Jamaican Family Tradition: Eating Patties

When my Nigerian mother married my Jamaican father, he introduced her to a lot of the traditions that take place in Jamaica and by jamaicans in many cities like Toronto and Brampton which was the city I grew up in. One of those traditions is commonly Jamaican patties. Patties are pastries that can be filled with things like vegetables, chicken but mainly beef or spiced beef. Jamaican patties are something that every caribbean has had. Depending on where you buy them, you can get them fresh or frozen and then place them in the oven. I remember as a child, my sister and I went to a party across the street from me and that was the first time I had homemade Jamaican beef patties. They were delicious. Ever since then, I have been in love with them.  In the past I would buy them from Jamaican restaurants or the supermarket. These days I eat them homemade.

When I was in grade 4 to grade 8, I lived in a neighbourhood where there was a good community of West Indians and more specifically, Jamaicans.  One of my closest friends in grade school was Jamaican.  I remember visiting his home and the smells of the food seeping all over the house was amazing.  A smell quite foreign to me but I was fortunate to have been able to try some of the food my friend was brought up on and as I often say…  I’ve never met a mom who didn’t love feeding me.  One other benefit I had living where I did was that there was a Jamaican pastry shop and a place to get jerk chicken.  Yes… I was a very fortunate kid.

Whenever I travel for any extended period of time outside of Canada, I have two major cravings that I need to remedy when I return home:  Mom’s food and Jamaican patties.  I really don’t know why but it has been a tradition of mine that whenever I arrive home after a long trip, I find myself digging into Jamaican delights and there is something about the savoury flavours of Jamaican patties that feeds my soul.

Works Cited

• Siddiqi, Kamran. "Jamaican Beef Patties." Sophisticated Gourmet, 14 June 2010,
      www.sophisticatedgourmet.com/2010/06/jamaican-beef-patties/. Accessed 15
      Jan. 2018.

Canadian Values

What does it mean to be Canadian one might ask, many will not be able to give you a good answer. Just because we share a border with the USA doesn't mean that we are American. Sure we have close ties and relations with the Americans and they are also one of our largest trading partners but Canada is a lot more unique than you would think.

First off lets begin with the Canadian health care system. This system is based upon a more socialist government meaning that they would like to help the people. With taxes being a thing this is all possible but if unexpected injury occurs then don't worry Canada has you covered. In places such as our closest neighbour the USA they run a much different system forcing you to pay for insurance or paying straight up for medical bills which can be very expensive.

Secondly Canadians have a highly maintained standard for being polite respectful people. This makes Canadians unique in the sense we share so many ties to the USA which is a place that is stereotypically rude. People mistake Canadians for Americans while on their travels and instantly get defensive when they hear this.

Lastly another thing that makes Canada unique would be the charter of rights and freedoms. To be more specific the freedom of expression. This freedom is unique as other countries may have freedom of speech Canada has the freedom of expression which I think is a whole lot more free. With this freedom you can express yourself freely in ways such as speech, the way you dress, and so on. This is an amazing freedom to give the people so they may feel free and safe knowing their culture or beliefs won't be affected.

Works Cited

Government of Canada. 6 Aug. 2008, www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/services/canada-health-care-system.html. Accessed 7 Jan. 2018.

Government of Canada. 10 July 2004, laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/Const/page-15.html. Accessed 7 Jan. 2018.

Canadian Values

When I think of Canadian values I think of right and freedoms, democracy, healthcare and nation security. These are thing that we value and take advantage from everyday, and without them I would believe that we would not have been the country that we are today or have the same impact on the world as we do now, and be a role model for other countries. Some of the rights and freedoms that many people use is the right to practice your own religion. The right to have a religion is a fundamental right that makes Canada a better place to live, and draws more people to immigrate to Canada.

Secondly another right that we exercise frequently is freedom of expression. This is the right that allows Canadian to express the way they feel about certain thing, and this is a value Canadians could not do without. If gone we would never be able to have an opinion or express ourselves in anyway.

Thirdly another value that we have is our democracy. We are lucky to call our country a democracy and to have a voice in what happens to the country while other places like North Korea and Cuba. We have a chance every four years to gather and vote for a person that we will best thing that will represent us on a political and on a national level. We also get to vote on a local level, and this allows us to choose a candidate that we feel that can represent us on a local level.

The next value that we Canadians are very grateful for is free healthcare. Even though we pay through our taxes that come from things we buy and paychecks, we still get to enjoy low healthcare costs. This allows the general public to stay healthy and safe with little cost and we value that very much.

The final value that I feel that Canadians value the most is nation security. In Canada we are very fortunate that we have a low crime rate and to have no impending threats at our doorstep. In all Canada is a very lucky country and many citizens value what Canada offers to its people and what the country stands for.

Works Cited

Durham. www.durhamimmigration.ca/creating%20community/Pages/WhatareCanadianValues.aspx.

Wikipedia. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canadian_Charter_of_Rights_and_Freedoms

Canadian Values

As a Canadian, we don’t think about our responsibilities or we take for granted the things that we have. However, talking to my international friends, I’ve learned that we, as Canadians, should be grateful for what we have as they would gladly take my spot.

