Alexandra Park NeighbourhoodAlexandra Park Neighbourhood. Learning Centre. 707 Dundas Street West....

Alexandra ParkNeighbourhoodLearning Centre

707 Dundas Street WestToronto, OntarioM5T 2W6

Tel. (416) 591-7384Fax: (416) 591-3569

[email protected]

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Alexandra ParkNeighbourhoodLearning Centre

Issue 11June 2019

APNLC_Newsletter2019.indd 1 6/5/2019 10:53:22 AM

“Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” Nelson Mandela

33 years ago, Sherman Middleton, the president of the Alexandra Park Residents Association, cut the ribbon for the Alexandra Park learning centre. At the ceremony, Sherman emphasized the new Learning Centre belongs to the residents of Alexandra Park. (APRA Newsletter, September 1986 edition). Many things have changed since then, however, some things have remained, such as our deeply embedded value of being a learning centre for everyone in the community.

In the eight years I have worked at Alexandra Park Neighbourhood Learning Centre, I have been grateful for the inspiration I have gained from program participants and colleagues here. Many people who come to the centre are seeking a positive change in their lives. Whether it be that they want to challenge themselves, or they want to learn a new skill such as baking or computers, reading, writing or math, the fact that they are seeking such a change and dedicating time and effort to accomplishing this change in their lives, is the most important factor in facilitating that change.

As Margaret Mead says, “never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed, citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has”. For each of us, the ways we choose to change and cope with changes are what make our stories unique. Our lives are full of stories about change and transformation, whether small or something that is completely life changing, such as the birth of a child or moving to a new country. Change doesn’t exist in a vacuum - it is often cyclical in nature, like the changing seasons or the moon. While some changes happen inwardly, we also see many changes to the planet as a result of climate change. You may have changed someone else’s world - either by being in friendship or relationship with them. You may not even recognize the impact of the changes you have made on others. One thing is for certain: the only constant in life is change itself. The more we embrace this concept, the better off we will be.

Forward by Jessa Reitsma


Change towards the Canadian Experience by Bernadette Vincent.......1

I Love Quotes by Alfred Adjetey Sowah.............................................2

Changes by Velma James.................................................................3

Came to Canada for a Change by Caludia F....................................4

Change and Transformation by Coreen Gittens ................................5

From Discouraged to Hopeful by Deb ..............................................6

The Beauty of God’s Creation by Denita Brown..................................7

Moving transformed Me by Jean.......................................................8

Migrant’s Path by Ana Gricel Villanueva ...........................................9

Migrant’s Path by Ana Gricel Villanueva ..........................................10

Planet Change by Nelsy Marulanda ................................................11

The Changes We Go Through In Life by Angella Charles..................12

The Big Changes to My Wellbeing by Fay........................................13

Working for the People by Paula Gumbs..........................................14

Changing Perspective: A Story by Janet Tingloy ...............................15

Changing Perspective: A Story by Janet Tingloy ...............................16

Leaving Jamaica by Tameka ...........................................................17

Leaving Jamaica by Tameka ...........................................................18

Contents


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Change by Coco W. .......................................................................19

Change by Coco W. .......................................................................20

Life by Aida ...................................................................................21

Change and Transformation by Farzana..........................................22

Being Myself Again by Diana Moshi ................................................23

Changes by Earl............................................................................24

Change by Brandon ......................................................................25

Life Changes by Dylan ..................................................................26

A Transition In The Big City by Yerusalem Gebretnsae .....................27

Changes by Sammy Derri .............................................................28

Kevin Wants To Move to a Brand new Home by Kevin ....................29

Pictures from 1986 Alexandra Park Learning Centre opened doors to teaching. ............................................................30

APRA Newsletter front page from September1986 about Alexandra Park Learning Centre opened doors to teaching...............31

On June 5, 1986, Alexandra Park Learning Centre opened doors to teaching. Alexandra Park Residence Associations’s newsletter

from September, 1986


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Change came into my life as I left Grenada West Indies and came to Canada. At first, it was hard to find a job because all the employers wanted to know if I had Canadian experience and they did not care if you have experience from somewhere else. When I arrived in Canada, “the Canadian experience” was the top priority. Then I decided to go back to school. While I was waiting to get admitted into school, I got a job working on a sewing machine. I worked there for eight years. The company went out of business and again I was left without a job and without much Canadian experience.

