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Lester's Okanagan Blog
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First Halloween Party |
Halloween Eve |
| Canadian Spirit Newsletter November 2007 Newsletter No. 2 It’s snowing as I write this second newsletter and I think it will take me a while to get used to the cold Canadian weather. Don’t get me wrong, the snow is wonderful and seeing it for the first time in years makes me realize how much I miss it. Everything is covered in a pristine white layer and the flakes are like fine powder which you can easily brush from your clothes (none of the heavy, wet stuff here – this is powder snow country!). However, it is cold and I really feel it. Yet another thing to get used to in our new lives in Canada. Yes, everyone has been doing well and adjusting as best as possible. Atsuko is loving her English language lessons which she attends from Monday to Friday mornings, 9 to 11:30. Her classmates are from all over the world – Poland, China, Mexico, Tanzania – which gives you some of idea of Canada’s present cosmopolitan state! When I was a kid in my home towns the majority was white and we had one or two “visible minorities” but today everyone is from everywhere speaking different second languages and influenced by different second cultures. Atsuko has been so impressed by how hard the newly arrived immigrants work at their jobs and struggle at both learning English and adjusting to their new lives in Canada. Some of her classmates face seemingly insurmountable challenges and it really humbles you when you think how easy life is for you in comparison. It has been a really eye-opener for the both of us, and again a great new learning experience. Angela and Matthew have been slowly adjusting to their new lives. Angela is having fun at school but naturally she is behind the other students with her English. I think it will take her a few years before she reaches the same level as her peers. One thing I have noticed from her experiences is how culture and language are so intertwined and in reality it is impossible to separate one from the other. I used to think you could learn a new language but ignore the new culture – how wrong! Adjusting to the new language is as much of a challenge as adjusting to the new culture. The way of thinking and interacting is so different and the learning curve is steep. Matthew had a particularly bad experience with this last month. He became so frustrated with not understanding English and how to cope with his new surroundings he started to lash out and got in serious trouble! Yes, we were called up to the school by his teacher and the Principal and were told Matthew was pushing and hitting the other kids. Atsuko and I were in shock since this was a side of Matthew we had never seen before. However, we soon realized it was his anger and frustration at the new language and culture which made him strike out. Matthew’s teacher, the Principal, and Atsuko and I all had long, one-to-one talks with him and worked out a reward/punishment system for him. It worked out well and he is much better now and realizes bullying is not the correct response to frustration! I was also amazed how little tolerance Canadian schools now have for bullying. When I was a kid there was a lot of violence at school and the attitude was “hey, life is rough, get used to it” but today that is no longer the case. If there is the any incident of bullying at a Canadian school, those in charge come down like a sledgehammer! Lessons from Columbine perhaps…? As far as my life is concerned, well, I have spent the past month or so trying to get our business organized. It has been a fascinating learning experience since doing business in Canada is so much different from doing business in Japan. I registered our company with the BC government this month, and apparently they did not like our name so we had to change it! We are now officially “Canadian Spirit Holiday Services.” We also received our Penticton City Business License this month. Part of the registration process meant a “building inspector” had to come and check out our premises. I was worried sick and was in great fear our application would be rejected (now what do we do to make money?!). Well, he rang the doorbell, stepped inside our home, looked around, asked a couple of questions, shook my hand and wished me luck, and left! I guess they just wanted to make sure the application was legitimate. Again, there are huge differences between setting up a business here and setting up a business in Japan. In Japan I found the barriers to starting your own business are mile high. In Canada, my experience has been the opposite. The fees are minimal, there is a ton of information online provided by the federal and provincial governments to help you get going, and there is also a lot of provincial and government hands-on support in the way of workshops, seminars, loans, etc. to help you learn and succeed. The attitude is totally different too. In Japan I felt at times as though I was looked on with suspicion if I told people I had my own business. In Canada, government officials get excited and try very hard to be of assistance to you. I cannot believe how much the governments want people to start their own businesses in Canada. When I left Canada, business people were looked upon as being selfish, greedy, and exploitive. Today, they are looked upon as being pioneers and valued contributors to Canadian society. What a change! Anyway, enough about us! How can we help you?? If you would like any information about the Okanagan or Canada, please let us know. Or if you have any business ideas and need our help (sending people to Canada, exporting stuff to Canada, importing stuff from Canada, whatever!), again, please let us know. I plan to be visiting Japan to promote our business in February 2008. It will be a hectic schedule but I would like to see as many of you as possible. I will provide more information about the upcoming visit in the next newsletter which should be out in early January 2008. |
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First Snowfall Nov 26 |
Matthew's First Snowball |
We are accepting guests for 2008. For further information please fill in our form here.
If you wish to ask a question,
and we will be in contact with you shortly.
Thank you.
You can also send us a message on Skype:
Canadian Spirit Holiday Services
*Education and Holiday Packages for Overseas Visitors -Penticton, BC,
Canada*
Website:
http://www.CanadianSpiritServices.com
Copyright © 2006-2008 Canadian Spirit Holiday Services.
City of Penticton, BC, Canada Business License Number 10283.
All Original Photos and Written Material may not be used without our
written permission. All Rights Reserved.
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