3 25 96 https://omeka.uottawa.ca/anthroharvest/files/original/0aaa8eb7b0a2f50ccdddfb7c7318a8f3.mp3 9630783aeba20b1498a5415cfdc3c66e Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Latin American stories from Ottawa Description An account of the resource <div style="text-align: left; margin-top: 0.5em; margin-bottom: 0.5em;">Beginning in Winter 2025, Professor Laurie Weinstein in ANT3340: Latin American and the Caribbean created Anthroharvest with the goal of inspiring students to explore the diversity of our city through ethnographic interviews. This collection stands as a pillar of students' ongoing efforts to interview friends, family, and members of Ottawa's Latin American and Caribbean communities in surrounding areas. Our ultimate goal is to create an archive of stories for those who identify with the Latin American and Caribbean community, accessible at any time, that preserves knowledge and promotes their cultures. Our project remains ongoing as we learn and connect with new students and people across Ottawa and eastern Canada. We invite you to browse the stories collected by our students, listen to the audio recording, and read transcripts and biographies of those interviewed. </div> Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Interviewee The person(s) being interviewed Paolina Valdez Interviewer The person(s) performing the interview Alyssa Amey; Elijah Dawson; Alexander Turner Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data In person Transcription Any written text transcribed from a sound Alyssa Amey: Today we are here to interview Paolina, a fourth year university of Ottawa student who is from the Dominican Republic, specifically Santo Domingo. My name is Alyssa. I'm here today with my team members, Elijah and Alex, to conduct an interview as part of an ethnographic study on Ottawa's Latin American and Caribbean communities. This interview is being conducted for Anthropology 3340 at the University of Ottawa. I will let Alex begin with the questions now. Alexander Turner: So our first question to you is, what is your country of origin? Paolina Valdez: I was born in the Dominican Republic. I lived there my whole life, up until I was 18, and that's where my family's from as well. Alexander Turner: The next question is, what brought you to Ottawa? Paolina Valdez: Um, I moved to Ottawa when I was 18 to start my university career, uhm, I wanted to move away first of all, because there were a lot more diversity in uhm careers when it came to sociology and communications, and because uhm I did want to apply an English uh study to my university career. Alexander Turner: And—uh–do you have family here, and do you see them frequently? Paolina Valdez: Uh…. no, my family all lives in the Dominican Republic, but I do visit them frequently—uhm–I see everyone back home, and I do visit a lot. Elijah Dawson: Do you live in a Latin community or neighbourhood where people speak Spanish and or Portuguese and celebrate various occasions? Paolina Valdez: So here, I do not live in a Latin neighbourhood, uhm, but I do know a lot of Latin people with whom I do speak Spanish whenever I see them… uhm I do sometimes celebrate some– uhm Latin occasions here that I wouldn't back home, like Cinco de Mayo and other stuff, uhm and back home, I do live in a completely Latin neighborhood and community where everyone speaks Spanish to each other, and we all have—uhm shared values. Elijah Dawson: What celebrations are most important to you? Paolina Valdez: Uhm for me, personally, and for most Dominican people, I'd say that Independence Day, which for us is the 27th of February uhm, is one of our most important uh—celebration—uh and other ones would be more connected to religion. So Easter Week, we never work. We never, we— everyone always goes on vacation, uhm, we also have Christmas is very important to us, and a lot of Saint days, we all have off. Elijah Dawson: Can you describe a typical day in your community? Paolina Valdez: Uhm, I'd say that usually we do have a lot of community connection. We do see our friends very often, at least once a day. I think that uhm, a connection with friendships, family members and just everyone around you is more typical in everyday life. Back home, uhm, we usually do uh–go out to eat more often— uhm to see people and to just like, hang out. Elijah Dawson: How do you celebrate your heritage? Paolina Valdez: I think through music, food and other things, I love listening to Spanish music whenever I miss home—uhm anytime there's a sunny day I feel connected to back home, and there's just a lot of practices that I apply in my day to day life that help me celebrate my heritage. Alyssa Amey: So moving forward, what are some values that you hold most dear as a member of the Latin Caribbean community? Paolina Valdez: Uhm I think, like us in previous questions, a community and a sense of uhm— connection is very important—Is very important value that we see a lot back home, that I think applying it to my life here has been good uhm, something else that I find very important is just a sense of like direction, connection uhm, that we don't see as much often here, but is very important for our communities back home. Alyssa Amey: And what would you like to share about yourself or your community that you think is important for people to know? Paolina Valdez: I think the warmth of the uhm, people back home, the how much people care, uhm if anyone asks for directions, they'll even take you somewhere. Uhm, I think those type of small acts really make a community uhm something else, I think, is just the connection with food and music that people have, even if you don't speak the language, you can feel uhm I think the feelings that people have over these things and the cultural significance of everything. Alyssa Amey: Uhm also, what foods do you make that remind you of home and where do you purchase your groceries to prepare your traditional meals in Ottawa? Paolina Valdez: Uhm, what reminds me of back home is eating plantains. I feel like that's something that we usually cook with a lot, like whether it be fried or uh— in mashed, like mashed potatoes, other foods like rice with meat and just other sides, I feel like, remind me a lot of back home. Sometimes I do grocery shopping in more Latin American markets, like the one in Byward and the one in Somerset. There's another one— uhm, but I do a lot of my purchases in normal grocery stores as well. Alyssa Amey: Uhm, and moving forward, how likely would you and your family be to use the website we're creating for uploading your stories, and how would you use it? We would kind of like to better serve the community. So any suggestions from you about access as well as what should be posted would be greatly appreciated. Paolina Valdez: Uhm… I feel like older family members would be more likely to use it, and maybe, uhm, my cousins and stuff to send my grandparents pictures or videos or memories of uhm, anniversaries or vacation and such uhm, I feel like that would be useful in that way uh, maybe more uhm, accessible it would be if there was a possibility to put in Spanish and English— uhm, if you could connect the pictures with uhm, your phone pictures, or if they were accessible, way to share images or videos with people that don't have access to maybe uhm, being able to download an app or such. Alexander Turner: And uh finally, do you have any other comments or concerns? Paolina Valdez: Uhm— I feel like Latin American communities have a lot to offer, uhm, globally and in Canada uhm, and that there is a lot of richness to all the great different cultures, and that we all have very big variety of— um— values and historical and political backgrounds. Alyssa Amey: Well thank you so much for speaking with us. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Conversation with Paolina Valdez Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2025-03-20 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource MP3, 7 min 31 s Language A language of the resource English Description An account of the resource This project is an ethnographic interview conducted with Paolina, a fourth-year Sociology student at the University of Ottawa. Born and raised in the Dominican Republic, she shares her experiences of cultural adaptation, preservation, and connection as a member of Ottawa’s Latin American and Caribbean community. Through this interview, Paolina reflects on her heritage, the significance of food, music, and celebrations, and the challenges and opportunities of maintaining her Dominican identity while living abroad. https://omeka.uottawa.ca/anthroharvest/files/original/b2017b9b9e2f957245463f89ffa1fe41.mp3 b8facfebf5292d422bb13342968ae3b2 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Latin American stories from Ottawa Description An account of the resource <div style="text-align: left; margin-top: 0.5em; margin-bottom: 0.5em;">Beginning in Winter 2025, Professor Laurie Weinstein in ANT3340: Latin American and the Caribbean created Anthroharvest with the goal of inspiring students to explore the diversity of our city through ethnographic interviews. This collection stands as a pillar of students' ongoing efforts to interview friends, family, and members of Ottawa's Latin American and Caribbean communities in surrounding areas. Our ultimate goal is to create an archive of stories for those who identify with the Latin American and Caribbean community, accessible at any time, that preserves knowledge and promotes their cultures. Our project remains ongoing as we learn and connect with new students and people across Ottawa and eastern Canada. We invite you to browse the stories collected by our students, listen to the audio recording, and read transcripts and biographies of those interviewed. </div> Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Interviewee The person(s) being interviewed Rafael Rodriguez Interviewer The person(s) performing the interview Laurien Wang Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data On Zoom Transcription Any written text transcribed from a sound Interviewer: What brought you to Ottawa? Rafael: I came here because maybe around when I was 13, which was around eight years ago, my dad had a job opportunity and we just all moved here. Interviewer: Okay, what's your country of origin? Rafael: I am originally from Mexico. Interviewer: Where in Mexico? Rafael: From Monterrey, which is the border in the United States. I was there until I was 13. Interviewer: Oh, wow. Do you have family here and do you see them frequently? Rafael: I have an uncle that I see infrequently maybe once or twice a month mostly because he comes visit my mom but aside from that I don't have any other family. They all still live in Mexico. Interviewer: Do you live in a Latin community or neighborhood where people speak Spanish and Portuguese and do you celebrate various occasions? Rafael: I don't live in Latin community. I would, if I see anybody that's maybe speaking Spanish, I would gravitate towards that person, but don't necessarily live in that kind of community. It's not something that we were looking for, especially when we moved. But in terms of celebrations, we still celebrate every single holiday that we would celebrate back in Mexico, especially every, I guess, We were raised pretty religious. I'm not personally religious, but every single holiday that comes with Catholicism, I celebrate that with my family. yeah, that's pretty much it. Interviewer: Okay. Is there a reason why you don't live in a Latin community or neighborhood? Rafael: not really a reason, it's just not something that we were looking for. Or we were looking out for, guess, to settle in. Interviewer: Do you wish you moved into a more lasting community or it doesn't really matter to you? Rafael: I think it could be nice, but you know personally it's more about the living situation than community. I know it's very different for a lot of people, but for me personally it's more about the situation where you're at, not the community. Interviewer: Okay, that makes sense. What celebrations are the most important to you? Rafael: It's kind of a simple answer, but I would say birthdays. Just having to celebrate the birthdays of my family, just being able to hang out with them, especially since I'm in college now and I'm not living with them. So I only get to go home once, maybe once or twice every other month. Interviewer: Okay, cool. Uh, can you describe a typical day in your community? Well, I know you said you didn't have one, so I don't know if that applies. Yeah, yeah, I would say that wouldn't apply. Is there any other community that you engage in? Sorry? Is there like another community you engage in? Rafael: Not really, no. I'm pretty introverted, personally. That makes sense. Interviewer: How do you celebrate your heritage? Rafael: I guess, you know, I don't really celebrate it. just, I make a point to never forget, I would say. Just to know that there's a lot of things that I loved back in Mexico and I still love them now. I'm still trying to keep up with them, even though it's a little bit harder, but you as long as I make the effort, I still have that connection. Interviewer: Oh, wow. Well, that's really heartwarming to hear actually. What values do you hold the most dear to in relation to the Latin American community or values you still hold on to? Rafael: Honestly, in my opinion, the Latin community or I guess the community that I grew up in, which is was very religious. I went to a Catholic school. Even though I'm not religious, I do appreciate and I do like all the values. Rafael: that he even steal on me. And I think that's one of the most important parts that I would really care about, I guess. I really miss. Interviewer: Oh really? What kind of values? Rafael: Well, you know, just everything about family, just being able to just... I know I say I'm not very community driven, but it's mostly just everyone outside of my family I don't really care too much about. It's just more about my family. Even distant relatives, you know, I want to make sure I have that connection despite being introverted. That's pretty good. Kind of ironic. Well, family and community should always be first. Interviewer: in my opinion. But speaking of that, what would you like to share about yourself or your community that you think is important for people to know about? Important to know? Rafael: I would say if you go to Mexico, you would be surprised at how inviting they are about the kind of person that you can be, especially if you're a foreigner. Rafael: Monterey especially, know, it's it's one of the major cities and starting to become a you know tourist heavy and I really think that people can can go there and learn a lot about our culture and take something from it Interviewer: Yeah, honestly, I feel like the best way to experience other cultures really is through First-hand experience and interacting with the environment itself So yeah, that's such a beautiful culture, honestly. I would love to visit Mexico sometime and experience that culture myself because that sounds very heartwarming for anybody who is within that community and outside the community. What foods do you make that remind you of home and where do you purchase your groceries to prepare your traditional meals? Rafael: The food store reminds me most of home. You know, most people would say tacos, but I honestly would say soups. You know, the kind of soups that we have, would say are honestly the closest tie to my home, like the people that grew up in, like Caddo de Res and all that kind of thing. Like tamales. We have a... Rafael: like my grandma's secret recipe of the coffee that she used to make, which is made with cinnamon. And it was, you know, it was amazing. But personally, you know, I'm not that very skilled in cooking and I never took up the offers to learn some of the secret recipes. So in terms of shopping, I just go to HEV, you know, it's probably one of the better options to get some. Classic Mexican products. Interviewer: Wow. Well, it sounds delicious. I'll make sure to hit up that store so I can get some authentic food and tastes. How likely would you and your family be to use the website we are creating for uploading your stories? And how would you use it? Rafael: I would say this doesn't apply to me because purely that I don't really post anything online, especially about my family. Interviewer: Do you have any other comments or concerns? Rafael: No, I have no concerns at all. Interviewer: Are you sure? Yeah, absolutely. Okay, lovely. Thank you for joining me for my interview. Rafael: Of course, thank you for the opportunity to share my story. No problem. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Conversation with Rafael Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2025-03-24 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource MP3, 8 min 41s Language A language of the resource English Description An account of the resource Rafael is a Mexican male in his mid-20s who engineers software apps with a team and enjoys playing video games casually in his free time. He has been enjoying a quiet life since moving to Ottawa. https://omeka.uottawa.ca/anthroharvest/files/original/8806d5ff09e4c161e8d52a74166bc967.mp3 1efde08eb9c0cadb032345f2d117f297 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Latin American stories from Ottawa Description An account of the resource <div style="text-align: left; margin-top: 0.5em; margin-bottom: 0.5em;">Beginning in Winter 2025, Professor Laurie Weinstein in ANT3340: Latin American and the Caribbean created Anthroharvest with the goal of inspiring students to explore the diversity of our city through ethnographic interviews. This collection stands as a pillar of students' ongoing efforts to interview friends, family, and members of Ottawa's Latin American and Caribbean communities in surrounding areas. Our ultimate goal is to create an archive of stories for those who identify with the Latin American and Caribbean community, accessible at any time, that preserves knowledge and promotes their cultures. Our project remains ongoing as we learn and connect with new students and people across Ottawa and eastern Canada. We invite you to browse the stories collected by our students, listen to the audio recording, and read transcripts and biographies of those interviewed. </div> Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Interviewee The person(s) being interviewed Rafael Rodriguez Interviewer The person(s) performing the interview Dina Kaufmann Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data On Zoom Transcription Any written text transcribed from a sound [Dina Kaufmann] 13:56:02 Okay, beautiful. Hi, Raphael. Thank you so much for joining me today. My name is Dina. [Dina Kaufmann] 13:56:11 And I will be asking you a few questions for my interview for my anthropology class with Dr. Laurie Winston. [Dina Kaufmann] 13:56:20 So for the first questions, I will be asking you what is your country of origin? [Rafael Rodriguez] 13:56:26 Hi, Dina. Yes, I am originally from the Dominican republic Santo Domingo, it's also known as Santo Domingo. [Rafael Rodriguez] 13:56:35 And I've been here in Canada for a few years. I will say that i will say I'm kind of like a hybrid right now. Dominican, Canadian. [Dina Kaufmann] 13:56:45 Okay, well, beautiful. Thank you so much. And what has brought you to Ottawa? [Rafael Rodriguez] 13:56:51 It's a long story, actually. My family had been living here in canada for a long time already. And I used to live with my grandmother back in the Dominican and back in 1997, she passed away and as a young teenager, I was living alone in the house and [Rafael Rodriguez] 13:57:12 My mom that lived here in Canada, she said, well, this is not acceptable. You come into Canada and I end up just coming here because I was told to come, basically. [Dina Kaufmann] 13:57:22 Yes, well, it's a sad story but we are happy your are here. Are you happy here in Ottawa? [Rafael Rodriguez] 13:57:28 I am happy no matter where I am. Happiness comes from the inside. [Rafael Rodriguez] 13:57:33 The issues, you can choose to be miserable. You know. I mean, the mind is a place of its own right I don't know who said this. So the mind is somebody said this. And the mind is a place I mean, in it, you can make a hell or a haven or a haven [Rafael Rodriguez] 13:57:52 Or a hell, right? So for me, I try to find the good in everything. And yes, absolutely. I'm happy This country has been a blessing to me. It has provided me with many different opportunities right and actually to say the right [Rafael Rodriguez] 13:58:07 Side of the coin, like anything in life has a positive and a negative but Which is what to look for, right? [Dina Kaufmann] 13:58:16 Yes, 100%. And did you come here with any family or do you see your family back in the Dominican Republic frequently? [Rafael Rodriguez] 13:58:25 Well, I do have family in here. It's not a very large group of individuals, but I do have some families here a couple of nephews. I have a stepbrother, a few nephews. [Rafael Rodriguez] 13:58:42 One of those nephews has kids here. My sister is not in Ottawa. Actually, she was traveling the world. She retired, but she came back now. She's going to be living in Cape Breton And, you know, she's here, my mother as well she's a snowbird [Rafael Rodriguez] 13:59:01 She's my late mother, as you say she's in her 70s now. And right now she's in the Dominican Republic. She lives for the whole winter and then she's going to come back Once they started getting a bit warm. [Rafael Rodriguez] 13:59:11 And obviously my two kids, 9 and 11 years old and they are uh obviously my closest family along with my wife that the has made everything possible. She has held held the this household together. [Dina Kaufmann] 13:59:28 Yes, family is extremely important, especially when you're so far away from from the Dominican Republic. [Dina Kaufmann] 13:59:36 Now, in Ottawa, do you live in a Latin community or a neighborhood where people speak Spanish? [Dina Kaufmann] 13:59:42 And or portuguese and celebrate various occasions with you. [Rafael Rodriguez] 13:59:47 I noticed that, you know, we attract people like us no matter where we go. [Rafael Rodriguez] 13:59:53 And we find ourselves connecting better with those people. Therefore. We find those people. And I remember when I first came to canada back in 1999, I will never hear anybody speaking Spanish like rarely, right? And sometimes I'll be at the bus stop and i hear somebody speaking spanish and automatically [Rafael Rodriguez] 14:00:13 I would approach him just because the fact that we share the same language and I'll introduce myself and the next thing is we create a career connection yes absolutely in my neighborhood, Rahir, I'm here, I wouldn't say that it's a big community [Rafael Rodriguez] 14:00:28 However, just for being around for so long and also by you know the attraction of being around people that are like you, they share your heritage that group started growing. And yes, absolutely. We have a large community in Ottawa. I've made a lot of friends and [Rafael Rodriguez] 14:00:46 And I'm a big believer on community. I am a big believer in community and uh that's part why i'm hosting the Dominican independence day event uh here in Ottawa this year. And there's a couple of hundred people that will be there. [Rafael Rodriguez] 14:01:01 Probably the majority are going to be Dominicans, I would say in there. So there is a large community but you have to be actively seeking them out. If you don't seek them out you know uh you don't even know who your neighbor is, right? [Dina Kaufmann] 14:01:16 Yes, 100%. You definitely have to go and talk to people and find out exactly where they are and get to know them. [Rafael Rodriguez] 14:01:25 Absolutely. I agree with you. [Dina Kaufmann] 14:01:27 So for my next questions over here, I was just going to ask you what celebrations are most important to you? [Rafael Rodriguez] 14:01:37 To me. And the quarter aspect No, my most important celebration, it has nothing to do with culture I don't think it has to do with who I am and i love christmas christmas is by far my favorite celebration and [Rafael Rodriguez] 14:01:55 I believe it's because it is the celebration that's very similar to Thanksgiving that brings a everybody together uh right and uh have some of the the fond memories that I have around Christmas, you know, they are irreplaceable and that [Rafael Rodriguez] 14:02:09 I try to make a big deal about that. On the cultural aspect of it, I would say there are a few throughout the year, the different times that the In Ottawa that are important. [Rafael Rodriguez] 14:02:22 And I'm not… I don't host and I don't coordinate all of them. We have a lot of good community leaders here as well in Ottawa. But I would say the biggest one is the Dominican Independence Day. [Rafael Rodriguez] 14:02:35 Celebration that we have obviously we're very proud of our red white and blue flag and uh you know when we present and what does it mean to be an Winnican and all these things uh for example today is uh [Rafael Rodriguez] 14:02:49 Dominican Independence Day, we were just at the city hall there raising our flag and By the way, this year is seven years, seven years anniversary of canada In Dominican, starting the trade agreement and we've been partnering this and we both thrive with benefiting from each other, right? So this is one of them, for example, and then the celebration that we have on saturday [Rafael Rodriguez] 14:03:14 It's going to be a good one. There is another one that's happening on Sunday. It's being hosted by a friend of mine and this is more that one is more tailored for the youth for kids to meet other kids from the same heritage [Rafael Rodriguez] 14:03:29 Hours on Saturday evenings is more of the party we have live bands we have DJs, we have cultural performances and I'm going to be performing there as well, you know, and it's going to be a great event throughout the summer. There are other leaders that do different events. We have an event. It's a Dominican Mother's Day celebration [Rafael Rodriguez] 14:03:49 That's also my good friend Paulina Vasquez here, and she does that by Stanley park usually it's a lot of work she puts into this she puts her heart and sweat and soul into making this happen you know to bring the community together [Rafael Rodriguez] 14:04:02 And because the Dominican independent mother's Day is different than Canadian. So it's the last Sunday of the month and the is always a big event that happens okay so there are other events as well. We have a dominican picnic at us [Rafael Rodriguez] 14:04:17 That's hosted by a group of individuals here in Ottawa. Usually the Vincent Massey Park is around the summertime, probably around August or something like that, July, August. [Rafael Rodriguez] 14:04:25 That's a good one as well to take part in and And then we have the event for the whole Latin community, which usually happens in the first weekend of September, just before the kids go back to school. [Rafael Rodriguez] 14:04:41 That is usually hosted right downtown this year that just passed. [Rafael Rodriguez] 14:04:45 It was hosted at the hosted at the horticultural building right on the Lansdowne park there i took part in that i I put a group together. We did a performance with our carnival with We had a lot of fun as well. [Dina Kaufmann] 14:05:00 Yes, I remembered this actually i have one of my friends, she actually went there to Lansdowne. She said it was a lot of dancing, lots of food, lots of happiness. [Rafael Rodriguez] 14:05:09 Yes,. It was a lot of fun. That's the best way to describe it. [Dina Kaufmann] 14:05:16 Yes, 100%. I mean, celebrations are just so important just to be together with everyone and celebrate something that is so important. [Rafael Rodriguez] 14:05:24 Yes, totally. I do agree with you. And that's part of what brings the community together. [Rafael Rodriguez] 14:05:30 And I find that every culture has something that drives people more than others. With us, Dominican is usually music food and dancing. Those things are easy way to bring Dominicans together. [Rafael Rodriguez] 14:05:44 And baseball as well but You know, we're not going to get into sports. [Dina Kaufmann] 14:05:51 That's a whole different topic. [Rafael Rodriguez] 14:05:53 Yes, it is. The Dominicans are very passionate about the sports. [Rafael Rodriguez] 14:05:58 I'll just say about their baseball. [Dina Kaufmann] 14:06:02 Baseball in particularly? [Rafael Rodriguez] 14:06:03 Baseball in particular, yes. [Dina Kaufmann] 14:06:05 Are you able to describe a typical day in your community? [Rafael Rodriguez] 14:06:11 I was, would you say in my community as a whole for myself how how do I go about on my daily day day to day [Dina Kaufmann] 14:06:21 Yeah, so mostly on yourself. [Rafael Rodriguez] 14:06:24 Just myself. Well, for me i uh in a perfect day for me is I would go to the gym in the morning. [Rafael Rodriguez] 14:06:33 I didn't do it all the time as i should but i go to the gym very early, six, seven in the morning, so I can just go and come back in time to see my kids, you know, spend the bit of time with them before they just send [Rafael Rodriguez] 14:06:44 Them off to school. Then I go to my office. I have a business. I have a financial brokerage here on Home Club in Ottawa. [Rafael Rodriguez] 14:06:52 And I go there and I work throughout the day and the day to day, my business, I help clients, you know, helping them with their any individual finances. This is something that I'm very passionate about. [Rafael Rodriguez] 14:07:05 Which I never knew that I was going to find passion in this um because uh you know finances is not something that i uh that I went to school for originally I've taken a bunch of different courses you know uh [Rafael Rodriguez] 14:07:20 Computers has been one of them. Music production has been another one of them. Different things but uh life to basically guide me through finances and uh finances And because it was basically what fit what I was looking for. I was looking to spend more time with my kids. [Rafael Rodriguez] 14:07:38 Sounding, this is a bit more personal but something happened in 2012 and I lost my 38-year-old sister to breast cancer. In one year, cancer took her from us and She left a couple of kids and those her kids end up living with me and my wife and [Rafael Rodriguez] 14:07:54 And I believe that was the catalyst to also even talking today, 14 years later pretty much. [Rafael Rodriguez] 14:08:01 Because that's when I started realizing what was important in life. [Rafael Rodriguez] 14:08:06 You know, in health you know uh family relationship and those things and I never being a shallow person, but I never really put too much emphasis into how important it was to look after your health and to look after [Rafael Rodriguez] 14:08:22 Maintaining those good relationships of the people that you have around you and And tell them that you love them on a daily basis and actually take a second to hug them and You don't know the last time you have know [Rafael Rodriguez] 14:08:33 A conversation with someone in the average person's life is all the good things you know that our loved ones do around us. We just take it for granted. We keep it to ourselves and Just to say to on a podium on a funeral when you're reading the eulogy for them and you never told them usually and i [Rafael Rodriguez] 14:08:52 That's one of the things that I took from that. I would never Like my people, my close friends and family members for granting and i tell them those things. And by the way, it was awkward for them at the beginning when I started telling them this interface i appreciate you for this and this and this and that. And I really mean that. [Rafael Rodriguez] 14:09:09 And they'll be like deflecting in our day-to-day is i believe most people are just looking for their bad. [Rafael Rodriguez] 14:09:19 Ain't know the good. And people don't get praised enough for the good things they have, like genuine I'm not talking about flattery right here. Flattery is no good I’m talking about like genuinely generally approach them you know tell them hey [Rafael Rodriguez] 14:09:32 I really do appreciate you for this and this and this. I want you to know that. I appreciate that. [Rafael Rodriguez] 14:09:37 You do that for me. I believe that was a big catalyst for me. I started in a personal development journey and started doing different businesses. And that's when I created my financial brokerage back in 2015 and You know, almost 10 years later now i am [Rafael Rodriguez] 14:09:54 Serving the community and my focus is focusing on the on the bible community. [Rafael Rodriguez] 14:09:59 Immigrants you know just to give you an idea I own it back then. I already had a home on a home. I already had you know financial products, insurance as an investment, but I didn't know how any of it worked. [Rafael Rodriguez] 14:10:12 Nobody ever explained to me and nobody was doing that in the community. And that's when the idea came to my mind. Well, wait a minute. [Rafael Rodriguez] 14:10:19 If I am in this situation, I wonder how the rest of my community is. And that's when the idea came. [Rafael Rodriguez] 14:10:24 And now it's all about serving my community and help somebody you know get those government grants for the kids who has a disability or or you know those bonds for the kids education or When you get to the labor you know a $50,000 check to a person just got diagnosed with cancer and now they know they can't afford the medicine and [Rafael Rodriguez] 14:10:45 Or you deliver a check to the widow and orphan that just lost their loved one, the mortgage is paying and all of that, you know. [Rafael Rodriguez] 14:10:51 That's far beyond money. I call those dividends for the soul. [Rafael Rodriguez] 14:10:57 So I have a lot of passion about that. So that's what my focus doing my work throughout the day is And then usually I come home and I try to on a perfect day, three, four o'clock so i can [Rafael Rodriguez] 14:11:10 I meet my kids when they come home so we can have dinner together. And then we spend probably an hour on the couch. [Rafael Rodriguez] 14:11:17 Watching TV, watching some anime And I think the TV watches me because I usually fall asleep and And then usually I try to do a couple more client meetings in the evenings because we have the power of technology now. It doesn't have to be my office. I can just do it via [Rafael Rodriguez] 14:11:35 Virtual meetings in the And usually I just end up spending a bit of time with my wife in the evening and that's how we try to have an average day. [Dina Kaufmann] 14:11:45 Yes, that's absolutely amazing. You're balancing so much within your life and you're trying hard to be the person that you wish you had when you came here [Rafael Rodriguez] 14:11:57 Yes, I realized that. I understand this now. [Rafael Rodriguez] 14:12:04 The single most powerful thing that will help you mature. Is having a child. Nothing will ever ever make you mature as much as having a child. [Rafael Rodriguez] 14:12:16 Until i had a child i remember holding him on my arms and that's the first time in my life I'm not a crier. That's the first time in my life I cry out of happiness. [Rafael Rodriguez] 14:12:26 I remember that moment. And that very moment right there, I realized it wasn't about me anymore. I should say it wasn't just about me anymore before then i just say. [Rafael Rodriguez] 14:12:41 I was the kind of guy, I was kind of like a daredevil Like I didn't care about anything I jump out of planes i've motorcycle race i don't know all these crazy things You know, I was probably the guy that was speeding through a neighborhood in my cars [Rafael Rodriguez] 14:12:59 After that, that was the guy yelling at the guys that were spitting in the neighborhood. Everything changed. [Rafael Rodriguez] 14:13:04 Once you have a kid and For me, the number one thing that I wanted to do when I saw my sister pass was I want to spend time with my kids. [Rafael Rodriguez] 14:13:12 You know, one year after she passed, my first one was born and I want to spend time with them. And as a chef, I was a chef for 15 years here in Ottawa. [Rafael Rodriguez] 14:13:21 I was always in the kitchen. I never saw them. And I did that. And through becoming an entrepreneur and I was able to do that. I was able to quit my job, you know, become a full-time, a part-time entrepreneur, but the income was good enough [Rafael Rodriguez] 14:13:35 Was able to take him both out of daycare and basically because before I was working to pay somebody to raise my kids. [Rafael Rodriguez] 14:13:41 But with the part-time I was making you know just not much, like 30 40000 dollars part-time But I wasn't paying 20,000 in the daycare So it's basically the same income that I was making as a full-time chef. And I did that for [Rafael Rodriguez] 14:13:56 Over seven years, I wanted to teach my kids how to be a strong, kind, confident man and And to be provided to the world. I'm a big legacy thinker. And I know that everybody's trying to control what other people are doing when I know that's impossible [Rafael Rodriguez] 14:14:11 Everybody has their own way of thinking. But how you can change a world is by how you handle your own household how my kids would treat their wives the way they see me treat my wife My kids were going to have work ethic, probably the way they see me work. My kids are going to probably treat a neighbor the way they see me. [Rafael Rodriguez] 14:14:30 They're going to interact with the community the way it's not do, as I say is uh is that they will do what they see me do. And by the way. [Rafael Rodriguez] 14:14:41 A thought here. Your kids are probably going to do 100% of everything that you do run and probably about half of everything that you do right. [Rafael Rodriguez] 14:14:51 Go right to that. [Dina Kaufmann] 14:14:53 Yes, I think that's absolutely amazing what you've done with your kids. I mean, it's definitely very important for them to see a dad that's working very hard and is treating his wife right and he is doing he’s putting so much effort into the family. I think it's absolutely incredible. [Rafael Rodriguez] 14:15:10 Thank you. Thank you. For me, I believe the My reward in all of this is when I see them. [Rafael Rodriguez] 14:15:20 When I go to any public place. My kids are the only one usually allow it to come to places Because they know they're the only kids that are respectful and not destructive. For me, that is the biggest compliment you can give me. [Dina Kaufmann] 14:15:37 Well, Rafael, thank you so much for joining my interview today. I really appreciate everything that you have told me. [Dina Kaufmann] 14:15:45 You have been incredible. You have been so amazing with me. Thank you so much. [Rafael Rodriguez] 14:15:50 You're very welcome. You're very welcome. And, you know. If you come to the Dominican, you're going to really enjoy our foods. You're going to enjoy our music. You're going to enjoy our more than just the sun and the sun, the sun and the sun, you know, you're going to enjoy the rich culture. And there is a community for that in Ottawa. [Dina Kaufmann] 14:16:08 Yes, I'm 100% very excited to visit Dominican one day and actually go into the city And see how everyone is with each other. [Rafael Rodriguez] 14:16:17 Amazing, amazing. Thank you so much, Dina. [Dina Kaufmann] 14:16:19 Of course. Thank you, Rafael. Thank you. End of recording. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Conversation with Rafael Rodriguez Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2025-02-27 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource MP3, 20 min 17 s Language A language of the resource English Description An account of the resource Rafael Rodriguez is a Dominican-Canadian from Santo Domingo who moved to Canada in 1999 after his grandmother’s passing to join his family. Now living in Ottawa, he actively fosters the Dominican community by organizing cultural events, including hosting this year’s Dominican Independence Day celebration, which features live music, performances, and dancing. He values community connections and has seen Ottawa’s Latin community grow over the years despite the absence of a sizeable Latin neighbourhood. Significant celebrations for him include Christmas, Dominican Independence Day, Dominican Mother’s Day, and community picnics. Passionate about music, food, dancing, and baseball, Rafael also works as a financial advisor, a career he pursued after taking various courses. A pivotal moment in his life was losing his 38-year-old sister to breast cancer in 2012, which led him to prioritize family and a meaningful career. His dedication to community and culture makes him a key figure in preserving Dominican heritage in Ottawa. https://omeka.uottawa.ca/anthroharvest/files/original/453c0d3c8733006d5259625e3a25a0c4.mp3 38aea55ef02f508e9cbec377721c5406 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Latin American stories from Ottawa Description An account of the resource <div style="text-align: left; margin-top: 0.5em; margin-bottom: 0.5em;">Beginning in Winter 2025, Professor Laurie Weinstein in ANT3340: Latin American and the Caribbean created Anthroharvest with the goal of inspiring students to explore the diversity of our city through ethnographic interviews. This collection stands as a pillar of students' ongoing efforts to interview friends, family, and members of Ottawa's Latin American and Caribbean communities in surrounding areas. Our ultimate goal is to create an archive of stories for those who identify with the Latin American and Caribbean community, accessible at any time, that preserves knowledge and promotes their cultures. Our project remains ongoing as we learn and connect with new students and people across Ottawa and eastern Canada. We invite you to browse the stories collected by our students, listen to the audio recording, and read transcripts and biographies of those interviewed. </div> Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Interviewee The person(s) being interviewed Rommel Molina Interviewer The person(s) performing the interview Carolyn Phidd ;David Bahufite Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data In person Transcription Any written text transcribed from a sound Carolyn: Hi, everyone. I'm Carolyn. David: And I'm David. Carolyn: We're gonna be interviewing Rommel today. Rommel: Hi. Carolyn: And just really asking him about his community and where he comes from. So first, my first question is when did you immigrate to Canada and what brought you to Canada? More specifically, Ottawa. Rommel: Because the family immigrated in 1988. We well, we're not really immigrated. We were political refugees. So, really, we didn't wanna be here. We're just forced to be here. So in 1988, we migrated to Canada. And then we've been here in Ottawa ever since. Carolyn: So you immigrated from where again? Rommel: Nicaragua. Carolyn: Nicaragua? Okay. And who did you come here with? Rommel: It was, my mother, my brother, sister, and, and and one cousin. Carolyn: One cousin? How old were you? Rommel: Yeah. I was 13. David : 13? How was the process of immigration? Rommel: How was the process? Well, the that was a communist country. So at that time, unless you have money, you were able to to buy your way out in a way. David: Mhmm. Rommel: So thank God my parents worked really hard. And, and at that time, my dad was in jail. So we have to leave the country. Carolyn: Without him? Rommel: Without him. Because yeah. Like, we're put as a political refugee. So we we suck aside aside. Asylum. So and then Canada was open. It had the open borders. So and then my mom went to the capital of Nicaragua. And then within a week, we we're flying to Canada. Carolyn: Perfect. Rommel: It was weird. I said it was not. I was not happy. Carolyn: But were you eventually happy when, like, after a few years coming here? Rommel: It took me it took me about two years to adjust to actually stop asking my mom when I'm when are we going back home? When are we going back home? Until she says until my dad came over and says, you're Canadian now. Get over there. So we did. David: What did you think about the weather when you started? Out there. Rommel: That was the best part. Carolyn: You love the cold? Rommel: Yeah. Because we came 10/22/1988. And October 23, it snowed. Carolyn: Really? Rommel: So when we woke up, there was, like, white snow. Never seen it before. David: Did you liked it right away? Rommel: Loved it. Loved it. Carolyn: How long did it take for your dad to come over? Rommel: Took him maybe about six months maybe. We have something like that. Six months? Yeah. Put it apart. Because he was still in jail. Like, he took some they they let him out on probation and then took him back to shoot that and we left. And then he went back to jail, did his term. Carolyn: And Have you ever been back since? Rommel: Yes. I used to go frequently. But then, the last time I went was 2017 with my kids and the family. My sister, kids, and family. And then that was the last time we went because there was, another revolution. So then we couldn't go back again. Carolyn: Did you go to the back? Rommel: I haven't been back. Carolyn: Do you plan to? Rommel: Oh, yes. Of course. Carolyn: Once it's, like, safe? Rommel: Once I'm allowed to go back. Yeah. Carolyn: Were your parents able to go back as well? Rommel: No. No. Yeah. None of my family members. We are not allowed to go back. Carolyn: How were you able to go back? No. I mean, like, before 2017. Rommel: Yeah. Before 2017, yeah, we were able to go back and enjoy ourself there. But after 2018, April '2018, we're not allowed to go back. Carolyn: Because of the revolution? Rommel: Yeah. It is, like, it's a communist country. So when you speak against the government, then you put you put you in a blacklist. Yeah. So since I spoke a lot about against the government, I'm in that list. That means that my my family, my my dad, my mom, my kids, they're that list. That's too bad. It is. Carolyn: Yeah. I'm sorry. But since you've been in Canada, have you found, like, a good community? Rommel: Oh, I love Canada. Canada is my home. I was home. Yeah. Yes. Carolyn: So have you found, like, a good community of, like, people, like, maybe, like, from your country or from, from, like Yes. Rommel: The community, unfortunately, like, Nicaraguan community, because of the political, the the political Climate? Climate in Nicaragua, is hard. It's very hard. Like, I I don't know. Communism, you know, that that mentality. So they pin people, family members against family member. Mhmm. You know, like, I have family members that they support the Sandinistas and I have other family members that they support another different. And so they can't even communicate with each other. I have cousins that don't speak with me because I speak against the government. So it's hard. It's unfortunate. Yeah. So that's why the community here, there's, like, some like to talk to each other, some don't they hate each other. So it's the community is very divided, I'll tell you. Carolyn: Is it like specifically, like, Nicaraguans or, like, also just, like, anyone from, like, South America? Rommel: I can tell you what because I've been here for so long and I know all the community members from El Salvador, Guatemala, Mexico. I can't speak for them, but I know that the Nicaraguan community, we're not a a Tight nit community. Yeah. We are a divided community because of the political the political how the the qualities in Nicaragua are. Carolyn: What do you think should happen for anything change? Rommel: Oh my god. That's a Complicated question. You see, like, the government of Nicaragua, they've been in in power for over forty five years, not forty three, forty five years. So it's it's it's a dictatorship, a family dictatorship. Like, the president of Nicaragua is the president. His wife is the co president. Mhmm. So she gets a vice president, and he gets a vice president. So the son is in charge of economics. So he's in charge of any business around the Nicaragua One. He's in charge. So the whole family, the oldest son is in charge of the radio. Yeah. The oldest son is in charge of TV. The other the daughter is in charge of tourism. So that's I just mentioned six. All of them are head of the main, and then they they they have the power and the army. So they have a lot of power, and then the police. So so Nicaragua is in like a jail that kinda Yeah. Yeah. Carolyn:There's no room to move to, like, room for growth. Rommel: There's no room for opposition. You oppose the government, then you either go to jail or something might happen. Mhmm. Carolyn: Despite, like, all of that within your community, do you still feel like you're able to, like, celebrate within, like, some parts of the community? Rommel: Oh, I do. I've been doing I've been doing events for that for as long as we've been here because, it was installing us from the beginning as kids. The community, like, we used to celebrate each other a lot. Like, we have events. Carolyn: And what sort of events? Rommel: Okay. So we have the, the Latin Fest every year. It's been going on for more than twenty years now. And, I started in a Catholic church, and then we go from there. So the Mexican community, Nicaragua, all these communities we get together and then we celebrate the Latin, Latin heritage. Oh, okay. And then there's one coming up in April the 5th that is, we call it a tamale festival. Because in every culture, every, like, Latin American culture, corn is a big part of our meal. So we make this meal that is called tamale. So in every, every country, like, from Nicaragua, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, we all make the same tamale, but different flavor, different flavors. Carolyn:Different ways? Rommel:Yeah. Different ways. So we celebrate then. So it's coming April. Carolyn; How often is it? Like, is it once a year? Rommel: Once a year. So we celebrate the first festival of the year here, and then the last festival is in September, the first September, at the September is the Latin Fest that we celebrate at Lansdowne Park. And so every community, they bring their flags. Carolyn: It's one day? Rommel: One day. Well, last year was two days. So this year, we're not gonna make it try to make it two days. David: What country has the best, tamale? Rommel: Nicaragua. Hands down. Like, we won two times, no joke. Two years in a row, we were rewarded by the people. David: Why is it so different? What's the flavor of the other kinds? Rommel: I tell you through that, I I would say that gastronomy was that's what you call food. It's so different in every country, but it's all it's all the same. And I I know It's just a certain way. Something that is why it's better than me. I’d say my moms is the best. That's the best. Yeah. Carolyn: That's so fair. David: You miss the food from your own? Rommel: If I miss it, I just call mom. And she lives in Toronto. Okay? So I go to Toronto just to eat, and then I can't. Just when I miss it. Carolyn: Would you say it's easy to, like, access food from your home country in Ottawa? Rommel: Oh, definitely. Yeah. Like, there's a lot of, like, markets and stuff that They they you go to? Not market because, like, let's say, like, a Jamaican Jamaican market, they might have products that are sold in Nicaragua. We have the same. Yeah. You know, so there's a Mexican supermarket. They sell all the the stuff from Central America. So at at one point, there was only one. Like, in 1988, there was only one and it was everybody used to order. And now there's so many of them here. There's, like, I can count 10 of them that you can buy stuff for you to eat from different countries. David: Is the food the same? Because I have a French friend and who used to say that, like, the pain baguette here. Like, they're not the same as in France. Like, in France, they're lighter. They're better. Yes. Is there, like a difference, Rommel: Oh, definitely. Yeah. Yeah. Definitely. Look. Like, when you make, let's say, the tamale. You know, the tamale over there, they make it with plantain leaf over here. They don't make them plantain leaf because because you don't have access. Have access to both cut contain it. They wrap it with, like, tin foil. So it's still good, but they give it a little taste. So the the taste do change. Yeah. Yeah. Like, cooking, we like, let's say wood in a fire, open fire, then cooking in that in the kitchen. Then you get the taste. Yeah. Carolyn: What are some values that you hold most dear, like, as a member of the Latin community? Rommel: Family value. Carolyn: Family? Rommel: Yeah. I would say family value. That's very strong in our community. Family comes first. Every Sunday, we will get together. We have like, last week, we have tacos. Last Sunday, after church, we have dinner. We have to celebrate something. Birthdays, always Christmas. So it's family. Families are big, everybody for us. Carolyn: What would you say is something that you would you want most people would think is most important for people to know about your community? Rommel: Well, we work hard, as you can see everywhere. So I I I think a lot of us I have a lot of Canadian friends that I grew up here. And a lot of us are, I think, misunderstood. I find that a lot of us are misunderstood. And, yeah. So what would I want the people to know about us? That we like to party. That's for sure. And then we're fun, friendly, and we know how to have fun. That's basically it. Carolyn: Yeah. Very good to know. Alright. I feel like do you have any more questions? Is there something that you wanna talk about? David: Yeah. Is there anything you wanna add? That you think we we missed that we should have covered? Do you wanna share? Rommel; Well, if you guys tell me what the whole, what you're trying to accomplish just by people knowing what the Latin community is all about? Carolyn: Or Like, a little bit. We just wanna kind of shed light on personal like, experiences from different, like, cultures within the Latin community and just, like, what that kinda looks like. Rommel: Well, I can tell you that the group that that I belong to is, like, the community that we build that I belong to. We are very close to each other. Carolyn: What area are you resident in Ottawa? Rommel: It's right here. Carolyn: Like Like Like like? My kids grew up, like, five minutes from here. So Like, right here. Yeah. Right here. I grew up ten minutes, fifteen minutes on Donald Street. Ovenia. Yeah. Right. So it's yeah. I all all the community is from around this area, most of the Latin community. And then, we do create a lot of, events for us to to for the for all of Canada to see. And, what can I add? I don't know what to add. Carolyn: You don't have to go on anything too, but if you feel like that's good. David: You told me earlier you are a carpenter. Rommel: Yes. David : Was it hard to find a job when you first came in ottawa? Rommel: Most of that, my skills, because I came here at a early age, like, at 13. All I know about carpentry, I learned it from French people. Like, I grew up among white people. Mhmm. When I said that my dad came here and says, well, you're Canadian. You gotta become Canadian. Then I I kinda accepted it. I was like, oh, yeah. I have to accept it. So then I started learning how to snowboard, ski, skate. Like, I'm the Latino that teaches white people how to skate, how to do the snowboard because I do tricks and I jump and I do all this. But I learned this at 14 because I was, like, doing the canal every every in the winter, I would come to the canal, take the bus, and and go skating. So I used to love that. Carolyn: Would you say it was, like, easy to immerse yourself then, or did you feel like people like me judged this? Rommel: Oh, it was very hard. Carolyn: It was hard? Rommel: Like, in my time, it was a lot of racism. And just to tell you, there was a lot, I went to Lester .B High School, Lester.B High School, and there was 1,200 students. Those 1,200 students, there was only 50 of what? I mean, 50 black people. Carolyn: They're just not white people? Rommel: Yeah. There was only between the black people and the Latinos. There was only 50 of us. And we have to fight. I fought a lot because I was bullied a lot. I was very quiet, very timid. I never picked a fight, but I finished fight because I I have not sure if it's after they kick you so many times, you have to defend yourself. So, yeah, it was hard. Even carpentry, when I when I first became wanted to become a carpenter, I went to, to apply. Mhmm. And they said, no. We only hire within house. Within house means that they only kept they only wanted, like, the white people to become a carpenter. Like, they keep us they try to keep us down. And I always felt that way. Carolyn: But you were able to break through? Rommel: Oh, yes. But, like, yeah. We we will break you break through barrier by my work ethic. Like, I've been able to while they put me down. But then when I went to the highest, I was the boss of 20 white guys And I've been telling them what to do, and I'd be like, wow. Now I'm on top. You start at the bottom, but then you go all the way to the top. It's about how hard you work. So I've been able to do that thing a lot. David: Would you say that, like, these experiences, like, shaped you into the man you are today?. Rommel: A 100 %. And I teach that to my kids. this is why I am involved in that in the what I do. Like, I mentioned the Nicaraguan community is not that tight so I do these events, kind of like me being here because I want my kids to be able to always remember the culture. I wanna make my mom and my dad proud because they sacrificed so much to come here. Mhmm. You know, like, over there, we're not rich, but we're, like, in the middle. In Nicaragua, my mom's a teacher, and my dad's an accountant. And they sold everything to come to Canada, and they became janitors. You know, that's a big sacrifice. So I do this for them, and I bring my whole family for them. Like, if you guys go on April, well, I should ask if you guys do, I'll keep you posted. David: I actually will.This sounds delicious! Rommel: You have fun, music. Yeah. Yeah. So yeah. And this is what and I have my mom's coming from Toronto. My with my dad. My brother's coming from Toronto. It's three kids. My sister's coming. She's gonna participate with three kids. And all their girlfriends and boyfriends, they all come. So, you know, like, my mom, there was only three of us that came here. Now my mom has 12 grandkids out of all that. Oh. So that sacrifice, you just It paid off. Carolyn: Yeah. But would you say now you're proud to be Canadian and you feel, like, genuinely immersed in it? Rommel: I'm ready to fight Americans. Hundred percent. I love my Nicaragua for giving me birth, but Canada is my country. Definitely. Yeah. I feel like, Yeah. I feel like we can end it there. That was pretty good. Carolyn: Yeah. Do you have anything else to share? Yeah. If you guys have a good day, it's pretty good. Yeah. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Conversation with Rommel Molina Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2025/03/13 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource MP4, 19min 48s Language A language of the resource English Description An account of the resource Romel Molina is a Nicaraguan immigrant and political refugee who moved to Ottawa, Canada, in 1988 at the age of 13 to escape Nicaragua's communist regime. Initially eager to return home, Romel eventually embraced Canadian society. Although he and his family visited Nicaragua frequently until 2018, political instability has since prevented their return. In Canada, Romel found a sense of belonging within the broader Latin community, although he notes a divide between the Nicaraguan community and his own extended family due to political disagreements. Passionate about community involvement, Romel actively participates in events like Latin Fest, drawing inspiration from his parent's cultural engagement. He talks about the upcoming Tamale Festival on April 5th, celebrating Latin American culinary diversity. Romel is also dedicated to preserving his Nicaraguan culture within his family and instilling that into his children. Rommel reinforces through the interview the importance of family and work ethic to himself and his community. His story highlights the vital role of family and community within the Latin diaspora and how each cultural group contributes to Canada's rich diversity and evolving national identity. https://omeka.uottawa.ca/anthroharvest/files/original/0f8ac39c385cef8ce1872a0db33aa168.mp3 55e5e5d90cb99ef311d8d6e8c8bdc971 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Latin American stories from Ottawa Description An account of the resource <div style="text-align: left; margin-top: 0.5em; margin-bottom: 0.5em;">Beginning in Winter 2025, Professor Laurie Weinstein in ANT3340: Latin American and the Caribbean created Anthroharvest with the goal of inspiring students to explore the diversity of our city through ethnographic interviews. This collection stands as a pillar of students' ongoing efforts to interview friends, family, and members of Ottawa's Latin American and Caribbean communities in surrounding areas. Our ultimate goal is to create an archive of stories for those who identify with the Latin American and Caribbean community, accessible at any time, that preserves knowledge and promotes their cultures. Our project remains ongoing as we learn and connect with new students and people across Ottawa and eastern Canada. We invite you to browse the stories collected by our students, listen to the audio recording, and read transcripts and biographies of those interviewed. </div> Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Interviewee The person(s) being interviewed Saelle Pierre Interviewer The person(s) performing the interview Stecy Leconte Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data In person Transcription Any written text transcribed from a sound STECY LECONTE: Hi, my name is Stecy Leconte and I am here with Saelle Pierre. She is 23 years old and apart of my Haitian community in Montreal, Quebec. She came here when she was seven years old with her parents, her big brother, while her mother was pregnant with her younger brother. Hi Saelle, how are you? SAELLE PIERRE: Hi Stecy, I'm good and you? STECY LECONTE: I am fine. I would like to ask you a question about your Caribbean heritage and your community here. SAELLE PIERRE: Sure, let's do it. STECY LECONTE: Okay, so first question, where were you born in Haiti exactly? SAELLE PIERRE: I was born in Port-au-Prince. STECY LECONTE: Oh, so the capital. SAELLE PIERRE: Yes. STECY LECONTE: Okay, what brought you here to Montreal? SAELLE PEIRRE: So, I was living in Haiti and my dad was somewhat politically involved. Because of that, we received some threats to our lives and we had to leave the country to seek for asylum in Canada. So, that's what brought us here in Montreal in April of 2009. STECY LECONTE: Okay, and when you came here, did you have family here? SAELLE PIERRE: I didn't and still to this day, I don't have any blood relatives. But, you know, people from the community, friends we've made along the way that now are family-like. STECY LECONTE: Okay, do you live in a Haitian neighborhood where you speak Haitian Creole normally? SAELLE PIERRE: I do not. I don't live in a Haitian community, but I have, I go to church on Saturdays and my community at church is mostly Haitian people. So, I can find myself speaking a little bit of Creole at church, but not too much. But, there's a lot of songs, sometimes the preacher will be Haitian and they'll, you know, they'll speak Haitian Creole throughout the service. But, that's where I'll say in my community I speak the most Creole out of the house. STECY LECONTE: Okay, and what celebration from your Haitian heritage is most important to you? SAELLE PIERRE: I would say January 1st. It might be a bit cliche, but it's, you know, the Haitian Independence Day. So, we drink the Soupe Joumou to commemorate our ancestors and their bravery. So, a little history, maybe background, like in 1804, they, my ancestors, fought the white colons and the soup was something that was forbidden to the slaves. So, now as a gesture of freedom and resilience, we now, we know like we can drink this soup too. So, it's important as it is a very like impactful event in Haitian history and it's like a small token of remembrance. Something I definitely want to pass down to my children. STECY LECONTE: Okay, that's very great. So, can you describe me a typical day in your community? SAELLE PIERRE: I don't know if there's a typical day in my community, but I will say maybe for Saturday, today, wake up, probably go to church, the gym, come back home, take a nap, eat, and then the day goes follow. I wouldn't say there's like a typical day in my Haitian community that's like, I don't know, particular to Haitian people. STECY LECONTE: Okay, how do you celebrate your heritage? Like on a regular basis, like how do you celebrate it? SAELLE PIERRE: I think, how do I celebrate my heritage? I think by trying to excel and to be authentically myself in the spaces where I can be, you know, to remember that I am my ancestors wildest dream and I am Haitian always and forever. And, you know, maybe try reading some books from Haitian authors. I, you know, read some books on the revolution from some Haitian authors, like I know Daniel Laferrière. He's a prominent author in the Haitian community. Maybe Haitian dish that I can try and learn from my mom, but I feel like I've been saying this for way too long. And maybe listen to some Haitian music sometimes. Maybe that's how I can celebrate my heritage the best. STECY LECONTE: Okay, that's good to know. What are some values that you hold most dear as a member of the Caribbean community? And if more specifically, Haitian? SAELLE PIERRE: So I would say Haitian people are very resilient people. Strength is valuable. Solidarity is valuable. I think even in our flag saying, it's something about in unity, there's strength or something like that. And courage is a value that I hold dear. Authenticity and just our cultural pride, like Haitian people are like one of the proudest people I know. So that's something I still hold. And I don't know, it runs through my blood. STECY LECONTE: That's great. I'm very, very happy to hear that. What would you like to share about yourself or your community that you think is important for people to know? SAELLE PIERRE: Something, I don't think it's about my community, but maybe about me, that being an immigrant, I think it's important because often as immigrant, it's somewhat hard to kind of fit in with a new culture. But it was also something about not being able to, I entirely relate to the culture back home. What is home and that does shape your world vision and somewhat you as a person. Like if I talk to my cousins that might be still in Haiti, they have a different maybe world vision than what I have here. But maybe sometimes, let's say my parents, because they came here much older than what I was. I was seven. So I had time to change my mind frame and be more assimilated to the culture here. But if you listen to how they talk, even they're still different than my cousins that are still in Haiti, that are much younger. That could be my age. But because they still grew up there and they still live there, they see the world differently. So, I think sometimes we might be ashamed of the stigma that comes with being an immigrant or being an asylum seeker, but it also makes us who we are today. STECY LECONTE: Well said, well said. What food do you make that reminds you of home and where do you purchase your groceries to prepare your traditional meal? SAELLE PIERRE: The food, I would say today, I feel like the food, the ingredients we need to prepare some of the cultural food are kind of pretty much everywhere. Sometimes, I will say though, when it's January 1st and we do have to prepare the soup, the past few years I've kind of been on duty to get the ingredients to get the soup together. And there's also, there's like some ingredients. It's now, it's my mom makes me go to like four different stores and I'm on like, like a baby on the phone and I'm like, I can't find it. And she's like, pass me the phone to somebody that can help. And it's like, you know, sometimes they don't know, we don't know the words. Like it's the same ingredients that we, that other cultures use, but we don't know the words. So they sometimes all go through different stores. Like I don't go to like the main stores, like Loblaws or like whatever. You have to go to like the ethnic stores. Sometimes it's not necessarily Caribbean, but it can be like Arab store or like Asian store. Yeah, Asian stores or like a Latin store. Some of the food, there's Haitian mac and cheese, there's plantain, you know, there's different kinds of rice that we have, rice and peas or diri djondjon even for that, the key ingredient is like mushroom. So it's like dried mushrooms. And sometimes, well, not sometimes, but it's not on the grocery store that we typically go to, but you have to go to like a certain specific store to get the ingredient from, to make the rice. So yeah. STECY LECONTE: Okay. And like you said, that you need to go somewhere specific. Do you have somewhere specific that you go to, to get those ingredients in Montreal or because I know you live in the South shore. So do you have to travel far to go and get what you need? SAELLE PIERRE: Oh, well, not, not, not anymore. I'll say maybe probably maybe 10 years ago when we just moved in the neighborhood, probably yes. But I still remember there was still this local Haitian store that actually would sell these things. But nowadays I must say, and even in the South shore, there's more stores where they have like more ethnic stuff. And I think that's kind of what led us to kind of go to a different ethnical store. Like sometimes you won't find it, you won't find a Haitian store, but you'll find like a, I don't know, a Mexican store. So they have some similarities or you'll find like a Haitian store that has what you need. But I will say like maybe 10 years ago, for sure, maybe you'd have to go to Montreal to probably get some of the ingredients. I remember we, we just got like a, the meat store in the South shore. At first we had to go like to, I don't remember the street name, but you had to go before in Montreal to go get that. STECY LECONTE: Well, thank you so much Saelle for giving me your insight of how you connect to your Haitian community. And yes, this was a nice conversation. Thank you so much. SAELLE PIERRE: Thank you for having me. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Conversation with Saelle Pierre Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2025-03-15 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource MP3, 10min 33s Language A language of the resource English Description An account of the resource Saelle Pierre is a twenty-three-year-old who profoundly values her Haitian heritage and strong family bonds. She immigrated to Canada in 2009, an experience that shaped her appreciation for both her roots and her new home. Raised in a close-knit household, she was taught resilience, unity, and the importance of cultural identity. For Saelle, family extends beyond blood ties, encompassing the broader Haitian community, with whom she shared traditions and fostered a sense of belonging. She is passionate about preserving her heritage and ensuring future generations remain connected to their culture while embracing new opportunities in Canada. https://omeka.uottawa.ca/anthroharvest/files/original/5ad549dba295ce8c1022ba040088b756.mp3 e7ed192ea892a25d05b82313946d0a9e Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Latin American stories from Ottawa Description An account of the resource <div style="text-align: left; margin-top: 0.5em; margin-bottom: 0.5em;">Beginning in Winter 2025, Professor Laurie Weinstein in ANT3340: Latin American and the Caribbean created Anthroharvest with the goal of inspiring students to explore the diversity of our city through ethnographic interviews. This collection stands as a pillar of students' ongoing efforts to interview friends, family, and members of Ottawa's Latin American and Caribbean communities in surrounding areas. Our ultimate goal is to create an archive of stories for those who identify with the Latin American and Caribbean community, accessible at any time, that preserves knowledge and promotes their cultures. Our project remains ongoing as we learn and connect with new students and people across Ottawa and eastern Canada. We invite you to browse the stories collected by our students, listen to the audio recording, and read transcripts and biographies of those interviewed. </div> Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Interviewee The person(s) being interviewed Sandra Carranco Interviewer The person(s) performing the interview Jaspreet Basi ; Rony Matni Transcription Any written text transcribed from a sound Rony Matni: [00:00:00] Hi, my name is Rony Matni Jaspreet Basi: and my name is Jaspreet Basi. Rony Matni: And we are student in anthropology at the University of Ottawa, anthropology of Latin America and the Caribbeans. And today we have the pleasure of interviewing Sandra Carranco. Jaspreet Basi: This interview is a part of an ethnographic exploration of Ottawa's Latin American and Caribbean communities, where we aim to gain a deeper understanding of cultural heritage, traditions, and the lived experiences of individuals within these communities. Jaspreet Basi: Sandra, thank you for taking the time to share your story with us today. We're excited to learn about your background, your journey to Ottawa, and ways in which you celebrate and preserve your heritage. Let's get started. Rony Matni: So let's start with our first question. Um, so what is your country of origin? Sandra Carranco: I am from LA Pass Bolivia, south America. Jaspreet Basi: Perfect. What brought you [00:01:00] to Ottawa, Sandra? Sandra Carranco: Uh, well in my twenties I immigrated to Mexico. The political situations that my father was involved in politics in the sixties in Bolivia, and then I moved to Mexico and I went to university there. I have a degree in physiotherapy and a PhD degree in physiotherapy for with respiratory problems. Sandra Carranco: Then I work there. And then I got married there in Mexico. I lived there for 12 years. Then, um, we had a great life with my husband in Mexico, but the economical situation for some people that they start to rob people and that happened to us in our house. They robbed us [00:02:00] and it was scary. Then we decided to move and my brother-in-law was, is married with a Canadian woman and he says, oh, I am moving to Canada. Sandra Carranco: Let's go to Canada. Because it's hard to take care of our kids and this economical situation that they takes our money, it's better to move. Then I was, no, I am not moving to Canada. Uh, I have here my work at university, at my, at the office, and I know that if I go to Canada, it will be hard for me because my English is very poor. Sandra Carranco: Then we decided to move back to Bolivia. Then my husband and my two kids, we moved back to Bolivia. We. There for four years, but unfortunately, you know, because of my father Political's view, he was assassinated. Then we said, this is scary, and my brother-in-law was already living here in Ottawa. Then he says, no, come, come to Canada. Sandra Carranco: Then we decided we apply and we had our um. Uh, visa, our resident visa. We apply in, in LA in Bolivia, and we got our residency. Then we came with residency here to Ottawa and we joined my two brothers-in-law because at that time, my two brothers in law were living here and it was great because it. Nice to move to a new country and have family. Sandra Carranco: Then for us was easy. My husband, my husband was able to find a job, but for me it was difficult. Because I knew that it, it will be very difficult to go back to my physio in Bolivia. I was a professor at the university too. I have my own office, but we said it's risky and safe to live there. Then I said, okay, I have a new start and I have, my children were young. Sandra Carranco: They were five and seven years old. Then I said, okay. I will be here learning English, and I start to take English lessons. Then I met, I met in my English lessons with some, uh, Latin women. We get together. It's nice, but I, I had this comfort of having my, my sisters-in-law, my brother's in-law here. It was easy then. Sandra Carranco: Mm. Uh, I start working as a [00:05:00] breakfast lady in the school where my kids, uh, were assisting at Holy Cross. Then I said, no, I have to go back to university back. I love my physio. Then it, it was hard because then I think it was 2002. That all the high tech here in Ottawa was failing and my husband was working in high tech then we were without jobs. Sandra Carranco: It was hard. It was not easy. But then we were resilient and we went. We did what we did. Now I work as an educational assistant for the Ottawa Catholic School Board. I love my job. I am not a physio here, but I use my knowledge and I love to work with, uh, children with disabilities. Then it is a blessing to work with them. Sandra Carranco: Um, my mother and my sister came from Bolivia to live here. Then I had a great support family and when my kids were young, it was great to meet other Mexicans families. And then my brother-in-law and a group of Mexicans, they decided to have, uh. Uh, Spanish school for our kids because we had a lot of kids. Sandra Carranco: [00:07:00]Then the University of Mexico, they have here a building where they teach Spanish and they open the doors for us to teach our kids Spanish and Mexican history. Then we, I joined that group of parents, my kids every Saturday were receiving Spanish lessons and, uh, his history lessons. Then it was great to be part of that community and, um, we love it about that. Sandra Carranco: Then, um, I, uh. With my mother. My mother was a social person, and uh, she was old. I, right now I am 60. Then my mother was in her eighties when she was here, but she loved to have people around her. And we find a group of Bian, the Bian community here, where are we from? And we joined that group. And that group became our big family because I am married with a Mexican [00:08:00] and I live in Mexico for 12 years. Sandra Carranco: But it's different when it's your own culture, your own people. Then, um, we joined the Bian community. We are few people here, and then my mother was always inviting the ladies to her house because she loved to cook and she was most of the time by herself at home and we were working. She had her own place with my sister and then. Sandra Carranco: One of the ladies in our Latin community, uh, told us, oh, why we don't play the Bian game called Paku. And I said, oh, I remember when I was young. Maybe my aunt was the one that was playing a pasanaku . And what is pasanaku , a game from the [00:09:00] Andes. We are from the Andes community. We're from the mountains in Bolivia, but in reality, in Bolivia, everybody plays this game. Sandra Carranco: And it's a game that pasanaku , that indigenous world means passes between us and, um. And I said, oh, I don't know the rules of this game because I left young, not as an adult from Bolivia, and this friend explained me the rules and say, okay, I will organize this group of women. Then I called the women from my community and I said, Hey, I will organize Sandra Carranco: I am organizing this game called Paco. And um, do you want to join? And this game is based on trust because money is involved in this. Then, um, the ladies came to my place and um, we decided, I [00:10:00] think this group was started nine years ago and uh, I think we started with $50 or $30. Then the of. Is really based on trust, but is a social event more than the money. Sandra Carranco: And then every, um, we get together and we draw the names of the people that want to play the game because it's the whole year. It, it's not, uh, one time then it, it is with commitment. And then we draw the names and the person that gets the first name, she hosts a dinner, and then we all bring the money and that person receives the money of the people participating. Sandra Carranco: Then after [00:11:00] dinner, we decide to draw again. Then the next month, then we decide really that. We do a draw and every person is assigned to, um, a month, then we get together once a month and we give our money. But this, it is a win-win situation because we receive our money when we are award, when it's our turn, but instead of the 30 or $50 we receive. Sandra Carranco: 300 we're 10 participating people. It, it's an interesting game, but the most important part is the social because we host the dinner and we try to do bivian things, things that reminds us from our country or things that we usually don't eat every day. And because we are now 14. Women playing this game and we get [00:12:00] together and we are from different parts of Bolivia, then it's interesting to know what they eat in other parts of Bolivia even. Sandra Carranco: We are from the same country. We get together, we, we eat, and we usually invite our kids too. If they want, my kids are old, they will not join. But this group, we have people that is in their thirties and my mom that was in that group, she was in her nineties. The needs a diverse group and Sandra Carranco: we. We created this group because the majority of the women, they don't have families here. Like I was lucky to have my Mexican family, my mother and my sister here, and, but they, all of them, they don't have families here. [00:13:00] Then we became a big great family. We love each other, we respect each other, and we never had problems and. Sandra Carranco: How I get involved because of that, because we like it to, to be involved. And I was always volunteering to, to the, uh, there was, when I arrived, there was already a group of Bian, the bian community, but it was a little bit, um, different because no one. Uh, the problem is that a lot of people lives Bolivia because of political problems in the sixties, and then it was a group a little bit difficult to join because they had their own political views, very strong political views.