Check It Out: Appreciating Canada this Christmas
By Joan Janzen
What did one Canadian snowman say to the other Canadian snowman? “That was some blizzard last night! I bet I gained fifty pounds!”
Canadians may gain some pounds this Christmas holiday, but they cannot afford to lose their willingness to engage in civil involvement to preserve the freedoms we love. I was reminded of this when chatting with a young man who moved here from South Africa a little over a year ago.
On his first day in town he was told there was a protest being held; he was expecting to see a thousand people with guns as would be the case in his home country. “There were four people holding signs!” He laughed and said, “The amount of stress people have here is zero!”
He left behind a country where violence and theft are common, so common that police do not respond to reports of crime. “People here tend to stop and help someone who is stranded on the road. In South Africa you don’t know if you’re being lured into a trap and will be mugged,” he said, noting that people are suspicious of one another and therefore less likely to stop and help.
Growing up as a city kid, in a low income family, he was invited by his friend’s dad to live and work at their farm. His friend’s dad recognized his natural aptitude for agriculture and mechanics and encouraged him to apply for an apprenticeship program, which he did.
After completing the program, he got a job. Shortly afterwards he applied for employment in Canada and was successful. However it was a year-long process and expensive, requiring funds from $7,000 to $9,000. Nevertheless, the young man was determined to grab hold of this opportunity. He worked eighteen-hour days every day, with no time for family or friends.
Now he works in the agriculture industry and loves watching “liquid gold” pour into the bins at harvest time. He appreciates the uniqueness of his new country. “It’s stunning to see so much open space, and then drive a couple of hours and see mountains, and drive a couple of hours in the opposite direction and see valleys.”
Leaving his country was the hardest thing he ever did because he loves South Africa, but says “I’m sad to see it go to waste.”
Coming from a country where many wars were fought for freedoms, he knows how devastating it is to lose those freedoms. He said Canadians should be proactive and voice their concerns to government. Perhaps a good example would be asking our Prime Minister to clarify what he meant by “this pandemic has provided an opportunity for a reset”, rather than deflecting people’s concerns by calling it conspiracy theories. Civil involvement, knowledge and action are keys to upholding democracy in every country.
While living in his country, the young man said his family couldn’t afford Christmas and gifts, so Christmas was more about being with friends and attending a church service. No matter what the circumstances may be, I’m hoping he has an awesome Canadian Christmas. In spite of all the restrictions Canadians are innovative, and always find a way…
For example this message received after Christmas said: “To all those who received a book from me as a Christmas present ... they’re due back at the library tomorrow.”
You can contact me at joanjanzen@yahoo.com