I then went to school where I decided to work on getting some education so that I can gain some of the experience that they spoke of. Once I enrolled in school, I found out you could learn and gain experience at the same time in the Health Care Aid program. I also studied being a PSW/Personal Support Worker. Once I had done these courses, I was able to get a job where I could use those skills right away and gain experience from those courses. I worked at that job for a long time. I can say investing time into your studies can lead you into getting the kind of job that you want to do and you will gain that Canadian experience.

Change Towards the Canadian Experienceby Bernadette Vincent

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On June 5, 1986, Alexandra Park Learning Centre opened doors to teaching. Images from ribbin cutting ceremony.


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And I Love quotes from world leaders such as Nelson Mandela from South Africa, Barack Obama from the United States of America and Mugabe from Zimbabwe. Also, I Love quotes from Heraclitus, the Greek Philosopher who is the originator of the “Change is the only constant in life”.

It seems like yesterday when I was a tiny little baby on my mother’s lap, sucking her boneless breast and innocently telling her I would make her proud by becoming the greatest sports icon in the history of disability sports. I still have fond memories of my childhood, and it seems like yesterday, but the reality is I’m no longer a child. Come to think of it, I celebrated my 46th birthday last month, and I have two children in Ghana who call me Dad. I’m no longer that tiny little baby my mother cuddles, I’m a proud Dad of two. As a Ghanaian, I’m used to two weather conditions, the dry and wet seasons. Out of the two, I love the wet season. Who in Ghana doesn’t like rainy seasons? Well, maybe the cocoa farmers who need the sun badly to dry their crops. But even them, they cry whenever the rain delays in coming. Now you see, everyone in Ghana likes the rainy seasons. It’s the perfect time to grow crops, work hard without sweating much and sleep soundly without thinking of tomorrow. To my surprise, unlike Ghana, Canada has four seasons: winter, spring, summer, and fall. Though I have travelled to different countries in different seasons through sports, I have never experienced winter before. Canada offered me my first winter experience, and I must admit that I dislike it. The coldness, dryness, icy roads, running nose, bulky dress, pale skin, frostbite, etc, are simply not good for me. I wish I could avoid them. But I have grown to understand that in life nothing is stable. In good or bad times, change will set in and that situation will not last forever. I have accepted this fact and I wish others would do the same. The only thing that remains stable is change itself.

I want to see changes in Toronto. I want to see open transparency in Toronto. We have to stay open. We should build more affordable housing for people in Toronto. We should build a dream home for Toronto, for everybody. For people to live in Toronto. We want to build new Metrolinx on Dufferin and Eglington. I want to make a difference in Toronto. I want to see Toronto be safe. No more violence in Toronto. It is very sad what happened to me. No more guns in Toronto. Peace and quiet for Toronto.

I want to get Glow in the Dark stars in my room. Kevin wants to get Glow in the Dark stars and the moon. I want to see them beautiful in the night. I want beautiful stars in my Kevin 312 apartment. I want to experience that in my home. It is one of my long term goals. That would be cool. I want to experience that. My long term goals is to have new experiences.

I want to tell people that we’re going to see change for me and Toronto. We have to move forward, we have to plan. We have to move forward, to the future. We’ve never seen the future before. I want to experience a dream plan for Toronto. We have to fix transportation, fix the TTC. We should build affordable housing for Toronto. We are going to build a nice new waterfront, a beautiful new Sugar Beach waterfront.

It’s Kevin Head’s dream to build a home theatre stage. Kevin wants to get a guitar and an amplifier. Kevin wants to be on stage to perform. I want to get people tickets to my home theatre, to watch Kevin perform. I want to get a sign that says “home theatre tickets to watch Kevin perform”.

I’m so proud that we can share my story and make a difference to people living in Toronto.

I Love Quotes by Alfred Adjetey Sowah

Kevin Wants To Move to a Brand New Home

by Kevin


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I have worked hard on things I want to learn to reach my goal. Now I can tell time (on an analog clock), read, and use a number line. I want to keep learning. I want to learn to read a crochet pattern. This is a good change for me.

