I am a first-generation Canadian. Before moving to the Sea to Sky area of British Columbia in 2015, I grew up in Amsterdam, the Netherlands in the 1990s. While the Netherlands is a country with a high population density, over half of the land in the country is used for agriculture. In pastures and on farms cows, pigs and chicken are grown for meat, dairy and eggs. Grains, potatoes and flowers (most famously tulips) are grown in fields, and various produce including tomatoes, cucumbers and bell peppers are grown in greenhouses. Bread, dairy, eggs and potatoes were staple foods during…

My parents and grandparents emigrated from India to Canada in the 1990’s. In this paper, I will focus on my grandparent’s story from my mother’s side along with my mother’s story because they represent my childhood and how I was raised. With that said, my grandma will be mentioned but the details of my grandpa’s side will be elaborated. My grandpa is the third youngest out of twelve siblings and my mom is the youngest out of eight siblings. My grandpa and mother were both born and raised in Punjab, India in a small village called Kotli. My grandpa and…

Environmental History HIST 3991 Johanne Brar June 11, 2023   My Earlies days living off the Land             My family grew up in a small one-bedroom cabin with my family of 20, and had every space of the floor used for beds.  During the day we would roll up our beds, and used the living area for a living room.  Our family relied on the land for food, food for animals, and hunted for fur-bearing for extra money.  My family relied on the seasons to make a good living didn’t have to rely on the local store for food, and…

I was born in Vancouver, BC, at St. Paul’s Hospital. I grew up in Steveston; however, my parents had decided for me to be born in Vancouver as that would be my birth city for my passport. Both my parents were born in Stuttgart, Germany, and immigrated to Vancouver in 1998. My parents immigrated to Canada from Germany in 1998. Their parents grew up in various areas of Germany, which included East and West Germany during World War II. My father’s mother grew up in Zwickau, a city that was part of East Germany, also known as the DDR, Deutsche…

Exercise #2: Family Environmental History Our lives and present environments are indeed products of history. I believe that our lives are also products of circumstances and lived experiences. To begin with, my family’s history is a little murky and there are many unclear areas so I will do my best to respond accurately with the information I currently know. First off, my mother is Finnish, and both of her parents emigrated from Finland to Canada as young adults. My Papa was born and raised in Finland and lied about his age to join World War II as he was 16…