we both are learning.