punjabi, eh! or depends where you live!
first destination -1992
punjab to womb to vgh to surrey
kuri -the girl
the new generation
punjabi taa sikkh jaugee
first generation canadian
an offspring delivered in a foreign land
first to be a canadian citizen by birth
elementary school, surrey
not convent school, punjab
no senior secondary, india
from elementary to high school to kpu
advisor: “yes, you can take second language courses here
like french
while advisor thinks of bilingualism
excellent second language skills
hit the registration button
enter the land of fiver rivers
identity crisis
tight limit
boxes filled with pupils
united by colour
by colours amongst colours
as instructors break the wall
who am i? why take this elective?
my first language is english!
did i have to put myself through this mess?
do I have any background knowledge?
punjabi is not the official language of canada
I must start from scratch
f*** examinations, finals already! examinations
parents’ fault for coming here
english everyday
likhna for exams
rishthidaar judge your punjabi
to gossip around about you
parents and grandparents chant
punjabi bolo, punjabi likho, punjabi parho
multilingualism in public sector
do you know second language?
how about punjabi?
the banks hire “your age”
hesitation
punjabi, eh!
punjabi
*kuri: girl
*punjabi taa sikkh jaugee: she’ll learn Punjabi
*likhna: to write
*rishthidaar: relatives
*punjabi bolo, punjabi likho, punjabi parho: speak, write and read Punjabi