Changesby Velma James

Changes by Sammy Derri

Confidence within myself Humble enough to take right action Acting positively toward my life achievements Navigating towards my future Giving up is NOT the answer Exercising my mind Skills to make the necessary changes in my life


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In North America, many people suffer from time. The winter is very long in Canada. Many immigrants came to Canada because of opportunities, jobs, life, health and safety. Canada is large. It is a land that can be invested in where the dreams of many came true. The Government helps people by giving education and health care. Toronto is the city that has more immigrants in Canada. People from different countries and different languages are forming a great family. The unique problem in Canada is the winter, which is long, depressive and not perfect for anybody.

My life has changed in Canada. When I arrived in Canada in 2001, it was all very different for me. People, climate, food, everything was all new. For me it was a great opportunity. The hardest part of moving was adapting to the climate. This is much more difficult when you are born in a hot country. I find it interesting living in Canada. My life here is very good. I came to Canada for a chance to live better.

Came to Canada for a Change by Claudia F

A Transition In The Big Cityby Yerusalem Gebretnsae

I came to Canada from Eritrea on December 26th, 2013. When I arrived at the Toronto airport, I went directly from the airport to downtown. I will never forget this moment in time. I was shocked and overwhelmed. There were so many people with different faces and skin color, hair and language. I never expected so many different cultures. Some people were friendly and said “Hi” others were begging for money. Toronto was a big city that was very noisy and bright. I was shocked that there was a place open for 24hrs. On arrival, I sat in Tim Hortons and was amazed people could walk all night and be safe. I was worried “how can I handle my new life in the big city,” I felt totally different from when I was in my country. It was a huge turning point for me. Since 2014 I have felt a strong sense of peace. Even though I came from a small city, now being in the city of Toronto, I find I am much more comfortable. I find myself much more contented to live in a multicultural society and it makes a big difference to see many different people from all over the world.


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When I came to Canada, I couldn’t read or write. My first job as a baby sitter was very difficult. I couldn’t read the things that I was supposed to do. I thought of going back to school. Eventually, I got the courage to do so, and I attended night school. I used to be ashamed when I saw others reading and I couldn’t. This made me more determined to get an education. Now I am working towards completing my grade twelve, and I will not stop until I have achieved my goal. I am more self-confident, and can achieve anything that I set my mind upon. People do judge you based on the way in which you speak. I can definitely see a transformation in my life, and I no longer feel ashamed when I am having a conversation with others. Now I can read and write! I know that it’s God who has brought me to this level. I could not have done it on my own. I am very grateful for having come to Canada and for all the help that I have received from my teachers, and mentors. My determination is to achieve what I never did before. My goal is to attend college or university. I would also like to develop my own business. There are many people who are afraid and ashamed to go back to school in order to obtain a higher education. Here is my advice to you. Have cour-age. Take the first step. You can achieve your goal.

Change and Transformation by Coreen Gittens

Life Changesby Dylan

The main change in my life is that I got sober for the first time. It is a big game changer for me because I never lived life like this before. I am now facing all of my problems without drugs or alcohol. This is usually difficult for me because I have been through a lot of trauma in my life. And that’s one of the reasons I started to do drugs and drink. I also changed my surroundings and the kinds of people I hang with. This change is the best change I have done with my life.


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A major change occurring in my life at the present time is that I am looking for work right now as a Receptionist. I have been a Receptionist for 10 years primarily working in legal firms and accounting firms. However, finding work in my line of interest has been difficult because I am sending out multiple resumes and cover letters to potential employers not knowing whether my skills are a match to the job that I am seeking. After feeling discouraged I recently attended a 2 week workshop that helps people who are unemployed find work and connect with different employers. After I attended the workshop I felt hopeful that I can find work in my field which gives me a glimmer of hope that there is goodness at the end of the tunnel. I need to remain hopeful and optimistic because I am certain that the right job is out there for me. I have to keep applying for work and reach out to different agencies and with time and patience the right job will come along.

From Discouraged to Hopefulby Deb

Change by Brandon

Change is being able to do or approach something in a different way than how you normally do, for example when someone changes for the better and stops doing bad deeds like how they use to, or when someone changes their style of fashion to fit the season. Change can also be the cause of the weather like how it can be very rainy and cold in May but very hot and dry in June. Change always happens in one way or another. The change I noticed in myself is that I remember things better and that I’m less stressed because I get things done faster and also I am more productive. It has also made me smarter and it also made me lose weight since I also remember to be more active and do my chores at home. I’m also starting to realize what are the good signs and bad signs in certain people. My memory has changed since I have been coming to class and it has also helped me socialize better.