A photo of North Vancouver

It turns out I wasn’t the only reason why my friend Chris want to move to Canada from Africa. Chris is a music producer, producing under the alias of Light Shard. Chris told me that “[he] would love living there because it is a well developed and technologically supportive country. [He’s] been seeing more innovations music and video wise from Canada as well.” Chris also said that the scenery (especially in Vancouver) is much nicer than Africa, as would jump at the chance to move here.

Tyler is another music producer. He produces under the alias of Catastrophe and is based in Los Angeles. “Canada, Norway and Germany are my favorite places for safe environments. I would want to go there because the population is very spread out on its land mass.” He told me on SnapChat. “I might be moving there soon for refuge.” He asked me not to reveal why.

When asked simple questions, Ryan Beckett gave me an answer I thought I would never hear from him. Ryan is a Track and Field runner in Cerritos College and is going to school for teaching. “You guys don’t have Trump as a president” he answered simply, “but I can’t say that Canada is the best country in the world to live in but it’s definitely better than a lot. There doesn’t seem to be as much drama going on over there with your government.”

James Sullivan, yet another boy from Africa, gave me some information I thought I wouldn’t hear. “Trump isn’t your president or prime minister or whatever it is over there, Africa has a corrupt president, it’s safer to walk the streets in Toronto then it is in Cape Town, they have [rainbow] money and transgender rights are more accepting than they are here.” Sullivan then continued to tell me that he was very unfortunate being who he was in the country that he was in.

I guess I see Canada as a sort of blessing. It’s a fortunate country in equality rights and as my friends said, we could have it worse government wise. If I lived anywhere in the world, I would want to come to Canada because of the rights and freedoms we have. Gathering information from my friends only made me want them here more.

Canadian Values

Canada is a place full of love and acceptance for everyone. Love, fairness, democracy, economic security, safety, sustainability, diversity, and more. Not many people around the world can say their home is full of love and fairness, but Canada treats everyone fairly with no excuses of sexism, racism, and terrorism. Canada keeps healthcare free for anyone in need which has saved so many people’s lives. I have lived in canada for my whole life and not once have I thought about moving. This Country is such a safe place for people to live in .

Over many years immigrants have been welcomed to this country with open arms. Also, Canada holds amazing sports that everyone can play. Canadians are not only awesome at sports but we have many gold medals in winter olympics. Canada is a amazing place no wonder many people move here from around the world.

Qurne, Emilia. "Canada Volleyball." Pak Man.

Canada's Values

Canada is a country that values progress towards further developing; their health care plan, the education of the future workers and leaders of their country, their citizens rights and freedoms, and their relationships with other countries. These topics are what Canada Values and believes will contribute to the best development of their country.
Canada’s publicly funded health care, Medicare, is in place because of the Health Care Act of 1984. Medicare is mostly private entities within the various provinces providing services. Which means that all Canadian residents have reasonable access to medically necessary hospital and physician services without paying out-of-pocket. Medicare was first initiated under Lester Pearson’s Liberal Government. This was put in place to provide near universal coverage to all Canadians regarding their need for such services and not ability to pay. Proving, that Canada cares about the well being of its citizens and affordability of their health care.
	Canada’s rights and freedoms for its people are organized in a chart that is one part of Canada’s constitutional laws. In this charter of rights and freedoms there is a specific section(15) that states Canadians Equality Rights. The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms clearly states that every individual in Canada – regardless of race, religion, national or ethnic origin, colour, sex, age or physical or mental disability – is to be considered equal. Therefore, this best represents Canada’s acceptance of everyone and their willingness to let citizens represent the flag and uphold the laws of Canada.
Being Canadian is about respecting and caring about others. This is proven through our peacekeeping approach to conflict. Canada is a country that gives its people freedom of speech and the freedom to practice whatever religion they want to. Overall, Canadians are people that appreciate everything they have.
I am proud of Canada’s ability to keep a level head and stay confident and positive even while the rest of the world is in disputes about everything. The country of Canada is also well known for their hospitality and likeability. It makes me most proud to be Canadian for the ability Canadian people have of being accepting of our country’s diversity.	Canada is considered to be the 2nd best country to live on the planet other than Australia, Canada in the 2017 Best Countries Survey took the top spot in five attributes: respects property rights, trustworthy, religious freedom, politically stable and well-developed public education system. To conclude, this best describes Canada’s ability to focus on the future of its country and the well being of its people.
	The country of Canada although overall good to live in could improve its international trade strategy. This is where Canada could improve because Canada had a near-record trade deficit of $2.94 billion during april of 2016 after which the economy continued to struggle with weak crude oil prices that have slashed the value of exports and curbed growth. That deficit, announced by Statistics Canada on June 3, 2016, was the 20th declared trade deficit in a row, and greater than the $2.45 billion shortfall forecasted by analysts.

