Author Archives: REN Project

“If I could give advice to my younger self, it would be that your views of identity, gender and sexuality will change. It will be scary, but you will find a community that loves you.   Growing up, I was really determined to be that nerdy person who excelled, and I attached a lot of my self-worth toContinue reading “Meet Alyx”

“When I was younger, there wasn’t really much that I had to talk about with my sister, she didn’t have the same interests as me. But as I grow up, there’s more things we talked about now, like talk about life in general. She’s been somebody that I’ve been able to look up to aContinue reading “Meet Trevor”

I have been doing graphic design for 40 years. I am always interested in solving problems, looking at things and saying, “Couldn’t you do it another way?” I think it was that interest that caused me to carry on. I did architecture and then graphic design, and then started my own business in Singapore beforeContinue reading “Meet Wei”

“My parents were farmers. They grew up in rural areas of 15-20 people, and they looked after each other. I think some of that kind of transpired here where I’ve grown up with my friends. We look out for each other, we take care of each other. I think of a happy family as synonymousContinue reading “Meet Kevin”

“It’s cool that we, in a healthy way, are able to revisit, understand and reflect on our experiences as Chinese Canadians, especially since so many of us are now second generation and on and on. I think we, in particular, are at a cultural crossroad, where we can see our grandparents or our parents andContinue reading “Meet Derek”

“I only went to Chinese school until Grade 6 at the Chinese United Church which was mainly in the summer. I went to an inner city school, and there were a lot of immigrant students from Hong Kong who became my friends. I understood the Chinese language through them. Then I started watching Chinese movies,Continue reading “Meet Bill”

“My family is Chinese, Malaysian and British. Growing up, my parents were very proud that we were all those things. When you’re a kid, it’s really hard to understand how diaspora works and how other cultures are different. To me, it was never super prominent, it was just kind of always there. It wasn’t untilContinue reading “Meet Jeraldine”

“My relationship to my identity has definitely shifted over the years, transitioning from a partial rejection of it to a rediscovery and embracing.  I went on a graduation trip after I finished my undergrad with my dad to visit our extended family in Hong Kong. And I think just something about being in the cityContinue reading “Meet June”

“I was born and raised in Lethbridge, Alberta. So there was an even smaller Chinese community. I think there’s sort of two sets of very different cultural values. You have one set at home, at church, and then you have a completely different set in school. I think with a more Chinese upbringing, there’s theContinue reading “Meet Timothy”

“I would say Chinese Canadian itself is a culture. I not only practice Chinese traditions but also celebrate Canadian culture. When I first moved to Canada from Hong Kong, I was trying so hard to learn everything about Canada, from the food to the national anthem. But I later realized forcefully accepting everything “Canadian” wasContinue reading “Meet Lorraine”