[00:14:00] Sandra Carranco: And then we were like, are we in that kind of group? Or we want a, a group that everybody, um. Everybody thinks about our heritage. It was a mix and at the end we, my husband got involved and it was interesting because of this political views, the leader of our community, no one not, no one wanted to be a leader of the Bolivia community. Sandra Carranco: Then my husband as a Mexican, he says, oh, I will be, because before we had, uh, the wife of one of our friends, Bivian friends, a Canadian, she was the leader of our community, a Canadian woman. And sometimes we laugh about that because she had her own views, but. [00:15:00] They were Canadian views, views as a Bolivian. Sandra Carranco: Then my husband joined the group and then, um, it was more a Latin group now, and then we decided with this group of friends that we decide we had the paku. We said, we don't need a leader for these things. We want to get together. We wanna dance to eat our food. Then my sister. Um, another woman, Elia Ru Ris and myself, we decided to be the leaders of our group and we decided to will not ask money for the group. Sandra Carranco: And we, we organized two events for our BIAN community. The. Bian Day, that is in August 6th and for Christmas, we organize these two events. One is outdoors [00:16:00] that every, we usually get together at the Vincent massive park, or we go to a park and everybody brings food and we get together, we eat, we dance, and everybody goes back home and we don't judge anyone that is. Sandra Carranco: If you have potatoes to bring to the, to the party or you don't have anything, you are welcome to come. And we created this very strong community. We are like 50 people. But counting our husbands that are not bolivians and we help each other and we have a Facebook group that, um, if people need help from the Bian community, we are there to help. Sandra Carranco: We have a WhatsApp community that people can ask. [00:17:00] And um, on December we have this Christmas party, but. It is a wonderful party because we have a woman, Maria Teresa Boso, that she loves the dances and she teach the kids dances and they perform. For us, but because we are like a family, we join the party. Sandra Carranco: The we, we usually go to a, a community center that they have a stage. Then the kids feel like stars dancing with the Bian costumes and we, we love that. Sandra Carranco: Do you have any questions because I didn't stop. Jaspreet Basi: That's okay. Thank you for sharing such an amazing story. Um, actually, Ronnie had one of the questions that he wanted to ask. Rony Matni: That is right. So first of all, wow, that's a very, very interesting [00:18:00] story. Thank you so much. So you mentioned that you do have family here in Ottawa and Canada in general. Rony Matni: So do you see them frequently or No. Sandra Carranco: Uh, yes. Yes. Mm. We get together, um, once a month for the birthdays. We usually get together for the birthdays and, um, they, but they are my husband's size, the Mexican size. Okay. And the bian side. Unfortunately, my mother and my sister, they passed away in the last five years. Sandra Carranco: Then they were my only bian family here. But not only I am wrong because my cousins that I grow up, we grow up together in Bolivia. They live in Toronto. When I feel homesick, really bullied, I'm homesick. I [00:19:00] grab my car and I go to Toronto, and usually we go four times a year at least to see them. Jaspreet Basi: Wow. That is, that is really cool. Jaspreet Basi: Um, and I know you mentioned that you live obviously in Ottawa through your story, but do you live in a neighborhood or a community that is Latin where people speak either Spanish or sport Portuguese and celebrate various occasions? Sandra Carranco: No I don't live in a. Community. Rony Matni: So next question. Um, so what celebrations are most important to you and are they celebrated in Canada? Sandra Carranco: Yes, the, the, I mentioned you that we have as a community to celebrations [00:20:00] and it's the Bian National Day. That is in August 6th. But, um, our government change in the last, uh, 20 years and they have a new date that it's, I think March 24th, uh, because we, we had, uh, indigenous president and it was good because he included all the communities in our country. Sandra Carranco: But the truth, because we. Came here. We don't celebrate that day. We only celebrate the August 6th. And that reminds us, um, and in Bolivia, they celebrate August 6th too. And remind us all the festivities that we have on that day because it's a very civic. Event, and we [00:21:00] remind us when we were young, where we will go to March with our uniforms and the food that they give us. Sandra Carranco: Mm-hmm. Then we celebrate that and at Christmas to get together because the majority of us, we are Christians, but the truth, our group have different religions. But we celebrate Christmas. Rony Matni: Perfect. Thank you. Jaspreet Basi: What are some values that you hold dear? Um, you hold most dear? As a member of like the Latin and Caribbean community, Sandra Carranco: uh, I think we bring, um. We love to live in community and we live to trust each other and we love to be together.[00:22:00] Rony Matni: Perfect. So I know you said a lot already about this, but what would you like to share about yourself or your community that you think is important for people here to know about? Sandra Carranco: Um, well I have two children and I love that they both speak Spanish fluently.Because we come from a Spanish speaking and I want them to. Sandra Carranco: Go to Bolivia or Mexico and be able to know how we act in our country that it's different here. Like, um, sometimes they feel shy because in Bolivia when we greet, we give the person a kiss, even if, if you don't know that person. And then I, wow. They are like, no, but that's our culture because we trust people. Sandra Carranco: It is a trusting thing even when you greet. [00:23:00] Then, um, for me that is important that my kids know our roots, how we act or why we have these thinking that it may be different than other people, or why we have these values or why it's important to us to take care of each other, take care of our parents. All those things are very important for me. Jaspreet Basi: Thank you. What do you, what foods do you think remind you of home and is there anywhere in particular that you purchase groceries to prepare traditional meals from specifically? Sandra Carranco: Yes. Now we that the, we, we have a. Very open, uh, market Now that we can find foods that, uh, remind us of our countries. I usually go to [00:24:00] the Latin stores. Sandra Carranco: There are Mexican Latin stores that we can find, and Peru is a big country with, uh, a lot of food, heritage and Bolivia and Peru. One day we were the same country. Then we say we. A lot of the food that we eat in Bolivia, they eat in Peru too. But we have our own food of course, that it's different and, um. Sandra Carranco: Some of them, we can't find it. And we have a special pastry, it's called Nia. It's an empanada filled with, uh, meat, meat and vegetables. And it's, um, cooked in the oven. It's, it is, um. A pastry that eats juicy. It's not a dry feeling then it's hard to make [00:25:00] because the dough has to be very special to hold the juice of the empanada. Sandra Carranco: Then we are, we're fortunate that people likes to cook and we have, uh, excellent, um, person that cooks those for us and we buy from her, from our community. And, uh, another food that we can't find here in Canada. We eat, uh, dried potatoes. It's called Juno, and they are dried in the Titi kaka that it's called. It has a special process and it's, um. It's a different taste. And in Bolivia we have 300 varieties of potatoes then with a lot of potatoes and they are different. [00:26:00] Mm-hmm. Is that question. Rony Matni: Yeah. So you've shared a very beautiful and profound story about your life, your family's experience, and the challenges that you faced along the way that we will be uploading to our website. Rony Matni: So how likely would you and your family members be to use the website you are creating for uploading yours and many other stories, and how would you use it? Sandra Carranco: Mm. I think it's interesting to have this website not only for us. We already are here. Maybe we will not use it a lot, but it will be a good link to say to the young people in our community that to learn what we brought here, what brought us here, and how we share our heritage.  Sandra Carranco: But I don't [00:27:00] know if I will. Yes, I will use it with my community. We will put in our, uh, bian group. Then if someone is interested, it'll use it. Rony Matni: Perfect. So Sandra, we truly appreciate you taking the time to share your experiences, insights, and perspectives with us today. So your story provided valuable understanding of the Latin American and Caribbean communities here in Ottawa, and we are very grateful for the opportunity to learn from you. Rony Matni: But before we wrap up, is there anything else you'd like to add, perhaps a final thought or message you'd like to share? Sandra Carranco: Um, I would like to share that, um, we are a vibrant community. We have people from different, uh, economical with different, um, views [00:28:00] that we came from our country and, uh, we invite them to go and visit our countries. Sandra Carranco: They have beautiful natural resources. Um, and I would like people to, to don't see Latin American, like a third world. I don't like that because we have so much natural resources. Maybe not manage perfectly, but if people goes to our countries and visit us, it's wonderful. Jaspreet Basi: Oh, once again, thank you for your time and being a part of our project. Jaspreet Basi: We also want to extend our gratitude to our professor, Dr. Lori Weinstein in the University of Ottawa's Anthropology Department for guiding us in this important discussion. And we hope this conversation contributes to a greater understanding and appreciation of the rich [00:29:00] cultures and traditions within Ottawa's, Latin American and communities. Jaspreet Basi: Thank you. Rony Matni: Thank you so much. Sandra Carranco: Your welcome Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Conversation with Sandra Carranco Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2025-03-10 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource MP3, 29 min 13 s Description An account of the resource Sandra Carranco, a Bolivian immigrant with a PhD in physiotherapy, relocated to Ottawa from Mexico due to political instability in Bolivia. Encouraged by her brother-in-law, she sought safety and economic stability in Canada. Despite initial challenges like language barriers and professional setbacks, Sandra adapted and became an educational assistant. She is deeply committed to preserving Bolivian culture in Ottawa. Sandra co-founded a women’s group that plays Pasanaku and organizes cultural events, including Bolivia’s National Day and a Christmas celebration, emphasizing inclusivity. Sandra uses food as an essential vessel of her cultural heritage, seeks ingredients for traditional dishes, and passes cultural values to her children. Sandra’s story illustrates the resilience of Ottawa’s Latin American communities and her desire to change perceptions of Bolivia and Latin America. Language A language of the resource English https://omeka.uottawa.ca/anthroharvest/files/original/6f52791cfc48bee6e7a9207fac8d042a.mp3 594b1beab901cb004806179bb507ae9e Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Latin American stories from Ottawa Description An account of the resource <div style="text-align: left; margin-top: 0.5em; margin-bottom: 0.5em;">Beginning in Winter 2025, Professor Laurie Weinstein in ANT3340: Latin American and the Caribbean created Anthroharvest with the goal of inspiring students to explore the diversity of our city through ethnographic interviews. This collection stands as a pillar of students' ongoing efforts to interview friends, family, and members of Ottawa's Latin American and Caribbean communities in surrounding areas. Our ultimate goal is to create an archive of stories for those who identify with the Latin American and Caribbean community, accessible at any time, that preserves knowledge and promotes their cultures. Our project remains ongoing as we learn and connect with new students and people across Ottawa and eastern Canada. We invite you to browse the stories collected by our students, listen to the audio recording, and read transcripts and biographies of those interviewed. </div> Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Interviewer The person(s) performing the interview Ashmi Boora, Samantha Yates, Lexi Turner, Cordelia Taylor-Lalonde and Catriona Wilson Interviewee The person(s) being interviewed Shameena Rahoof Location The location of the interview Toronto, Ontario, Canada Transcription Any written text transcribed from a sound Ashmi: 00:00:02: Hello. The purpose of this meeting is for us to conduct an ethnographic interview for anthropology class. These are my classmates, and this is Shameena. She's my friend's mom, and she's from Guyana that's how I know her. So I'm just going to introduce my classmates briefly to you. That's Catriona, that's Sam, I'm Ashmi, this is Lexi, and this is Cordelia. Shameena: 00:00:28: It's nice to meet all of you wonderful ladies. It's nice to meet you too. Cordelia: 00:00:33: We just wanted to go over what exactly we're doing here. So this interview will be uploaded to a site called Anthro Harvest, which was created by our professor and our TA. It's essentially an online database, kind of like a giant library almost, where all of the interviews conducted in class will be put up there to be able to be accessed for future research. Shameena: 00:00:58: Great initiative, love it. Cordelia 00:01:01: So, to start with the questions, what brought you to Ottawa? Shameena: 00:01:06: So, if it's alright, I'm going to be transparent; I don't live in Ottawa. Is that okay? I live in Toronto. Interview group: 00:01:12: It should be, yeah. Shameena: 00:01:14: That's fine? Okay, because I think the same concept will apply. What you're trying to do right from this interview will still be applicable to your purpose. So, what brought me to Toronto. So I came to Toronto when I was 16 years old. Well, let's talk about Canada, I came to Canada when I was 16 years old. I came with my family. I came as a young child with two siblings and a mom and a dad, and essentially, we came to Canada for better opportunities. To live in a country where we can have access to better education, better healthcare, you know, a better life, good standard of living, so to speak, better food options, you know, more stability, and to be in a different environment where, you know, you can blend and be accepted, and that's Canada for us. So my dad decided to bring us here so that we can have and experience all of those things. Cordelia: 00:02:27: Gosh, that's a really good kind of answer for that question. So you mentioned you came with family. Do some of your family members still live in Toronto? Shameena: 00:02:37: Yes, yes. My parents still live in Toronto. Unfortunately, I lost my mom last year. But along with that, I have my dad still alive, I have two sisters and a brother in close proximity, we all live within 20 minutes of each other. Cordelia: 00:02:56: Oh, perfect. So do you see-- And? Shameena: 00:02:58 My friend also has his parents alive and well, and lots of extended family. So the Guyanese culture, I don't think I mentioned earlier, I'm from Guyana, right? So originally we came from Guyana. So the Guyanese culture family is huge, and so extended family is so important. So you maintain those relationships. Cordelia: 00:03:19: And do you see them all frequently? Shameena: 00:03:22: Yes, all the time because we often get together for birthdays or holidays or religious ceremonies, prayers, things like that. So, and you know, you just get together for no reason at all. Because that's what family needs to bring, especially because we are so invested in family. It's deep-rooted in our culture that family is important. Lexi: 00:03:56: Hi there. Hi, how are you? Shameena: 00:04:02: Good. Lexi: 00:04:04: Good, awesome. So you were talking about all of the various celebrations that you all experienced together like birthdays. Which is like really cool. So I know you live in Toronto, but do you live in a Caribbean community or neighborhood where people do speak your native language? Shameena: 00:04:23 So fortunately for us Guyana is one of the only English speaking countries in the Caribbean so English is our first language an English-speaking country in the Caribbean, so English is our first language. We have something called Patois, which is spoken English. We sometimes call it Creoles, which sort of it deviates from the English language because we were British ruled. So when slaves, eventually slaves came to Guyana, Indians, they had their language, which could have been from Hindi, Urdu, Pakistani, all of those things. Then that was sort of changed because of the British and so we were taught, like going up in Guyana, going to school in Guyana, we were taught fully English, all the courses, everything is done in English. So, yeah, no, sorry, I lost. My train of thought. Lexi: 00:05:26 No, that was perfect. That was a perfect answer to that question. So my next question to you is, are there any sort of celebrations that are like really important to you and your culture also? Shameena: 00:05:38 Oh, absolutely. So there's a cultural aspect and then there is religious celebration, right? So culturally in Guyana as a community, if you're living there, you're celebrating things like Caribbean days and culturally you have like traditional things, like the equivalent here would be in Canada, would be in Toronto, here in Guyana. Where we celebrate huge festivities and food and music and costumes and things like that, right? So absolutely, we celebrate, the culture we celebrate as a community. But then religiously, we have Guyana, it's very diverse, and even Canada, we're so diverse here, comparatively, that you have celebrations of different religious holidays that are happening. In Guyana, growing up, things like Diwali in the Hindu culture and religion is celebrated in the whole community, or Pakwa, celebrated in the whole community. For the Muslim religion, you have things like Eid celebrated again by the whole community celebrates together. And similarly for the Christians, you have Christmas that's celebrated across the community. And then in Canada, I know it's a little bit more individual, but you share, we still have shared cultural, you know, things like Christmas we all celebrate together, but the neighbors will still share their festivities, their food, and invite you, so you're still able to taste some of that here in Canada, but not on the same scale, I think, in Guyana. It's so nice to be able to experience that here. Lexi: 00:07:35 Oh, that's lovely. I'm going to pass the phone to Ashmi. Ashmi: 00:07:39 Hello. So adding on, another question is, can you describe how a typical day in your community would look like? Shameena: 00:07:47 Well, that's-- in Guyana, I'll start with Guyana, as a child growing up, a typical day in my community would be just, you know, great food, like just cooking food and planning a food for that day. So you would have the local markets would come around and, you know, I remember my mom just waiting for after breakfast is finished and waiting for the market, community market person to come along with your protein and your vegetables. So, you know, community market is very important. They like supporting local businesses within your neighborhood. And that's how you would plan your meal, okay? And then you're getting together just... regular chit chat, like you have community neighborhood getting together and just having a, you know, some tea, coffee, sharing thoughts. It's very much a community-based village where people just get together. You can't find your mom then she's at the neighbor's house, right? So it's beautiful that way where everyone gets to spend time together. It's very, and I see shared, it's a shared sort of space, right? How do I compare that to Canada in a typical community day? I mean, we try to emulate that world, but it's very hard to do that here. So you're staying close and connected to family. So, you know, for me, my regular day, I make sure I get up in the morning, I prepare for work, but I make sure I connect with my sister and my brothers and my aunts and uncles, checking on my dad, checking on my kids, making sure everybody's good, you know. So you try to still maintain some of that cultural traditions that you are used to, right? Ashmi: 00:09:54 I really love how you talked about the sense of community and belonging. I think that's really important and kind of like, it's different in Canada when you comparatively talk about that. But adding on, another question is, how do you celebrate your heritage? Shameena: 00:10:12 How I celebrate my heritage. I think the most important thing for us is food and music. I think that's what's really important, and that's really what separates us community from another community, but it's important to share in that. So, you know, I often hear I love to go visit the different festivals. So last year I did, it kind of in Brenton, so Brenton we had different festivals going on, so we had a huge mountain festival in one of our squares there and the music and the food is very different from what I am used to and similarly we have when we have Caravana people come out and share in our culture and our food so Canada allows you to be able to still experience that on that grand stage where you know you can actually go you have Taste of Danforth coming up they're trying to reinvent here in Toronto as well so I'm excited about that but yeah similarly all traditions, all cultures are celebrated here. Toronto is so multicultural, so diverse, and it makes me feel just great at home because I'm able to still experience that. But definitely the food and the music for us, yes. Sam: 00:11:33 And then we want to ask, what are some Guyanese values that you hold most dear? Shameena: 00:11:41 Well, again, respect for family, coming to me, right? Taking care of your elderly, like making sure that you are looking after your parents. Hard work, hard work is really important for us. You know, going out there and earning your living and making sure you're doing the best you can, putting out the best version of yourself. And again, celebrating our food, our music, togetherness, and maintaining that community closeness. Whether it's your neighbors, and it doesn't have to be Guyanese neighbors, it could be any other culture, but you try to build up within your own community. Sam: 00:12:24 I really love that. And then we wanted to know if there's anything you wanted to share about yourself or your community that you think is really important for people to know. Shameena: 00:12:33 Well, I do want to let you know, Guyana is a very diverse country, and we have six different nation races. In Guyana, and it's diverse because of centuries of migration from different places, right? And I'll tell you, we have [inaudible word], we have, so we have indigenous people. And indigenous people there, we have a special food that they make called pepperpot, which is delicious, right? And that's one of our traditional foods. We'll make the food when we celebrate important occasions like Eid and Christmas and things like that. We always make pepperpot, you have to have your people there. We have Africans brought over by the transatlantic slave trade that came to Guyana. So we have indigenous people, we have Africans, we have Indians that came over through indentured slaves, laborers from Pakistan and India. We have Chinese and Portuguese migrants that came, we have Europeans, and we have Middle Eastern communities as well. So we have a whole host of different race that migrated to Guyana, each with different-- some have different languages and religions and traditions and cultures, but all integrated into one big country. Yeah. Catriona: 00:13:54 Thank you for sharing that. Our next question really ties into that as well. And it would take it one step further and say, where in Toronto do you go to purchase your groceries to make these traditional meals? Shameena: 00:14:06 I am glad somebody asked that everywhere, with living in Toronto. You do not miss a beat when it comes to the best West Indian food. And for me too, it's all about religious, not only cultural, but religious as well. So having the ability to be able to be a Guyanese woman and enjoying and maintaining that culture from the food perspective, but also from the religious perspective, to be able to obtain, like, for example, halal meat, kosher meat, and to be able to go to a mosque where I could break fast anywhere. And given this is the month of Ramadan for us, similarly, we would experience the same in Guyana. You could walk to the mosque and you would have all kinds of food at the mosque, I'm able to experience the same here in Toronto. I have mosques in every different direction, five, 10 minutes from my house, that I can go and enjoy breaking up the fast there and enjoy Ramadan and just this community closeness with everyone. Catriona: 00:15:09 Thank you so much. Our next question is more tying back to the Anthroharvest website itself that we mentioned earlier. How likely would you and maybe your family be to use the website that we are creating to upload these stories? And how would you use it in general? And also any suggestions that you may have about access and what should be posted. Shameena: 00:15:32 Well, certainly, I would definitely use it if I would find value in it first. And so once I try it and I launch it, then I see that there's a value here for me, but not only for me, but I can add value for other people to benefit from it. And also, you know, it's important that it's accessible, so when you guys are considering something like that. You wanted to make it user-friendly, accessible, different languages, considering different disability and things like that so that you can allow people to benefit from it. And because that's your intention, you want the more people to visit it and obtain some form of benefit from it. Catriona: 00:16:15 Absolutely. Do you have any other comments or concerns at all about any of the questions you've been asked or anything you want to add? Shameena: 00:16:22 And I think it's wonderful, too, that, you know, this is an opportunity for you guys to indulge in other culture and understand heritage and history from other cultures and making, bringing awareness to it through the website that you're making and launching. Ashmi: 00:16:42 Well, we just wanted to thank you for your time. I know it must be hard doing this with your busy work schedule, with Ramadan especially, but we really appreciate you taking the time for meeting with us and all your questions or your comments and all the information you gave us. So thank you very much. Shameena: 00:16:59 My pleasure. I'm honored that you picked me. I feel very honored to be able to speak. Oftentimes we don't get to speak about heritage and history or where we come from. Recording ended Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data On Zoom Duration Length of time involved (seconds, minutes, hours, days, class periods, etc.) 17 minutes 16 seconds Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Conversation with Shameena Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource February 25th, 2026 Description An account of the resource <div style="text-align: left; margin-top: 0.5em; margin-bottom: 0.5em;"> <div style="text-align: left; margin-top: 0.5em; margin-bottom: 0.5em;">This interview features Shameena, who migrated from Guyana to Toronto, Canada, at the age of Sixteen with her family. She explained that her father decided to bring them to Toronto because he saw Canada as offering his family better opportunities, education, health care, food, and a higher standard of living. Shameena explained that, luckily, Guyana is one of the few predominantly English-speaking places in the Caribbean, which made coming to Toronto easier, as she and her younger siblings were already proficient in the city's main language. Shameena speaks lovingly about her home in Toronto, where she has established a strong community not only of Guyanese people but also of people of the same religion, and she deeply appreciates the way she can engage with religion locally. Beyond her faith, Shameena describes the primary focus of Guyanese culture to be food and family. Extended family relations are weighted similarly to close relations, as everyone is included in traditions and events. Even without specific social events, families still gather regularly. Food strengthens their cultural roots. Despite immigration from Guyana to Toronto, she continues to uphold her culinary practices and familiar dishes. There are also specialized markets where Guyanese can purchase food for cultural dishes. Given that Toronto is a large and diverse city, Shameena states that Guyanese feel welcome there. </div> <div style="text-align: left; margin-top: 0.5em; margin-bottom: 0.5em;">Shameena explained that she sees similarities between Guyana and Toronto in that both are immensely diverse places. She enjoys being part of a global community and, although there are differences between her life in Guyana and Canada, she remains deeply connected to her community and family. </div> </div> <div style="text-align: left; margin-top: 0.5em; margin-bottom: 0.5em;"></div> Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Ashmi, Samantha, Lexi, Cordelia and Catriona Language A language of the resource English Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource Mp3, File size - 24.9mb https://omeka.uottawa.ca/anthroharvest/files/original/d17515127c384d9fcdad09d728926954.m4a 93be7667911c1cbec477ffd43540f952 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Latin American & Caribbean Organizations Subject The topic of the resource collection of organizations designed to support and uplift Latin and Caribbean people in Canada. Description An account of the resource <div style="text-align: left; margin-top: 0.5em; margin-bottom: 0.5em;">As the capital of Canada, Ottawa is a city rich in diverse cultures and communities from around the world. Relocating to Canda from the southern hemisphere is a significant shift and challenge. For these immigrants, they face obstacles, including finding people who are culturally similar. Thankfully, there are many aid organizations which connect people with help. In this section of AnthroHarvest, we showcase a few of these groups. They do not just celebrate immigrant cultures, they give them the chance to meet others and learn how to adjust to Canadian life. There are language classes, cultural events, and get-togethers. Each group is different. Some groups focus on keeping languages and traditions alive. Other groups help artists show their work. They provide spaces for people to meet and talk. All of these groups together illustrate the strength of Latin American and Caribbean communities here. In the collections below, you will find more information about them: the Jamaican Ottawa Community Association, the Barbados Ottawa Association, Canada Habla Español, the Humanitarian Organization of Latin American Students, the Latin Hub and the Latin American Soldiers Committee in Canada. Specifically, we hope to emphasize different events, fundraisers, and resources they have, how to contact them and/or join their association, their social media pages, and a short description of the organization itself.</div> Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Cover Photo: Day of the Dead altar commemorating Québec artist Jean Paul Riopelle at Maison du Citoyen Photo taken by Noémie Burrs Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Taylor Paterson, Soorya Hedayat Omar, Racheal Agofure, Zainab Oyejobi, Amy May Lajeunesse and Roodmya Douge. Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Interviewer The person(s) performing the interview Imogene Chapman and Katie Aunger Interviewee The person(s) being interviewed Tamara Toledo Location The location of the interview Toronto, Ontario, Canada Transcription Any written text transcribed from a sound Imogene: Good afternoon. My name is Imogene, and this is my colleague Katie, and, this interview is part of our contribution to the AnthroHarvest Collective. So, we are joined… we're pleased to be joined today by Tamara Toledo, which is one of the directors at the Latin American Canadian Art Projects, or the LACAP, which is a not-for-profit. Imogene: So, we'd first like to start by giving you the opportunity to properly introduce yourself, as well as briefly go through what the organization is, and then Katie will follow up with more in-depth questions about the organization afterward. Tamara Toledo: Yeah. Okay, so my name is Tamara Toledo, I'm the director, curator of LACAP / Sur Gallery. So, LACAP is a non-profit arts organization that has been around for 20 years now, implementing different, programs, initiatives, projects throughout the city of Toronto mostly. And for the past 10 years, one of its projects, which has been… is one of, its most relevant projects now, is Sur Gallery, which is the actual physical bricks-and-mortar space where we program, a lot of, the… yeah, a lot of the programming that we currently hold.  