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Clouds in the sky are amazing to look at. The sky takes on shades of marvellous and spectacular colors. Happiness comes when you have a bad day and a friend brings you some colorful roses and it put a smile on your face. Always happy when the rain is falling from the sky. It nourishes the earth, the tree and the plants start to blossom. And the farmers’ crops start to grow.

Nothing can stop me now.Keep hope in your heart.Be grateful for what you have.Focus on what’s in front of you.Look forward to what is to come.Never give up...

God is great and has created this big universe. Early in the morning I would go on my balcony just to inhale the wonderful atmosphere. Breathing in the fresh air, it provides us all with an opportunity to truly recognize and appreciate the beauty that surrounds us. Earth is a beauty, God made it very unique with giving us nature where there is winter, fall, spring and also summer. There are rainy days to hydrate our crops and sunshine to make it grow. God is very powerful: we all should be grateful for the wonderful thing he has done.

The Beauty of God’s Creation:by Denita Brown

Changesby Earl

I’m like the butterfly who is going through a metamorphosis by getting employment. It changed my perspective on life. By taking a different course or direction I was able to understand a different environment. The first time I saw the Periodic Table was at academia, a place of learning. When I was at Ryerson I experienced different things so I would ask the students to explain what the elements mean. People are at different levels of learning, it’s not one size fits all. That’s why we have diversity in our society. The institution had a positive effect on my mind and body. I substituted one behaviour for another. It had a therapeutic and healing effect on me being in an institution like this. It helps the emotional part of my character working in beautiful institutions full of wonderment and change.


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I was living in my previous apartment for forty-two years, and after my landlord sold the place, I had no choice but to move. To move I had to pack up all the things I needed to take with me. It was a very big job that took me quite a long time. After moving I was very sad because I was not able to take all the things I wanted to, and it still saddens me.

Sometimes I try to forget the things I have left behind and look forward to my new beginning. Since moving I am trying to familiarize myself with my new area. So far, I have changed bus routes, one of the busses I have to take passes by my son’s grave yard, and when passing by I say hello Stefan I am passing in the bus, I will come and look for you when the weather gets better.

I am also making more and more progress. I go to yoga Monday and Tuesday mornings from ten to eleven, then from eleven to twelve we have bingo or gymnastics. I enjoy whatever they give us to do. I am now living in aseniors apartment, and I go to Coffee Time on Thursday mornings and at six o’clock I go to my church which has a sharing place, where they cook supper so that anyone who need a meal can come and eat. I also volunteer my time there.

On Fridays I go to a soup club where we cook a variety of soups from different people’s recipes that represent their cultures. We do all the chopping of the vegetables and boil the soup. After eating everyone gets two jars of soup to take home.

My biggest challenge now is getting my apartment organized. I still have to buy new furniture, hang my pictures, and put things in in their proper places. But all in all, I appreciate the change.

Moving Transformed Meby Jean

Being Myself Again!by Diana Moshi

When recollecting the many things that happened in my life in the past few years, I only can remember the beautiful memories! I have nothing remaining of the bad and sad things that I experienced when I was in Lebanon. At the time, I was with my ex-husband waiting for our visa to come to Canada. Everything has changed since I came here! My life has changed drastically. I am now constantly surrounded with my beautiful kids, with good people and with my loving family and friends. These positive influences in life allows real love and courage to help you move forward and to erase all the darkness from your mind and to help you heal the heart and the soul from breaking. I am myself again and that makes me feel free because I was like a strange soul in an exhausted body doing things I didn’t even believe in. Now, I am the old Diana again! The person that all my loved ones know as me. The daughter, sister, friend, and the mother they have always been able to rely on. I am living the life that I have always wanted; with no fear! Looking at how much happier my kids are, gives me the strength to move forward. Step by step, I do my best to give them the life that I think they deserve and hoping for a better future for them and for me. I only want to continue moving on and continue to improve my English, getting a good job and with all the love and grace that I have, I believe that I can do it.


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Maybe time is just a beautiful illusion, maybe it is the worst of our tragedies or maybe it is the best lure not to remain in immobility. The truth is that it is always accompanied by changes that sometimes tell us that our time of cocoon has expired.

Changes are always difficult because they force us out of comfort zone. They take us out of everydayness and familiarity, and they demand transformation, sometimes even evolution. I will tell you a little bit about my transformation.

