Life has a balance

The Spring Break is almost over now. Monday: school will start again.

Even though I did not have a chance to meet with my Burmese friends this Spring Break Conference, I had nice time in Sackville. Life is not always miserable after all. Two days ago, My Sociology professor took me to Moncton to buy the ingredients for Mohinga Recipe (traditional Burmese food). It was like an adventure that we: professor, her two daughters and I, had adventurous cooking on Mohinga. It took us about an hour to cook Mohinga. Afterwards, I watched Bride and Prejudice with my professor and her daughters at her house. She also gave away the left over for me in containers so that I can share it with my house mates.

That day when we bought ingredients for Mohinga in Moncton, she and her husband (who is also a political professor at Mt. A) treated me with Indian food for lunch at Taj Mahal Restaurant in Moncton. Sadly, I had a car sick that on the way back to Sackville, I puked almost all the Indian food that I ate. I felt so bad to my Prof for my sickness. She is one of the best professors that I have ever known here at Mt. Allison.

Last weekend too, she invited me to her house for the fondue lunch, some intellectual conversations about world news and sociological thoughts, and catching up with Burmese news. I had great time with her, her daughters and her husband. One thing I realized is that I have been so much behind my knowledge in world news and sociological perspectives just at the very beginning of the conversation with my professor.

In the West and big cities, I don’t think the professors will take students (not even to the Canadian students) out for lunch. This must be the Maritime University life. I am fortunate to befriend with my Sociology professor.

Identity and Cultural Fatigue

I have been doing my homework for CAN 2011 and defining Canadian Identity.

There are several ways that one can define the identity: by the governmental organizations, political parties, the international relations with other nations, and the values that Canadian ingrains. In addition, the regional identity could be included too. For instance, Francophone and Anglophone is main thing; the Atlantic Canada is different from other parts of Canada. "Dialectic in Canada and developments out of the dialectic reveal an insistent force of interrelation among political decision making, social policy, religious faith, and erection of public institutions, concepts of public services, philosophical ideas of human meaning and description of individual’s relations to the community."

Much of Canada's history (economic and social structures) is influenced by the "powerful" sibling-hood country, the United States. Canadians embody both individualism and communitarian. I fee like the outcome is distinct in Canada's own cultural fatigue.

Speaking of the IDENTITY question, I quest for my Identity too. Burmese students abroad have great passion to share Burmese Politics and Anti-Governmental Spirit. Seriously, I HAD great fervor in politics and especially on Anti-government however, I sort of felt like people MIGHT not like it when you say it too much. I cannot find the answer why: maybe due to my approach, due to my surroundings (remember I switched into Science from Social Science) or due to me (sort of paranoia). So, for quite recently I have not been doing anything at all. This evening I came across the YAMC website. When I saw the youtube video "Inside Burma" Part 1 and "Inside Burma" Part 2, tears were streaming on my face.

However, people DO ask me about my country. My close friends and teachers who care about me. That time, I take time and explain them about my country's situation carefully and if I don't know, I don't cheat; I just say I have not read the information you want to know and so on. So, basically, I want to share my country's situation in a more private personal relations rather than propagation.
I am afraid that people will always think of me as political animal. Part of it is because of the Facebook thing too. Facebook is a sort of dangerous site to propagate news. Therefore, I stopped using it and now I feel detached to some of my friends who are not on my gtalk list.

I am so much behind social science after all. What shall I do?

I am sorry if I said anything offensive. I did not mean to.

PLEASE DO COMMENT ON MY POST.

Ps. For political themes for Canadian Identity, I am facing difficulties because I don't understand the political system here.
Phew... studying Canadian history, I feel like it. However, my reading rate is so slow.

A student’s responsibility in Canada

This blog entry is about a student’s diary sharing good and bad things facing while studying in North America. We should share our knowledge, mishap and setbacks while studying. I have some other blogs too that I write regularly anyways I want to give a bit of rant about passport, study permit and visa.

This is my story. I am supposed to attend a conference this Feb 20th yet, unfortunately my passport is expiring in 3 months. The U.S counselor did not issue the visa because I don’t have 6 months of valid Myanmar passport. I am NOT blaming anyone for my mishap. It is my own responsibility as “an international student studying in Canada” to renew my passport in hand within 6 months of expiring date. I learn a life lesson and I would like to share my trouble with my friends, so that my friends won’t do the same mistake as I am facing right now. Or my friends already known this fact that I might be a sole idiot.

Life is so busy here. Study, Work and then at the same time I cannot do everything on time. But, I know it is totally my own responsibility to renew it earlier and I have been trying hard to update my passport urgently. Anyways. This is it. In addition, I have to renew my study permit (students in Canada are supposed to extend the study permit earlier because the process takes about a month) at the same time.

ps. happy valentine’s day.