Tamara Toledo: And as an introduction, for myself as well, I am a curator, and the curator of SurGallery. I am a scholar, art historian, and I started off my career as a visual artist. So I also studied drawing and painting at OCAD University in the 90s. Katie: Wow, that's amazing. Thank you so much. So, who does your organization serve? What is the main community that you are working with? Tamara Toledo: So we mainly serve the Latin American, LatinX, diaspora in Canada. I would say it's mostly locally based. But, since we started programming a lot more online initiatives, it has expanded to a more national reach, as well as international, and that, of course, started during the pandemic. We had to pivot quite quickly, and look for different strategies to engage with our audiences. Katie: That's amazing. Tamara Toledo: And that sort of led to reaching other more national throughout different provinces in Canada and internationally. But it's history from the beginning has been very locally based: the Latin American diaspora. And that doesn't mean that we don't engage with other communities that are interested in the art and culture and histories of Latin America. Katie: Amazing! So that must mean that your staff must have grown since having to diversify how you are reaching more of the population. So how many staff did you start with, and how has that grown since? Tamara Toledo: Yeah, it seems like we are a very large organization, but paid staff is currently just two people. Everyone else is by contract, and depending on project funding. So, last year, we had 3 staff that were paid staff, that receive payroll, because of an additional grant that we received. But ongoing operationally, it's just two paid staff, one full-time and one part-time. Everyone else is contract, volunteers, we have a board of directors, we have an advisory board and we have a lot of people that have come and gone throughout the years because it has such a long history. It started off all on a volunteer basis, and slowly we've managed to receive government funding from all streams to be able to operate. Katie: That's amazing. What do you find motivates you to do this work, and why? Tamara Toledo: Well, I would say mostly with the intention, it's very intentional in the way that I would like for there to ignite change within a broader Canadian context in the arts. Because my background is in the arts, that sort of has been my focus with that activist intention of changing the ways in which art is understood, accepted, and the narratives that are a part of the Canadian dialogue. So, 20 years ago there was a lack of representation, visibility, of the Latin American diaspora in galleries and institutions, and so for me the motivation was to change that and to create that change and it had to be done from a grassroots place. And it's slowly changed and been affecting other sectors, so things have changed quite a bit in 20 years. There is some representation in some of these institutions currently, but there is a long way to go still. Katie: Do you have some specific institutions you've loved working with, or that you find have been a great asset to your organization? Tamara Toledo: We've certainly collaborated and partnered with several institutions and organizations throughout the years, which have been instrumental to the growth of LACAP and Sur Gallery. I think that for a smaller organization like ours, those partnerships and relationships are essential, and so we've tried to foster them. Throughout the years, we've collaborated with so many, not only institutions and galleries, but also festivals, and the relationships have been, of course, mutual in terms of gaining access to resources and sharing knowledge and resources. Tamara Toledo:  So just examples, let's see. We've collaborated with… I'll start with larger institutions. We've partnered with the AGO, with the Power Plant, with Harborfront Center; we've partnered with Artist Run Centers like Gallery 44, A Space Gallery; with universities, York University, OCAD University, with George Brown College; we've partnered with festivals like 7A*11D, Mayworks, Planet in Focus, so… Oh my goodness, like, I can't remember all of them, but, yeah, I think that most importantly it’s relevant to emphasize that those relationships are so important to the growth of the organization. Katie: Amazing, wow, that is amazing. Also, being in Toronto, you have so many areas around you being so artsy. It's a great center to be surrounded by all the creativity and build amazing relationships. Do you have a specific relationship or story that really stood out to you? That really maybe pushed you to continue what you're doing, or just really is highlighted in your mind? Tamara Toledo: Like, a particular partnership or relationship? Katie: Yeah, like, if you have a story about one of your favorite partnerships that you've worked with, or even just helping an individual in the community that stood out; anything that in your past years in this organization that really stood out to you? Tamara Toledo: Hmm… I mean, it's difficult to point out just one example, because it has been years of collaborations in different ways. Not just cross-promoting, but also working together on programs, and collaborating with changing that narrative which I spoke about before. So yeah, it's kind of difficult to think about just pinpoint one example. Katie: So what would you say is your personal mission statement. Tamara Toledo: My personal, like, as Tamara? Katie: Yeah, as an individual or even as an organization, you could also elaborate on that; how do you want to continue growing in your organization? What do you see in the future for it? Tamara Toledo: Okay. I would say that LACAP right now is going through some change, some internal change of growth. And I believe that this is a moment where a lot of things can develop, and a lot of things can happen. We've already gone through 10 years of running a gallery and so we're presently looking at what does our mission, our mandate, and the things that we can contribute with and how to foment and continue to change and to grow. Within the next 10 years, what does that look like and how can we still be relevant in the next 10 years? So we're going through that process of strategically thinking about our position and what are the ways we can contribute to that. The world is changing dramatically not only with AI, but geopolitically as well. And so, I think that all of those things should be under consideration when we start developing this plan for the future; for the next 10 years. From the very beginning of LACAP's inception, we've always responded to the needs of the community, what that need was in the beginning, so I think that ultimately, that has been the mission from from the beginning, and it continues to be, so that's why we're questioning currently what is the needs of our immediate community right now and how to address that need? So, yeah, I mean, there are so many layers to how we've contributed throughout the years, but essentially, um, if you have to narrow it down, it's sort of addressing the needs. Katie:  Amazing, amazing. Thank you so much for really delving into everything you have done. This is amazing to hear. Is there anything else you'd like to bring up that we did not ask you today? Tamara Toledo: I'm not sure. I mean, like, I would like to know a little bit more about the project and how I could address perhaps some things that I haven't mentioned, or mention something additionally to what this project is about, it's hard to… it's hard to say. Katie: Of course. Mm-hmm. So, our project focuses on archival work. So we are an anthropological class, we are studying Latin America and the diaspora, and how Latin American individuals are interacting with a modern-day community in Canada. So our task was to reach out to a Latin American organization, ideally Canadian and close to us. I have a background in art history, so I also am very familiar with the art world and the growth it has been evolving very rapidly, especially since the pandemic. So we love we love that you were able to talk to us, because having those ties to art history but also having ties to anthropology is very hand-in-hand. I think they do go quite coincidely together to really understand the experience of Latin Americans in Canada, and how we can improve your experience as well. Tamara Toledo: Amazing. Well, I think that, with that said what I could add would be the work that we've done with Archivo and with Profiles, which are two projects that we've led through Sur Gallery to address this sort of representation and visibility of the Latin American diaspora. I'm not sure if you're familiar with those two. You can find more information at <a href="http://surgalleryvirtual.ca">surgalleryvirtual.ca</a>. Profiles is basically a series of video portraits of Latin American artists across Canada. We went to four different cities and interviewed 15 artists and created these 5-minute videos to represent the various types of artists that you can find. They've been curated, all of them are very different: different approaches, different mediums, different themes.  Tamara Toledo: So,that is one project. And the other one is Archivo, which is a database of the Latin American diaspora of artists, of LatinX artists that identify as Indigenous from the region (from the Latin American region), Black, and Latin Caribbean. So, that one has taken about 2 years, and it continues to grow. It's project-based, and it's been implemented through project-based funding, and we hired an archivist to research and develop that particular project, and now we have over 140 entries of different artists across Canada. So, I think for your particular interest, I guess that those two would be most relevant, those two projects. And of course, we also implement a vast array of different different programs. More notably, I would say the exhibitions that we host every year, and the programming around those. There's also a symposium we held a few… maybe 3 years ago now? - called Positionality: Latin American art in Canada. And, that also is posted on our website. We have a huge archive of different events on our website that you can look through. Katie: If I'm ever in Toronto again soon, I would love to come by and check out the gallery and see if any events are on. Tamara Toledo: Amazing. Katie:I have had a blast talking to you today, and I have learned so much about you and what you do for the community, and I appreciate the time you've spent with us. Tamara Toledo: Thank you! Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data On Zoom Duration Length of time involved (seconds, minutes, hours, days, class periods, etc.) 20m59s Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Conversation with Tamara Toledo from the Latin American Canadian Arts Project (LACAP) Description An account of the resource We interviewed a representative-Tamara Toledo-- of  the Latin American Canadian Arts Project or LACAP.  Their mission showcased a good example of support for the community, by the community.  Tamara's passion was infectious: “Because my background is in the arts, that sort of has been my focus with that activist intention of changing how art is understood, accepted, and the narratives that are a part of the Canadian dialogue.”  LACAP is a Toronto-based organization that helps contemporary Latin American artists who are living in Canada connect to resources, such as help with exhibitions and research. They also provide public programming. LACAP frequently works with Toronto's institutions, such as Ontario College of Art & Design University (OCAD) and York University, providing lectures and seminars about Latin American artists and the history of Latin American art. LACAP’s two founders are Tamara Toledo and Rodrigo Barreda, who is in operations management. Toledo’s background in Art history and curation allows her to understand the artists' needs on a deeper level and provides mentorship for up-and-coming Latin artists. Having attended OCAD herself, she first-hand encountered the issues that many fellow artists were experiencing, allowing her to work directly with the University's programming to create a more inclusive curriculum.  LACAP only has two paid employees; everyone else is contracted, depending on project funding. In 2025, they had 3 paid staff who received payroll thanks to an additional grant they received. In general, the organization relies heavily on a fluctuating number of volunteers, meaning that lots of people are constantly coming and going. LACAP is always looking for helping hands--you can apply on their website if you are interested in getting involved with the Latin arts community.  One of LACAP’s main initiatives is Sur Gallery, located right on Toronto's Waterfront. The gallery is a dedicated space used to present contemporary Latin American and LatinX art. This venue and its programming focus on the dialogue between artists, scholars, and communities while encouraging collaboration across borders and artistic disciplines: “Initiatives are aimed to socially innovate, critically engage, lending itself to opportunities of national relevance to begin to develop global networks of exchange.” (LACAP, 2026) Toledo saw the lack of Latin American representation in the art scene of Toronto and understood the issues many Latin artists were experiencing throughout the art community. This left her and her partner to create LACAP to allow the artists to build a strong foundation in their craft to succeed in the Canadian art world. One of her favourite projects is at the Sur Gallery. She visited four Canadian cities and interviewed 15 Latin American artists for the exhibit. Toledo and her team curated a series of video interviews, forming video portraits of Latin American artists across the country, providing a platform for the artists' voices and experiences. The work that the organization does is incredibly important as it acts as one of the only support bodies for the Latin American art community in Canada. LACAP strives to employ a mainly grassroots approach, as explained by Tamara in our interview: “(...)20 years ago there was a lack of representation, visibility, of the Latin American diaspora in galleries and institutions, and so for me the motivation was to change that and to create that change and it had to be done from a grassroots place.” The gallery plans for the long term; The Covid epidemic required them to shift gears and create alternative plans to showcase their artists.  Currently, LACAP is  undergoing structural and organizational changes, in order to continue to serve their community as best as they can by responding to  constantly changing needs.  One of the ways you can support this organization is by donating. In this context, dollars go toward promoting Latin American art in different ways, such as by inviting classes to visit their galleries, by providing resources to artists for seminar-style workshops, or by supplying art tools to beneficiaries in the community. These donations can be made by cheque or via their website: <a href="https://lacap.ca/support-lacap/donate/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">https://lacap.ca/support-lacap/donate/</a>. You can also visit their most recent project, Sur Gallery, by appointment only (for now), situated at 100-39 Queens Quay East in Toronto, Ontario. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource Thursday, February 19th, 2026. Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource M4A file (29,758 KB) Language A language of the resource English https://omeka.uottawa.ca/anthroharvest/files/original/918ab05d88fa0bd9bd2ba4524de11db3.mp3 96953fb1679c4efeb0f03cd66d7f98d9 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Latin American stories from Ottawa Description An account of the resource <div style="text-align: left; margin-top: 0.5em; margin-bottom: 0.5em;">Beginning in Winter 2025, Professor Laurie Weinstein in ANT3340: Latin American and the Caribbean created Anthroharvest with the goal of inspiring students to explore the diversity of our city through ethnographic interviews. This collection stands as a pillar of students' ongoing efforts to interview friends, family, and members of Ottawa's Latin American and Caribbean communities in surrounding areas. Our ultimate goal is to create an archive of stories for those who identify with the Latin American and Caribbean community, accessible at any time, that preserves knowledge and promotes their cultures. Our project remains ongoing as we learn and connect with new students and people across Ottawa and eastern Canada. We invite you to browse the stories collected by our students, listen to the audio recording, and read transcripts and biographies of those interviewed. </div> Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Interviewee The person(s) being interviewed Taryn Ayton Interviewer The person(s) performing the interview Adrian Machado Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data On Zoom Transcription Any written text transcribed from a sound Adrian: 0:00 In recording progress, okay, I think the recording has very so we can get started on I just sent you over the questions so that way there was no surprises. So thank you for doing the that ethics form, which I have, I need to also sign myself. But anyways, um, so let's firstly, do you want to know a bit about the project to kind of just start? So basically, this project is for my anthropological studies in the Caribbean and Latin America. Basically what we're doing is that we're interviewing people in Canada that are from those continents. And basically we're going to take their stories and put them all into one website so that way people can view it, experience, learn, and it's overall, going to be this incredible, beautiful thing. So I have a partner. He's he has actually done another interview. So this is my interview with you. And yeah, we're gonna get started with the general introduction. So here we have, like, what part of the Caribbean are you from? What brought you, you and your family to Canada, and how much family do you have here living in Canada with you? From the Caribbean? Taryn 1:27 Feel free to introduce Speakers 2 1:29 Okay, so my family's from Jamaica, and majority of our family is now either in Canada or the United States, mostly being in Canada. My mom has eight siblings, and I believe three of which are still in Jamaica. But the rest are here. Actually, the rest are Unknown Speakers 2:01 sorry. Let me do quick now, three in Jamaica, Speakers 2 2:07 or here, one in America. Speakers 1 2:10 And this kind of diving a bit deeper. Where in Canada would you say most of your mom's siblings are located in throughout Ontario, throughout Ontario, and I can seem closer to Toronto. Yes, yeah. So for this project as well, we were looking for people from Ottawa, but I wanted to particularly tackle the GTA area, because I feel like there's a huge Caribbean culture there as well, and I think that's very lovely. And for the one that is in the US, where are they from? Where are they located right now, in the US? Speakers 2 2:51 I don't think he's there legally, so I don't know. Unknown Speakers 2:57 Well, you know, it's the experience. Speakers 1 3:01 Who knows, but totally cool. I'm so best aware about that. So let's get into the community and heritage part. Um, so do you live in an area where a large Crimean community, what language, slash vernaculars are spoken, and do you speak or understand any of them? Unknown Speakers 3:19 Okay, so Speakers 2 3:22 being from Richmond Hill, no, but being slightly north of Toronto, yes, if you understand what I mean, I do. I do because, like living in Richmond Hill, the the Caribbean culture is absolutely zero, but driving just like 15 minutes south into Toronto, it's huge, right? And I do not at least Jamaica's dialects patois, which is English. It's just broken English. I don't speak it, but I completely understand it. And it's honestly, so funny, because it's something I grew up with, and it's something I've always, like, understood before. Whenever my mom is speaking Pato in front of me, and my friends are around, and they don't get it, I'm like, but she's speaking English. No Speakers 1 4:15 exactly. I feel that actually, when I'm looking up and like, reformatting the questions I put in the notes here, Pat was because I was like, obviously, but I think that's really cool. Like, what are kind of some of the words that like stick out to you a lot? Or what are some very common sayings? Um, Speakers 2 4:35 common sayings. My mom doesn't use common sayings because she doesn't. I feel like a lot of parents have their go to sayings. My mom doesn't do that. She has a go to look for every situation. Unknown Speakers 4:53 I love that. Honestly, Speakers 2 4:56 it's actually really funny, because the other night, I'm like, Hey Mom, I'm going out and. She's, like, Unknown Speakers 5:04 iconic, iconic, um, not. Speakers 1 5:09 And I think that's like, really, really cool that we're looking at podcasts in different vernaculars. Um, anyways, what are some notable celebrations when? Which ones are the most important to you? Okay, Speakers 2 5:23 so I did look at that question and I'm like, Hmm, nothing really differs, because Jamaica is a very like Christian country, right? So typically, everything we celebrate here is celebrated there in the aspect of faith, but they do have carnival, which we would look at as Caribana or Toronto Caribbean carnival. But a lot of people don't realize they're completely different times during the year. So Carnival in the islands is typically right before Lent. Oh, so a carnival time just actually passed, and carnival there is completely different to what we do here. Like, Unknown Speakers 6:16 have you ever seen like a holy celebration? Speakers 1 6:18 I've no holy celebration. I have definitely seen, like, a couple videos of, like, the parades and whatnot, and like, the kind of pageant aspect of it, okay, yeah, Unknown Speakers 6:28 they do that too. But Speakers 2 6:32 with Holi, it's an Indian celebration. It's a lot of colors, and they're, like, bright colors and like, pinks and stuff they do that during Carnival, like balloons. It's like paint filled balloons. And so it's like a mixture of holy and Caribbean carnival as we see it here, like kind of mashed into one. It's actually really cool. Speakers 1 6:57 And that's like a very huge part of the Caribbean as well, because there's so many different types of people that are coming together. There's so many cultures that are being represented, if you will. And I think your point about like Christian holidays, I am curious, in comparison to kind of prison holidays here in Canada, what are some, I guess, unique aspects that, to me, kind of brings to those cultures, any particular foods or traditions that might differ or unique. So Speakers 2 7:29 for Easter, I know, like here during Easter, we're not supposed to do the whole meat thing, but there during Easter they typically just, it's just fish and then spice, bun and cheese. Okay, that is food for Easter. That's it. Nothing more, nothing less. Speakers 1 7:48 I think one thing that my family does is, of course, garlic pork for Christmas. I'm not sure if you do that as well. I think that's a Guyanese thing, right? But no super cool. And I think the different types of foods is, honestly, the food is incredible. Like, that's really, yeah, the food is incredible, incredible. So, um, there's kind of two questions here. Um, how do you celebrate your heritage and what values do you hold most dear to you that come from your community? And those might be kind of odd questions. So yeah, do you have an answer for that? The insight, um, Speakers 2 8:29 sorry, could you repeat the first one? Unknown Speakers 8:33 The first one, how do you celebrate your heritage? Unknown Speakers 8:37 Honestly, I don't Speakers 2 8:41 in the aspect that being Jamaican is just like a celebration in itself. Because, like, I feel like when you're Jamaican, everyone knows you're Jamaican. I've quite literally been told you look, Jamaican. Speakers 1 9:01 Would it what does that mean? Exactly? Bucha, Unknown Speakers 9:05 who knows, but Speakers 2 9:09 as the most like known Caribbean island, like, when people hear you're from the Caribbean, they go, Oh, Jamaica, Unknown Speakers 9:19 right. So I don't Speakers 2 9:21 really celebrate being Jamaican, because I feel like it's a celebration in itself. It's like Speakers 1 9:30 every day almost. It's like a huge part of who you are. And I think that's a very interesting perspective. It's it's different. And I not different actually. I think it's unique, and I love it honestly, so kind of moving on to that second question, what are some values that you hold that come from that place? Unknown Speakers 9:51 Okay, well, my mom Unknown Speakers 9:53 always instilled in me family Unknown Speakers 9:58 and I. I have Unknown Speakers 10:01 a huge family. Speakers 2 10:04 So I have five brothers, sorry, four brothers on my mom's side, and then my dad has 12 kids. Unknown Speakers 10:12 Huge family, huge Speakers 2 10:14 family. Um, so I've always been taught to be there when I can be but like also not to exert myself for the good of others, but I like to always try to be there, at least for my siblings. Speakers 1 10:32 That's incredible, because there's so many of them, little army, little army, Unknown Speakers 10:40 my dad could have two basketball teams. Speakers 1 10:44 Honestly, I think that's very incredible. Are Muslim and tall? Speakers 2 10:48 Oh yeah, oh yeah, not a single short one. Unknown Speakers 10:53 Genes are strong. Unknown Speakers 10:56 I mean, other than the seven year old, Speakers 1 10:59 makes sense. But we'll give it a couple years, we'll give it a couple of years. Um, no, and I think that's super cool. I think actually the aspect of family is, I mean, that's really huge in the carina as well. I think as a stem from that as well as, um, respecting elders is a very huge part of that. How are you can do you feel connected to that part? Is I value your bold um, Speakers 2 11:22 so I feel like respecting your elders is very instilled in Caribbean children. However, in this day and age, I feel like we've come to a point where we've learned to stand up for ourselves. Because it's one thing to respect your elders, and it's another to completely sit there and accept being annihilated, which 90% of the time is exactly what's being done to you. Speakers 1 11:54 I see it's very, very interesting. So looking at the next question here, would you like to share? Sorry, what would you like to share about yourself or your community that you think is important for people to know? Speakers 2 12:12 Nothing specifically about myself, but not every Caribbean is Jamaican. Unknown Speakers 12:18 No. Speak on it, speak on it. Speakers 2 12:21 And I feel like that's something so so many people get so offended. Because, like, when people are like, Oh, my God, you're Caribbean, you must be Jamaican, it's like, no, there are so many countries in the Caribbean, and like other other Caribbean countries, just feel so looked over Unknown Speakers 12:44 because of Jamaican. Speakers 2 12:45 And as a Jamaican, I'm sorry, but we are the center of attention. I understand that. But there are others. Speakers 1 12:54 There are other you want to give Friday. You want to give praise. Exactly, interesting, very interesting. I love that. And I think we touched on this question kind of beforehand. But what foods remind you of your home, and where do you purchase your groceries to prepare any traditional meals if you cook Unknown Speakers 13:21 so? Danforth food market, Unknown Speakers 13:24 Danforth food market Speakers 2 13:27 and things that remind me of Jamaica, per se, ackee and salfish. I love a good ackee and selfish, which, honestly, I didn't realize until I spent the summer there when I was 10. But that is a breakfast food, okay? Because I, yeah, I always grew up eating it for dinner, because that's when my mom would make it. But it's a breakfast food. Breakfast Speakers 1 13:54 food, and sorry, the ackee and saw fish describe the meal a bit more. So  Unknown Speakers 14:01 ad is Jamaica's national fruit, Speakers 2 14:05 but it needs to be cooked, because if it is not cooked, it can be poisonous. Oh, yeah. And then the salt fish is, I think it's cod fish, but salted. Okay. So then you have to boil off, like majority of the salt, otherwise, like it, like it's inedible because of the Unknown Speakers 14:27 amount of salt, Unknown Speakers 14:30 high sodium, high sodium, yep, Speakers 1 14:34 sounds like it, um, out of curiosity, like, Are there any particular like, desserts or any kind of spots that you can find in Toronto or Ontario that really like hit home for you. Unknown Speakers 14:49 No, I can't say so, because Unknown Speakers 14:53 I've never really been one for Jamaican desserts. Speakers 2 14:58 Honestly, most it's like. Black cake and then pudding. And it's not like, yeah, it's not like a westernized pudding. It's like a it's like a cake, per se. But Unknown Speakers 15:12 I do love black cake, Unknown Speakers 15:13 but I make Speakers 2 15:14 my own. So absolutely I don't have any recommendations on that aspect, and I have tried to make in restaurants. However, couldn't recommend any of them either, because I can't say anything is better than my mom's cookie. Speakers 1 15:34 I think, I think a parent's cooking, a grandmother's cooking, even it will surprise any restaurant really, exactly up until the grandmas decide to open up their own truly, um, but no, I think that's like, very interesting. Black cake is also really good. I I've had some myself, um, I would grab it by the slice and eat it, um, and I don't think my parents knew, but we don't tell anyways, so kind of moving on to the last section here. Apologies, we're looking at the project questions. So I told you a bit earlier about the website, and I just want to ask you, since this interview is part of a larger project to tell the stories of Latin American and Caribbean Canadians using a website that displays this information. Does this sound like a concept that you would be interested in, or communities in Canada would be interested Speakers 2 16:35 in? I would definitely be interested in it, because I feel that there are a lot of Unknown Speakers 16:42 first gen Speakers 2 16:44 Canadian children that feel neither here nor there in the aspect of you're too Caribbean for the Canadian kids, or you're too Canadian for the Caribbean kids, and just someone that falls in the middle. I feel like it could be very intriguing for like, finding more people like you that can relate to you, whereas you've just been living in a state of Unknown Speakers 17:14 purgatory, in a way, Speakers 1 17:19 absolutely, I think that education, it would bring a lot of education, and would really help to bring a huge asset of history. I'm not sure if we've talked about it as of now, but Toronto, especially Caribbean people, have contributed an immense amount of culture, and even, like the Toronto man accent, a lot of that is just a Caribbean accent. And I think that would be a huge part actually, you know what? Like? Let's speak on it. Um, you've obviously been to Toronto. You're in the GTA, um, how have you seen Caribbean people like influence the culture? Speakers 2 17:58 So, um, I would say that they are a huge influence. However, they are definitely disappointed in the Toronto man action, because 90% of them feel like they're just being mocked. First off, secondly, none. None of those Toronto mans actually sound like that. Speakers 1 18:17 Yeah, no, the one thing on the Speakers 2 18:21 internet, yeah, it's awful. It's so bad. It's It is, yeah, and they're making, they're making a mockery, and they don't care. And I find it so funny and entertaining, but I understand how people are offended by it. Speakers 1 18:40 Yeah, it's something to it's, yeah, it's, I'm not sure, to laugh uncomfortably or to laugh at them, like, what are we doing? It's, you know, what? Lock it up. Truly, I think the most shocking part is when I hear a trauma and accent come from someone in Ottawa. Oh, no, yeah. Um, you know, especially when they are a young child who grew up in, like, suburban Ottawa, it's like, what are we doing? Why? Um, but that's, that's a whole separate conversation. Um, going back to the website for a moment, how would you use this website? Um, I think we kind of already touched on that. But what are some ideas that you personally would contribute to the projects? Unknown Speakers 19:28 I feel like adding, Speakers 2 19:32 like, not a dating app aspect, but like a find a friend aspect, you know, to be able to see, like, if this person's nearby, maybe, like, make a friend. Speakers 1 19:44 Networking, exactly, networking, connecting communities. I think that would actually be really cool. So you want, like, from this website, not only for a place to be educated, but also to connect people a variety. Of cultures sound about right? Yeah, and we can shed light on other Peruvian countries as well. Right? Absolutely, absolutely. And do you have any final comments, questions or concerns that you would like to ask about the project or at all speak your mind, truly? No, we're all good. Okay, well, I think with that, thank you so much for being a part of my interview today. This has been an incredible experience, and I hope that maybe when we get the final project all finished up and done, you'll be able to see it for yourselves. I think with that, we can end things off. Have a good day. Right turn. Thank you so much. Okay, no problem, bye, bye, bye. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Conversation with Taryn Ayton Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource Conversation with Taryn Ayton Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource MP3, 20 mins 46 s Language A language of the resource English Description An account of the resource This interview with Taryn Ayton by Adrian Machado is a part of a project for anthropological studies in the Caribbean and Latin America. Taryn is a 21-year-old Jamaican Canadian university student living in the GTA area (Richmond Hill). She is a long-time friend of the interviewer and provides a unique perspective on Carribean identity. The interview covers various aspects of her heritage and identity, such as celebrations, traditional foods, and values. Taryn hopes that her contribution to this project will enrich Canadians’ knowledge of Caribbean stories and bring members of the Latin/ Caribbean community together. https://omeka.uottawa.ca/anthroharvest/files/original/6ca8ac7b9dc44d75a70da6496982da0a.mp3 f23a395c5044dde38216d0bdd54609a3 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Latin American stories from Ottawa Description An account of the resource <div style="text-align: left; margin-top: 0.5em; margin-bottom: 0.5em;">Beginning in Winter 2025, Professor Laurie Weinstein in ANT3340: Latin American and the Caribbean created Anthroharvest with the goal of inspiring students to explore the diversity of our city through ethnographic interviews. This collection stands as a pillar of students' ongoing efforts to interview friends, family, and members of Ottawa's Latin American and Caribbean communities in surrounding areas. Our ultimate goal is to create an archive of stories for those who identify with the Latin American and Caribbean community, accessible at any time, that preserves knowledge and promotes their cultures. Our project remains ongoing as we learn and connect with new students and people across Ottawa and eastern Canada. We invite you to browse the stories collected by our students, listen to the audio recording, and read transcripts and biographies of those interviewed. </div> Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Interviewer The person(s) performing the interview Christine Bissonnette, Maria Bolano Valle Interviewee The person(s) being interviewed Tatiana Location The location of the interview Ottawa, Ontario, Canada Transcription Any written text transcribed from a sound Christine:  So, what is your country of origin?   Tatiana: Colombia   Maria: Where specifically in Colombia?   Tatiana: Tunja, Boyaca   Christine: Now, what brought you to Ottawa?   Tatiana: My undergraduate program.   Maria: What...   Tatiana: Political Science at uOttawa    Christine: Perfect.    Maria: Do you have family here? And, do you see them frequently if you do?   Tatiana: No.   Maria: And in that case, how often do you go back to Colombia?   Tatiana: Um... Every break the university gives me. So three, no, four or five months.   Maria: Okay. So, would you say like once a year or twice a year?   Tatiana: I'd say twice a year if I'm lucky.   Maria: Okay.   Christine: Do you live in a more Latin region of Ottawa or a neighborhood where people speak Spanish? If so, how do you celebrate special occasions that arise?   Tatiana: I'm pretty sure Byward Market doesn't have a huge Latin American diaspora. There's a few Latin American businesses, but it's not like a hotspot for the community either. And if I were to celebrate any special occasions, I just go with my personal group of friends.   Christine: Nice.   Maria: And do you have any celebrations that are most important to you related to your heritage?   Tatiana: Usually in December, like say ‘Dia de Velitas’, like the day of the candles, just as a tradition, I'd say. And because we share like good food with people who share my same culture, that's it.   Christine: Can you describe a typical day in your community?   Tatiana: I'd say my day is as regular as anybody's. I go to work and then I talk to my friends when I'm free. And then if it's somehow a day I'm meeting them, we just hang around and talk.  It's nothing very culturally specific.   Maria: So for instance, for days that are special, let's say, how do you celebrate those heritage? Like, what are some, well, maybe let's backtrack. What are some dates that are important for your heritage while you're here that are not December?   Tatiana: Mmm… that's not December. Trying to think of 1. I don't know… I mean, my friend's birthday, but that's not cultural. Umm … Sometimes in Easter, but that way, I'm not religious as my family is. So, I really don't celebrate it because of culture or whatever. So, if I wanted to celebrate my heritage, I just go somewhere where I can eat my cultural food, you could say. When I'm feeling homesick.   Maria: How about Independence Day?   Tatiana: Right! I don't happen to do anything those days. Like I'm aware and I try to read something about it to try to educate myself. Perhaps I have a little chitchat with my friends about it, but it's not like I go and put like the Colombian flag on my window, and I go to the embassy to celebrate. I tried this year, but they were already full, so why would I?   Tatiana: Interesting. And then would it be another occasion? And I'm thinking more specifically and more culturally speaking for Latin countries. Days like when the soccer team plays, do you find yourself that you might be like celebrating that? As that part of your heritage?   Tatiana: Well, my family does call me to ask me to put a number on who's going to win. And we bet, which is not really, because we always put less than a dollar on the table.   Maria: Right.   Tatiana: But it's just to be like, oh yeah, we're gonna watch the game. And usually more people, like not me, because I'm not a big sucker fan, but like I know my family and I know some friends that play like the Colombian shirt whenever the team plays, because it's like a lucky token. Like, you know, if we did this, the team might win. I'd say it's pretty standard.   Maria: And also you could say it's nationalism too. It's a way, especially being in away.   Tatiana: But also a lot of fanatism around football.   Christine: God, yeah.   Maria: Especially in Colombia or like in the Latin countries.   Tatiana: Yes.   Maria: It's just annoying.   Christine: Are there specific values that you hold dear as a member of a Latin community that you would say don't necessarily translate into a more Canadian setting?   Tatiana: I'd say perhaps collectivism in a way. I feel as if Colombians think of their community first a lot of times before taking a decision that might impact somebody else than them. Out of respect, perhaps, consideration, or just costum, because that's how you're taught to be. And I kind of go by that because I don't find a reason as to why I should oppose. I think it's a nice thing to do. Like Canadians are, or I've noticed, they're more individual-driven. They want to do stuff for them first and then other people come later in consideration, which doesn't necessarily have to be something bad, but it's not something I want to assimilate into.   Maria: So you prefer having that collectivism mindset?   Tatiana: Yes.   Maria: And that's something that you value. I agree. -  Would you say it also extends to like family and friends here, especially like being away and you said that you don't have any family here. Will that sense of family, because I know in Colombia, and again, the Latin American countries, we value a lot family. So how does that translate when you moved here?   Tatiana: Well, I was lucky to find people to be friends that I care a lot about. Kind of refer to them like as a chosen family, however long that lasts. And yeah, I try to always consider them if I'm going out, if I'm celebrating something. If I'm taking a decision that I might want to share. Also trying to like, I don't know, hold myself to more rational standards than my own. Yeah, no, I've tried, I try to engage with the people I love here. I don't hold that sense of collectivism with my original family as much. Like I moved here because I wanted to be independent. So I mean, I do have a checkup with them every day, but it's not a I'm gonna do this, or do you know what? Like, I don't do that with them. But I do with the people I care about here.   Christine & Maria: Right.   Christine: So is there anything that you'd like to share about yourself or your community that is important for other people, other non-Latin people, like let's say just Canadians who've never really traveled, anything that you think is important for them to know?   