When disaster strikes...

In the wake of the apocalyptic earthquake that struck Haiti on January 12, states and organizations worldwide are rushing to aid the victims. With a yet unknown death toll, the images speak for themselves: a devastated city in rubble, bodies crushed under the debris, destroyed homes and lifeless people wandering, the light gone from their eyes, amidst an air that must reek of death and despair. Hell on earth in every possible way.

How do survivors and families of the victims go on? How do survivors come back from among the dead?

As international aid is dispatched to Haiti, people are being called upon to help the victims by making donations. If you can afford to be generous, don't hold back. After all, aren't we all citizens of the world and children of the earth? By now, we've seen it enough to know that natural disasters are unpredictable and that we are all vulnerable.

During my university years, I was really good friends with Maelle, this sweet and beautiful Haitian girl. We used to hang out a lot, studying together and just being silly. Sometimes we'd bring out our respective Creole for fun. We even pulled some all-nighters before exams, studying for Macro and Micro Econ and taking Compa and Sega breaks every once in a while. Last I saw her was over two years ago and we haven't been in touch since. She had always wanted to go back to Haiti to get married. Tried to trace her but to no avail: an out-of-service Montreal number and an old deactivated e-mail account.

Major crises snap us awake, in more ways than not.
For my part, until the next time I run into her on the street (and I really hope I do someday), the question will always remain: "did you ever go back or are you still around, old friend?" I pray she and her family are ok...

Proud to be Hakka

The Chinese-Mauritian community is made up of two sub-groups: the Cantonese and the Hakka (which means "guest people"). The Hakkas are descendants of the Han Dynasty (circa 202 BC). Throughout history, the Hakkas have been known as the nomadic Chinese, fleeing the northern part of China down south and to countries such as Indonesia, Taiwan, Thailand, Malaysia, Jamaica, South Africa and...Mauritius - among others.

I remember, growing up with my paternal grandparents, how it was always an emotional experience whenever my popo and kungkung (grandma and grandpa) would tell stories of how they survived in China, how they met, why they fled and what it was like to start from scratch in a country where everything was foreign, from the language to the people. Because the Hakkas are also typically a hardworking people, they've battled many challenges and made sacrifices which children today would have trouble picturing. It's a pity that the younger Hakka generation (e.g. my brother and me) are still very much in the dark when it comes to our ancestral roots, even though we were lucky to have somewhat grasped the language thanks to our folks. In our own way, we kind of embrace our Hakka values, having moved from Mauritius to Montreal. Maintaining the traditions and saving the language is another story altogether.

I've been to Meixian once with my parents to visit my grandparents' village and meet our relatives. I was 10 back then and only have vague, trivial memories of that trip. Today, to embark on such a trip would be to undertake a personally enriching journey to the roots of the Hakka culture.

Take a look at this video (that's just part 1 of 4) of the Hakka Conference and find out more about the rich history of the Hakka people worldwide, "a people with great survival skills".

PS: Thanks for sharing M.Li.

MA(u)R(i)TIANS in Montreal's Gazette

I was pleasantly surprised when a dear colleague of mine mentioned on Tuesday that the Gazette had published an article on Mauritius, my sweet paradise island, the previous day. Of course, anything on Mauritius is worth reading. What's more, it describes the mix of cultures, languages and how Mauritians in general manage speaking Creole, French, English and other languages and dialects (Hindi, Bhojpuri, Hakka, Cantonese, Urdu, Arabic, etc.) on a daily basis.

To many, the idea of a people speaking so many languages, is pretty much inconceivable. Yet that is exactly how it is... People often ask me how it is we, Mauritians, got to learn both languages so well. The thing is, we never really questioned it. It was all kind of automatic; the result of strong French and British colonial influence. At school, I remember how teachers would switch easily from Creole, to French to English in Math class without the students ever being confused. The author of the article seems to have lived the same experience:

"My mum, who had grown up in Mauritius, spoke perfect English, French, Creole and two dialects of Chinese - Hakka and Cantonese. In the small town of Nairn, in the Scottish Highlands, where we'd lived before moving back to her homeland, she might as well have been a Martian. Mauritius, as it turned out, was full of Martians.

The vast majority of Mauritians are educated in English at state-funded schools, a legacy of a century-and-a-half of British rule that preceded independence in the late 1960s. In my day, we studied mathematics, geography, science and the like from prim, old-school textbooks. Reading those tomes was to be transported to a distant era of received pronunciation and high standards."

If you want to know more about how we, Martians, sorry I mean Mauritians!, integrate languages in our daily lives, click on the link below. It's worth a read!

http://www.montrealgazette.com/life/They+speaking+languages/2400789/story.html

Nothing to lose sleep over

I watched The Time Traveler's Wife two days ago. Sure, it doesn't compare to the book, which three and a half years ago, came close to being one of the best books I'd ever read. But I was awake in bed at 4 A.M. that night after watching the movie. Thank God we only resumed work today because quite frankly, staying up late thinking about souls and soul mates isn't exactly my idea of a fun night.

I've been told several times that I've an old soul, from people here and in Peru. If you don't know what it is, I suggest finding out. Old souls are believed to have had a soulmate kind of relationship in past lives or will do in their present life, among other supposed characteristics. And if everything that's being said is true...then soul mates, well they're not supposed to mate forever. An excerpt from Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert (awesome book and the movie is -ha ha- coming out this year) goes:

"A true soul mate is a mirror, the person who shows you everything that’s holding you back, the person who brings you to your own attention so you can change your life. A true soul mate is probably the most important person you’ll ever meet, because they tear down your walls and smack you awake. But to live with a soul mate forever. Nah. Too painful. Soul mates, they come into your life just to reveal another layer of yourself to you, and then they leave."

This has me wonder...what about those old souls who DID meet their soul mates that eventually took flight? Do they then have to settle for something less than butterflies? Do they have to wait for the next life, the next meeting? Do they wander about with half a soul for the rest of their human lives?

Call me naive, call me stubborn, call me crazy, but I may just keep believing even if my twin soul would one day have departed for the beyond.

After all, life would be utterly boring without any soul searching...

And another one bites the dust!

It's 2010!!!

Happy 2010 to you...well to the 2-3 people who actually have time to read my blog.
At this time of the year; new resolutions are being made, new goals set and new passions being rediscovered.
Whatever yours are, I wish you success and happiness in making them come true.
As for me, I know myself enough to know that they rarely make it through the first quarter. I did set one this year though (it being a new decade and all), and hopefully I'll be able to write a one-year-later victory post.

On another note, here's a funny one from Mark Twain on resolutions (don't be discouraged :p):

Yesterday, everybody smoked his last cigar, took his last drink and swore his last oath. Today, we are a pious and exemplary community. Thirty days from now, we shall have cast our reformation to the winds and gone to cutting our ancient shortcomings considerably shorter than ever.

Cheers!