In the pursuit of a dream a few months ago, I left my beloved homeland. I made my suitcase, threw myself into the void, undertook a journey into the unknown, and became a migrant. But what does it mean to live this type of life?. In the dictionary we can read the following definition: “Migrant: a person who moves

from one place to another, especially in order to find work or better living

conditions”1

Migrant’s Pathby Ana Gricel Villanueva

Change and Transformation by Farzana

Children in my job have taught me to be patient

Having a well-organized plan for the future is important

A lways work hard for the precious things which you cherish

Never think too much about what could have been

God has a plan for everyone

Everything is the way it should be


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A comprehensible definition, no? But I would like to crumble this concept with a little sensitivity. To be a migrant is to divest yourself of what you thought necessary until now, is to divest of your yourself “I” so skillfully built by a society; you stop being a man in ONE world to become a man IN the world. The fragility is the most recurrent feeling. The horizon embraces you and it seems infinite. The immensity welcomes you, and vertigo defragments you. Words do not look like what they mean, and this forces you to understand the world from other eyes that are yours but are no longer yours. Awakening the consciousness before sleeping to marvel at the world is a must.

The experience is not always accompanied by sweet learning. The process is almost always painful especially when the trip has been forced by exile or suffering. The eyes are full of nostalgia to leave your family, your friends, your flavours, your language, etc. The prison of our prejudices and habitual beliefs in time and in a country is cracked before your eyes but, and here comes the beautiful, you discover that you are a work in perpetual construction, you discover that you are an unfinished being and that each day is a new opportunity to start.

Those of us who have taken this path know that when we leave, rather than moving to a new place, we go towards a destination. Our heart is bigger now because in it we have packed all our memories, our flavours and all of our beloved ones. The world is never the same again because the universe of possibilities is now infinite.

1 https://www.dictionary.com/browse/migrant

2 Photo: https://images.app.goo.gl/QDiyGaU71SdDGk5x6

Lifeby Aida

Life is wonderful in the beginning, when you have peace of mind, but then it gets difficult. Life gets miserable and heavy with stress. Before, I was so happy with life because I had my baby brother. Now I lost him. Life has turned dark. I got my heart broken into too many pieces.

My brother was a very kind person and he was sweet inside and out. He was not judgemental. He did not care much for himself, he cared more for his brothers and sisters. I really miss him. Sometimes during the day, I dream about him, I see his face. I talk to him and I dream he is walking beside me. When I realize he is not there, I start to cry.

I ask God to control my emotions and pain. I’m trying to go back to the way life was. I need to learn how to live without my baby brother.


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Planet Change Nelsy Marulanda

I think the climate is changing because people do not cooperate with the planet. And many animals are dying now. The weather changes too because it is mother nature. People’s personality changes. In my case, I changed my life because I’m studying and I am feeling good. But I am sad because people destroyed the world. I’m sad too because I saw too much violence in the street. Children and adults try to suicide.

I saw many transformations in the world, especially with adult people.

I saw many young people in the street asking for a lot. Everything has changed now because people do not cooperate with the planet.

my classmates and teacher during the day. Now I know that I am a different and better person for it. Secondly, she said: “if you do not love yourself, how would you be able to give love to another”I really love this sentence. During my past experience, I was always taught to love other people first. Actually that is not good for us, as we have to control our true feelings to express something which is false. We just end up hiding our true feelings from the person. Thirdly, my teacher always uses positive words to express her ideas and this makes us so comfortable and relaxed. She is an excellent language user, she knows how to use language or words to deal with daily life. I am so lucky that I met an excellent teacher to change my bad situation. I really want to communicate with my dear Margaret, that I gained so much energy and power from all of these steps. I am totally changed. I feel confident and powerful to deal with my daily life. I am not afraid, I can always get good positive ideas to deal with my life and that is very important for me.

Lastly, I really want to talk about APNLC. It is so nice and friendly. The community shows us how to respect people and accept people from all backgrounds and culture. Every day at 12 pm, we can get free snacks at class. We come here to study knowledge but still get benefits beyond that. Every Thursday, we can get free food from a company that has donated it to us. It changes our hearts and minds, and I think maybe we can change another person’s life. I hope that one day, we can do something good for another person without any excuse. One day, our classmates may remember these moments and feelings, and we will donate some food, money, and learning to someone who really needs it. I really want to thank APNLC, as it is an excellent learning center. It gives us the opportunity to take break and think about the future. My teacher, classmates, and learning center helped me change to be an excellent person. I know that whatever I do, wherever I go, I will remember this studying period.