Tatiana: Like important for them to know about my culture.   Christine: Yeah, anything that you're willing to share really could be more like something you've noticed in the Latin community in general, a more Colombian setting.   Tatiana: I feel like, I don't know if I want to say something positive or negative.   Maria: You can say both. It's whatever you think. There's no right or wrong answers too.   Tatiana: Well, I feel like Colombians are more spontaneous in what they do with not only friends, but with their family, right? I feel like here you have to somehow craft special outing occasion with people to convince them to meet you. Which I get, like, everybody would like to be entertained like that. Of course. But I feel the comments on, I don't know if overall Latin Americans are like, you know what, I have to do some paperwork.   Would you accompany to do this tedious ****? you want to go to the grocery store? Do you want to just go for a ******* walk?  Like I miss that spontaneity. It's not a personality trait of mine, but I miss it when other people did to me. So I know I feel like I have to do it here to try to carry that within me. I don't know if it holds a special meaning, but whatever.   And I say like a negative thing. I find it silly because, you know, we try to think like as a collective sometimes. I find it that Colombians love to peer pressure you into not heinous stuff. It's like, oh, you know, please take this food. I made it for you. If you don't receive it, I'm going to hate it forever because I offered. So how dare you?   Or in a more negative context, it might be like, oh, let's go out for drinks. And I am going to convince you for you to drink so you do the same as I'm doing. Just so we feel like we're doing everything together. But then again, that might push some boundaries.   Yeah. And I feel like we could be more mindful of that as a community. Like, I'm not saying we don't try. Everyone's different, but it's just a pattern.   Maria: It is.   Tatiana: Yeah.   Maria: It's that collective mindset of we all have to do the same thing.   Tatiana: Yes.   Maria: And we're all in this together.   Christine: Yeah.   Maria: So it comes, it's like a double-edged sword, you could say.   Tatiana: Yeah, it's kind of like company, but at the same time you're overriding people's own convictions or say, how do you say, comfortability, right? Yeah.   Maria: You could say that, yeah.   Christine: So to provide our wonderful interview process, you've mentioned food a couple of times. I'm curious, is there any particular food that reminds you of home?   Tatiana: I'd say coffee. It's basic, but it's accessible to me. And I can make it. And I bring it home because it's easier to pack. And you know, but I can aside, I mean, in the airport if I bring it. So … Easier to have. Also some like, how do you say galgerias*? Like snacks?   Maria: Snacks.   Tatiana: Yeah, I bring some corn chips, spicy corn chips. Some like chocolate with dried fruit inside. And if I were to be more authentic, I'd say like, I don't know, ‘Empanadas’ or ‘Pan de Bono’, but I don't know how to make that myself here. And even though I know the recipe, it's just too...   Maria: It's too complicated.   Tatiana: It's too complicated. So if I wanted to eat that, I would just go to like a Latin American restaurant here. Yeah. Although they're not that good here.   Christine: Now, for your snacks or your coffee, now, if you did run out of the stuff that you brought from home, is there any particular grocery store or just store in general that you would go to try and get some more?   Tatiana: Yeah, there's one in the corner here. It's called La Latina. It's mostly Mexican. but they do have some Colombian snacks. So I can go there for that. Well, and I've almost never run out of coffee, but the one time I did, I had to go to a restaurant. regular coffee store to look for the Colombian selection. And it was overpriced, ****** things. But I bought it anyway, because hey, it might be better than the average thing this healthier. I don't know.   Maria: Fair. How often would you say that you get homesick? That you feel like, oh, I want to eat this, and that's why you go and seek the food.   Tatiana: I'd say at least once a week. Like the thing I used to love about Colombian foods is like fruits. And my family, at least my mom's side, they have a whole farm to grow fruits. So my house always has them. And here the selection is so limited and it's so tasteless. And I find myself craving like a juice, a lemonade with coconut or with cherry, because we have lemonade at all ******* times. Like it's good, like a good juice, And I found a store here in Byward that kind of sells juices, but it's like $12 for a glass, which I find it's overpriced.   Maria: Just a little bit.   Tatiana: Just overpriced. And they, like, they have sweet selection. They have mango and it's a good mango, don't get me wrong. But the one I liked most was like, Lulo. Just kind of acidic.   Maria: It's a little bit acidic, yeah.   Tatiana: It's a little bit acidic or Maracuya.   Maria: Passion fruit.   Tatiana: Passion fruit, yeah. Like, it's acidic. I like those flavors. And I don't think people like it here, so they don't even bother to import it. Not a popular taste.   Maria: I think passion fruit is a bit... It's becoming more popular.   Christine: It's becoming more popular. It's definitely becoming more popular. But I think the general taste profile is sweet.   Maria: Because when you mix mango and passion fruit, they kind of like that mix because they're both kind of tropical. So it kind of gives them that sense of like… Uh!   Christine: Exotic.   Tatiana: And they can also tame the sourness.   Maria: Yes.   Tatiana: I really like the sourness. And you don't get that here.   Christine: No, it's a much more sweet variety.   Tatiana: I used to like the fruits when they were not even fully ripe. Just… Almost ripe enough so I didn't choke eating them, but that I would feel the sourness.   Maria: You like that tenseness in your mouth. You're like *salivating sounds*  Tatiana: Yes…   Maria: you're brave. Could never be me. What else?   Christine: Well, at the beginning, before we started this interview process, we mentioned a website that this will be uploaded to called Anthro Harvest. Have you heard of this website before?   Tatiana: No.   Maria: It was specifically created by our professor. And it was made to be like a capsule of the stories of people within the Latin American community and also from students around campus. So it's like a project. It's like a little capsule that people can always look back at this time in our life and talk about these things.   Christine: There's also different organizations that are interviewed on this website. That will allow different immigrants to get access to different resources and programs that these different organizations offer.   Maria: Yeah. So this is one part of the project, and then there's other parts of the project where they interact with organizations to see how they support the community and stuff like that. Because we have, I think Ottawa is decent with the, we don't have a large community, but we do have large enough, especially if we count the people that come from Gatineau. Because I think there's a lot of.   Tatiana: There's more there.   Maria: There's more there.  Tatiana: It's more affordable to live.   Maria: Yes. So knowing about this website, how likely would you think, now that you know about it, how likely would you use it?   Tatiana: I mean, perhaps if they had resources, say, accessing healthcare or some service that it's not readily available for non-Canadians, I would. But in terms of accessing the stories, I'm not necessarily sure if I would go to it. Mainly because I feel like the main public are probably other anthropologist or somebody who might be studying the community. Like I don't find a reason, or at least as a, like as an immigrant myself, like perhaps a first generation kid who didn't got much contact with the culture might, but I grew there. Like I don't need to.   Maria: You have first-hand experience of what it's like.   Tatiana: I don't need to go and read somebody else's to know what it's like. I just go and talk to the people I know. So for that purpose, I wouldn't be a user, per se. Not to say that it's useless. Obviously, there's value in holding these records and having people look at them if they're curious. I'm just not saying I'd be the target audience.   Maria: I see.   Christine: Okay, of course. So do you have any general comments that you'd like to share, maybe about yourself or your community. Just you mentioned that you're a student, so it could be anything.   Tatiana: I don't know.   Maria: Maybe… You said that you're here for your schooling. And coming from Colombia, it's always there's a question of how did you get here?   Christine: Yes.   Maria: So how did you land in Ottawa?  Like what was, because you could have other options. You could have visited Toronto, you could have visited Vancouver, you could have gone to Calgary, you could have gone to Edmonton. You could have gone to Montreal too. Why Ottawa?   Tatiana: Well, for once I had the reference of a cousin of mine who came here to do his PhD.   And, you know, I came here when I was 18, but I started considering moving to Canada when I was younger. So he kind of painted the city as something safer for somebody my age who was going to move alone, right? And he says I wanted to learn French anyway, in Ottawa, it's kind of a bilingual city if you seek for it. It's not a bad alternative, and it's also not super huge, like Toronto, where you would get lost. And I thought about French Road, but then again, I'm not fluent in French, so, right? And I didn't necessarily think about the Latin American community when moving here. I was just pursuing, again, education.   But then again, I've grown fun of it, at least the people I've found for myself in here that are part of the Latin American diaspora. And I might want to go to Montreal since I've noticed it has like a bigger community. And as much as I'd like to think it doesn't matter, and then I can assimilate into Canadian culture, I always find myself gravitating towards people of my, of a similar background as mine, even though it's not like a, like a bias or anything necessarily, it's just what I do, perhaps for my own comfort.   Christine: Yeah, of course.   Tatiana: So perhaps that has some value. I like, especially last year I talked with some freshly arrived international students. And they're like, where did you find Latin American people…I've tried.   So it doesn't seem to be a need of mine, but in general, somebody who comes from abroad trying to find someone from their same background to find belonging, like community perhaps. Because like even though, I'm not saying, it's impossible, right? But there's not a lot of Canadians out there who are just like happy too.   Maria: To go to your acquaintance to make your acquaintance and stuff like that. They're not as open.   Tatiana: Yeah, and you get to chase them a little, which is not, it's fine, you know. You're going to make an effort if you want to build relationships, but it's different. And at first it takes time to get used to.   Christine: Yeah, of course.   Maria: Would you say that part of your support group here… your chosen family, as you said, are there more, if you had to put in a percentage? Not that you have to. Would you say they're more from a Latin background like you are, or would you say they're more a mix of a lot of international students? Or would you say it's a more international, my community, Canadians?   Do you think you have a good balance between the...   Tatiana: I mean, I think most of them are international, or at least have an immigrant background of sorts. And yeah, most of them are from the Latin American community. Percentage wise, I couldn't tell you. I do have a few Canadian friends that I value a lot. But it's not, I guess they're not the predominant group. If I were to put them in a number scale.   Christine: That's fair. Yeah. I'm trying to think. Do you have any concerns? It can be about this interview in general. It can be about anything really. It could be just about you being a student in Canada or the way you're treated as such, treated as an immigrant. Just any concern … really that you think is important to voice out loud. So, people are aware.   Tatiana: Perhaps I find it funny. I know it's meant to be a compliment when people say it to me. And there's like, oh, you know, you don't look Latin American. You know, I couldn't have told that you weren't born here by the way you speak. And I guess  it's meant to mean like, you communicate yourself well in English and, you know your appearance can pass up as white, which perhaps could be a compliment in their view, but it feels a little bit condescending in the way that it's like, oh, so you expect someone with my background to be less fluent in the language, you expect them to be, I don't know, less eloquent, you expect them to not be able to achieve the same things I have. So you are complimenting me, yes, but complimenting me not because of me, but because you think my people are stupid. And I don't like that.   Maria: Like the stereotypical thing that you should be loud, you should have an accent, you should have, you should look a little different, you should not have like fair skin or and I don't know. Yeah. I mean, that is what they call microaggressions.    Tatiana: I guess you could call it that. It's just like, I don't know, it's silly.  I guess there's this presumption, and it's true that immigrants have to work harder to get what they want. And I have a lot of privilege that also has allowed me to be here, which would not have been possible if I had come here in another condition. Still, it's just like, you don't have to put down other people to compliment me.   Tatiana: And it's just like instead of challenging the stereotypes people have around the Latin American community, it just feels like they're creating a whole different category for you.   Maria: Interesting. It's like I didn't think about that in that way of like creating that whole new category. You're right. Been there. Yeah, that's all the questions we have for you. Did you want to add anything or are you okay?   Tatiana: No, I think I'm good.   Maria: Amazing. Do you want to do anything?   Christine: No, I think I'm good on my part. Thank you very, very, very much for participating and enduring with us.   Maria: You get a cookie.   Tatiana: It's my pleasure.   Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data In person Duration Length of time involved (seconds, minutes, hours, days, class periods, etc.) 23minutes, 17seconds Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Conversation with Tatiana Description An account of the resource <div style="text-align: left; margin-top: 0.5em; margin-bottom: 0.5em;">This interview features Tatiana, a Colombian immigrant living in Canada. Tatiana is a Political Science student at the University of Ottawa. She immigrated from Tunja, northeast of Bogotá, to Canada at the age of 18, seeking new opportunities and to expand her knowledge of the world beyond her hometown. During our conversation, Tatiana opens up about the efforts she’s made to stay connected to her Colombian heritage and the struggles she's faced along the way. One of the main things Tatiana has found difficult to access in Ottawa is ingredients and fresh produce, as she enjoyed at home. Fresh fruit, in particular, holds a special place in her heart, as her family in Colombia owns a fruit farm and she has strong memories of always having delicious fruit at her table. She describes this experience, stating,  </div> <div style="text-align: left; margin-top: 0.5em; margin-bottom: 0.5em;">“I'd say at least once a week. Like the thing I used to love about Colombian foods is like fruits. And my family, at least my mom's side, they have a whole farm to grow fruits. So my house always has them. And here the selection is so limited and it's so tasteless. And I find myself craving like a juice, a lemonade with coconut or with cherry, because we have lemonade at all (*******) times. Like it's good, like a good juice, And I found a store here in Byward that kind of sells juices, but it's like $12 for a glass, which I find it's overpriced.” </div> <div style="text-align: left; margin-top: 0.5em; margin-bottom: 0.5em;">She noted that when she’s feeling homesick or has a pull to reconnect with her culture, she tends to seek out restaurants that serve Colombian food. In general, Tatiana explained that she sees a few different Latin American businesses around Ottawa, particularly in the Byward Market. Outside of food, Tatiana describes the differences she has noticed between Canadian and Colombian culture during her interview. Particularly, Colombians' collectivism, which she feels is a core value of her culture. She articulated this, stating, </div> <div style="text-align: left; margin-top: 0.5em; margin-bottom: 0.5em;">“I feel as if Colombians think of their community first a lot of times before taking a decision that might impact somebody else than them. Out of respect, perhaps, consideration, or just costum, because that's how you're taught to be. And I kind of go by that because I don't find a reason as to why I should oppose. I think it's a nice thing to do. Like Canadians are, or I've noticed, they're more individual-driven. They want to do stuff for them first and then other people come later in consideration, which doesn't necessarily have to be something bad, but it's not something I want to assimilate into.” </div> <div style="text-align: left; margin-top: 0.5em; margin-bottom: 0.5em;">In part due to this community mentality, Tatiana also feels that Colombians are more spontaneous by nature. She explained that when at home, people often reach for more immediate plans, such as going for a walk or going to the store. With this in mind, she shared some of the downsides of this mentality, noting that she experienced significantly more peer pressure in Colombia, particularly regarding high-risk behaviour.  </div> <div style="text-align: left; margin-top: 0.5em; margin-bottom: 0.5em;">Ultimately, Tatiana finds that the majority of her celebrations are community-driven. She finds herself seeking out her found family in Canada and loved ones in Colombia. She makes an effort to return to Colombia whenever she is off from school, and thus enjoys her culture firsthand fairly often while also establishing a new community in Ottawa.  </div> Language A language of the resource English Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource MP3 (21.3 MB) Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource Thursday, January 29th 2026 https://omeka.uottawa.ca/anthroharvest/files/original/80eff495d46b00dc59cddd458045598b.jpg b0e7b4e16b8f1ae02a892d12405e8a57 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Figure 1. Entrance of UNAM-Canada Photo taken by Charlotte Lasnier https://omeka.uottawa.ca/anthroharvest/files/original/ac24349f978929e8a5a81c0843ea9694.jpg e8fe77cc644c14622c116c5c8c58eb97 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Figure 2. Day of the Dead altar commemorating Québec artist Jean Paul Riopelle at Maison du Citoyen Photo taken by Noémie Burrs https://omeka.uottawa.ca/anthroharvest/files/original/b5ac2b5752f6a6beb5bbb791861c392e.jpg 2a106b957a5d56894d19b40ef1342c37 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Figure 3. Library at UNAM-Canada Photo taken by Noémie Burrs https://omeka.uottawa.ca/anthroharvest/files/original/8091f7cd5d280090a7839dde308a88a8.mp3 e309a942a97ef154744dc6ec7c08b024 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Audio recording of our conversation with UNAM-Canada Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Latin American & Caribbean Organizations Subject The topic of the resource collection of organizations designed to support and uplift Latin and Caribbean people in Canada. Description An account of the resource <div style="text-align: left; margin-top: 0.5em; margin-bottom: 0.5em;">As the capital of Canada, Ottawa is a city rich in diverse cultures and communities from around the world. Relocating to Canda from the southern hemisphere is a significant shift and challenge. For these immigrants, they face obstacles, including finding people who are culturally similar. Thankfully, there are many aid organizations which connect people with help. In this section of AnthroHarvest, we showcase a few of these groups. They do not just celebrate immigrant cultures, they give them the chance to meet others and learn how to adjust to Canadian life. There are language classes, cultural events, and get-togethers. Each group is different. Some groups focus on keeping languages and traditions alive. Other groups help artists show their work. They provide spaces for people to meet and talk. All of these groups together illustrate the strength of Latin American and Caribbean communities here. In the collections below, you will find more information about them: the Jamaican Ottawa Community Association, the Barbados Ottawa Association, Canada Habla Español, the Humanitarian Organization of Latin American Students, the Latin Hub and the Latin American Soldiers Committee in Canada. Specifically, we hope to emphasize different events, fundraisers, and resources they have, how to contact them and/or join their association, their social media pages, and a short description of the organization itself.</div> Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Cover Photo: Day of the Dead altar commemorating Québec artist Jean Paul Riopelle at Maison du Citoyen Photo taken by Noémie Burrs Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Taylor Paterson, Soorya Hedayat Omar, Racheal Agofure, Zainab Oyejobi, Amy May Lajeunesse and Roodmya Douge. Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Interviewer The person(s) performing the interview Noémie Burrs, Leila Ledenko and Charlotte Lasnier Interviewee The person(s) being interviewed Alex Méndez and Brenda Colín Location The location of the interview Gatineau, Québec, Canada Transcription Any written text transcribed from a sound Interviewer 1 (0:00): Hi, my name is Charlotte. Together with my colleagues Noémie and Leila, we conducted an interview with Alex Méndez and Brenda Colín from UNAM-Canada, the National Autonomous University of Mexico in Gatineau. As part of a Latin American and Caribbean anthropology course, our goal was to better understand the services and activities offered by the university as well as to learn more about a Latin American organization in our region. Thank you for listening and I hope you enjoy this interview. Interviewer 2 (0:35): I'm going to ask you guys to introduce yourselves first, and then I'll get into the questions after that. Alex Méndez (Academic Affairs Chief Executive, UNAM-Canada) (0:43): Thank you for being here. My name is Alex Méndez. I'm the Academic Affairs Chief Executive at UNAM-Canada. Brenda Colín (Administrative Lead, UNAM-Canada) (0:49): Hi, hello, I'm Brenda Colín. I'm the administrative in charge at UNAM-Canada. Interviewer 2 (0:58): My first question is: what is the name of your organization and where is it located? Alex Méndez (1:05): The name of the organisation is UNAM-Canada. Now, we are changing to UNAM Commonwealth because we are changing our legal status to cover another branch of UNAM in the United Kingdom. So, that is the reason why now we are named UNAM Commonwealth. Brenda Colín (1:26): And we are located at 55 Rue du Portage, Gatineau, Quebec, J8X 2J9. Sorry for my French. Interviewer 2 (1:40): When and why was this organisation created? Brenda Colín (1:44): It’s very interesting because last year we celebrated our 30th anniversary, so we have 30 years in the region. We were created in 1995. And the purpose— Alex Méndez (1:58): We were created like an international program that originated from 80 years ago. The first one is 81 years with San Antonio in Texas. It’s the first one, the first office abroad of the UNAM. And we are the second one. We have— Brenda Colín (2:23): It’s very interesting also because UNAM in Mexico is a big university, one of the most important in Latin America. And right now, it has several offices abroad, around 13 around the world, like in China or in South America like Chile recently, and in the United Kingdom. Alex Méndez and Brenda Colín (2:45): France, Germany, China, Spain. In the United States, we have five: San Antonio, Chicago, Los Angeles, Boston, and Tucson. Brenda Colín (3:00): We have many offices abroad. Now, we are working with the United Kingdom to create one legal status, like incorporated. Because of the Commonwealth: United Kingdom and Canada. That helps. Interviewers (3:19): Interesting. Alex Méndez (3:22): This is our vision: promote mobility, relation, cooperation and inter and intra-institutional collaboration; promote language teaching and certification of Spanish; disseminate Mexican culture and local cultures, for the benefit of both the university community and the Mexican one abroad; and enhance the presence of UNAM abroad. Interviewer 1 (3:44): How does the university meet its mission? What kind of activities do you do? Alex Méndez (3:54): We were created as a language school, that is why we have the language in our mission. We offer Spanish classes for Canadians, and English and French for Mexican and Latin American students. We are not closed to or just for Mexican or UNAM students. It’s open to Hispanophone people that want to study English or French here in Canada. Also, in our courses, we have culture, Latin American culture. And also, we have activities created with our culture. We are aiming to show what is happening at UNAM, the developments at UNAM. That is the reason why we try not to just concentrate in culture, so it is open to what is doing UNAM right now. Our programs are open to everyone, not just Mexican students. Brenda Colín (5:00): Maybe not a lot of people know about all the important things that UNAM has created. It’s a very old university also, and throughout it’s history it has created and brings a lot in science, in culture, in many different disciplines. We have a satellite; I don’t know if you know about it. UNAM has one. We have two vessels— Alex Méndez (5:46): One in the Pacific and one in the Atlantic. Brenda Colín (5:51): UNAM is also in charge of the Seismological Institute. There are a lot of earthquakes in Mexico, so they have an institute that measures them and makes study about it. It’s UNAM that is in charge of that. We have different institutes and faculties for every discipline that you can imagine. It’s a huge university. And here, we would like to share all of what UNAM in Mexico does, have more people know about it and be more in touch with that knowledge. And create bonds between UNAM in Mexico and universities in Canada, to create opportunities for teachers and students that are interested in developing research and studies on different topics. Interviewer 2 (7:05): You have a big fan right here. Interviewer 3 (7:11): I actually went to Taxco with my Spanish class through UNAM-Canada. Brenda Colín (7:18): That’s a one example of what UNAM offers. UNAM-Canada itself is just a little part of all of what UNAM offers. I’m so happy and I hope that one day you have the opportunity to go to Mexico City and know UNAM. Ciudad Universitaria is like a city of the university, it’s huge. You move around with a pus, Puma bus. It’s actually a bus that drives around all the faculties, it’s huge, it’s very interesting. Interviewer 3 (7:58): Could you talk more about the Day of the Dead celebration? I’ve been able to participate a few times, and it might be interesting for the interview. Brenda Colín (8:10): Of course. Throughout the year, we have different activities, and one of the most important is the Day of the Dead. It’s celebrated at the end of October/beginning of November. We create an altar dedicated to— normally we choose a writer, a scientific or somebody important in Mexico and also Canada, so the two countries. We create an altar at La Maison du Citoyen, the alcaldía (city hall) of Gatineau. The purpose of this activity is to share this tradition that is very important in Mexico. During this event we remember our loved ones who have passed away, but more with a happy feeling. It’s a celebration of life, more like who is this person or what did you live with this person. More about remembering the happy memories and having the feeling of celebrating what this person lived or what this person contributed to Canada, to Mexico or to the world. This year we’re working on the altar for October/November, and you’re invited to participate in the activity. We are thinking about important people who contributed to the world, like Jane Goodhall for example, who passed away recently. It’s to commemorate them and honour them and honour their contributions. It’s a tradition that we like to share with the community, and it’s well known in the region. We are happy to have the support of the city. Alex Méndez (10:25): Did you see Coco, the movie Coco? Interviewer 1 (10:28): I was just thinking, that’s where I heard of it. Because I didn’t know about it before until I watched Coco. I watched it a few times. Interviewer 1 (10:38): It’s really a good movie. I cried multiple times. Alex Méndez (10:40): But that’s a really good representation of what it means and how we see death. It’s really beautiful. Interviewer 2 (10:47): Like their passing, crossing a bridge to come and be with family, be with the dead. Alex Méndez (10:57): Exactly. It's to share the moment with the family that passed away. That is the reason to remember what they did in life and to remember the person in this celebration. Interviewer 1 (11:12): How many staff and volunteers work with you? Brenda Colín (11:18): Staff members, we have 18 staff. And we don’t work with volunteers. Alex Méndez (11:26): It’s just in specific cases, like Day of the Dead, that we have volunteers who help with the logistics of the activity. But we don’t work with volunteers. We don’t have a regular program or something like that. Our volunteers come from our Spanish classes, maybe students who want to practice their Spanish with Latin American people that visit our offrendas (Day of the Dead altar). That is the reason why we, just in that case, will work with volunteers. Interviewers (12:10): Interesting. Interviewer 3 (12:13): Since you talked a little bit about your students, would you mind sharing anonymous stories about your students: who they are, why they want to take your classes, why do they want to study at UNAM-Canada. Brenda Colín (12:30): We have diverse types of students. Like Alex mentioned before, our Spanish students are from the region. Generally, they are retired, who like to travel in Latin America and want to improve their Spanish. Recently, we had students from the government that have more specific necessities when it comes to why they want to improve their Spanish. So, we have those kinds of students in our Spanish classes. In English and in French, mostly they are students like you saw in the video: university students that mostly come from UNAM. Also, like we mentioned before, our courses are open to anyone that wants to have the experience of our winter or summer Puma (PUMA+ program). Alex Méndez (13:31): Sometimes, we also have students that come from Mexico that come to visit other universities like Ottawa University, or in Montréal: Concordia or McGill. They develop research with professors and researchers in Canadian universities. Sometimes we have visitors from Mexico to develop research in Canada. Interviewer 3 (14:02): Cool, thank you. This would be our last questions. It’s a more personal question: what motivates you to do this work, and why do you think it’s important? Brenda Colín (14:17): Personally, I feel very proud to be part of UNAM-Canada because I studied at UNAM in Mexico. I feel very proud to be part of UNAM in Canada and be part of an organization that makes visible UNAM abroad, specifically here. Not only what UNAM does: it’s a lot like you can see. But also, Mexican and Latin American contributions, traditions, cultural and scientific contributions. It’s not very visible, necessarily. I feel very proud to be part of this organization and to help students with languages and to make bonds with Canada and Mexico. It’s very important and I feel very happy. Alex Méndez (15:15): As UNAM-Canada, I think this is important because it is part of the internalization process of UNAM. It’s the biggest university in Mexico, so they want to have connections with the world. That is the reason we are here and why our rector (UNAM’s rector) encourages this process, not only in Canada but in other countries too. To connect Mexican development and scientific culture and research, because with the size of UNAM, any topic you want to touch at is there. That is the reason why it is important for UNAM to connect the development of knowledge with the world. As Alex, personal opinion, I think it’s the same as Brenda. It’s great to be part of this internalization project because you are a part of promoting the connection between Canada and Mexico. And you can open the opportunities for Mexican students or Latin American students to— it’s like when we have our Puma courses: we ask “for whom is it the first time outside of Mexico?”. It’s 80-90% of the population. It’s a big number and it’s part of the project that we are showing to the students: there is more than just Mexico or any country in Latin America. It’s an opportunity to see what is Canada or what is another country in the world, because we have the same office abroad system for other countries. When you see that this is connected to the students and show the students other opportunities, and open opportunities with Canadian universities and with other sectors, it’s a beautiful moment to be there and to be part of this big project. I’m happy to be here. Interviewers (17:39): Thank you so much. Thank you for having us. Brenda Colín (17:45): Thanks for coming and being interested in UNAM-Canada. You’re welcomed anytime. Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data In person Duration Length of time involved (seconds, minutes, hours, days, class periods, etc.) 17:50 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Conversation with UNAM-Canada Description An account of the resource The organization we interviewed for this project is UNAM-Canada, an extension of the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM), Mexico’s largest and oldest public University. UNAM has thirteen international offices located in multiple countries, such as the United States, France, Germany, Spain, China, Chile, and, more recently, the United Kingdom. Founded in 1995, UNAM-Canada serves as the university’s international office in Canada. Located in downtown Hull, in Gatineau, this extension currently employs eighteen staff members. As part of this project, we interviewed Alex Méndez, the Academic Affairs Chief Executive at UNAM-Canada, and Brenda Colín, the Administrative Lead at UNAM-Canada. The UNAM-Canada primarily offers language courses in Spanish, French and English, as well as courses on Mexican and Latin American culture, welcoming more than 800 students each year (Unam Canadá 2019). Most of the students enrolled in Spanish courses come from the region and generally fall into two main categories. The first group consists mostly of retirees who enjoy traveling to Latin America and would like to improve their Spanish skills. The second group includes government employees or professionals who require Spanish for specific purposes and therefore will take classes with UNAM-Canada. When it comes to English and French courses, most participants are international students from UNAM in Mexico. In fact, twice a year, during the summer and winter semesters, the school holds a program called PUMA+. Through this program, Mexican students spend three weeks in Canada developing their English and French skills. In addition, UNAM-Canada is one of only two accredited institutions in Canada authorized to offer the SIELE examination, which provides an internationally recognized certification of Spanish language proficiency (Unam Canadá 2026). As a result, UNAM-Canada has established itself as one of the most important language learning institutions in the National Capital region, especially regarding the teaching and the certification of the Spanish language. Furthermore, another important aspect of UNAM-Canada is its connection to the broader UNAM network, widely recognized as a hub for research and innovation across multiple disciplines (TV UNAM 2017). Indeed, during the interview, it was pointed out that UNAM is involved in a wide range of scientific and academic fields. As Brenda Colín explained, UNAM has developed many important contributions that not everyone knows about: it has its own satellite. It also has two research vessels. By sharing these achievements through its Canadian programs, UNAM-Canada helps bring greater visibility to the global impact of Mexican and Latin American research. This is not only beneficial for raising awareness among local Canadian communities, but also for highlighting the key role that Latin American institutions like UNAM has in developing knowledge on a global scale. In addition to promoting the Spanish language, as well as Mexican and Latin American culture, UNAM-Canada’s mandate is to build academic bridges between Canada and Mexico and to further strengthen UNAM’s presence abroad. One clear example of this would be the many Mexican students who come to Canada to conduct research at universities such as the University of Ottawa, Concordia University, and McGill University. These academic exchanges are actively supported by UNAM-Canada, which has been collaborating with regional universities to develop and expand such opportunities over time. UNAM-Canada also serves as an important venue for conferences, round tables, book and film presentations, symposiums, as well as painting and photography exhibitions, in addition to concerts and theatre performances. The institution has classrooms, a specialized library focused on Mexican and Latin-American books, a cafeteria and a multipurpose room that functions as both an auditorium and art gallery (Unam Canadá 2019). Moreover, UNAM-Canada is widely recognized for organizing the Day of the Dead celebration in collaboration with the Embassy of Mexico and the City of Gatineau. Every year, the institution installs an altar, either in the school’s multipurpose room or at Gatineau’s city hall and hosts a variety of cultural activities related to the celebration, bringing together members of the regional community. We decided to interview UNAM-Canada because of its importance in promoting Mexican and Latin American culture in the National Capital Region. Although this university mainly focuses on language courses and Mexican and Latin American cultural activities, its impact goes beyond the academic sphere. Indeed, the organization actively contributes to strengthening the sense of community in the region by offering activities that encourage relationships between students and citizens. Whether through language courses, a variety of cultural events, or by facilitating academic exchanges between Mexico and Canada, UNAM-Canada fosters intercultural understanding and builds connections between local and international communities. Thus, the university’s participation and the digital archiving of the interview would help make the general public more aware of the important role of this organization in promoting UNAM and Mexico, as well as in strengthening intercultural bonds. If you would like to learn more about UNAM-Canada, we encourage you to visit their website: <a href="https://canada.unam.mx/fr/accueil/">https://canada.unam.mx/fr/accueil/</a> If you would like to learn more about UNAM, we invite you to watch this video: <a href="https://youtu.be/8VGgHcOO8TM?si=04-1UyCAJ5kYl0dZ">https://youtu.be/8VGgHcOO8TM?si=04-1UyCAJ5kYl0dZ</a> Bibliography: Unam Canadá. 