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Date: Mon, 24 Apr 2000
From: kyle
To: janet
Subj: School Project
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Hi aunt Janet I kyle was wondering if I could do a project on you. On
why you moved to Bermuda and why you move back. If it is okay can you
send a n email or call us.
Thank you KYLE
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Date: Mon, 24 Apr 2000
From: janet
To: kyle
Subj: Re: School Project
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hi kyle
i'd be honoured to be part of your project!
what do you need?
love
janet
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Date: Mon, 24 Apr 2000
From: kyle
To: janet
Subj: Re: School Project
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Hi aunt Janet thanks for letting me do my project on you.
here are some of the questions :
conditions that led you to move back to canada
conditions in Canada that attracted you
factors that made it difficult to come to Canada
difficulties of adjusting to life in Canada, such asclimate,clothing,
food, a new job and new behaviours.
thanks alot
love
kyle
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Date: Mon, 24 Apr 2000
From: janet
To: kyle
Subj: Re: School Project
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hi kyle;
i'm afraid i may have gotten 'carried away'
but here it is, for what it's worth!
if i've gotten 'off-track'
just give me a yell and steering instructions!
love
janet
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1. conditions that led me to move back to canada:
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a. financial: the business i had owned had gone bankrupt, and without
bermudian citizenship, i could not work in bermuda. there are no
benefits to a non-bermudian like 'unemployment insurance' or 'social
security'. in fact, the few social benefits that do exist there are not
very supportive of bermudians either.
b. medical: this is sort of combined with financial, but my having
parkinson's disease means that i need to take medications constantly and
also can only really work part time, not full time. the medications cost
over $3,000.00 per year in U.S. dollars in bermuda. without an employer
to register me with a medical insurance plan, i had to pay all medical
costs, including doctor's visits etc, myself.
c. social: i found myself changing mentally and growing spiritually
after my diagnosis of PD in 1988, and also after all the financial
troubles that my company [and i] had been through. aspects of social
life in bermuda can make it feel like a very small but very wealthy
village, with a big emphasis on material possessions. i felt the need
for a society with a 'wider' outlook, but my viewpoint may have been
distorted at the time by my troubles.
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2. conditions in Canada that attracted me:
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a. financial: i needed either financial help or a job; both options would
be more accessible to me in canada than in bermuda. the social benefits
programs have indeed turned out to be of great assistance, and provided
massive relief to my worries about how i would survive financially.
b. medical: again, this is sort of all tied in with financial, but
having universal medical care and drug benefits is a lifeline for me;
there is nothing like it in bermuda.
c. social: i looked forward to re-connecting with family members i
hadn't seen for a long time.
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3. factors that made it difficult to come to Canada
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the logistics of clearing out and packing up a household of 16 years'
duration [including bringing my four cats back with me!] was my biggest
'problem', which, in the long term, was not a 'real' problem at all,
just hard work, made all the harder by my health limitations.
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4. difficulties of adjusting to life in Canada, such as climate,
clothing, food, a new job and new behaviours.
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since i am originally canadian [born in toronto in 1947, and lived and
worked in toronto till i moved to bermuda in 1981 at age 34], adjusting
to life in canada was not all that difficult for me.
i admit to going through a certain amount of what i call 'culture shock'
after an absence of 16 years, but i can't really consider that a
difficulty.
i moved back into totally different living conditions; i had lived alone
for over 20 years and was now living in close quarters with my sister
and niece; i had lived in 'densely populated' areas such as bermuda and
the city of toronto and was now living in a tiny town [almonte] of
4,400 people, in the country.
being able to afford my own apartment solved the 'close quarters'
problem. living in a tiny town has now 'grown' on me. i have changed
in 20 years; i don't think i could live in a big city again.
i think so many of the 'difficulties' that i have faced in the past have
been in large part due to how i perceive them. for example, i used to
'hate' the cold and resented 'having to' wear all the winter gear - the
scarves, the mitts, the coats etc, and longed for a tropical climate
complete with palm trees.
i have since found out that 'paradise' is where i make it, not a place
to go.
this country and this climate has its own unique [= unequalled] beauty
which strikes me anew each day.
in financial terms, i have applied for and received 'welfare' benefits
from the local governments here [when i first came back] and then i
applied for and was approved for 'ontario disability support program'
benefits. this means that the government of ontario - which means my
co-ontario citizens - which means you and your family as well as your
co-students and their families - provide the money in taxes to pay me
a monthly allowance based on my disability and my financial needs. this
means that i don't have to worry about basic living expenses; i can
hardly express what blessing this has been for me.
i think that these financial and medical benefits are simply reflections
of the attitudes of canadians toward each other - we are 'our brother's
and sister's keepers' in word and in action. this 'canadian ethic' is
very apparent to me now [even though i was born here] after living in
'a different world' from 1981 to 1997.
living outside of canada for a long period of time has been good for
me; i used to take much of it for granted, and suffered from 'the grass
is always greener on the other side of the fence' syndrome. now i take
nothing [or at least, very little!] for granted [i hope!].
from my viewpoint, this country is comprised of compassionate, honest,
hard-working people, blessed with humility, and spiced with humour. i
wouldn't want to live anywhere else.
the fact that these questions comprise a school project for you,
impresses me in a similar way. asking the questions you have, can
only lead to more understanding and more compassion. communication
is vital = life itself.
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janet paterson
53 now / 41 dx / 37 onset
613 256 8340 / PO Box 171 Almonte Ontario K0A 1A0 Canada
visit my website "a new voice" at: "http://www.geocities.com/janet313/"
