Different Types of Multiculturalism

I am often asked about Brazil and what people are usually curious about is the fact that Brazil is a multicultural country. The question being asked resonates on the fact that Canada is an extremely multicultural country. However, I believe that happens in a very different sense.

Canada's 'multiculturality' lies on the number of people from different countries and with the most various origins coming to live in this land. It is fascinating to see how these varied people from the most varied countries interact with each other within the same piece of land. If I take a bus on a Saturday afternoon in downtown Vancouver I will be able to listen to at least 3 languages being spoken at the same time. As the numbers show, asian languages are those more common. Despite of the fact that French is the second language of Canada, I could probably say French is easily outnumbered by Chinese/Mandarin, and Cantonese. Within this same bus I mentioned, I can listen to Punjabi, Arabic, Farsi, Spanish, Japanese, Korean and even our own Portuguese.

Another way that this 'multiculturality' shows its face is in the areas and markets where a certain ethnic groups have their activities. There are Chinese markets, Latin markets, Arabic markets, African hair salons, Indian spices stores and so on.

The case I am trying to make is that the multicultural Brazil we know of is very different from what I just accounted for Canada. One of the things that my friends (non-brazilians) here struggle with is finding a way to differentiate brazilians from within a crowd. And they are very right in that struggle. I myself sometimes have the same problem. The only difference is that I know the brazilian preferences in clothing, style, and perhaps body shape. And sometimes I can only know for sure when I hear some Portuguese being spoken.

For one thing, Brazil is indeed an extremely multicultural country, but somehow this has been melted within one language and one culture. Here in Canada, your face or your colour reveal who you are and what your cultural background is.  But in Brazil, there are people from very different origins sharing the same language and the same customs and cultural background. There are japanese brazilians, black brazilian, blond blue-eyed brazilian, indian brazilians and so on, and all of them share only one language and one culture.

Through conversations with friends (canadians and non-canadians), it seems that cultures have dissolved in Brazil. Thus, turning it into a melting pot where cultures are flushed away and languages are forgotten. Of course, I cannot generalize and speak for the whole country, this assumption lies in my own observation and contrast of cultures.

Anyway, some canadians might say that Canada is a pretty young country and that what happened to Brazil could actually happen to them. On the other hand, some say that it would not happen due to the policies of the country. Canada is utterly proud of its 'multiculturality' and is willing to keep its most fascinating characteristic.

I do not have any idea of what might happen to Canada in the future, but if I had to guess, I would say that perhaps within a few centuries, the same might just happen. Our history has showed us that the immigrants that came to Brazil long time ago remain only in the memories of the third and fourth generations that no longer share language and culture.

Safety

Being a brazilian in Canada makes my life a lot easier. I emphasize on that because most people have no idea of what it is like to live in a country where taking care of yourself means finding the most varied ways of trying to make it a better and safer experience.

Brazilians grow up listening to their parents telling them how dangerous the streets are and how the world can be a very dark place if you don't pay attention to what is going on around you. Somehow, there is a feeling that the whole population is trying to trick you into doing something bad.

Once again, I'm not saying that Brazil is an extremely dangerous place and that Canada is heaven. There are two sides to all the stories in this world. Like everywhere in the world, both Brazil and Canada have places which are safe and places which are dangerous. The only difference is that in Brazil we have to learn how to deal with the dangerous places even though we may never go there.

About two weeks ago, a chinese friend and I were at a very well-know shopping mall here in Vancouver. As I spotted some not very nice looking men, I changed the direction I was going and got away from their vision. My chinese friend noticed what I did but asked me why I had done that. For him, it made no sense to switch directions since we were getting out of the mall. 

I explained to him that this is the way that people 'function' in Brazil. We are always checking our pockets to see if we have everything and nobody has stolen anything. We walk on the streets checking if we are being followed or checking if there are any kind of bad people around us. We fear to enter our houses when nobody is on the streets. However, it's how I became strong in Canada.

Three weeks ago, the same chinese friend and I were in the Student Centre at university getting some articles printed. While we were waiting by the printer, some guy approach our backpacks and started looking at a book I had opened by the computer desk. I noticed him, but he did not noticed me. While I waited for his move, John, my chinese friend, also noticed him approaching our stuff and started moving towards him. He soon realized that his plan was going to fail, gave up and walked away.