2019. “Histoire - Unam Canadá.” Last modified November 12. <a href="https://canada.unam.mx/fr/histoire/">https://canada.unam.mx/fr/histoire/</a>.  Unam Canadá. 2026. “Service International D’Évaluation De La Langue Espagnole (SIELE) - Unam Canadá.” Last modified February 23. <a href="https://canada.unam.mx/fr/service-international-devaluation-de-la-langue-espagnole/">https://canada.unam.mx/fr/service-international-devaluation-de-la-langue-espagnole/</a>.  TV UNAM. 2017, December 6. “UNAM  La Universidad De La Nación - Video Institucional.” Video, 4 min., 43 sec. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8VGgHcOO8TM">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8VGgHcOO8TM</a>. Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource Audio file : MP3 file - 23.0 Mo Images : JPG file - 3.59 Mo ; JPG file - 7.38 Mo Mo ; JPG file - 3.50 Mo Language A language of the resource English Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource Pictures taken by Noémie Burrs and Charlotte Lasnier Figure 1. Entrance of UNAM-Canada (March 17, 2026) Figure 2. Day of the Dead altar commemorating Québec artist Jean Paul Riopelle at Maison du Citoyen (November 3, 2024) Figure 3. Library at UNAM-Canada (March 17, 2026) https://omeka.uottawa.ca/anthroharvest/files/original/e2af389d6f3d5ed18b0445ae15e02c12.mp3 46c64a718d77ea3aa245df02d8375658 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Latin American stories from Ottawa Description An account of the resource <div style="text-align: left; margin-top: 0.5em; margin-bottom: 0.5em;">Beginning in Winter 2025, Professor Laurie Weinstein in ANT3340: Latin American and the Caribbean created Anthroharvest with the goal of inspiring students to explore the diversity of our city through ethnographic interviews. This collection stands as a pillar of students' ongoing efforts to interview friends, family, and members of Ottawa's Latin American and Caribbean communities in surrounding areas. Our ultimate goal is to create an archive of stories for those who identify with the Latin American and Caribbean community, accessible at any time, that preserves knowledge and promotes their cultures. Our project remains ongoing as we learn and connect with new students and people across Ottawa and eastern Canada. We invite you to browse the stories collected by our students, listen to the audio recording, and read transcripts and biographies of those interviewed. </div> Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Interviewee The person(s) being interviewed Uribe Dominguez Interviewer The person(s) performing the interview Jennifer Tenasco; Ryan Lafleur Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data On MS Teams Transcription Any written text transcribed from a sound Ryan Lafleur [00:00:00 ]: I'm Ryan Lafleur and my classmate is Jennifer Tenasco. We're students in Professor Weinstein's class on Latin American anthropology at the University of Ottawa. We're interviewing Uribe Dominguez, who is a leader in Ottawa's Dominican community, as part of our final research project. Let's jump right into it! Ryan [00:00:20]: [We wanted to know about where you] come from and how that shapes your experience in the world. So, if you’re ready- [00:00:26 Uribe Dominguez] So – wow. My name is Jose Dominguez. The community calls me Uribe. I came to Canada in 2000, wanted to be a priest. Sacerdote. I came to see the pope John Paul II, Juan Pablo Segundo en Espanol. [Spanish: he came on a 6-month visa initially for a period of 15 days. In those 15 days he saw a future where his family could prosper, in Canada. From a family of 10 siblings, his father died when he was 8. In Canada, he contacted his mother and said he was staying.] I called my cousin to say you have to come to Ottawa because I can't drive over there. So, remember, I just came for 15 days. So, I thought I forget everything, I came to Ottawa, stayed with my cousin. And that day I started to work. Every Friday they gave me $300. We're talking about 2002. $300 is a lot of money at that time, so every time I got the $300, I sent some to my mother. I gave some to my cousin to help with the house, you know. So, at that time, I met some girl. I still go to the church, but at that time this girl, [her name] she didn’t believe in Jesus Christ. [Spanish]. Didn't believe in Jesus Christ. So, we get married. She told me you have to go back to Dominica if you want me to help you. I say wow, how are you gonna help me? Because I get a lot of money here. And in Dominica, you don't get nothing. I don't know. Well, [she said] I work for the […] embassy. And I can’t get a boyfriend with no papers, so I start to study English. I know, I didn’t pay too much attention, so I went out to, like for two or three months in the Dominican. And then we get married. I go back 2004, 9/26/2004 – our anniversary. And then I start - then she gets pregnant. A baby comes now, she was 20 years old. Baby comes – so after two years together. We said, you know what we decided separate. Because I go every day. Every Sunday I go to church, I go to Granby, Pembrooke, every city, Montreal, I go to represent my community. In Ottawa, I go there to represent the community and the church. But she told me, oh, she doesn’t believe that. And I continue working hard for the baby. I tried to go back to the Dominican because when you don't have family at all here, or somebody to support you, it's like if you go in an airplane when it goes down. And then my mother said, no, you have to stay. You have to see your baby grow up. You have to be a man. At that time I was 27. Was 27 and now am 48. It’s more like 21 years ago. Something like that so, I say OK, so I stay here in Canada. Been in Ottawa for 10 years. I don't know, never [learned] the name, of my neighbor. I don't know if he talks or if he doesn’t talk because sometimes, I tried to say hi but he [is as responsive] as a cow. I was still here in Canada, still in 2006, I was still working for the Community. I made a Team, baseball team. That way we can go to Montreal, Toronto, Boston. From 2006 We go to Boston every May and [undiscernable], during some holiday here. So, we go there from 2006 to play baseball, to have fun, to meet some Dominican people, they come here to Canada in Labour Day in September. I celebrate the Independence Day from the Dominican Republic, on Mother's Day. I try to secure a lot of festivals for the community. I even had a diploma from the Prime Minister Trudeau. I have a diploma for different organizations. They gave them to me for the little jobs I do, you know. Sometimes I meet a lot of people on the street they don't even have home where I go. So, I bring them to my home. I try to find a place even in my car. I say OK, you can stay in my car for two nights in my parking over there, be quiet, because like I said, the first time when you arrive here, you want to go because you don't know nobody here. What do I say about my daughter, she's 25 now. She goes to college on the plane. She studies criminology. She works part time at the Parliament in the cafeteria. La vida is not easy. It's not easy. Like I said, say you want something, you have to work hard. Even when you have to do the task, if you don't know how to do the task, if you don't go to the right people, it's a problem, a big problem. Ryan [00:06:53] You know, you covered a lot of the bases, so I'm just going to go over the list and probably a lot of them will already be answered from what you said. You're from the Dominican Republic, right? [00:07:11 Uribe] Yeah. Ryan [00:07:13] Yeah. And you came to Ottawa for – to – [00:07:20 Jennifer Tenasco] Become a priest. [00:07:21 Uribe] Yeah, to become a priest. Yes. [00:07:24 Ryan] To become a priest. [00:07:26 Jennifer] Were your children born in Canada? [00:07:30 Uribe] Yes, all of four. Yes, [they speak] English, French, Espanol. Yeah, all three. Yeah. [00:07:35 Jennifer] Oh wow. [00:07:37 Ryan] I have a hard enough time with English and French. [00:07:40 Jennifer] Yeah. [00:07:42 Uribe] Yeah, it's not easy, believe me. I went to Gatineau. Ten years, 10 years ago, and more. It's not easy. Oh my God. [00:07:52 Jennifer] And you're part of the Latin American community. [00:07:56 Uribe] Yeah. Latin Americans community, yeah. From 2003, I represented the Dominican community. [00:08:04 Jennifer] Oh, that's cool! Do you have any celebrations? [00:08:08 Uribe] Yeah. Last week we celebrated independence. We had to do it twice because we did it one time with the community with around 250 people, 55% Dominican and the 35 from El Salvador, Guatemala, Mexico. We have people come from Montreal. They come in like around 12 people coming there and they are not Dominican. They are Mexican. Yeah, because we that's the point. We try to know more, [not just] Dominican. [00:08:41 Ryan] [Which values] do you hold most like close to your heart, I guess, as a member of the Dominican community in Ottawa. [00:08:52 Uribe] The value of the of si siente is part of this community. It's big. Because when you see the Dominican people close to you, just the feeling in the heart. You feel the song. You feel, you know, you’re not alone in Canada, you know, because the Dominican people have something in common. Now, I called three people. Now, I call them and say, listen, I need rice, beans and plantain. And they bring, here, they bring right away. If I call and I need $1000 they gave me the $5000. Because we are close, the Dominican people. When we say I'm friends with you, no matter what. I'm friends with you. So, when I start to working with this community, I go to Toronto. I go to Montreal. And I don't want to say, but they're looking at me like I'm the boss. I'm not political. I don't like politics. The value, si siente, there again being in the community. It's like a feeling in the heart. And this winter, believe me 250 people in this party. Around 40-45 children. …She said my kids they don’t speak in Spanish, you know what I mean. So that's why I say my kids will speak Espanol and learn English. You know, because I told them you have to learn. I know in Canada we have a lot of opportunity, a lot of opportunity everywhere. Or like I say, when I'm close to the Dominican people. I don't know. I don't know if people know me every time I go to some activity, I go like looking like a flag of the Dominican Republic. I say thank you to Canada for everything they gave me, but I had to work a lot. I have to work here now, believe me. It's not easy. It's not easy when you have to pay the rent, to pay the insurance, the car, to pay the food, to do this and then you don't have to. You don't work at all. It's not easy. Let me tell you a story. [skip] [00:11:33 Ryan] …And I wouldn't even call it a story, because it's truth, right. It's your life. [00:11:37 Uribe] Yeah, it's true, I have friend, he said to me, from the Dominican, he said he’s gonna do a book with my life. We’re working on it. [00:11:49 Ryan] So, what kind of food do you like to make or that that your family makes that like that reminds you of the Dominican Republic? [00:11:59 Uribe] Here we don't eat, we don't cook anything Canadian. Every day in the morning we do tostada. Toastada is bread, it’s like a Dominican sandwich, we call it tostada. And pankun, Peso Harmon. You know. It's like a sandwich or we call tostadas every morning we do tostadas. Farina. I don't know if you know farina. It's like a – you know the corn? The maize, corn, the yellow. [00:12:34 Ryan] Yeah. [00:12:35 Uribe] We buy it in Paro la cabena, you know like. Chalk. Something like that. Flour. You know, we do flour with milk. And we're cooking that. We give it to the kids. I mean, rice and beans. We call it bandera. And now we do a lot of plantains, Frito Platonos and Cachao Mangoo. You have to buy the mangoo. You know? Mangoo. Oh, no. [00:13:10 Ryan] Like the fruit mango? [00:13:13 Jennifer] Oh, mango. [00:13:13 Uribe] Mangoo, mangoo. Do you know – do you know mashed potato? Mashed plantains, mashed plantains. [00:13:18 Ryan] Yes, ok. [00:13:23 Uribe] We call that mangoo. Yeah. Not mashed potato. It looks like a potato. Mashed plantain. And you put salami, you know salami, yeah. [00:13:41 Ryan] Salami. [00:13:41 Uribe] Yeah. [00:13:42 Ryan] Where do you usually shop for ingredients? [00:13:47 Uribe] International market it's in Montreal Road. International market. They have everything from Latin America. It’s a couple of Mercado Latinos. In Ottawa, Montreal Road. [00:13:56 Ryan] So, we're going to move on to question 11, trying to be mindful of the time. But that was a great answer. How likely would you or your family be to use the website that we have to upload the interview? So once the interview is published, essentially how likely would you be to look at what we published, when we post on it? [00:14:32 Uribe] You're gonna get like a lot of people. They wanna – I didn't even start to do it this morning. People start to call me. When will it go out? [unable to discern] So like I said before. A lot of people in the community they don't meet. I spoke with some of them already. And they want to know. [00:14:51 Ryan] We have one last question and it's essentially; do you have anything at all that you would like to add? [00:14:58 Uribe] Oh, what [do] I say to all the students. I am a student, I'm 48. Don’t ever give it up, you know. [00:15:09 Ryan] We want to take this time to thank you. For the hour that we spent together, thank you for sharing with us. [00:15:11 Jennifer] Thank you. [00:15:18 Uribe] And I thank both of you and see you soon! Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Conversation with Uribe Dominguez Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2025-03-12 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource MP3, 15 min 45 s Language A language of the resource English Description An account of the resource Uribe Dominguez is a devoted leader in Ottawa’s Dominican community, and this interview details how he got where he is today. Born to a family of ten children in the Dominican Republic, Uribe started his life wanting to become a priest, so much so that he travelled to Canada to see Pope John-Paul II once he was an adult. Initially arriving on a short visa, Uribe saw Canada as a place full of opportunity for those willing to work for it and decided to stay. Eventually, he met his wife, and they had four children, raising them in Canada. Uribe takes great pride in the fact that his children are trilingual and speak English, French, and Spanish. Still a devout catholic, Uribe found that church was a valuable way to celebrate his community and soon represented Ottawa’s Dominican Canadians at functions all over Southern Ontario and Quebec. To this day, Uribe cherishes his community and wears Dominica’s colours proudly. https://omeka.uottawa.ca/anthroharvest/files/original/82e1ac1d38d4ab767843898e3be10480.mp3 140118f99dcc788d14e8d2ae0093e2a1 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Latin American stories from Ottawa Description An account of the resource <div style="text-align: left; margin-top: 0.5em; margin-bottom: 0.5em;">Beginning in Winter 2025, Professor Laurie Weinstein in ANT3340: Latin American and the Caribbean created Anthroharvest with the goal of inspiring students to explore the diversity of our city through ethnographic interviews. This collection stands as a pillar of students' ongoing efforts to interview friends, family, and members of Ottawa's Latin American and Caribbean communities in surrounding areas. Our ultimate goal is to create an archive of stories for those who identify with the Latin American and Caribbean community, accessible at any time, that preserves knowledge and promotes their cultures. Our project remains ongoing as we learn and connect with new students and people across Ottawa and eastern Canada. We invite you to browse the stories collected by our students, listen to the audio recording, and read transcripts and biographies of those interviewed. </div> Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Interviewer The person(s) performing the interview Seanna Aarts-Magee; Maryam Cheikh Hassan ; Sydney Langlois; Latifa Saad; Interviewee The person(s) being interviewed Vera Cotter Location The location of the interview Ottawa, Ontario, Canada Transcription Any written text transcribed from a sound Latifa Saad (0:02): Hello, hello.    Seanna Aarts-Magee (0:02): Hi.   Maryam Cheikh Hassan (0:02): Hi. Latifa Saad (0:03): Ah, there's the lovely ladies. OK.   Sydney Langlois (0:05): Hi.   Latifa Saad (0:06): This is Vera.   Sydney Langlois (0:07): Hello.  Maryam Cheikh Hassan (0:07): Hello.  Seanna Aarts-Magee (0:08): Hello. Sydney Langlois (0:09): Thank you so much for taking the time to help us out today.   Vera Cotter (0:13): Oh, wait and thank me after it's over. I might run away.  Latifa Saad (0:20): Perfect. Cool. So let's start. So the first question, which is kind of funny to me, is what is your country of origin?  Vera Cotter (0:34): Trinidad. Kind of thinking India, right?  Latifa Saad (0:38): Oh, no, no, we're thinking Trinidad. It's Trinidad.   Vera Cotter (0:41): Trinidad and Tobago, actually. But I was born in Trinidad, so it's, 2 little islands, one government, but I was born on the Trinidad side.   Latifa Saad (0:51): OK, where in Trinidad were you born?   Vera Cotter (0:54): I was born in Port of Spain, which is the capital. And we lived there until I was 5 and then moved to Princes Town. And that's where I lived the rest of my time at home. So, my family always sent us, sent us away to school, and usually it was the English side. You know, we all the education system in in Trinidad when I grew up there was the English system. So, we went through University of Cambridge. So, when you finish high school, time for university, we have a really good university on the island, but it's just one university, so you can only have so many students, right? And my parents, so family, the habit was you always continued with  University at Cambridge, so, you go the English way. When our turn came, so my mom's siblings would have gone the other way to the east. When our siblings started to go to university, we came to the West.   Latifa Saad (2:08): Hmm.   Vera Cotter (2:09): So that's how I ended that—first, actually, I went to the States, started there and did one and a half years and then moved to um, to Canada because, our culture you have to live with family, like you can't just go as a student to a strange land. And by yourself, like that just wasn't allowed. So, my aunt had just graduated and she's a pharmacist and she wanted to get her license for the States and for Canada. So, while she was doing her work in the States, that's where I went to live and start school when she moved to Ontario, a year and a half later, so you can have her license from Ontario, I have to pick up and move with her, and then I became a rebel, and I dropped out of school. Sorry.   Latifa Saad (3:15): No, that's good.   Vera Cotter (3:17): Culture. It's culture like.   Latifa Saad (3:20): I was gonna ask the second question, which was what brought you to Ottawa. Vera Cotter (3:24): So Ottawa, OK, so Toronto, the only pharmacy school there was at University of Toronto, being stuck with relatives and I had a few more relatives in Toronto.  And I just found living with, they became my parents and it was like too much, too many parents. And we were allowed back then to work like 20 hours a week as a student in Canada. So, I hung out with a crowd that my family did not approve of, it was like, not good. So, there was a lot of pressure. There's school and there's the friends I hang out with, and I ended up moving back home for two years and then realized that's when I just dropped out of school and like I would just rebelled. So, I moved back home for two years and then realized, no, I don't like it back there. I would rather live here. So, I came back to Toronto. And very young because I met my husband, uh, we were 19. So I'd be 21 when we come came back and then we got married at 22. He lived in Belleville, Ontario—not a good crowd. So, he moved back home and went back to school, did a two-year program because he never finished high school. So, when we got married, we ended up moving to his hometown of Belleville. So, I got a job in the bank because back then there were always layoffs, you know, Bell’s laying off, these companies laying off. Belleville, 40,000 people, not very many places to work and have a secure job that paid money. So, I ended up working for the bank. So that's how I ended up in banking and just kind of stayed there.  Vera Cotter (5:33): All the jobs were in the Silicon Valley, like you had to move out West or you come to Ottawa. Nortel Networks, you guys may be too young to know about that company. Very good Canadian company. Nortel was the only place that he can get a job, right? Engineering in, electronics engineering. So, my daughter, we have one child and she finally moved to Ottawa, Ottawa ‘U’. Is that where you guys are? And, well, when she finished school and did her job and settled down, got married, she decided to stay in Ottawa. So, my dream was always culture. It's culture. You stay close to your kids. That was my dream, to move closer to my daughter. I was doing a lot of driving, you know, I'd come to Ottawa, cook for the kids, you know, the students. We'd all get together and I was able to see her a lot. Long story short, how I ended up in Ottawa? So, when my daughter had her first baby, I moved, away, on my own. I'm in Ottawa and I've made a new life over the past 12 years, so it all worked out. I was very lucky. We started working really young in our generation, so I was lucky enough to retire, they called it “Age Plus Service” and you can retire like, I retired at 56, when the first grandchild came, so I could look after my grandchildren and just now you can see why I just picked up and moved. Because you know what? The baby's here. Now I'm going like that was my dream. So that's how I ended up in Ottawa. Latifa Saad (7:25): Oh my God, that is a great story. You also kind of answered some of the questions like as you're going... Vera Cotter (7:31): Ah, really?  Latifa Saad (7:32): Yeah, yeah as you were going, which is good. So, the next question that I was gonna ask, my final question, because these ladies are gonna ask you some questions too, is do you have family here, and uh, do you see them frequently?   Vera Cotter (7:43):  So, I do have family here. You girls would see this later on in life, as you get your own family, like you kind of don't see each other as much because you now have your, your own. So, my siblings, right, have their kids and they're very busy with their kids.  Even my daughter now, my grandchildren are 14 and 16. They're busy with their own lives. So yes, I do have family. Do I see them very often? Probably three? Four? times a year because uh, they're in, again, I have a sister in Kingston, um, Ontario. I have my brother in Toronto. But again, they're busy with their families. So, we will get together, but it's only like three or four times. Or my youngest brother moved back home to Trinidad to look after my parents. That's culture. You kind of like, have to look after your parents. And so that creates a reason for us all to get together, whether it's here or New York or England or Trinidad. Right? So all the, all the even my grandchildren, like it's just amazing the kids, what you have today, we didn't have, right? In our day. So, this what we're doing now. I will hear something from my grandson about the other one that lives out West and I'd say, oh, how do you know that? Well, they're like playing games or doing this zoom thing and, you know, they're planning trips, “OK, when's the next trip?” And I will hear it from the kids, the grandchildren, the great nieces and nephews. So, they keep more in contact than I would with my brother or sister. Right? Because we're not into, we're old people. We don't know how to do this stuff. Not old, you know what I mean? But the kids and they would say, like sometimes they would be, they'd plan, you know, different time zones. And they would plan when they're going to get together and play games.   Vera Cotter (10:09): I do have siblings here, but yeah, I don't see them that often. And that's okay, right? That's okay. Because when we need, there's like 40 of us, like, yeah, and we don't care. So again, culture. Growing up on the islands, we don't care. We'd have like 30 people sleeping on the floor, like in one room, and you don't really fall asleep. There's always somebody talking or, you know, like that's how we grew up. And if we don't care that we have to sleep on the floor or as long as we're all together. So I have, you know, with one of these visits, as I get older, I, I can't handle it. But you do it.  Latifa Saad (10:56): That is so great. Oh, I love that. That's so great. I love hearing the, the stories of, of family and culture.   Vera Cotter (11:04): Yeah. Yeah.    Latifa Saad (11:05): That's great.    Maryam Cheikh Hassan (11:06): So, for the next set of questions, I'm gonna ask you them. Um, the first one is, do you live in a Caribbean community or a neighborhood where people celebrate Trinidadian occasions and traditions?   Vera Cotter (11:20): No. Do you know what? You girls might not believe this when I moved to Belleville. So, Toronto is even more like Ottawa, even now, there's so many different cultures.  When I moved to Belleville, and I lived there for 38 years, when I moved there  there were only three brown, or ethnic or whatever families in Belleville.  So, they didn't actually. It's so funny because I remember once my mother-in-law said to me at a restaurant, she says, “you know, every time we walk into the room, everyone looks at you” and, I kind of like, felt like it was because I was different, right? Like there's only white people, let's just, okay? There's only white, Caucasian people. And so, I said to my husband, I said, well, you know what? Maybe they look at me because they find me attractive. But I think her culture also is, you know, they're probably looking at me because I'm different. I don't know that for sure, but that's how I took it.   Vera Cotter (12:40): And when we were going to get married, she never told her mom that her only son was seeing someone that was a different religion, a different, um, race and everything. And when we decided to get married and she told granny, like her mom, “um, well, you know, Joe and Vera are going to get married and you know, she's different.” And, uh, Granny said, “Well, different. How so?” “Well, you know, she's not Catholic and she's not white and.” So, Mom is telling me this, my husband's mom, she said, “you know, I was telling Granny this, and Granny said, well, is she a nice person?” And Mom said, “Yep, she's a lovely girl.” And Granny said, “what does it matter if she's polka dot?” You know, now coming from when we got married, Granny would have been in her 70s or early 70s, right? Now, back in my day, being 22, I'm thinking, “wow, that's one smart lady.” Like, it's true. What? What does it matter? You know? Anyways, I talk a lot, so you have to stop me.   Latifa Saad (13:57): So no, no Trinidadian culture? Like, really celebrating?   Vera Cotter (14:00): Never had. Only with my family. So, we always celebrate the like everything, like the Eid, you know, we always got together, but not at my place because it was Catholic. My daughter is Catholic, my husband's Catholic. But uh, for fasting in my religion, um, we, we do it right? But not as religiously. Like, I don't pray five times a day. I mean, there's no way. I'm sorry, but I'm not getting up at 5 or sunrise, and all that stuff, I can't do it. But when I go home, I have to do it, right? Like you have to do the culture thing. So, we get together, like in Toronto especially. So, um, the ones here, like from out West and from Kingston, we'll go to my brother's place, in Toronto and do the celebrations.  Latifa Saad (14:59): Celebrations. Vera Cotter (15:03): Um, if someone, we call it prayers, I don't know. So sometimes, uh, in my religion you get together and you'll do a prayer, uh meeting with, with even people from outside, close friends and stuff. That's another culture thing that you will get together for. And then they'll have a feast, you know, they cook all kinds of stuff and the same with Eid, which is our big celebration like Christmas. Um, there's always food. Food, lots of food in the culture.  Maryam Cheikh Hassan (15:37): All right. Well, going along with that, um what celebrations, that you mentioned are most important to you?  Vera Cotter (15:46):  Oh, to myself personally? So being married, uh Catholic family also, believe it or not, as a Muslim, we always went to Muslim school until we got to high school, because the best schools were Catholic schools. Even though the nuns slapped you around like crazy in my day, like honestly, like it was like crazy. Like you dare not even look the wrong way. You'll be slapped. So, because of my husband's family and my family, we celebrate both Christmas and Eid. Those are important to me. Growing up, my father was, in Trinidad, my father was a school principal in his school. Um, it was in the country, so we had all different types of people, um, I never, I don't think you asked me a question about the people, the, the, the actual type of people from Trinidad. When I grew up it was English rule, but originally Spain owned Trinidad and Tobago, so there was Spanish speaking, Spanish culture. Then there was the French that took over, France, so there was, you know. And then in my day, it was like international. We had Chinese, we had Indian, we had the, the, you know, Middle East, and we had the Africans, you know, a lot of them came as slavery, like working cane fields and all that. Um, a lot of Europeans, East Indians were, East Indians was gold, they had gold store, jewelry stores. Chinese, oh, they owned all the grocery stores. The Middle East people like Lebanon and Syrian, clothing, cloth. So, a lot of those people brought their trade, whatever type of trade that they did, to Trinidad. So, I went back to that so you have a little knowledge that Trinidad had the most mixed, uh, cultures. You go to the other islands, you know, Grenada is next to us, Barbados then, and it goes up the line, Okay? They seem to have a specific like mostly the, the blacks, Barbados, a lot of European culture that mixed today. When you go there, you see a lot of, if they see an Indian Person or Chinese Person in Barbados, like back in my day, it was like, you know, my mother-in-law said they stared at me when I walked into the restaurant? That's what it was like in Barbados. Like they've never seen, they don't see Indian people, they don't see Chinese people. Trinidad was one of the only islands that had every different culture. I wanted to give you that history, so you know that there was so many, so much culture. So my dad was a principal. It was in the country. There were different religions and race or whatever. He taught us from the time we started school at five years old, you will participate in every, every culture. So you go to the temple, you go to mosque, you go to the Church, you go to everybody's and celebrate everybody's, um religion, religion and celebration. So that's how my family grew up, yeah.   Maryam Cheikh Hassan (19:44): That's beautiful. Um. So, my last question for you, would be, can you describe a typical day in your community? What does it look like?  Vera Cotter (19:55): You're talking about the island way, right?   Maryam Cheikh Hassan (19:57): Yeah, you can, you can answer it whether at home or here, whichever one you would prefer.   Vera Cotter (20:07):  I know because here it's kind of hard because I don't have many people of my culture, like even in Ottawa, like when you think of how many people live here, like I started by telling you 40,000 in Belleville. And there were only like when I left, there were more, more culture. There was more culture. But when I first went there, the first 10 years, there was only three different, three. And one of them, one of the families, was from Trinidad. So, like, I knew that family, but not to mingle with. Well, I go back home often. A typical day is, Trinidad people are very kinda, I wouldn't say lazy, but it takes them a long time to do anything. So, when you live in Canada and you go back to Trinidad, it's very frustrating, the traffic, I mean when I left, if, if you owned, if each household had a car, so one in 100 household had a car. Now, there's four and five, one for each child, one for the mother, one for the father, one for each child. So, the traffic is terrible. So, when I look at a day in Trinidad culture it is, and they have to even the banks closed at noon. There's this afternoon thing. They open at 7:00, but it's so hot they close at noon and the businesses, they actually have a siesta, like they have a nap and then they might open back again at 3 o’clock. So, life, like any most other islands, that's the way a day is for me. You get up and you always get up early because the sun rises early. So, you get up early, start your day early, you have a nap in the afternoon. You may just even, when I worked at the bank, if we were finished our work, we would borrow a manager's car and go to the beach. Like life in Trinidad is very, what's the word I'm looking for? It's not.  Latifa Saad (22:2): Relaxed? Vera Cotter (22:22): Yes, that's the word. Very relaxed. You just go with the flow. It's not here, but it can be a problem and frustrating because going with the flow doesn't always get stuff done.   Latifa Saad (22:35): That's very interesting.   Vera Cotter (22:38): It is.   Latifa Saad (22:40): Compared to.   Vera Cotter (22:41): Yeah, if I didn't live here, I wouldn't know any better, right? But even people that live here and don't travel. My mother-in-law never travelled. They can't se, it's not, it's almost, it's almost ignorance, really, when you don't travel. So, they wouldn't understand the flooding and they wouldn't understand, “oh, that wouldn't happen to us” You know? With us, with a day in my life, it didn't matter what happened because that's the way they live, expect anything, right? Deal with it.  Sydney Langlois (23:18): Alright, so my first question is what are some of the ways that you celebrate your heritage and, your community and your culture?  Vera Cotter (23:29): Hmm. Sydney Langlois (23:31): This can also be done, you know. . . you could think of everyday life practices. It doesn't have to be any, you know, major. . .  Vera Cotter (23:38): Do you know, on the islands? You're right. Everything's about food. Not, not just as a celebration, but when we cook, we cook enough food as if company is going to come over. If it's dinner time and somebody shows up, they're offered to sit and have a meal. Lunch time. Oh, open the door. “Oh, we're just having lunch. Come on in, sit down, have a meal.” So when I first moved here, for example, it was very, very, you have to, like, make arrangements. You just so knock on someone's door, and you'd never do that at meal time, right? Like.  Latifa Saad (24:24): Like it's considered rude, yeah.  Vera Cotter (24:25): Yeah, yeah. Whereas I grew up where there's always a big pot of food on the stove.  And I like to eat. So I was glad the less people came over. There's more food for me to eat. No, serious, seriously. But that's just a lot of food.   Latifa Saad (24:46): So would you cook traditional dishes to celebrate the heritage?   Vera Cotter   24:47 Oh god yes.  Vera Cotter   24:50 Oh, yes, we cook traditional every day. But we cook special traditional to celebrate. Yeah, yeah.  Sydney Langlois   24:59  I think there's a question specifically about food, so maybe we can get, get into some specifics there. Sydney Langlois   25:06 Another question would be, what are some values that you hold most dear as a member of the Caribbean community?  Vera Cotter (25:14): Oh my God, a value. There's so many. Being like, coming from the Caribbean, because we, I explained that we come from different, um, ethnic groups all over the world, the harmony like, that we lived in in the 60s, 70s, 80s, I don't think you could have found that anywhere and I really value that I was able to live in that environment atmosphere like, everyone lived so peacefully, and just like the rest of the world today, it didn't stay that way. But that's what I value. That's what I grew up with. When you're not there and there's change, that doesn't really reflect in your heart, right? You still, I still remember growing up the way I did. And so, the fact that all these different nations could live together like that was very impressive.   Latifa Saad (26:22): So, you could say that your culture taught you the value of understanding others’ cultures?   Vera Cotter (26:28): Yep. Latifa Saad (26:29): And integrating it? Vera Cotter (26:30): Yep, because living in that you had to, I mean, not everyone did, right? There's always somebody who wouldn't. But on the whole, I remember that always being a big thing. Yeah. And it's something not too many, you know, if you come from a certain country, like it's you and your culture. Whereas with me on the island of Trinidad, especially with all the different cultures moving in. You kind of have to live together in peace, right? In harmony.   Sydney Langlois (27:07): All right. So, my last question is, what would you like to share about yourself or your community that you feel it's important for people to know or understand?   Vera Cotter (27:21):  Oh, okay. We are a little bit crazy, and it's taken the wrong way. People from the island, they are, because I told you, we're carefree. You know, um. Yeah, we do get serious, but mostly we would like to live that life. We're stress free almost. And a big thing is when we speak to people and we want to emphasize something, we touch you as if to get your attention. So in this day, maybe even back home, I don't know that. But this touching is such a bad thing, right? They'll take you to court because you, I might go to touch you, “Hey.”  Latifa Saad (28:10): It's not well received, I guess.   Vera Cotter (28:12): It's not well received. And also I, I mentioned, yes, we're very carefree. I don't know, there might be a better word, but basically, you know, it's not like, it's not like we don't care. It's just if you, if something is going on and you cannot do anything about it, like why fret, right? Coming from the island, I came with that. Do I still have that after living here? I don't know that, but you asked what I valued and that would be a big thing. And I do like doing that to get people's attention. It's just so hard, so hard to stop. And honestly, in the workplace, especially in the past 10 years in Canada, like, that's not a good thing, right? You don't mean anything. You're just trying to get the attention. But I am happy that we grew up that way. I think a little touching or feeling is, is good in the right way. I still believe that. I still believe that. And I do believe that people, I always like, I'm at Costco part-time because I love to socialize. So, I like going into work for my few hours and you know, people. You know, the members or even clients at the bank, they can be so mean. And you know what I say to myself? There's a lot of unhappy people in this world, and they wait to come out and take it out on you. Whereas on the island? Everybody was happy, go lucky.  