My family originates from the U.K. as many families do. My dad’s parents however, were in Wolverhampton up until they immigrated to Canada, in 1974, a couple years after he was born. I feel as though I connect with that part of my family's history the most. I feel this way simply because of the amount of time I spend with them. I had never taken an interest into why my grandparents had taken themselves,their three children and immigrated to a foreign country. After realizing I did not obtain a large part of the knowledge I need to complete this assignment I proceeded to interview my grandmother over the phone, the answers she gave me were shocking. Had my grandparents not taken the risk of leaving their life, I may have been a completely different person.
I decided to ask really the only question that matters,why? Why did you leave your home? Why did you leave your family? Why would you fly to a new country with three young children?... Why did you leave? The answers given were both shocking and unsettling. She told me it was because or the Irish Republican Army (IRA).
“For a better life for your aunts and dad.”, she told me. “There were problems with the IRA (Irish republican army). They had hijacked a bus of Army children, then let them go. They had then said next would be policemen's children but they wouldn't be so lucky,” my grandmother wrote in an email. (My grandfather was a police officer) . “There were 10 police officers children in the school they went to, we had to hand them to a teacher when we took them school, they weren't allowed to go to washroom on their own, and at recess they were separated from all the other kids with two adults with them at all times. Your Grandad was a dog handler so any bomb calls he and his team would be first in and last out,” she explained to me. “Very often when we were shopping in a department store we would have to leave as there was a bomb scare, also if we went say swimming or to a public place and we were carrying a bag they would check it when you entered and when you left.” (Hand)
(Kenneth Hand- Peel Police Department)
Life in England in the early seventies is very different then how it is now, just as everywhere else in the world, times have changed. Since this is true I decided to research what my life would have been like had my grandparents never left. As far as morals and social expectations go my life would be the same. They are very respectful and well mannered, I like to believe I too am these things based on the way I was raised. Healthcare is also provided, just as it is in Canada, to permanent residents. Education is government funded in England for all children from ages 5-18. Post secondary education, as it is in Canada, is available but for a cost. One major difference that I did find is that adolescents aged 16 to 17 can drink beer, wine or cider with a meal if it is bought by an adult and they are accompanied by an adult. It is illegal for this age group to drink spirits in pubs even with a meal. It is illegal, just as it is here, for people under 18 to buy alcohol in a pub, off-licence, shop or elsewhere. Some people may believe that giving a young person alcohol may be uncalled for or even irresponsible. I however believe that giving these young kids the opportunity to acclimatise themselves to drinking, with the supervision of an adult, allows them to learn when enough is enough in a safe environment. These kids will also be less likely to try sneaking out and drinking because they know if they ask they will be allowed.
After all my research I have come to the conclusion that the reason my life would be almost the exact same is because of the fact that Canada is a direct ally of England. The modernised Canada was built and run by British people. This proves that all of the “social norms” that we as Canadians have today, come from those of our British ancestors. In conclusion had my grandparents not immigrated to Canada I would not be the same person but I would however have the same personality and outlook on life.
Works Cited
BBC News. “Children And Drink.” BBC News, 27 Apr. 2007, news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/6598867.stm. Accessed 15 Jan. 2017.
Hand, Barbra Lynn. “Why We Moved.” Why We Moved, p. 1.
Hand, Kenneth. Kenneth Hand. Digital file.
NCBI. 8 Mar. 2014, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov. Accessed 15 Jan. 2017.
Woodlands Primary Schools. “Education in England.” Woodlands, 7 Oct. 2015, www.woodlands-junior.kent.sch.uk/customs/questions/education.html. Accessed 15 Jan. 2017.
ReplyDeleteJackson, it seems to me that the U.K is very similar to Canada, allowing the same opportunities. I can see that your grandparents went through some difficult times living in the U.K. My grandparents are from Chile, and like yours, they immigrated to Canada in 1974 because they wanted a better life for their family. Ultimately, Chile also had conflicts with the army; where my grandparents lived, they would always get their bags checked in a public place and were not allowed to form big groups outside. Although your life in the U.K would be similar to the way it is in Canada, how you are as a person may have been different if you had been born there: drinking at a young age in public results in more responsibilities, and education being funded by the government would be a huge benefit as well. Although, I do not think you would be a completely different person, as you would still be with your family and have the same personality. Additionally, I find it interesting how different most countries are now, as many countries have changed for the better and are not the same as they were before. Canada is one of the best countries to live in and because your grandparents immigrated, you are now granted a great education, a happy family, and live in a beautiful country. Overall, I see that it is a huge privilege that both our grandparents immigrated because it gave their children a better life and we now have many opportunities ahead of us.
Jackson, just like your grandparents, my grandmother also immigrated, but at a much younger age. It is interesting to compare our grandparents situations and the reasons that they chose to leave their home countries. Both left because they felt Canada would be a better place to live. In your grandparents case, they left because of fear, of being harmed, whereas my grandmother left the U.K. because of family in Canada. I also find it interesting to think about how my life would be different, had I grown up in England, and how I would change as a person. Overall, I think it is a good thing that our grandparents moved to Canada, and I think it has given us a great privilege and huge opportunity.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Delete