Posted on March 21, 2016 under Monday Morning Musings with 3 comments

 

“ One of these things is not like the other, one of these things just doesn’t belong,

Can you tell me which thing is not like the other, by the time I finish my song”

Sesame Street

So I finally got to the Winter Market in time to score some Hudhud chocolates on Saturday. My intentions were more than honorable. The plan was to buy some to have for the grandkids when they came for Easter next weekend. Unbeknownst to me, my wife also bought a package. Being professional chocolatiers, the Hudhuds wanted me to sample the product first. Not wishing to offend (!) , I took one and popped it in my mouth. Now , because many of you know that I have been trying to lead an exemplary life , especially when it comes to food ( and sweets ) , I found myself immediately being chastised by people I know who saw me pop this tasty treat in my mouth.

Catholic guilt is an awful thing so yesterday morning, I got busy in the kitchen and doubled down on my usual amount of veggies that I routinely prep on Sundays. Can you spot “one thing that doesn’t look like the other” in this picture?!

It was a very exciting weekend for our X-men hockey team. They came up a little short in the final but all in all, they had a fantastic run. The triple overtime game on Saturday was a heart stopper.

Faces in the Crowd will appear on Thursday as usual.

Have a great Easter!

Posted on March 17, 2016 under Faces in the Crowd with one comment

 

They lived 10,000 kilometers apart. L’Arche Antigonish brought them together.

Meet Tina Angustia and Peter Schenke.

She had the travel bug at an early age and was anxious to experience other parts of the world. He looked at his atlas at the age of 14 and saw a vast globe in front of him.  Little did they know that their worlds would collide in a place unknown to either of them.

After working for the Jesuits for 15 years, Tina wanted to broaden her experience.  Upon completing high school, Peter had a choice of a year of military service or working with a social service agency.  Tina ended up securing a job with L’Arche in the Philippines.  “L’Arche found me” she says.  Peter discovered that he could do his community work overseas and leapt at the opportunity to go abroad. “My chance of getting a job with L’Arche in the Philippines was excellent.  There were no other applicants!” he recalls.

They worked together for a short period of time before Peter decided to continue his education, earning a degree in Horticulture back in Germany. Tina was attending a L’Arche conference in Australia where she met a young Polish man who had worked at L’Arche Antigonish.  Despite some misgivings about moving to a colder climate, she decided to take the plunge and arrived in Antigonish in 2009.

For Tina, the welcome she received could not have been better. Antigonish’s own “goodwill ambassador”, Joe White, made her feel at home immediately.

Peter came to visit Tina in Antigonish and they fell in love; with each other, and their newly adopted home.

With the news of a child on the way, the couple feared that they would not be able to continue living and working at L’Arche. But through the compassion and understanding of Gus and Debbie Leuschner and the L’Arche community, not only did they remain with L’Arche, but this “village” became their surrogate family.

When asked why Antigonish is so special to them, Peter smiles. “People are friendly and open.  I feel that I can do anything … that anything is possible.  Here, we know what is important in life … family, art, culture, nature … and a sense of belonging.”

For Tina, it is much simpler. “I feel safe here.  And I haven’t confronted any racism.”

What is most important to Peter and Tina is that their children, Clara and Emmanuel, will grow up in a caring, supportive community.

Life’s ark has brought them here to stay.

 

Posted on March 14, 2016 under Monday Morning Musings with no comments yet

A winter day at Jimtown

( Peter MacDonald photo )

 

The early bird gets the worm…. or is it chocolate?

Our best laid plans on the weekend to secure some fine Syrian made chocolates were thwarted. Our plan was to go for a walk and then head to the Winter Market at the mall. The only problem is that word got out last week about the Hudhud’s chocolates and apparently there were long lineups waiting for the market to open. Long story short, they sold out quickly as many people bought multiple packages ( Easter treats, perhaps? ).

Despite all of the positive things happening with the Syrian refugee efforts in our community and across the country, there are still a lot of naysayers. Many uninformed people think that the Syrians are poor and will be “takers” of the system. So far, from what we have seen in our community, nothing could be further from the truth. The Hudhud’s are a shining example of industry and entrepreneurship and there is every reason to believe that they will be net contributors to our economy.

A good friend had this to say about the Syrians on Saturday: “ It is amazing what the human spirit can do. Just push aside the obstacles in this world and watch them roar.” ( Thanks, M.T. ). Like many, he couldn’t get near the chocolate table!

One last thing. To those people who are not in favor of having immigrants amongst us, remember…. all of us are descendants of immigrants… with the exception of our First Nations people.

This week’s “Faces in the Crowd “ ( FITC ) will be profiling a couple for the very first time. This is an amazing story of two people from far flung places in the world who met in the Philippines and ended up making Antigonish their home. It’s a wonderful story and the reasons that they have decided to lay down roots here are instructive as our province tries to bring in more immigrants. Not surprising, one of the words I hear repeatedly is that Antigonish is a safe place to live. We take this for granted … many others know differently.

For those of you on March break, relax, enjoy and be safe!

Have a great week.