For Young Joe, the most rewarding part of being a medical interpreter is the look of relief that takes over patients and doctors’ faces as soon as she enters the room. Without her, conversation is impossible.
When I mispronounced a word or made the wrong sound because of these similar articulations, I was met with laughter and pushed to repeat what I had said before getting support on correcting myself.
Preparing for Tết is a big deal: homes are cleaned and decorated, special foods like sticky rice cakes (bánh chưng and bánh tét) are made, and everyone dresses in their finest clothes. There’s a belief that the first days of the new year set the tone for the rest of it, so people strive to keep spirits high, avoid bad luck and express hope for health, prosperity and happiness.
The oldest cherry trees on campus are likely at Nitobe Memorial Garden. Fifty trees were shipped over from Japan as a symbol of Japanese-Canadian friendship for the garden’s opening in June 1960. Of this generation — found mostly in Nitobe but also on the Place Vanier stretch between Lower Mall and University Boulevard — there are likely 45 cherry trees left today.
To me, Lapu Lapu Day, while beautiful, is another reminder that I don’t really belong here. It's like being in a liminal space. I can smell the food my grandma would cook for me when I was sick, but I also remember how hard I’ve had to search for any sense of community.