Seanna Aarts-Magee (29:48): I'm going to go with my questions now. The first one is, what—calling back to foods—what food do you make that reminds you of home? And where do you purchase your groceries to prepare your traditional meals?  Vera Cotter (29:58):  So I kind of go to Food Basics. They tend to have like a lot of ethnic stuff. I would sometimes get my brother to mail stuff if I can't find it around here because Toronto has so much. Now, Ottawa is getting better, right? 12 years ago? I think they have a lot more ethnic stuff now. Honestly, there's nothing like a good, curried duck. I don't know if you know what that is. There's nothing like a good Stew. You could do a chicken Stew, a beef Stew, but island, island, cooking way, island spices. We do a Stew where you caramelize brown sugar, but you don't let it burn. It has to be that caramel color and you, you throw your, your meat or your beef or your chicken or whatever into that mixture and honest to God, there's not anything that I know that would make a good Stew, taste, colour, everything. It gives it everything, the caramelizing effect of brown sugar, and I do crave that. The other thing that I crave, and I don't know that people do that and it's so easy, a beef bone, especially if you're sick. You can simmer that thing for a day, two days, and within the two days that you're sick, that's all you're doing the broth, right? It's not gonna go bad on the stove simmering. I do crave that, especially when I get sick, because when we grew up, we didn't go to the doctor. You had to be dying before you got taken to a doctor. They'd go in the backyard, and they'll pick some leaf or something, put it on the mumps or the measles, make a paste. Like again, the beef broth thing. That's where it came from, from home. And there was something else, and I remember it was horrible, but when you boil rice. Not to, not to cook it, but when you boil it in a bunch of water, it kind of looked like foamy water to me. And there was something when we got sick, they would make us drink that. So we grew up with all these weird medicines as well as food, cause the first time my, my mother-in-law saw Curry chicken, my husband loved it, so I would always make sure if he didn't go home with me, I brought some back and, and one of his sisters says, “oh, what's that? It's disgusting.” Again, people who don't travel like, and you don't talk about people's food. But I crave those things as maybe you crave some stuff that you're used to your ethnic stuff like, yeah.  Vera Cotter (33:08): People laugh when I tell them this, when I came to Canada or to the US, when I came to the West, a treat for us, if you got an ice cream cone like once every six months, like that was like heaven. We never had things like cake and doughnuts unless it's your birthday. Well, never doughnuts. I didn't know about doughnuts. The only thing I knew about was cake and ice cream. And you had those, you know, specialty occasions. But you know what? The biggest treats, like, things like dates and prunes. I remember, my, for celebrations. You asked about the food and stuff. Our treats for celebrating one of the big ones. You, you pit the prune and you stuff it with peanut butter. And how healthy is that too? Now, I didn't know it was healthy back then, but that was our treat, right? It wasn't all this sugar and cookies. I couldn't understand how they could eat cookies for dessert. But now, being here for so long, I stuff my face with all that stuff, right? But I still, I crave my food, like the curries and the lentil soup and the beef bone soup. Yeah, those things.   Latifa Saad (34:24): I need those recipes.  Vera Cotter (34:26): But they're so, those are easy things though, right? Like I put the stupid beef bone in a pot of a, you know, I water or throw a package, of , how do you pronounce K-N-O-R-R? Knorr? You know how they have those soup?   Latifa Saad (34:43): The broth?  Vera Cotter (34:44): No, their vegetable soup mix, like, even when I'm making my stews, my home stews, I put that in now. And my sister-in-law, the one that lives home looking after my parents, she has seen us do that, using that seasoning as a, um,   Latifa Saad (35:02): Like an additional to that?  Vera Cotter (35:04): You know, spike the food, the taste, and even they have started using it at home. So, it's easy. Like you just throw that on the stove and throw your beef bone in there and let it simmer. No recipe.  Seanna Aarts-Magee (35:22): The next question is talking about the website that this interview could potentially end up on. Our anthropology class is, we're all doing these ethic interviews to be able to give some kind of answers and different interviews and cultures to the community, so people here have access if they can reach out if any other Caribbean people want to hear from people who have the same experiences as them. They can do it through this website. So we were wondering how likely you or your family or people within the community would be to use the website and how you think that it could be best utilized? If you think these interviews are a good way for people to use it or if we should add other things or anything that you would recommend.  Vera Cotter (36:09): Let me see.  Latifa Saad (36:09): How people could, um, learn your culture as well through the interviews that we're doing and watch it on the website.   Vera Cotter (36:17): Okay, so okay, I was, I was thinking I got it wrong. I thought you meant, on your website, cultural, ethnic people can go on your website and actually have a say about how their culture works. Is that correct?   Latifa Saad (36:38): Well, that's what we're doing right now. Yeah.   Vera Cotter (36:39): Yeah.  Latifa Saad (36:39): Yeah, in a way, yes. Vera Cotter (36:41): They can—you're saying this question, this last question—they can actually go on themselves without your knowledge? No?  Seanna Aarts-Magee (36:51):  Yeah, so people can access like any of the interviews. So, there's interviews, there's art posted on Anthro Harvest, so then they can listen to them. And there could be other things, but if you think that there should be an interactive portion as well, that could be a recommendation or. Latifa Saad (37:07): So what do you think could make it better and more interactive so that they learn? Vera Cotter (37:11): You have to advertise that somewhere then, your website.   Latifa Saad (37:16): That could be a good, that's a good point.   Vera Cotter (37:18): You have to set it out somewhere where people can, it's like Google, learn about whatever. I don't know how, how I, I am not tech savvy, so you as a student have to now put that out there, and someone, you know, if I saw that out there, I'd go click, Yep, let me see what's going on. What did she say?   Latifa Saad (37:46): That would be, that's a really good suggestion.   Vera Cotter (37:48): So that's the way, that's why I'm confused as to how these people are gonna see that, right? First of all, you guys got to create something where the interest pops up on social media. That's I don't know how you know like under the university, ‘U’ of, University of Ottawa “interviews, uh, different cultures.” Whatever you guys can, you guys can figure it out, but you've got to put it out there because I would, if I saw that, if I Googled something like that, University of Ottawa interviews, cultural interviews, I might click on that because I want to see Who and What?  Latifa Saad (38:33): So, you think we should put more time in promoting this?  Vera Cotter (38:35): In promoting, that's the word. Oh my God, sorry. I mean, that could be something else that you, uh, your program that you're doing now, these interviews, you talk to your prof and say, hey, you know what we need to promote. We're doing all this work. We need to promote this. You know, get it out there.  Seanna Aarts-Magee (38:54): To last to wrap it up, do you have any other comments or concerns?  Latifa Saad: Like any other questions— Vera Cotter: Yeah, No, I'm kind of glad it's done because I haven't been interviewed in like, I'm, in like early 70s. I haven't had an interview in a long time. I hope it works out. I hope it works out.  Seanna Aarts-Magee: It was very wonderful. Your answers were so insightful. Thank you very, very much.  Sydney Langlois: Thank you so much for taking the time to meet with us and for your insight. And just thank you so much. We really, really appreciate it.   Vera Cotter: But don't go telling everyone that we're crazy. We are, but—  Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data On MS Teams Duration Length of time involved (seconds, minutes, hours, days, class periods, etc.) 39 min 36 sec Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Conversation with Vera Cotter Description An account of the resource <div style="text-align: left; margin-top: 0.5em; margin-bottom: 0.5em;">This Interview features Vera Cotter and her journey from Trinidad and Tobago to Canada. Born in 1955, Vera spent her early years in Trinidad’s capital, Port of Spain. She then moved at the age of five to Princes Town, where she would spend the rest of her childhood and teenage years until moving abroad to the United States for University. When describing her upbringing, Vera explained that she grew up in a large, multi-generational household and neighbourhood. Education was very important in her family and within her community; you could attend either French or English school. Vera’s family chose the English system and, in turn, expected their children to attend English universities after finishing secondary school, particularly the University of Cambridge. Family is vital to Vera’s culture and has played a central role in how she ended up in the West years ago and how she continues to live today. She articulated that she was only able to go to the United States at all because of her aunt, who was already studying there. She describes this, stating, "our culture, you have to live with family, like you can't just go as a student to a strange land." She later moved to Canada and began attending pharmacy school at the University of Toronto. As she described her time in Toronto, she laughed and explained that she was a bit of a rebel within her family. While studying, she was still required to live with her family and, being in her early twenties, felt a strong need for independence that ultimately led her to drop out of university at the time she described this, stating, </div> <div style="text-align: left; margin-top: 0.5em; margin-bottom: 0.5em;">“being stuck with relatives, and I had a few more relatives in Toronto. And I just found living with, they became my parents. And it was like too much, too many parents. And we were allowed back then to work like 20 hours a week as a student in Canada. So, I hung out with a crowd that my family did not approve of, it was like, not good. So, there was a lot of pressure. There's school and there's the friends I hang out with, and I ended up moving back home for two years and then realized that's when I just dropped out of school and like I would just rebelled.”</div> <div style="text-align: left; margin-top: 0.5em; margin-bottom: 0.5em;">At this time, Vera moved back to Trinidad for two years. However, she returned to Ontario after meeting her now-husband. They married at the age of twenty-two and moved to her husband's hometown, Belleville, Ontario, where she worked for a bank for the rest of her career and raised her family. When Vera and her husband moved to BelleVille, they were among the only three “Brown or ethnic families” in town. She described a conversation she had with her mother-in-law about this topic, stating, </div> <div style="text-align: left; margin-top: 0.5em; margin-bottom: 0.5em;">“it's so funny because I remember once my mother-in-law said to me at a restaurant, she says, “you know, every time we walk into the room, everyone looks at you,” and, I kind of like, felt like it was because I was different, right? Like there's only white people, let's just, okay? There's only white, Caucasian people. And so, I said to my husband, I said, well, you know what? Maybe they look at me because they find me attractive. But I think her culture also is, you know, they're probably looking at me because I'm different. I don't know that for sure, but that's how I took it.”</div> <div style="text-align: left; margin-top: 0.5em; margin-bottom: 0.5em;">Vera shared many details about the dynamics at play in BelleVille and within her blended family throughout the interview. Today, she’s seen a significant change in BelleVille's population, but she still finds it difficult to celebrate her culture outside specific family traditions. Vera later moved to Ottawa after retiring to be closer to her daughter and grandchildren. She currently still lives in Ottawa, working part-time in banking and remains closely connected to her family, particularly her daughter and granddaughter, both of whom are extremely important to her. Vera reflected on her life and said, "I'm in Ottawa and I've made a new life over the past 12 years, so it all worked out. I was very lucky. We started working really young in our generation, so I was lucky enough to retire, they called it “Age Plus Service,” and you can retire like, I retired at 56, when the first grandchild came, so I could look after my grandchildren." </div> Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2026-03-05 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource MP3 file Language A language of the resource English https://omeka.uottawa.ca/anthroharvest/files/original/3a07da49fa48ba7397e67f1651acb4bd.jpeg ff777575741dcaff6e0e27315cea3768 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource uOttawa Time Capsule 2025 Subject The topic of the resource According to Google AI, "A digital time capsule is a curated collection of digital assets, like photos, videos, and documents, intended to capture a specific moment, person, or theme and be preserved and shared in the future." In our case, this time capsule reflects important objects, places, and ephemera that illustrate campus life in fall 2025. All were chosen by the students who were participant-observers of their own cultures. The students not only chose and photographed the objects, but they also wrote the stories or narratives associated with them. Description An account of the resource The culture of the University of Ottawa can be understood through the everyday objects that define student life. It begins with the uOttawa student card, the first sign of belonging. Paired with a Gee-Gees lanyard or a bilingual business card, it reflects the university’s bilingual identity and its position as a meeting point between English and French. This duality shapes how students learn, communicate, and represent themselves both on and off campus. Student culture at uOttawa is also reflected in what people wear. Levi’s jeans, University of Ottawa hoodies, sherpa jacket, and Telfer sweatshirts show how clothing blends comfort, pride, and practicality. The 101er Frosh T-shirt and Shine Day shirt add another layer of meaning, symbolizing both community and philanthropy. Frosh week introduces students to campus life, while Shine Day connects them to broader causes like Cystic Fibrosis Canada. Together, they show that school spirit at uOttawa extends beyond academics. The academic side of university life is seen in objects like the Apple products, headphones, notepaper, laptop stickers, syllabus, water bottles, and criminology string bags that fill classrooms and study spaces. These represent both creativity and routine. The Tim Hortons coffee cup might seem simple, but it captures a familiar ritual across campus. Coffee runs are part of the rhythm of student life, a shared pause in busy days. School pride and social life also find expression in items like Panda Game tickets and the Pedro Panda Trophy. These objects represent one of uOttawa’s biggest traditions, a yearly football rivalry with Carleton University that brings students together in celebration. Moments like this create a strong sense of community, even among a large and diverse student body. The Orange Shirt acknowledges the atrocities and suffering experienced by those who attended residential schools in Canada as part of the national Truth and Reconciliation mandate to honor Indigenous peoples. Finally, artifacts such as the U Cup mug, beer glasses from Father and Son's, a Prusa 3D printer, and even O-Frango’s—a popular student food stop, represent the blend of innovation and everyday culture. They show how uOttawa combines research, creativity, and social connection in a way that feels uniquely its own. Taken together, these objects tell a story about identity and community. The culture of uOttawa is defined by hard work, inclusivity, and pride, but also by small moments of connection. From the student card to the Panda Game, each item reflects how students experience and shape university life every day. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Cropped Black T-Shirt Subject The topic of the resource This is a go-to shirt of University of Ottawa students as it neutral and used in very common outfits you would see University of Ottawa students wearing Description An account of the resource This black t-shirt can be found amongst all ages, genders, and lifestyle groups found at the University of Ottawa in 2025. This object is so particular because it crosses barriers allowing diverse groups of people to relate and ease themselves with common fashions. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Aritzia LP Canada Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2022 Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource Aritzia Canada Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource This shirt all black and is made of 57% cotten, 38% polyester, 5% elastane and it is size large. It fits slim and close to the body and it is intended to go down to the waist. Language A language of the resource English Type The nature or genre of the resource Physical-object - clothing Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context #68755 Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant This item can be found at Aritzias stores across the country and on their online store. Aritzia LP 611 Alexander St. Vancouver BC, V6A 1E1 Canada Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Aritzia BayShore 100 Bayshore Dr Unit Cc5a Ottawa, ON K2B 8C1 Canada Curated by: Amina Demirdache-Grace; Lilah Hurtubise-Gates; Evelyn Maclver; Faith Mackay; Rebekah Slack Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Aritzia https://omeka.uottawa.ca/anthroharvest/files/original/cfb2765e30dcae5aa491ce01a457639a.png 82ee5d3a2c85be634136b8ea77341d2f Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource City of Ottawa Public Spending Description An account of the resource This table shows the amount of funding from 2012 to 2025 on various social services. The greatest spending is "Ottawa Police Service." Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Sandy Hill Food Asset Mapping 2026 Description An account of the resource <div style="text-align: left; margin-top: 0.5em; margin-bottom: 0.5em;">"Food systems considerations are an increasingly indispensable focus in urban planning. Resilient food systems, the systems and infrastructures needed for food production, processing, distribution, consumption and disposal, with the potential food supply chain disruption effects from climate change.” <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/17549175.2021.1918750">Shulman, Bulkan and Curtis 2022</a> The students in Food and Food Systems Anthropology 4135 mapped the neighborhood surrounding uOttawa, called Sandy Hill. This historical neighborhood used to be the home to Ottawa's wealthy back in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Today, embassies, government workers and university students live here. The anthropology students were tasked with researching how people acquired food. Sandy Hill has a variety of eateries and convenience stores, but grocery stores are outside the central area. For lower-income residents, including students, accessing affordable fresh food is an issue. A number of charitable programs help fill that void, but not completely. Students also looked at the transportation infrastructure here, the number of rentals to owners, green areas where gardens could be planted, charitable organizations offering food assistance and the history of Sandy Hill in maps.</div> Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource Winter Term 2026 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Students in the Ant 4135 Food and Food Systems taught by Laurie Weinstein, Ph.D. Winter 2026. Students included: Din Betote Akwa, Jodie Choy, Kelsey Davey, Sarah Donaldson, Roodmya Douge, Devon Giguere, Ito Sakura, Fiona Labonte, Yungu Liu, Sabryn Mclennan, Gabbie Mills, Red Phangura, Carolyn Phidd, Lily Smith, Sarah Struthers Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Sandy Hill, Ottawa, ON Relation A related resource Our team discovered this earlier food asset-mapping that covered Sandy Hill as well by Karen White-Jones Student, Community Development and Engagement Team Sandy Hill Community Health Centre 221 Nelson St., Ottawa, ON November 2010 https://justfood.ca/community-food-assessment-toolkit/ Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Data Table of the City of Ottawa Operating Budget 2012-2025 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Din Betote, Carolyn Phidd, Devon Giguere, and Roodmya Douge Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived 2022 Adopted Budget , City of Ottawa, 8 Dec. 2021, documents.ottawa.ca/sites/documents/files/2022_Adopted_Budget_Book_English_CondensedAODA.pdf. <div></div> 2023 Adopted Budget , City of Ottawa, 1 Mar. 2023, documents.ottawa.ca/sites/default/files/2023%20Adopted%20Budget%20Book%20Part%201-AODA.pdf. <div></div> 2024 Adopted Budget, City of Ottawa, 6 Dec. 2023, documents.ottawa.ca/sites/default/files/2024%20Adopted%20Budget%20Book%20English%20Condensed-AODA.pdf. <div></div> 2025 Adopted Budget , City of Ottawa, 11 Dec. 2024, documents.ottawa.ca/sites/default/files/2025%20Adopted%20Budget%20Book%20English%20Condensed-AODA.pdf. <div></div> Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available City of Ottawa https://omeka.uottawa.ca/anthroharvest/files/original/60bd92ccedda6a08900f851f63e8ce20.jpg e8fe77cc644c14622c116c5c8c58eb97 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Latin American & Caribbean Organizations Subject The topic of the resource collection of organizations designed to support and uplift Latin and Caribbean people in Canada. Description An account of the resource <div style="text-align: left; margin-top: 0.5em; margin-bottom: 0.5em;">As the capital of Canada, Ottawa is a city rich in diverse cultures and communities from around the world. Relocating to Canda from the southern hemisphere is a significant shift and challenge. For these immigrants, they face obstacles, including finding people who are culturally similar. Thankfully, there are many aid organizations which connect people with help. In this section of AnthroHarvest, we showcase a few of these groups. They do not just celebrate immigrant cultures, they give them the chance to meet others and learn how to adjust to Canadian life. There are language classes, cultural events, and get-togethers. Each group is different. Some groups focus on keeping languages and traditions alive. Other groups help artists show their work. They provide spaces for people to meet and talk. All of these groups together illustrate the strength of Latin American and Caribbean communities here. In the collections below, you will find more information about them: the Jamaican Ottawa Community Association, the Barbados Ottawa Association, Canada Habla Español, the Humanitarian Organization of Latin American Students, the Latin Hub and the Latin American Soldiers Committee in Canada. Specifically, we hope to emphasize different events, fundraisers, and resources they have, how to contact them and/or join their association, their social media pages, and a short description of the organization itself.</div> Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Cover Photo: Day of the Dead altar commemorating Québec artist Jean Paul Riopelle at Maison du Citoyen Photo taken by Noémie Burrs Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Taylor Paterson, Soorya Hedayat Omar, Racheal Agofure, Zainab Oyejobi, Amy May Lajeunesse and Roodmya Douge. Physical Object An inanimate, three-dimensional object or substance. Note that digital representations of, or surrogates for, these objects should use Moving Image, Still Image, Text or one of the other types. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Day of the Dead altar commemorating Québec artist Jean Paul Riopelle at Maison du Citoyen Subject The topic of the resource Photo of event. Description An account of the resource This image was taken by student Noémie Burrs while attending a Day of the Dead celebration at UNAM-Canada in Gatineau Quebec. The image features vibrant colours, patterns and textures surrounding an alter dedicated to late canadian artist, Jean Paul Riopelle. He is known internationally for pioneering "mosaic" style abstract paintings in the 1950s. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Noémie Burrs https://omeka.uottawa.ca/anthroharvest/files/original/12e0d91e12fabf4eb439cb868b3fb082.png fde7bb7d0d1c4477595dfc88b95cd079 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Food Insecurity in Ottawa and Ontario from 2019-2024 Description An account of the resource This table shows the percentage of food insecurity both within Ottawa and the greater Ontario region. Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived “Food Insecurity.” Open Ottawa, City Of Ottawa, 12 Feb. 2026, open.ottawa.ca/datasets/ottawa::food-insecurity/about. Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available City of Ottawa Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 12 Feb. 2026 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource Database Table Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Sandy Hill Food Asset Mapping 2026 Description An account of the resource <div style="text-align: left; margin-top: 0.5em; margin-bottom: 0.5em;">"Food systems considerations are an increasingly indispensable focus in urban planning. Resilient food systems, the systems and infrastructures needed for food production, processing, distribution, consumption and disposal, with the potential food supply chain disruption effects from climate change.” <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/17549175.2021.1918750">Shulman, Bulkan and Curtis 2022</a> The students in Food and Food Systems Anthropology 4135 mapped the neighborhood surrounding uOttawa, called Sandy Hill. This historical neighborhood used to be the home to Ottawa's wealthy back in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Today, embassies, government workers and university students live here. The anthropology students were tasked with researching how people acquired food. Sandy Hill has a variety of eateries and convenience stores, but grocery stores are outside the central area. For lower-income residents, including students, accessing affordable fresh food is an issue. A number of charitable programs help fill that void, but not completely. Students also looked at the transportation infrastructure here, the number of rentals to owners, green areas where gardens could be planted, charitable organizations offering food assistance and the history of Sandy Hill in maps.</div> Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource Winter Term 2026 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Students in the Ant 4135 Food and Food Systems taught by Laurie Weinstein, Ph.D. Winter 2026. Students included: Din Betote Akwa, Jodie Choy, Kelsey Davey, Sarah Donaldson, Roodmya Douge, Devon Giguere, Ito Sakura, Fiona Labonte, Yungu Liu, Sabryn Mclennan, Gabbie Mills, Red Phangura, Carolyn Phidd, Lily Smith, Sarah Struthers Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Sandy Hill, Ottawa, ON Relation A related resource Our team discovered this earlier food asset-mapping that covered Sandy Hill as well by Karen White-Jones Student, Community Development and Engagement Team Sandy Hill Community Health Centre 221 Nelson St., Ottawa, ON November 2010 https://justfood.ca/community-food-assessment-toolkit/ Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Food Insecurity in Ottawa and Ontario.  This table shows the percentage of food insecurity both within Ottawa and the greater Ontario region. Although the numbers have fluctuated in the past five years, food insecurity rose from 15% to 25%.   Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Din Betote, Carolyn Phidd, Devon Giguere, and Roodmya Douge https://omeka.uottawa.ca/anthroharvest/files/original/a1f79678ed9cf9c2e25079e242cc67e8.png d59b5895a303196ac6fccd159da0eef7 https://omeka.uottawa.ca/anthroharvest/files/original/f7a1efd162a49843d09841d884a73555.jpg 1e761e5622f1828547773a51cbe77fca Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived 210 data was based upon Karen White-Jones Student, Community Development and Engagement Team Sandy Hill Community Health Centre 221 Nelson St., Ottawa, ON November 2010 which is also referenced here: https://justfood.ca/community-food-assessment-toolkit/ https://omeka.uottawa.ca/anthroharvest/files/original/8da3294160a53b746e5e48d7c5f4926a.jpg f6361910e7d52521740bdec8c43dba06 https://omeka.uottawa.ca/anthroharvest/files/original/0cc83a1c824db1574ac0e1e3045caf99.jpg eecc2c8922ce0eb91fcb3e017469704c https://omeka.uottawa.ca/anthroharvest/files/original/45af094bfd35c76b3a5e185068009e11.jpg a96fc2c93ce52447dc9ff51f6c682bec https://omeka.uottawa.ca/anthroharvest/files/original/c452dd9682a6eb3105bff80740d1acdb.jpg 6658ded12ba8b8a4c4ea4f9b12f794f1 https://omeka.uottawa.ca/anthroharvest/files/original/17fd5a5df45fc0510b8f487d5b4f4547.jpg 8fd88f13d1bf2863ea2b34fc6976f431 https://omeka.uottawa.ca/anthroharvest/files/original/9ea08dba0d963bf731620fc3f6487be9.jpg 7e2c6ae54c70507a60cea42c642051ac Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Sandy Hill Food Asset Mapping 2026 Description An account of the resource <div style="text-align: left; margin-top: 0.5em; margin-bottom: 0.5em;">"Food systems considerations are an increasingly indispensable focus in urban planning. Resilient food systems, the systems and infrastructures needed for food production, processing, distribution, consumption and disposal, with the potential food supply chain disruption effects from climate change.” <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/17549175.2021.1918750">Shulman, Bulkan and Curtis 2022</a> The students in Food and Food Systems Anthropology 4135 mapped the neighborhood surrounding uOttawa, called Sandy Hill. This historical neighborhood used to be the home to Ottawa's wealthy back in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Today, embassies, government workers and university students live here. The anthropology students were tasked with researching how people acquired food. Sandy Hill has a variety of eateries and convenience stores, but grocery stores are outside the central area. For lower-income residents, including students, accessing affordable fresh food is an issue. A number of charitable programs help fill that void, but not completely. Students also looked at the transportation infrastructure here, the number of rentals to owners, green areas where gardens could be planted, charitable organizations offering food assistance and the history of Sandy Hill in maps.</div> Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource Winter Term 2026 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Students in the Ant 4135 Food and Food Systems taught by Laurie Weinstein, Ph.D. Winter 2026. Students included: Din Betote Akwa, Jodie Choy, Kelsey Davey, Sarah Donaldson, Roodmya Douge, Devon Giguere, Ito Sakura, Fiona Labonte, Yungu Liu, Sabryn Mclennan, Gabbie Mills, Red Phangura, Carolyn Phidd, Lily Smith, Sarah Struthers Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Sandy Hill, Ottawa, ON Relation A related resource Our team discovered this earlier food asset-mapping that covered Sandy Hill as well by Karen White-Jones Student, Community Development and Engagement Team Sandy Hill Community Health Centre 221 Nelson St., Ottawa, ON November 2010 https://justfood.ca/community-food-assessment-toolkit/ Hyperlink A link, or reference, to another resource on the Internet. URL <iframe width="100%" height="800" src="https://uploads.knightlab.com/storymapjs/83a7cb55762208104d157c26499accd1/food-stores-in-sandy-hill/index.html" frameborder="0"></iframe> Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Food Vendors in Sandy Hill Description An account of the resource Our group mapped food vendors (e.g, restaurants, convenience stores, grocery vendors, coffee shops, etc.) in Sandy Hill. We examined each location’s general affordability, the food’s or vendor’s cultural origins, and whether there are food preference availability. Boundaries of our mapping were (North to South) Besserer Street to Mann Avenue, and (West to East) King Edward Avenue to the Rideau River. Understanding what food options exist in the area help to create a picture of Sandy Hill’s livability and discover areas for potential improvement (more diverse food options, healthier options, cheaper options, etc.). ----- As of 2026, Sandy Hill (within the boundaries specified previously) has 43 food vendors. 31 of these vendors, we classified as sit-down or take-out restaurants/food, and pubs and eateries, and 6 vendors we classified as coffee houses, bakeries, or beverage shops. 4 food vendors were convenience stores and the 2 were grocery stores. Most of the food vendors were clustered close to the University, with a high frequency on Laurier Avenue. The two grocery vendors operated on Mann avenue, allowing residents of the neighbourhood living nearby the opportunities to purchase basic food necessities without having to travel to Rideau street and beyond for grocery items. Sandy Hill has many food vendors selling different cuisines including Indian, Mediterranean, Thai, Japanese, Korean, Mexican, Guyanaese and Caribbean, North African, and French Gastronomy. Affordability fluctuated with most of the affordable food stores operating close to the University. Restaurants closer to Range Road and Strathcona Park had a dramatic increase in price compared to the rest of the food vendors. More often than not, food vendors had at least a few vegan, vegetarian, or halal options available. Most places also allowed for customization and substitutions.  (See Food in Sandy Hill Comparison - 2010 to 2026 table). Compared to 2010, there are more food options that are more diverse, and tend to be similar in price/accessibility as before. There are a few spots that have closed and are now empty store fronts or no longer sell food, but many former residential only spots now have food options. While we do not have price comparisons for 2010, we can surmise from the similar options and vendors that are still present that the price increases are likely in line with inflation. We have mostly found that while brands or names have changed, convenience stores have stayed convenience stores, pubs have stayed pubs, and so on and so forth. Please refer to the table for further details on what has changed, stayed the same and to compare further.  Mapping food vendors in Sandy Hill is essential for understanding food availability in the community and addressing food insecurity, particularly focusing on affordability and dietary accessibility. Our map highlights an overall increase of accessible vendors in the neighbourhood, including more accessible options and a wider range of affordable options in comparison to 2010. It presents the options available to the residents of Sandy Hill, where they can eat depending on their food preferences and restrictions, and the affordability of said vendors. Our project highlights the gaps in food access in Sandy Hill. This includes areas with fewer vendors, areas of limited affordability, and lack of transparency with dietary options. For example, many vendors don’t state dietary accommodations on their menus or websites. It also shows the concentration of vendors on Laurier Street compared to the lack of options in east Sandy Hill. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Fiona Labonté, Lily Smith, Sabryn McLennan Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Our research was conducted through online sources and using primary observation and research collection. Google Maps was the main source used, both to get accurate building locations and addresses and to explore food vendor’s online menus. Additionally, Google Maps Street View program was used occasionally to review past versions of locations to examine what businesses existed in that location during the years 2009 to 2012. Additional sources – vendor’s websites – were consulted when primary observation was ineffective, such as if a food vendor existed only as an online ordering, take-out website (e.g. SushiLab). N/A. “Where Is Shawarma From.” Imperial Shawarma, 7 Feb. 2023,<a href="https://imperialshawarma.ca/where-is-shawarma-from/"> https://imperialshawarma.ca/where-is-shawarma-from/</a>. Barwaaqo Food Centre - Halal Ottawa. 30 Aug. 2025,<a href="https://www.halalottawa.ca/grocery/barwaaqo-food-centre/"> https://www.halalottawa.ca/grocery/barwaaqo-food-centre/</a>. Dépanneur.<a href="https://thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/depanneur"> https://thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/depanneur</a>. Accessed 6 Apr. 2026. Foodinator - Asian Fusion |.<a href="https://foodinator.ca/"> https://foodinator.ca/</a>. Accessed 6 Apr. 2026. “Origins and Cultural Impact of Boba Tea, Taiwan’s Iconic Drink.” Travel, 10 Mar. 2023,<a href="https://www.nationalgeographic.com/travel/article/what-is-boba-bubble-tea-taiwan"> https://www.nationalgeographic.com/travel/article/what-is-boba-bubble-tea-taiwan</a>. “Our Story.” In’s Kitchen,<a href="http://www.inskitchen.ca/our-story"> http://www.inskitchen.ca/our-story</a>. Accessed 6 Apr. 2026. Public House | Definition, Pub, Function, & History | Britannica.<a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/public-house"> https://www.britannica.com/topic/public-house</a>. Accessed 6 Apr. 2026. Seo, Toocreative. “Hawaiian or Japanese? The True Origin of the Poké Bowl.” OLU OLU, 8 Oct. 2025,<a href="https://oluolupoke.com/true-origin-of-the-poke-bowl/"> https://oluolupoke.com/true-origin-of-the-poke-bowl/</a>. Submarine-Style Sandwiches History, Whats Cooking America.<a href="https://whatscookingamerica.net/history/hoagiesubmarinepoboy.htm"> https://whatscookingamerica.net/history/hoagiesubmarinepoboy.htm</a>. Accessed 6 Apr. 2026. “Tahini’s Mediterranean Fusion | Eat Unbland.” Tahini’s,<a href="https://tahinis.com/"> https://tahinis.com/</a>. Accessed 6 Apr. 2026. The History of Acai Bowl: From Origins to Global Trend. 