Works Cited

Allam, Omar. “Nine Ways to Improve Canada’s International Trade Strategy.” Canadian Business, 15 Jan. 2016, www.canadianbusiness.com/economy/nine-ways-to-improve-canadas-international-trade-strategy/. Accessed 12 Jan. 2018.

Chen, Tanya. “23 Things Canadians Are Truly Proud of.” Buzzfeed, 22 Sept. 2014, www.buzzfeed.com/tanyachen/things-canadians-are-truly-proud-of?utm_term=.rtgnjgEvJ#.ul6lkP7g9. Accessed 11 Jan. 2018.

The Flag Shop. Canada/United Nations Crossed Pin. 28 Dec. 2000. Flag Shop, 17 Aug. 1998, shop.flagshop.com/media/catalog/product/cache/1/image/9df78eab33525d08d6e5fb8d27136e95/p/i/pin-friendship-can-unitednations_2.jpg. Accessed 14 Jan. 2018.

Government of Canada. “About Medicare.” Canada’s Health Care System, 10 Jan. 2010, www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/services/canada-health-care-system.html. Accessed 11 Jan. 2018.

---. Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. 20 Apr. 1982. The Canadian Encyclopedia, 20 Apr. 1982, tce-live2.s3.amazonaws.com/media/media/eb6ec132-1f25-4df9-b54d-d101ef2e4e7e.jpg. Accessed 14 Jan. 2018.

---. “Your Guide to the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.” Canada, 17 Apr. 1982, www.canada.ca/en/canadian-heritage/services/how-rights-protected/guide-canadian-charter-rights-freedoms.html. Accessed 14 Jan. 2018.

Harper, Stephen. Medicare. 10 Sept. 2010. Class Tools, 10 Sept. 2010, www.classtools.net/_FAKEBOOK/saved/1631/rgW8yW/medicare_1423168979.jpg. Accessed 14 Jan. 2018.

McPhillips, Deidre, editor. “Why Canada’s the No. 2 Best Country, Again.” U.S News, 24 Mar. 2017, www.usnews.com/news/best-countries/articles/2017-03-24/why-canadas-the-no-2-best-country-again. Accessed 11 Jan. 2018.

National Council of Canadian Muslims. Civic Engagement. 10 May 2009. National Council of Canadian Muslims, 19 Sept. 2002, www.nccm.ca/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/civicengagement.jpg. Accessed 14 Jan. 2018.

Wikimedia Foundation. “Healthcare in Canada.” Wiki, 6 Jan. 2018, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Healthcare_in_Canada. Accessed 11 Jan. 2018.

Canadian Values

As Canadians, some of our values as a country are: equality, when one respects everyone’s rights, beliefs, and cultural differences and everyone has the right to speak out and express their own ideas even when others may disagree; we also value freedom of thought, speech, religion and freedom of peaceful assembly; we value peace and we are proud of our non-violent society; law and order is also valued as we respect democratic decision making.

When most people from different countries think of Canada they usually think: living in igloos, “eh”, how polite we are, maple syrup, and hockey. When Canadians think of being Canadian, we tend to think of our Charter Rights and Freedoms, welcoming Immigrants and refugees, Tim Hortons; we also love watching are playing hockey outside or inside, and recently the Raptors and “We The North” have given us another reason to be proud of being Canadian.

In my opinion Canada is the best country in the world is filled with a lot of proud citizens.  I believe that Canadians are proud of the Charter Rights and Freedoms. The Charter of Rights and Freedoms are very important to a lot of people that live in Canada. There are lots of Immigrants and refugees that come to Canada and for them to have freedom is very important as it is something they may not have had in their previous country.  In Canada, we accept everyone.  We believe that everyone is important and valued.  People who come to Canada with different religious or cultural values are also accepted and included.  Although we want people to become Canadian, they are encouraged to keep their cultural values. We are privledged to live in a country that relies on the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

I consider myself Canadian not just because I am a citizen but because my whole family is Canadian as well, my ancestors came from Wales to Canada over four generations ago. I am truly a Canadian in the way that I treat others.  I believe everyone should be accepted for who they are and should be respected because of that.  I also really enjoy learning about different cultures and I love hearing stories of how people ended up living in Canada.  My family are also huge hockey fans (they play and watch hockey) and of course, Tim Hortons is the hot beverage of choice. We often give thanks and appreciation for being able to live in such a beautiful and respectful country.  Our Charter of Rights and Freedoms are one of many reasons why we are proud to be Canadian.  Can Canada improve?  Absolutley.  We have a long way to go in our treatment of our indigenous people.  I think that we have the foundation set and I am hopeful that there will be progress made soon so every person in Canada will also consider themselves proud to live here.

Wharnsby, Tim. "Canada coach Ducharme learned his own golden rule." CBC, 6 Jan.

   2018, www.cbc.ca/sports/hockey/

   canada-sweden-world-juniors-championship-wharnsby-1.4475730. Accessed 8

   Jan. 2018.

Durham Immigration Portal. "What are Canadian values?" Durham Immigration

   Portal, 2010, www.durhamimmigration.ca/creating%20community/Pages/

   WhatareCanadianValues.aspx. Accessed 2018.