Interview with a foreigner

Hamar Boussafi

For this cultural blog post, I decided to interview the father of one of my friends.  Hamar Boussafi is a man form Kabylia, Algeria. He left his country alone when he was approximately 18 years old but he doesn’t know his real age. He left principally for his scholarship and also to escape poverty, economical and political problems.

He first left to France where he went to school and continued to learn French, he had already started to take courses back in Algeria but his first language is Kabyl, a language derived from Arabic. It is in France that he met the love of his life. She was from Rimouski so he decided to move there and marry her. They had four children together, one boy and three girls.

When I asked him if his immigration was difficult, he answered yes. First of all, he had to leave some family (mother and sisters) without knowing if he would see them again. The difference of temperature was also a big change for him and it still is. When he arrived in Rimouski for the first time, during the winter, his girlfriend had warned him that it would be chilly. He was so stubborn that he arrived wearing a t-shirt! What he thought difficult too was the difference in attitudes. The way of thinking is really different in Algeria compared to Quebec. The religion was not a part of the changes because he didn’t follow any in his country and he kept it that way here.

I asked him what he misses the most and it is mostly his culture. He is also nostalgic from the place where he comes from. What he misses the least is certain of the attitudes of the Algerians; like he said the way of thinking is really different. Sometimes it is a good thing to be away from this but it is also difficult to adapt to new ones.

Finally, Hamar doesn’t have any regrets but anywhere he’ll be, he’ll want to be elsewhere. This is just who he is.

The student strike

I was wrong, my last post was actually not my very last...

We have been asked how we experienced the student strike. As Jennifer said, it was my first real world experience in democracy.

To be honest, I did not support the strike. I disagree with the rising of tuition fees but I just accept it. The cost of life is increasing and like every other thing in society, the cost to go to school is also rising. Personally, I can afford it so I don't know why I should compromise my studies by being for the strike. I understand that there are people who can't afford this new price and it changes a lot of things for them, some won't be able to go to university. But this is what they say... I think there is always a way to make things right and some young adults just don't know how to budget...

From the very beginning (the fist general meeting), I did not support the strike, the reason is: I don't think this is the right way to change things. It has created a party for the strike and one against the strike between students which is not very good.

I choose a side and I am proud of it but I don't go outside and scream it to everyone... I understand the people who protest and want the government to change their idea but they went to far. Here, the strike is over and everything is back to normal. Except maybe the fact that it has completely changed the school calendar. But it still continues in a lot of school and now, students are attacking civilians not even concerned because they don't know what else to do anymore. I really don't think this is the good way to change things. The government decided something, it won't go back on it. Students just have to accept it, this is my final word.

Finally, I did not really like my first experience in democracy because even if I took a side, democracy's not my thing...

(I don't want to upset some people with my words, this is just my opinion.)