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Zaid was born in Iraq. He lived in various refugee camps in different African countries before arriving in Canada.
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It's normal for middle-easterners to sleep on the floor. Zaid continued to do this when he moved to Canada. He also talks about memories he has of his youth.
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Zaid talks about his first day in Winnipeg.
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Food is an integral part of any culture. Here, Zaid describes Iraqi food - Kubbah and Kunafa.
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Language is also very important to any culture. Here, Zaid says a few words in his mother tongue - Arabic.
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How does Zaid think other people view Middle-Easterners?
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And how does Zaid view the Aboriginal culture?
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There are certain difficulties for middle-easterners and newcomers in general when immigrating to Canada.
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Zaid is very proud of one thing in his life.
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Thomas was born and raised in Sudan. Although he only spent short periods of his life in Eritrea, his parents are Eritrean. Because of this, he identifies himself as Eritrean.
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Thomas talks about what it means to be Eritrean.
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Eritrea has two official languges and Thomas speaks both.
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A hero to many Eritreans, including Thomas, is runner Zersenay Tadesse.
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How does Thomas think other people see Eritreans?
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What are Thomas’ impressions of the Aboriginal population and does he see any similarities between Aboriginals and Eritreans?
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Thomas talks about the hardest thing he has to do every day.
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There's one rule that exists in Thomas' large family.
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What is Thomas most proud of and where does he want to be in 10 years?
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Othello grew up in Liberia. He says a big difference between Canada and Africa is how communities interact.
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You can identify which region a Liberian is from by the food they eat.
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And what kind of food do you eat, Othello?
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Refusing a glass of water is not acceptable in Africa. It means you're not welcoming.
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Othello says a few words in his local dialect.
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How does Othello think others see Africans?
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Othello talks about the similarities he sees between Africans and Aboriginals.
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Othello talks about the hardest thing he has to do every day and what he’s most proud of.
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Darios talks about the region where he grew up in Ethiopia.
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Darios talks about his mother tongue, the
Amharic language, and says a few words.
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The Ethiopian calendar is unique: It has 13 months, every month has 30 days, and their 13th month only has 5 days. Even the way they count the hours is different. 7 am in Canada, would be called 1 in Ethiopia. Noon in Canada would be 6 in Ethiopia.
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In Canada, shyness can be interpreted as being rude, but shyness is considered a quality in Ethiopia.
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Darios talks about the first time he met an Aboriginal person.
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Lacina talks about Cote d'Ivoire - the country where he was born - and how he got to Canada.
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There are three things that make the country of Ivory Coast unique.
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Lacina has a passion for music. He writes and performs his own music with his band, Les D’s.
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Ivory Coast, like Canada, has an Aboriginal population.
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Lacina talks about his experiences with racism in Canada.
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The hardest thing I have to do every day, and where I see myself in the future.
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Biya grew up in Ethiopia. He talks about what it was like living there and shares his memories of arriving in Canada.
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Each region in Ethiopia has its unique foods.
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Singing and storytelling is very important in Ethiopia.
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Biya still listens to Ethiopian music. Hear him talk about his favourites.
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As it is in many cultures, family is very important to Ethiopians.
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Biya speaks two of Ethiopia's languages: Oromo and Amharic.
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Before arriving in Canada, Biya had never seen First Nations people. As he learns more about them he sees some similarities between his culture and theirs.
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The hardest part of my day.
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For Biya, there is one big difference between Ethiopia and Canada.
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What I'm most proud of.
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Where I want to be in ten years.
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Ben was born in Sudan but grew up in Uganda. He says it's a beautiful country but very different from Winnipeg.
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Ben doesn’t see too many differences between Ugandans and Canadians.
Here, he talks about the important values for Ugandans: community, family, food, and language.
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Ben sees many similarities between the Aboriginal and African cultures.
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He also thinks a difficult adjustment for new immigrants is communication, especially if they’re not fluent in English.
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Ben talks about what he’s most proud of.
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He likes to dance, and his dancing style, including Ding Ding,
makes him stand out from most Winnipegers.
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Reem was born in Sudan. Hear her describe her country and talk about her arriving in Winnipeg.
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Reem's parents are Eritrean. Because of this, she doesn't look Sudanese.
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Reem talks about a common reaction she gets when she tells people she’s from Africa.
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Richie grew up in Liberia. He talks about how it looks, its rich history, and the difficulty of moving to Canada without his father.
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Coming to a new country is difficult. Living alone in a new country is even more of a challenge for Richie because his family is still in Ghana and Liberia.
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When Richie moved to Winnipeg, he lived in the Central Park district. He quickly had to adjust to the difficulties of living in a large Canadian city and learned how to stay away from trouble.
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The Liberian culture has a few particular characteristics: they're proud and a little mouthy.
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A difficulty for new immigrants is adjusting to the Canadian education system.
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Many people who meet Richie are surprised to learn he's from Africa and, like most Liberians, speaks English fluently.
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Does Richie think Canadians know enough about Africa?
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Richie talks about his knowledge of Aboriginals in North America before coming to Canada.
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Richie talks about the hardest thing he has to do every day plus where he sees himself in 10 years.
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