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The Changes We Go Through In Lifeby Angella Charles

There have been a lot of changes in my life over the past few years. These changes in my life are that I have seen a lot of improvement in my reading and some spelling. For example, I can read a paragraph almost by myself without making a mistake. However, I still need a little help. This big change makes me feel excited and overwhelmed that it gives me courage to go in the future to accomplish my goals. Secondly I saw some changes in my son’s life too. Some of the changes are he does not like to do the things he used to do before like doing the dishes, like making his bed and he does not like to do his homework. In conclusion life changes a lot but the things or the little makes make up all the changes we go through in life.

Change is a slow process. You have to continually work on something for a while. You will not know that you have changed until you make the time to reflect. It is an excellent feeling, when you know you have really made a positive change for the better. I would like to share with you the changes that I have gone through during my study period with my dear Margaret and my amazing classmates. My teacher has used her knowledge and teaching style to change us slowly and patiently. She gives us new ways to learn and encourage her students to be better in daily life. She always shows us so much patience and respect and makes us aware of how to be there for ourselves and each other. Firstly, she taught us that we needed to hug at least five people a day to increase our happiness. This was easy to achieve in a classroom with 12 students. This simple and easy action had excellent personal returns. Yet, we had never thought to do this in our daily life. Due to this simple action, I know that we all felt closer to each other and our hearts are closer for it. We all felt great! Although we have a small English classroom, it feels more like a loving family environment. We show up not only to share but to learn from each other. We feel so comfortable and are willing to improve our lives by remaining focused and paying more attention to what really matters.

I still remember the first day of class, I wasn’t a person to share and genuinely open my heart. Open communication was not my strength. I had thought we are so different and would not be able to share in a meaningful way. But now I can and have opened my hand and heart to all of my classmates no matter what our backgrounds. It makes me feel great when I get to share time with

Change by Coco W.


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The Big Changes to My Wellbeingby Fay

The changes that I have seen over the last two years in myself has been amazing. One time in my life the smallest things used to easily get me upset. Now those things no longer bother me. I have learned that life is precious and too short to be worried about things that are not important. I spend most of my time trying to live my best life and not worry about what people might say or do. For the longest time I used to make people get to me too easily.

For example, I would take the bus or the streetcar everyday going to school and I would allow people to make or break my day. Inevitably, something would happen on my way to school in the morning. It could be people talking on the phone too loud or someone looking at me too long. All kinds of noises and actions could set me off and I would be in a bad mood all day long. I have seen big changes in myself now when I compare myself to back then. I still take the bus or the streetcar everyday back and forth and people still make a lot of noises and it does not bother me anymore. I stopped allowing people to get to me so easily. Now, I no long take personally what people might say or do. I find myself much happier and having more compassion for other people.

my surroundings as we drove by saying goodbye to all the places that I grew up around. At the airport, I said goodbye to my family, crying when I hugged my mom goodbye.

A stewardess took me to the plane, found my seat for me and gave me a colouring book to keep me occupied. When the plane’s engine started up I began crying for my mom because I was scared; I had never been on a plane before. A family across from my seat started talking to me to calm me down, telling me I should not be afraid and everything was fine; I would be ok. It turned out later that the same family knew my family in Canada and actually went to the same church as my grandparents, Delita and Clarence Parchment.

I was seated at a window seat, so I was able to see the plane take off from the runway with my heart stuck somewhere within my throat telling myself not to scream. As we got higher and higher in the air, I was amazed at being so close to the clouds. As I journeyed to this unknown place to me called Canada, I played with my colouring book until the captain of the plane told everyone to put on their seatbelt because he was going in for the landing. I looked out the window and all I could see were twinkling lights everywhere: of course, this was the first time I had seen so many lights in my life. The plane landed and then the stewardess came for me, so I was the first one off the plane. All I could see around was snow everywhere, and I was shaking so badly because I had on shorts, a t-shirt with a vest, and no coat. Of course I was freezing and that is how I came to Canada.


