“Canadian Studies” as a course name leaves a rather bland-ish aftertaste at best…not very imaginative it seems. But after watching the introductory vlog, the name “Oh Canada! ‘Our home and native land’ ” set a whole new tone for the course.

I am Maryam Baksh, a 4th year UBC student finishing off my minor in English literature for graduation this spring. (I majored in psychology.) Aside from that, I love reading and writing occasional articles, usually on the intersection of human rights and minority rights, spirituality, and the Canadian context. And if I still have more spare time, I can be found quilting (a hobby inspired by none other than Mrs. Rachel Lynde’s quilting gifts in the Anne of Green Gables series).

My family emigrated to Canada many years, starting with great-aunts in the 1960s to my grandma and her kids in the 1980s and then my dad in the 1990s. The experiences of being Canadian therefore vary widely throughout my family and there are stories of all sorts (and hairstyles to match). As for me, I was born a Canadian citizen…but overseas in Saudi Arabia. I have lived there, in Guyana (where my family is from), and in Egypt. Most of my life has been in Canada…all over to be honest. Toronto. Brampton. Victoria. and now Vancouver. And just this last summer, my family and I went on a road trip with our camper to Toronto. If anything, seeing roughly half of the country-forests,prairies, Rockies, the Northern Lights (still can’t believe it!!!) was so amazing!

Having traveled so much and coming from a family with so many different Canadian stories, it’s hard to not see that the stories that make up Canada are as diverse as this country itself. What we read in traditional media (like newspapers), in published books, and from people whose voice has a stage represents the majority of the stories we hear.

But equally noticeable in their absence are the stories we don’t hear. The oratory stories of the peopls that form the foundation of human existence here…those of the Aboriginal nations: their thriving subsistence, the general brutality of European contact, and the long-lasting effects to this day. The social media stories where the individual has free reign (Twitter, Facebook) where the disgruntlement with the status quo or the unity around a movement form and grow. And the film stories of Canadian people like the post-9/11 experience of Muslim kids in “Change Your Name Ousama” http://www.omnitv.ca/on/en/docs/change-your-name-ousama/ or the riveting documentary “Guantanamo’s Child” shown at TIFF  2015 about the tragedy of the crossing of poltics and justice http://www.cbc.ca/firsthand/blog/guantanamos-child-omar-khadr-debuting-at-tiff

The pain of erased stories and the lingering stories of pain of the Reconciliation process are another collection of the stories of Canada http://reconciliationcanada.ca/

The stories we hear and those we don’t. Some we hear everywhere, others are so loud because of their silence. So yes, this vlog triggered renewed interest in the course…because I can’t wait to study and learn more about all the stories that formed and are still forming this country that is our home. Cheers!