As a student at the University of Guelph in the early 2000s, I taught English as a second language (ESL) to families of visiting professors and international students to help pay the rent. It rarely felt like work, even when I had to plan a grammar lesson on gerunds and infinitives or dangling participles, often learning about them myself as I was teaching them to students.
The money was better than busing tables in bars, and the real benefit was the connections I made with the families and their cultures.
At my first visit to a Korean professor's family home, the dear mother chased me out of the front hallway, frantically typing into her pocket translator.
The message on her translator read, "You are polluting my floor!"
It seems I had taken my shoes off too soon when I entered the house when I failed to notice a mat on the floor several feet ahead. There was no sign that read (in Korean or English), "Leave your shoes on until you reach the mat."
It was one of the many lessons I learned at the Yang family household where I visited five days a week for a year to teach grammar to their two sons.
The bigger lesson I learned was about fostering curiosity and respect for other cultures.
At Gibsons council on Tuesday night, we were treated to a charming delegation by Rathaporn "Fon" Pawakanun, a cultural co-ordinator for Welcome B.C., a government body set up to assist foreign newcomers in the province. Pawakanun was there to point out to the local government just how many immigrants and cultures we have on the Coast and what we can do to make them feel more welcome.
According to 2006 census data she presented at the meeting, of the almost 28,000 folks who live on the Coast, nearly 5,000 were born in another country. Over a quarter of them are visible minorities. More than 10 per cent of our population speak English as a second language.
She spoke of her work at Capilano University's ESL classes where she helps immigrants get settled, learn English, make friends and find jobs. Her message had councillors leaning forward in seats, eager to know more about our own immigrant community.
Finding real inclusiveness in a community you are new to isn't easy. It's multiple times harder when you are from another country or speak another language.
On May 8, Pawakanun led a forum at the Gibsons and Area Community Centre with 40 people in attendance. Before the meeting was over, each person made a commitment to one action that would foster inclusiveness in the community.
A second forum is scheduled for June 12 at the Seaside Centre in Sechelt from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. All are welcome to come learn about the challenges immigrants face and what we can do to help bring us all together. The reward is a stronger, more inclusive community and the enriching experience of having connections to other cultures.
In the fall of 2006, I found myself wandering around South Korea. I e-mailed the Yang family to let them know I was in town. They put everything on hold for three days to shelter me, feed me home-cooked meals, give me a locals' tour of their city, and they even took me to a Korean opera. I guess I was forgiven for the shoe incident.
By opening our lives and friendships to people of diverse backgrounds we set ourselves up for one of the most mutually beneficial relationships we can have.