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When the government changed, we thought we had a good one. Lo and behold, the government starts making a lot of changes. After the cuts in the services for children with autism, we had to protest. Parents didn’t like this at all. Then come the teachers with the large size classes. There are too many cuts from this present regime. We can’t survive under so many changes, including healthcare. Things must take time to do, not all at once. The new government has the nation on turmoil. What is next? Only God knows. Where do we go from here?

We know education is powerful, but with so many changes, what do we do?

They want to know how you stand, did you show up today or not? So we can change the world, but I can change my mind.

Working for the peopleby Paula Gumbs

That’s how I found myself once more going for a walk in the mountains. I followed a trail up the middle of the mountain. As I walked, I listened to the birds chirping and singing their melody of songs. I watched the butterflies swarm around me, the trees swaying to an unknown rhythm. As I walked, I thought about my leaving tomorrow: was I scared or excited? I didn’t know how to feel in that moment in time. I was so lost in thought that I didn’t hear the dog until he started growling. I bent down and grabbed some stones, then started running. When I couldn’t run any more, I stopped at a pile of gravel and threw stones at the dog until he gave up on trying to get to me. I was so scared that I decided I had enough, and I went home. prepare for my new adventure abroad. They dressed me in a brown short set and white top; my hair was put into a ponytail and the rest was curled around my face. When it was time to leave, we piled into taxis for the ride to the airport. I watched

Leaving Jamaicaby Tameka


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I still lived in Thailand when I was twenty-seven. There, I ran a successful boutique clothing store and was happily surrounded by friends and family. Almost everyday, my friends and I visited the beach and went to parties. We swam in the ocean under the full moon. “This is my world”, I thought to myself then, “nothing can stop me.” I lived through the best time of my life between the ages eighteen and twenty-seven.

That year, a friend introduced me to David. His tall build and business smarts stood out from the other men I had met before him. David reminded me of a movie star. I didn’t speak a word of English at the time and so I had my friend translate everything I wanted to say to David. Soon after, I bought a teach-yourself English cassette tape set from the local book store. The next three weeks was spent in my room, attentively listening to the women in the cassette player enunciate with calm steady voice, “Hello, nice to meet you”, then in Thai, “Sa-wat-dee-kha”. I had learned enough words and phrases by the end of those three weeks to approach David on my own without my friend translating for us. “Hello, nice to meet you” turned into the beginning of our romance. Six months later, I married David and came to Canada with him in 1994.

I had imagined a beautiful future life with David. I imagined that we would have children together and build a happy family together. My life with David didn’t turn out that way. In just a week of arriving at his home in Brampton, he left for the Caribbean on business. I was suddenly in a completely unfamiliar place on my own and living with David’s parents whom I had just met for the first time. The few English phrases I had learnt back in Thailand was far from the basic requirement for any kind of meaningful conversation with them and barely enough for getting through everyday situations. I felt very lonely at that time and longed to find someone in the community with whom I can speak to in my own language. I finally told mom that I wanted to take an English

Changing Perspective: A Story by Janet Tingloy

course in Toronto. We talked about it and she went with me to take the entrance test. By the time David returned from his trip a month later, I had learned about the pieces of his life in the Caribbean and about three-year old Alex.

The next few months could only be described as darkness. A lattice was wrapped around my body that consisted of the disappointment of my first marriage, the constant feeling of confusion one experiences when living in a new country, and the deep loneliness I felt because I couldn’t communi-cate with other people. Where is the beautiful life I had imagined? I asked myself. How could things

be so different from the life I had expected? I started to question my expectations of people, of romance, of marriage, and of life in Canada. Can I really expect so much from people and change others around me to find my own happiness? Or is it really only possible to change myself? I decided to move back to Thailand. I wanted to go back to the life I had, to the ocean under the clear moon. But I had already changed.

I knew after returning to Thailand that I wanted to see more of the world and to understand it better. I wanted to learn about other cultures and other people and see life from another perspective. I moved back to Canada to start a new life in a new environment. My English improved over time and I met new friends from many countries and backgrounds. I love Canada! Here, people are free to be themselves whichever shape, size, or colour they may be. Here, people have an opportunity to learn and grow from living with those who are different from them. Here, I’ve found my new life with my beautiful son and daughter.


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Transcript of Alexandra Park NeighbourhoodAlexandra Park Neighbourhood. Learning Centre. 707 Dundas Street West....