This story is there to portray how well-trained brazilians are. Most canadians would never notice that guy and would have had their things stolen. But I have been trained not to leave my belongings unattended and always watch my stuff when they were not with me.

Now I walk the streets of the city knowing that I have been trained long enough and that I am light years ahead of what Canada has to offer in terms of safety. I know that I can take care of myself because my country has taught me to do so.

The Canadian Lifestyle

Life in Canada is exciting for foreign people because of one very simple thing: Canadians. They are the kind of people that really know how to enjoy nature and life. Everywhere you go there are tons of people enjoying the beaches, parks, street performances and so on. 

Back in Brazil enjoying life seems to be completely different. Canadians like to be outdoors enjoying the sunshine at a beach or park. Jogging, running, riding bikes, skateboarding, exercising, playing sports and the like. It seems like everything they do is about living a life based on sports and healthly enjoying the beautiful nature the world give them.

In Brazil, enjoying life means drinking lots of alcohol, kissing as many girls as possible in the shortest time possible and being able to brag about it to your friends. Things are so much more difficult back there. Going out without drinking makes you lame and pitiful. Replacing drinks for games and outdoor activities actually mean that you are the most boring person in the world and that you do not know how to have fun.

I do agree that I loved my life in Brazil, of course, it's who I am and it's my culture. Drinking is indeed a lot of fun. But what comes after that is really not. The drinking and driving, the irresponsible attitudes and all that make me so mad.

One thing that really gets me thinking is the need for a car. In Brazil, you can barely live a good life if you don't have a car. You actually become prettier when you do own a car. People start looking at you differently. And just know I understand why. Cars are extremely expensive in Brazil. With the same amount of money here in Canada anyone could buy two or three of the same car. It's ridiculous! Here in Canada, having a car means you actually worked hard, it means that you need a car for something important, not for showing off (of course there are the show offs too).

The only moment I think I maybe need to get a car is when I go grocery shopping. Because I can't carry a lot of stuff on the bus. Besides that, the transportation system is more than efficient. There are many different types of people using public transport, people in suits, people in sports outfits, people in costumes, people in uniforms, people with barely any clothes... It doesn't matter, no one cares about that. People just care about their own business without any kind of biased judgment. 

Anyway, I could talk about this for long hours but that's what I wanted to talk about now. Life in Canada is great. You just need to adapt to it and start enjoying what Canada gives you.

Settling and Breaking Old Habits

It's been about 4 weeks that I have been living in Canada. As most people know, it's not my first time here. I was here in 2006 as an exchange student at a language school.

At that time everything was just fine and relaxing. I had basically no responsibilities and no homework or any kind of serious assignments. All I had to do was wake up in the morning, take a shower, get dressed and head to school. And everyday after school my friends and I would always have something to do, like going to a park, to the beach, playing soccer somewhere, or just hanging out around the city.

Now I'm back in Canada after 6 years and I guess all that will eventually just stay in the past. The feeling of the city is still the same. you go downtown and all you can see is a very lively city and a lot of students just hanging and horsing around. The thing is, that is not my life anymore. I'm not here with that purpose anymore. I'm here as a graduate student and that is a big thing. I'm here to grow as a man and to grow as a linguist and a professional.

Finishing school everyday and having to go home as soon as it finishes is still strange. I still feel like I wanna go downtown and just horse around with my friends. But I now realize that that is just not my life anymore. Pretty soon I'm gonna start working and all the responsibilities I had 2 months ago will be back at me. I'll wish I can get home right after class to prepare for work. Well, I guess that's what I'll have to face and internalize. 

Diversity

One of the things that I could never experience in my hometown, Natal, would be diversity. I mean, Brazil is pretty much a diverse country, but it's a different type of diversity. It's something related to just being different people with the same culture and pretty much the same actions.

Vancouver is such a culturally diverse city in terms of both different kinds of people and different kinds of cultures. And some people would think that makes the city lose its own identity as a canadian city. But actually, that is the identity of Vancouver. What I like most about it is the fact that it doesn't matter where you come from, they'll still have a place for you here.

