India

My last blog post has me thinking about my roots and something I touched on only briefly was my connection to India. Like I mentioned in the “O Canada” post, my family on my father’s side is Indian and Canadian. His mother is a native Canadian and had two Canadian parents while his dad is of purely Indian descent. Therefore, that makes me a quarter Indian, a quarter Canadian, and a half Mexican. The reason I thought of India however, was not my Indian relatives in Canada, but the fact that it is the one country that I have roots in, that I have not visited. I mentioned that I travel to Canada at least once if not several times a year, and I have been to Mexico for a few extended trips (the first of which was an entire year Oaxaca) over the course of my life. India seems like the final destination to complete the journey.

Since we were born (my siblings and I) it was (and still is) a goal of my father’s to take our family to India. Traveling there would not only allow us to visit our family there, but give us a taste of the “incomparable experience” of Indian life and culture my father and grandparents have always described. I have heard countless stories of buzzing streets packed with cars, people, food vendors, and even goats and boasts of the fluffiest garlic nan known to man, the tastiest ___ appetizers, goat and chicken curry that melts into your tongue, all home cooked to perfection. Of course I am exaggerating, but my dad can tell you a number of different times during which the food his family made was so delicious he literally could not take another bite without throwing up and stayed on the couch the rest of the night, sick from over eating.

I love Indian food (it is easily one of my top 3) and I always enjoy seeing family so when these stories come up, I am filled with excitement, anticipation, and happiness.  One thing that is unique about my Indian background is that although it only makes up a quarter of my racial background, I would argue it is the most influential of the three nationalities I represent (even 4 if you include the United States). Like I mentioned, Indian weddings have been the norm for me for as long as I can remember, but even beyond that, we celebrate Indian holidays, practice customs, and participate in traditions and past times. These include festivals such as Holi and Diwali, traditions such as Rakhi and Tikka, and even the occasional cricket match. I think a big part of this influence is the size of my family and their relative accessibility. Like I mentioned before, my grandfather is one of 13, and that alone creates a huge family. Each of my cousins and uncles and aunts are constantly getting married, having children, and hosting parties, which all become incentives for out family to travel to Canada or wherever the occasion may be, and participate. The accessibility part alludes to the car trip we make to Canada so often. Although it is a rough 12-13 hour trip (one way), it requires no booking of flights or hotels, and so, is very much doable.

O Canada

Canada: a snowy wilderness home most likely to polar bears, hockey players, and icicles. They are said to live in igloos, wear snowshoes, and travel by dogsled between destinations. Every sentence ends with “aye” and grammar is seemingly thrown out the window as neighbor becomes neighbour, color becomes colour, and labor is somehow labour. The currency is not only green, but a brilliant blue, bright red, vibrant purple, and dull brown. Who would ever willingly travel to this ridiculous foreign land?

Well, I’m here to convince you that it’s not as bad as you might think. Not once have I seen a polar bear and the currency is actually more durable than ours and aesthetically pleasing. For those who don’t know, I am actually a quarter Canadian (from my dad’s side) and a Canadian citizen. I travel to Canada to visit my family almost bi-yearly and to several different parts: from the big city of Toronto to the beautiful to the temperate (in the summer) Dickie Lake in Muskoka. While the majority of Canada is absolutely freezing in the winters and covered in ice, it can actually be quite enjoyable throughout the year. When it is winter, there is still plenty to do outdoors. I have actually learned to enjoy skiing (like I mentioned in my last blog post), ice-skating, and even playing a bit of hockey. In the summers, I actually prefer it to Illinois, as the cool temperatures even out and consistently remain in the 60s and 70s throughout the day. Life on the lake is especially enjoyable as any scorching day can be easily turned around with a cool swim.

Canada has actually introduced me to a great number of activities and traditions that I have grown to love such as playing hockey, cricket, skiing, attending Indian weddings, trying home cooked Indian food for the first time, and believe it or not, my first ever major league baseball game. The sports and activities are all great but what is most significant for me is the culture. Despite what one might think, Canada has a large Indian population. My grandfather (who is 100% Indian) is one of thirteen children and so my extended family is absolutely enormous. In fact, when I say I was introduced to Indian weddings, I really mean I was introduced to western weddings and Indian weddings were the norm.

While Canada is known for its extreme cold, harsh winters, and snowy landscapes, it also has an equally good reputation for being peaceful and welcoming to all including immigrants. Canada has great healthcare, a more tolerant society, and is known for being a neutral and generally having a “kind population.” Of course these are just generalizations and it has its faults as well, but like I said, it’s not as bad as you might think. In fact, if you ever have a chance to travel someplace for vacation or break, I would highly recommend visiting.