North And Windy

    March activities in the library       It was March break for kids and local library organised some sessions for kids. Library is not only for adults but fun for kids too. There’s always something going on for them. For the first time, I have seen libraries occupied and people sitting, reading and working earnestly on their laptops. As a freelancer, I usually dig for a place which offers WiFi, comfy seats and an opportunity for serendipitous encounters. And libraries in Canada provide all three in abundance. They serve as my de facto workspace. I occasionally bring my son here and he joyfully explores kids section while I fire away my reports from my laptop.  In one such encounter, I met a guy from Syria. He shared his experience which was quite unique to Canada.  “I grew up in Syria and was not allowed to read books. My first exposure to non-fiction books was in my college....

It is five minutes to nine in the night. It is dark and temperatures are frigid. Gary is standing outside an apparel store and he has his coffee to give him company. He is waiting for his shift to start. He works part-time with a company which does inventory for retail stores. Most of his shifts are either in the night after store is closed for customers or on the weekends. He is a student in Canada studying in a Brampton college  that’s known as College of Desis (locals from Punjab, Northern India) amongst Indians. As a student in Canada, he can work officially for 20 hours per week. However, in that time frame he does not earn much to cover his expenses that he is loaded with.  He lives in a rented basement in Northern Brampton. He pays about $500 for that basement and has promised the owner to help with some chores. He cleans the snow from driveway during winters. He rakes leaves during fall. And doing such tasks is helping in...

  Canada is an amazing place and it brings its own challenges.   In my quest to understand Canada better, I tend to meet people from different walks of life and try to understand their perspective of Canada. As I am living in Greater Toronto Area, I encounter numerous immigrants regularly. All of them have come from different countries and cultures and they had their fair share of struggles in the past. And many of them continue to face challenges in their new home country. While browsing in a library, I had a chance encounter with a lady from Krygisitan who landed in Canada nearly three years back. In her school, she learned two languages - Kyrgyz and Persian. She never had a chance of forming a complete sentence in English for first 20-odd years of her life. To get away from a place where the government never delivered, never provided basic necessities and never enforced the rule of law, she moved to Canada with her family. However, upon landing here, sh...

    Snow covered beach is a treat to eyes.     Note: Niagara-on-the-Lake is known for its wineries. But on this visit, wineries were not on my list. There are two reasons for it. The first one is that I do not drink as alcohol and my taste buds never agreed with each other. And, second, this was a get-to-know-the-town kind of a trip. Once you leave the Queen Elizabeth Way (QEW), drive towards Niagara-on-the-Lake is picturesque. My friends had recommended many things/activities for the place but this being my first trip to the pretty town, I am sure many good things were missed. I will come back to enjoy it more. Pitstop: I stopped at A&W. My five year old is BFF with french fries so when I spotted A&W, I knew it was time for a break. Drive: Like I said, as soon as you exit the QEW, the drive is scenic and breathtaking. Miles long rolling fields laden with grape vines as far as eyes could see,...

        Everyone talks about weather — It seems everyone’s way to start a small talk is weather talk. It is also considered to be the safest topic as it’s not personal or awkward and everyone has a take on it. And weather can be challenging for someone new in this country. I have seen four different weather patterns — sunny, rain, freezing rain and snow in a single day. When I left home, sun was shining while temperature was near freezing. As the day went on, sun hid behind black clouds and it started raining. Soon, rain turned into freezing rain followed by few centimetres of snow. I made my way to home in the bus buzzing with passengers sharing their take on the crazy weather pattern.  Sports. Everywhere. — I knew India is crazy about cricket. I know US is crazy about basketball, football and baseball. Before landing here, I had no inkling that Canadians are also crazy about sports. There’s a thing called Winter Olympics...

Saturday morning and two kids - my son and my nephew who are of the similar age - demanded some outing. With their nose running like a Humber river,  the option of doing something in outdoors was out of the question. So, I did what anyone with a sane mind would do. I googled some of the indoor attractions that can be enjoyed with kids. And Google, as usual, threw a plethora of options in front of me. But one thing held my gaze and that was Warplane Museum in Hamilton. It had word 'planes' which sounded fun to kids. And they had a history which I can enjoy. Falling flurries made the road slick so we nudged our Toyota ahead carefully and slowly towards our destination. It was a drive of 40-odd minutes. As we entered the museum, it instantly captivated us. The friendly people check us in and we did not have a dull moment for next 2 hours. At $15 per adult, it’s not something that can be considered pocket-friendly but kids under five are free. When inside, you start your muse...

A peek into Canada Warplane Heritage museum. Children and adults stand there in awe as everyone marvels at the evolution of war planes. Detailed blog post coming on Friday.