The city has an amazing ability of adapting itself to all these different people and cultures that live here. It seems like it is the same relationship that happens in nature. There are different kinds of plants and animals, but that does not seem to be a problem. They can just live together without any problems.

I'm not that naive to think that Vancouver is a perfect place. I would never say that. No place in the world is perfect. Anywhere you go there are problems, there's poverty, there's dishonesty, there's drugs, there's just anything. But the fact that the city can have all that and still be an awesome city really makes people feel comfortable the way things work here.

The Roller Coaster Ride

Of course, whenever you try something new, it feels like you're on a roller coaster. There are lots of ups and downs and lots of good and bad moments. When I say bad, I don't really mean bad, I just mean not very pleasant. New things normally aren't supposed to bring bad situations.

This ride is what has been happening to me over the last week here. I know that it's only the first week, but my anxiety speaks louder than everything else and I still feel like there's something missing. I have classes until 3 in the afternoon and then that's it. I just go home. If there are assignments, I will do them, study a bit and then I've got nothing else to do. If feels like there's an empty space that needs to be filled.

Maybe I still have a lot to get used to and I feel this way because I'm still not at my 'own' place, but anyway, it feels strange. Not having company or not having someone to talk to during the rest of the afternoon and night feels strange. 

However, this situation is also changing a lot. Today at class we had a very meaningful discussion about teaching, and it made me very happy. I finally feel like things will be great.  Also, there were presentations of portfolios we made to show who we are and how we teach and so on. So, it felt very good to share stories and to get to know more people.

The First Day of Orientation

Today was our first day in the orientation program, which lasts throughout the whole month of August. Of course, as usual, I woke up a lot earlier than I was supposed to. I felt like I couldn't let anything happen to the first day. I didn't really trust the alarm clock on the cell phone, so I woke up an hour before it went off.

Anyway, the first thing that caught my attention was the size of the university. The Burnaby campus if just huge and also very beautiful, of course, as it sits on the top of Burnaby mountain. From where I'm staying at the residence hotel until the grocery shop on the other side of campus it is a 15-minute walk. So, you can imagine how not nice it is to go grocery shopping and have to walk all that distance with heavy bags. I guess this is one of the things I will just have to get used to, since I might never have a car  here.

The second thing is that everyone - and I repeat, everyone - was in class at least about 15 minutes before everything started. I guess that even the coordinator got a little surprised, I think she mentioned something related to that. This is the kind of thing that would never happen in Brazil. As we know, brazilian people are always running late and some people believe that it is actually nice not to be on time for things, be it a meeting or just to go to lunch with friends. I'm not here to say bad things and criticize Brazil, but this is the kind of thing that makes me sad about my own country, and I strongly believe that it should never happen. Nobody should ever feel bad for their own country. I do miss Brazil a lot. I miss the brazilian people, my people.

This is the next topic. The lack of brazilian people and what I idea I have from this. Of course, there are brazilians everywhere in the world and Vancouver would not be an exception. However, I'm having difficulty finding brazilian people in the campus. I haven't seen any sign of any brazilians. I know that the classes will start in September but I was hoping to see some brazilian people. About that, in my classroom I'm part of two minorities. First one, I'm the only south american, or even, american in the classroom, everyone else is asian. Second, there are only 2 boys in the classroom, which are me and a chinese guy. Even though I'm very friendly and it's easy for me to make friends and talk to everyone, today I felt like I didn't belong there. I saw all those chinese people speaking chinese to each other while we were on the campus tour, and I didn't have anyone to talk to, in portuguese or even spanish.

What I understand and analyze from that is that south american people are, indeed, too poor. I'm not talking about money, I'm actually talking about the opportunities. I know that there are tons of rich people all around South America, but most of them don't even give a damn about their education. They come from rich families and just inherit everything without any efforts or any dreams of their own. Once again, I feel bad when I don't see my own country participating in the important things of the world. There are 20 chinese people in my class, out of the 23 attending orientation today. The question really is: why? Why aren't there people from other nationalities in the classroom? This is something I hope to find an answer as I progress through life here.