28 Mar. 2024,<a href="https://www.cleanjuice.com/the-history-of-the-acai-bowl/"> https://www.cleanjuice.com/the-history-of-the-acai-bowl/</a>. Clean Juice. “The History of Greek Souvlaki: A National Treat | Athens Insiders - Private Tours in Greece.” Athens Insiders,<a href="https://www.athensinsiders.com/blog/the-history-of-greek-souvlaki-a-national-treat"> https://www.athensinsiders.com/blog/the-history-of-greek-souvlaki-a-national-treat</a>. Accessed 6 Apr. 2026. The Surprising Story of How Chicken Wings Became America’s Favorite Finger Food | The Seattle Times.<a href="https://www.seattletimes.com/life/food-drink/the-surprising-story-of-how-chicken-wings-became-americas-favorite-finger-food/"> https://www.seattletimes.com/life/food-drink/the-surprising-story-of-how-chicken-wings-became-americas-favorite-finger-food/</a>. Accessed 6 Apr. 2026. Turim, Gayle. “Who Invented Pizza?” HISTORY, 27 July 2012,<a href="https://www.history.com/articles/a-slice-of-history-pizza-through-the-ages"> https://www.history.com/articles/a-slice-of-history-pizza-through-the-ages</a>. White-Jones, Karen. “Where’s the Food? A Compilation of Research Gathered with the Food Security Assessment Toolkit in the Sandy Hill Community.” Report. Sandy Hill Community Health Centre, Nov. 2010. Language A language of the resource English https://omeka.uottawa.ca/anthroharvest/files/original/cb1568fdd24de9fe3885d0f0f9a4cc4e.png 4a3b179ed62fd6170e47c8c06154b29e https://omeka.uottawa.ca/anthroharvest/files/original/959d9873582bd9a58fd91dc8199d4a13.png 8f2d54d84ace3fad5fa5a2da5d8017e9 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Sandy Hill Food Asset Mapping 2026 Description An account of the resource <div style="text-align: left; margin-top: 0.5em; margin-bottom: 0.5em;">"Food systems considerations are an increasingly indispensable focus in urban planning. Resilient food systems, the systems and infrastructures needed for food production, processing, distribution, consumption and disposal, with the potential food supply chain disruption effects from climate change.” <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/17549175.2021.1918750">Shulman, Bulkan and Curtis 2022</a> The students in Food and Food Systems Anthropology 4135 mapped the neighborhood surrounding uOttawa, called Sandy Hill. This historical neighborhood used to be the home to Ottawa's wealthy back in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Today, embassies, government workers and university students live here. The anthropology students were tasked with researching how people acquired food. Sandy Hill has a variety of eateries and convenience stores, but grocery stores are outside the central area. For lower-income residents, including students, accessing affordable fresh food is an issue. A number of charitable programs help fill that void, but not completely. Students also looked at the transportation infrastructure here, the number of rentals to owners, green areas where gardens could be planted, charitable organizations offering food assistance and the history of Sandy Hill in maps.</div> Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource Winter Term 2026 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Students in the Ant 4135 Food and Food Systems taught by Laurie Weinstein, Ph.D. Winter 2026. Students included: Din Betote Akwa, Jodie Choy, Kelsey Davey, Sarah Donaldson, Roodmya Douge, Devon Giguere, Ito Sakura, Fiona Labonte, Yungu Liu, Sabryn Mclennan, Gabbie Mills, Red Phangura, Carolyn Phidd, Lily Smith, Sarah Struthers Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Sandy Hill, Ottawa, ON Relation A related resource Our team discovered this earlier food asset-mapping that covered Sandy Hill as well by Karen White-Jones Student, Community Development and Engagement Team Sandy Hill Community Health Centre 221 Nelson St., Ottawa, ON November 2010 https://justfood.ca/community-food-assessment-toolkit/ Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Graphs of City of Ottawa Public Investment Description An account of the resource These two graphs are from data gathered from the City of Ottawa Operating Budgets from 2012-2025, minus 2015. https://omeka.uottawa.ca/anthroharvest/files/original/96cb37318a9c04ef2315fae96b4aed0d.png b926f122d7ebaf2167e9bbca93ac0995 https://omeka.uottawa.ca/anthroharvest/files/original/03dd34ddd439374afe899e0f4c510e77.png 95731d6ff7c1612b0d4f8cf35de13412 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource uOttawa Time Capsule 2025 Subject The topic of the resource According to Google AI, "A digital time capsule is a curated collection of digital assets, like photos, videos, and documents, intended to capture a specific moment, person, or theme and be preserved and shared in the future." In our case, this time capsule reflects important objects, places, and ephemera that illustrate campus life in fall 2025. All were chosen by the students who were participant-observers of their own cultures. The students not only chose and photographed the objects, but they also wrote the stories or narratives associated with them. Description An account of the resource The culture of the University of Ottawa can be understood through the everyday objects that define student life. It begins with the uOttawa student card, the first sign of belonging. Paired with a Gee-Gees lanyard or a bilingual business card, it reflects the university’s bilingual identity and its position as a meeting point between English and French. This duality shapes how students learn, communicate, and represent themselves both on and off campus. Student culture at uOttawa is also reflected in what people wear. Levi’s jeans, University of Ottawa hoodies, sherpa jacket, and Telfer sweatshirts show how clothing blends comfort, pride, and practicality. The 101er Frosh T-shirt and Shine Day shirt add another layer of meaning, symbolizing both community and philanthropy. Frosh week introduces students to campus life, while Shine Day connects them to broader causes like Cystic Fibrosis Canada. Together, they show that school spirit at uOttawa extends beyond academics. The academic side of university life is seen in objects like the Apple products, headphones, notepaper, laptop stickers, syllabus, water bottles, and criminology string bags that fill classrooms and study spaces. These represent both creativity and routine. The Tim Hortons coffee cup might seem simple, but it captures a familiar ritual across campus. Coffee runs are part of the rhythm of student life, a shared pause in busy days. School pride and social life also find expression in items like Panda Game tickets and the Pedro Panda Trophy. These objects represent one of uOttawa’s biggest traditions, a yearly football rivalry with Carleton University that brings students together in celebration. Moments like this create a strong sense of community, even among a large and diverse student body. The Orange Shirt acknowledges the atrocities and suffering experienced by those who attended residential schools in Canada as part of the national Truth and Reconciliation mandate to honor Indigenous peoples. Finally, artifacts such as the U Cup mug, beer glasses from Father and Son's, a Prusa 3D printer, and even O-Frango’s—a popular student food stop, represent the blend of innovation and everyday culture. They show how uOttawa combines research, creativity, and social connection in a way that feels uniquely its own. Taken together, these objects tell a story about identity and community. The culture of uOttawa is defined by hard work, inclusivity, and pride, but also by small moments of connection. From the student card to the Panda Game, each item reflects how students experience and shape university life every day. Physical Object An inanimate, three-dimensional object or substance. Note that digital representations of, or surrogates for, these objects should use Moving Image, Still Image, Text or one of the other types. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Hilroy 1 Subject Notebook Subject The topic of the resource Notebook Used by students for coursework, notes, and studying Description An account of the resource Hilroy Lined Notebooks offer students an opportunity to study away from their electronics and write notes, complete assignments and study by hand. While manually writing notes and coursework is no longer the mainstream method in University, many efficient studying and note taking techniques can only be done with pen and paper! Returning to old methods never fails and many students choose to create a hybrid study plan using both devices and handwritten notes. Hilroy Notebooks are the go-to for students offered in many colors and sizes perfect for any class! Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Hilroy Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Can be found online at <a href="https://www.bkstr.com/ottawastore/product/ots-every-chld-mtt-orang-sm---837173-1">University of Ottawa Campus Store</a> Or Sold Right on Campus at the Boutique Campus Store, University of Ottawa, Jock-Turcot University Centre, 85 University UCU, Level 0, Ottawa, ON K1N 6N5 Or on the Hilroy Online Store- <a href="https://accobrandscanada.com/brands/hilroy/">Hilroy® - ACCO Canada</a> Curated By- A. Brown Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Hilroy ® 2025 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource Date Purchased 19/11/2025 Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource Hilroy® 2025 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource Hilroy 1 subject notebook, 3 hole, 200 pages. Wide ruled white paper with margin and 3 hole punched. Fits into binder. Size 10-1/2 x 8 On Campus Availability- covers available in assorted colors: navy, red, green. Language A language of the resource English Type The nature or genre of the resource Physical Object Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context MMS008392775/0 Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Sold Online or In-Store, Hilroy Notebooks have a variety of Uses pertaining to school, work, or personal use. https://omeka.uottawa.ca/anthroharvest/files/original/7862b1d754fdd73bfafa7ae0e58b749c.png 4ebb67a74ed6f702eefde50e7945999c Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource uOttawa Time Capsule 2025 Subject The topic of the resource According to Google AI, "A digital time capsule is a curated collection of digital assets, like photos, videos, and documents, intended to capture a specific moment, person, or theme and be preserved and shared in the future." In our case, this time capsule reflects important objects, places, and ephemera that illustrate campus life in fall 2025. All were chosen by the students who were participant-observers of their own cultures. The students not only chose and photographed the objects, but they also wrote the stories or narratives associated with them. Description An account of the resource The culture of the University of Ottawa can be understood through the everyday objects that define student life. It begins with the uOttawa student card, the first sign of belonging. Paired with a Gee-Gees lanyard or a bilingual business card, it reflects the university’s bilingual identity and its position as a meeting point between English and French. This duality shapes how students learn, communicate, and represent themselves both on and off campus. Student culture at uOttawa is also reflected in what people wear. Levi’s jeans, University of Ottawa hoodies, sherpa jacket, and Telfer sweatshirts show how clothing blends comfort, pride, and practicality. The 101er Frosh T-shirt and Shine Day shirt add another layer of meaning, symbolizing both community and philanthropy. Frosh week introduces students to campus life, while Shine Day connects them to broader causes like Cystic Fibrosis Canada. Together, they show that school spirit at uOttawa extends beyond academics. The academic side of university life is seen in objects like the Apple products, headphones, notepaper, laptop stickers, syllabus, water bottles, and criminology string bags that fill classrooms and study spaces. These represent both creativity and routine. The Tim Hortons coffee cup might seem simple, but it captures a familiar ritual across campus. Coffee runs are part of the rhythm of student life, a shared pause in busy days. School pride and social life also find expression in items like Panda Game tickets and the Pedro Panda Trophy. These objects represent one of uOttawa’s biggest traditions, a yearly football rivalry with Carleton University that brings students together in celebration. Moments like this create a strong sense of community, even among a large and diverse student body. The Orange Shirt acknowledges the atrocities and suffering experienced by those who attended residential schools in Canada as part of the national Truth and Reconciliation mandate to honor Indigenous peoples. Finally, artifacts such as the U Cup mug, beer glasses from Father and Son's, a Prusa 3D printer, and even O-Frango’s—a popular student food stop, represent the blend of innovation and everyday culture. They show how uOttawa combines research, creativity, and social connection in a way that feels uniquely its own. Taken together, these objects tell a story about identity and community. The culture of uOttawa is defined by hard work, inclusivity, and pride, but also by small moments of connection. From the student card to the Panda Game, each item reflects how students experience and shape university life every day. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Laptop Stickers Subject The topic of the resource Personalization, customization, accessories, stickers Description An account of the resource A sticker is an image that is sealed between plastic or vinyl, and some sort of adhesive so it sticks (hence the name stickers). These stickers are then placed on laptops, notebooks, or water bottles, as a form of non-verbal communication between students. Usually, these objects are used to convey information to other people in their "groups," for example people who enjoy sports might use a sticker with their favourite team's logo to convey to other sports fans that they too like sports. These stickers can be bought online or homemade. Homemade stickers are usually made using parchment paper, tape, and whatever image one would want to make into a sticker, much like commercial stickers, yet way more personal to the user, as there is the connection of making it. Many people opt to leave their laptops blank. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Stickers can be acquired from various retailers, or handmade. Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Found on laptops, notebooks, or water bottles, etc. Curated by: Jasmine Dicaire; Isabella Eccleston; Charlotte Fox; Raven Roberge; Nicholas Schenk. Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource All photos taken with consent of classmates, for the purpose of this exhibition by Jasmine Dicaire. Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource vinyl or paper covered in plastic, with adhesive typically 0.5”-5” Type The nature or genre of the resource Physical – Decor Decor Physical https://omeka.uottawa.ca/anthroharvest/files/original/7df3fde1cdb40386676e41004d611d8e.jpeg 4ce941845b2997798cda9ebd9f138ba6 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource uOttawa Time Capsule 2025 Subject The topic of the resource According to Google AI, "A digital time capsule is a curated collection of digital assets, like photos, videos, and documents, intended to capture a specific moment, person, or theme and be preserved and shared in the future." In our case, this time capsule reflects important objects, places, and ephemera that illustrate campus life in fall 2025. All were chosen by the students who were participant-observers of their own cultures. The students not only chose and photographed the objects, but they also wrote the stories or narratives associated with them. Description An account of the resource The culture of the University of Ottawa can be understood through the everyday objects that define student life. It begins with the uOttawa student card, the first sign of belonging. Paired with a Gee-Gees lanyard or a bilingual business card, it reflects the university’s bilingual identity and its position as a meeting point between English and French. This duality shapes how students learn, communicate, and represent themselves both on and off campus. Student culture at uOttawa is also reflected in what people wear. Levi’s jeans, University of Ottawa hoodies, sherpa jacket, and Telfer sweatshirts show how clothing blends comfort, pride, and practicality. The 101er Frosh T-shirt and Shine Day shirt add another layer of meaning, symbolizing both community and philanthropy. Frosh week introduces students to campus life, while Shine Day connects them to broader causes like Cystic Fibrosis Canada. Together, they show that school spirit at uOttawa extends beyond academics. The academic side of university life is seen in objects like the Apple products, headphones, notepaper, laptop stickers, syllabus, water bottles, and criminology string bags that fill classrooms and study spaces. These represent both creativity and routine. The Tim Hortons coffee cup might seem simple, but it captures a familiar ritual across campus. Coffee runs are part of the rhythm of student life, a shared pause in busy days. School pride and social life also find expression in items like Panda Game tickets and the Pedro Panda Trophy. These objects represent one of uOttawa’s biggest traditions, a yearly football rivalry with Carleton University that brings students together in celebration. Moments like this create a strong sense of community, even among a large and diverse student body. The Orange Shirt acknowledges the atrocities and suffering experienced by those who attended residential schools in Canada as part of the national Truth and Reconciliation mandate to honor Indigenous peoples. Finally, artifacts such as the U Cup mug, beer glasses from Father and Son's, a Prusa 3D printer, and even O-Frango’s—a popular student food stop, represent the blend of innovation and everyday culture. They show how uOttawa combines research, creativity, and social connection in a way that feels uniquely its own. Taken together, these objects tell a story about identity and community. The culture of uOttawa is defined by hard work, inclusivity, and pride, but also by small moments of connection. From the student card to the Panda Game, each item reflects how students experience and shape university life every day. Still Image A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Levi’s Blue Jeans Subject The topic of the resource Popular name-brand pants, worn often by University of Ottawa students Description An account of the resource An invention for the American worker became the uniform of progress. Worn by miners, cowboys, rebels, rock stars, presidents, and everyday men and women, these functional pieces were the clothes people not only worked in—they lived their lives in, too. - Levi's description of their product The gen z uniform, what university of ottawa students tend to wear to go anywhere, class, clubs, shopping, etc. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Levi Strauss and Jacob Davis Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Can be acquired at: <a href="https://www.levi.com/CA/en_CA/clothing/women/jeans/loose/baggy-dad-womens-jeans/p/A34940013?srsltid=AfmBOoqsN8JWw5U74Wy899k4NFzqtUhyZhZfumBtI1m8yO9GsRHbwEfg" title="Levi's Baggy Dad Jean">Levi's online store</a>  Made in Cambodia Curated by: Amina Demirdache-Grace; Evelyn MacIver; Lilah Hurtubise-Gates; Faith Mackay; Rebekah Slack Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Levi Strauss & Co. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2025 Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource Levi’s premium Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource 79% cotton, 21% Tencel®™ Lyocell, denim, non-stretch , zip fly, 5-pocket styling Language A language of the resource English Type The nature or genre of the resource Physical object - clothing Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context Baggy Dad Style # A34940013 Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant A worldwide brand in continuous use since its original manufacturing date in 1873 https://omeka.uottawa.ca/anthroharvest/files/original/d974dd7419ab16df891dc715b06f90d8.jpeg 80d18e6a08b078d57d63dee5eb09d374 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Sandy Hill Subject The topic of the resource A sky view image of the Sandy Hill neighborhood Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Open source image from the CBC News Article Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/surprise-and-skepticism-in-sandy-hill-as-area-named-one-of-canada-s-most-liveable-1.7264155" title="Surprise and skepticism in Sandy Hill as area named one of Canada's most liveable">https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/surprise-and-skepticism-in-sandy-hill-as-area-named-one-of-canada-s-most-liveable-1.7264155</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource Open source image- CBC news https://omeka.uottawa.ca/anthroharvest/files/original/5c2b009d5a33d057f7a307ebc9c89884.jpeg 67fece8fe531fd8ab18d593512c10419 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Description An account of the resource 210 Chapel Street, Ottawa. Photo taken by Sarah Struthers. https://omeka.uottawa.ca/anthroharvest/files/original/e08e509cfce305d592acf08fcdb6fef2.jpeg 2156cb7e35ee4c30c75cdba628a399ca Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Description An account of the resource 327 Laurier Avenue East, Ottawa. Photo taken by Sarah Struthers. https://omeka.uottawa.ca/anthroharvest/files/original/5a2d95ba6907df2a18829bd38ec4752c.jpeg 1753e565458cb2f57fa94fa190b4e1d0 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Description An account of the resource 305 Laurier Avenue East, Ottawa. Photo taken by Sarah Struthers. https://omeka.uottawa.ca/anthroharvest/files/original/991faec2407bbbfe9a1e4fe039fedff8.jpeg 897fbe5870a127f204f567d655341492 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Description An account of the resource 419 Besserer Street, Ottawa. Photo taken by Sarah Struthers. https://omeka.uottawa.ca/anthroharvest/files/original/3a6d2decd75f693dfd6b1400add008ba.jpeg 1c63f7e6fd3fc229cf8277792e6ef826 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Description An account of the resource 255 Stewart Street, Ottawa. Photo taken by Sarah Struthers. https://omeka.uottawa.ca/anthroharvest/files/original/ee9d1905fcc2a248a461d11635f6a011.jpeg 9f6f553324871f1ef9ba2b1d3295244f Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Ottawa River Subject The topic of the resource image of the Ottawa river from Strathcona Park in Sandy Hill Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Sarah Donaldson Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource April 1, 2026 Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource Photograph by Sarah Donaldson https://omeka.uottawa.ca/anthroharvest/files/original/ec7ade72b4eb5773ca0fca853e11c6f0.jpeg 301ff084d4191eb0fe7c111577ddf678 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource House On Chapel Street Subject The topic of the resource A vintage yellow house on Chapel Street Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Photograph by Sarah Donaldson Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Sarah Donaldson Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource February 19, 2026 Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource open source image taken by Sarah Donaldson https://omeka.uottawa.ca/anthroharvest/files/original/2297dd39be6ac6d44bb1656d9771b0af.jpeg 66c15301faee9eec1526fa1d5f54e3da Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Description An account of the resource 301 Laurier Avenue East, Ottawa. Photograph by Sarah Struthers. https://omeka.uottawa.ca/anthroharvest/files/original/1ee5d577a873746d4b6969b18fd9c3ab.jpeg 9d38a0f8e1e0a9bbb4cb7464f13e8c61 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Multi-unit house in Sandy Hill Subject The topic of the resource A vintage house in the Sandy Hill neighborhood Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource April 1, 2026 Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource Photograph by Sarah Donaldson https://omeka.uottawa.ca/anthroharvest/files/original/07fcdbe37059c63a1960dd9e98ffa288.jpeg f220709d2d34403d63b0b9dafbd78c29 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource House for rent in Sandy Hill Description An account of the resource This is an example of an older home in Sandy Hill that is available for rent. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource April 1, 2026 Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource Open source image taken by Sarah Donaldson https://omeka.uottawa.ca/anthroharvest/files/original/d680309e71b74af259b99cc1796d36d6.jpeg 818685f458b6889c593e9c05ff36a684 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Apartment in Sandy Hill Subject The topic of the resource A renovated older multi unit building made into modern apartments Description An account of the resource this is a newer renovated building on Chapel street that is rented to students as apartments Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource April 1, 2026 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Open source image taken by Sarah Donaldson Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource Photograph by Sarah Donaldson Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Sandy Hill Food Asset Mapping 2026 Description An account of the resource <div style="text-align: left; margin-top: 0.5em; margin-bottom: 0.5em;">"Food systems considerations are an increasingly indispensable focus in urban planning. Resilient food systems, the systems and infrastructures needed for food production, processing, distribution, consumption and disposal, with the potential food supply chain disruption effects from climate change.” <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/17549175.2021.1918750">Shulman, Bulkan and Curtis 2022</a> The students in Food and Food Systems Anthropology 4135 mapped the neighborhood surrounding uOttawa, called Sandy Hill. This historical neighborhood used to be the home to Ottawa's wealthy back in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Today, embassies, government workers and university students live here. The anthropology students were tasked with researching how people acquired food. Sandy Hill has a variety of eateries and convenience stores, but grocery stores are outside the central area. For lower-income residents, including students, accessing affordable fresh food is an issue. A number of charitable programs help fill that void, but not completely. Students also looked at the transportation infrastructure here, the number of rentals to owners, green areas where gardens could be planted, charitable organizations offering food assistance and the history of Sandy Hill in maps.</div> Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource Winter Term 2026 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Students in the Ant 4135 Food and Food Systems taught by Laurie Weinstein, Ph.D. Winter 2026. Students included: Din Betote Akwa, Jodie Choy, Kelsey Davey, Sarah Donaldson, Roodmya Douge, Devon Giguere, Ito Sakura, Fiona Labonte, Yungu Liu, Sabryn Mclennan, Gabbie Mills, Red Phangura, Carolyn Phidd, Lily Smith, Sarah Struthers Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Sandy Hill, Ottawa, ON Relation A related resource Our team discovered this earlier food asset-mapping that covered Sandy Hill as well by Karen White-Jones Student, Community Development and Engagement Team Sandy Hill Community Health Centre 221 Nelson St., Ottawa, ON November 2010 https://justfood.ca/community-food-assessment-toolkit/ Hyperlink A link, or reference, to another resource on the Internet. URL <iframe width="640" height="480" src="https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/embed?mid=1n4jCFeJOg6h-OdEHMzMSli_jYfkaKfQ&ehbc=2E312F"></iframe> Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Map of Sandy Hill’s Active Rental Subject The topic of the resource This research focuses on the demographics of Sandy Hill’s housing, specifically rental properties and apartments. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Sarah Donaldson & Sarah Struthers Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource April 8 Description An account of the resource Our group mapped apartments and rental properties in Sandy Hill. This topic is important for understanding food assets because it maps physical distance between people and food sources, as well as the financial status of people who live in rental properties and how much money they have to spend on food. Sources for our findings include real estate agents (collect information on housing for the purpose of selling, investing, and advising others), and Statistics Canada. The average household income in Sandy Hill before taxes is $87,400. The median household income before taxes is $62,400. <a href="https://publications.gc.ca/collections/collection_2020/schl-cmhc/NH12-77-2020-eng.pdf">(CMHC, 2020)</a> There is a large student population in Sandy Hill, which likely contributes to the lower average income in the neighbourhood as opposed to the Ottawa average. Students tend to live on the west side of the neighbourhood, closer to the University of Ottawa campus where household income is generally lower <a href="https://johncastle.ca/investment-property-in-ottawa/investment-property-in-sandy-hill/">(John Castle, 2023)</a>. Additionally, Sandy Hill has a slightly higher than average rent for single-person households compared to the Ottawa average. Sandy Hill has also had rapid growth in population since 2017, with unemployment rates being higher than the national average <a href="https://johncastle.ca/investment-property-in-ottawa/ottawa-rental-income/">(John Castle, 2023)</a>. Vacancy rates rose during the pandemic but have since recovered <a href="https://publications.gc.ca/collections/collection_2020/schl-cmhc/NH12-77-2020-eng.pdf">(CMHC, 2020)</a>. According to residents, housing is a major point of complaint, as rent prices have been high in recent years <a href="https://www.areavibes.com/ottawa-on/sandy+hill/employment/">(areavibes.com via Statistics Canada)</a>. According to a study done focusing on student living in Ottawa and Ontario "The average rent paid by students surveyed is $926.8, with 95% (n= 310) identifying rent prices as a primary challenge. Students in Ontario face a higher average rent ($935.4) compared to those in Quebec ($830.1). Financially, 25% (n= 106) of respondents rely solely on employment income. A student earning the minimum wage in Ottawa ($17.20/h) would need to work 54 hours per month just to cover the average rent cost, excluding tuition, food and transportation costs."<a href="https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/66ad1e5a8e08cfd112d65245/67f6f106a2d1b2b8d0872b28_SHEC%20Report%20Final.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener" title="STUDENT HOUSING CAUCUS REPORT By SHEC">STUDENT HOUSING CAUCUS REPORT</a> A large number of apartment buildings in Sandy Hill are on the north side of the neighbourhood, close to Rideau Street. It is difficult to tell if a property is owned or rented during a walkthrough of the neighbourhood. For example, often historic buildings are converted and/or renovated into multiple rentable units, but that it is impossible to tell just by looking at them. The interactive Google Map, below, shows some of the rentals and single family homes we marked.  This map is not complete as we did a pedestrian survey of the neighborhood.  We will be updating this map at a later time. Language A language of the resource English https://omeka.uottawa.ca/anthroharvest/files/original/ed015e97cdccdb5d4e83c965091777f9.JPG 4d6d91bc1586c507692d28140b93807c https://omeka.uottawa.ca/anthroharvest/files/original/eeaa51c1baa0212c1e6c353770f04efb.jpg 5b0fed18ad4e38b24f14cec895f344fa https://omeka.uottawa.ca/anthroharvest/files/original/3cebeecbaf0e0176f02f0ad429430acb.png e3420415a1a4dce4683a5428212c1a4b Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource uOttawa Time Capsule 2025 Subject The topic of the resource According to Google AI, "A digital time capsule is a curated collection of digital assets, like photos, videos, and documents, intended to capture a specific moment, person, or theme and be preserved and shared in the future." In our case, this time capsule reflects important objects, places, and ephemera that illustrate campus life in fall 2025. All were chosen by the students who were participant-observers of their own cultures. The students not only chose and photographed the objects, but they also wrote the stories or narratives associated with them. Description An account of the resource The culture of the University of Ottawa can be understood through the everyday objects that define student life. It begins with the uOttawa student card, the first sign of belonging. Paired with a Gee-Gees lanyard or a bilingual business card, it reflects the university’s bilingual identity and its position as a meeting point between English and French. This duality shapes how students learn, communicate, and represent themselves both on and off campus. Student culture at uOttawa is also reflected in what people wear. Levi’s jeans, University of Ottawa hoodies, sherpa jacket, and Telfer sweatshirts show how clothing blends comfort, pride, and practicality. The 101er Frosh T-shirt and Shine Day shirt add another layer of meaning, symbolizing both community and philanthropy. Frosh week introduces students to campus life, while Shine Day connects them to broader causes like Cystic Fibrosis Canada. Together, they show that school spirit at uOttawa extends beyond academics. The academic side of university life is seen in objects like the Apple products, headphones, notepaper, laptop stickers, syllabus, water bottles, and criminology string bags that fill classrooms and study spaces. These represent both creativity and routine. The Tim Hortons coffee cup might seem simple, but it captures a familiar ritual across campus. Coffee runs are part of the rhythm of student life, a shared pause in busy days. School pride and social life also find expression in items like Panda Game tickets and the Pedro Panda Trophy. These objects represent one of uOttawa’s biggest traditions, a yearly football rivalry with Carleton University that brings students together in celebration. Moments like this create a strong sense of community, even among a large and diverse student body. The Orange Shirt acknowledges the atrocities and suffering experienced by those who attended residential schools in Canada as part of the national Truth and Reconciliation mandate to honor Indigenous peoples. Finally, artifacts such as the U Cup mug, beer glasses from Father and Son's, a Prusa 3D printer, and even O-Frango’s—a popular student food stop, represent the blend of innovation and everyday culture. They show how uOttawa combines research, creativity, and social connection in a way that feels uniquely its own. Taken together, these objects tell a story about identity and community. The culture of uOttawa is defined by hard work, inclusivity, and pride, but also by small moments of connection. From the student card to the Panda Game, each item reflects how students experience and shape university life every day. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource O-FRANGO Description An account of the resource O-Frango is an affordable food truck near the University of Ottawa campus that has become a go-to dining spot for many students after class. Their fried chicken and fries served with a variety of sauces are a big hit among students. It perfectly reflects the daily life and food culture of uOttawa students in 2025. Outside their food truck, there's a plastic canopy and tables where students can eat their fried chicken right away or share it with friends. Not only that, but their lunch boxes and food carts all feature their own logo—a chicken wearing a chef's hat—along with the date they opened and their slogan: “O-town Fried Chicken.” Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Haithm Alshaebi Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived 151 Laurier Ave E Ottawa, ON K1N 6N8 Canada Curated by: Eli Pearce; Yanqing Lu; Ruiqing Bi; Ben Maduri Photo: Yanqing Lu Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2025 Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource © Ofrango Relation A related resource Fried Chicken and restaurant Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource Physical object-Food Truck Next to the food cart is an extended platform with a canopy, featuring three or four chairs for diners to eat. Language A language of the resource English Type The nature or genre of the resource Physical object-Food Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Ottawa, Ontario, Canada,2019- Present day Decor https://omeka.uottawa.ca/anthroharvest/files/original/c53fdad6764d6b8bd97dda8ce74444ec.jpg 7de9acd880dabb8309187015d608f023 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource uOttawa Time Capsule 2025 Subject The topic of the resource According to Google AI, "A digital time capsule is a curated collection of digital assets, like photos, videos, and documents, intended to capture a specific moment, person, or theme and be preserved and shared in the future." In our case, this time capsule reflects important objects, places, and ephemera that illustrate campus life in fall 2025. All were chosen by the students who were participant-observers of their own cultures. The students not only chose and photographed the objects, but they also wrote the stories or narratives associated with them. Description An account of the resource The culture of the University of Ottawa can be understood through the everyday objects that define student life. It begins with the uOttawa student card, the first sign of belonging. Paired with a Gee-Gees lanyard or a bilingual business card, it reflects the university’s bilingual identity and its position as a meeting point between English and French. This duality shapes how students learn, communicate, and represent themselves both on and off campus. Student culture at uOttawa is also reflected in what people wear. Levi’s jeans, University of Ottawa hoodies, sherpa jacket, and Telfer sweatshirts show how clothing blends comfort, pride, and practicality. The 101er Frosh T-shirt and Shine Day shirt add another layer of meaning, symbolizing both community and philanthropy. Frosh week introduces students to campus life, while Shine Day connects them to broader causes like Cystic Fibrosis Canada. Together, they show that school spirit at uOttawa extends beyond academics. The academic side of university life is seen in objects like the Apple products, headphones, notepaper, laptop stickers, syllabus, water bottles, and criminology string bags that fill classrooms and study spaces. These represent both creativity and routine. The Tim Hortons coffee cup might seem simple, but it captures a familiar ritual across campus. Coffee runs are part of the rhythm of student life, a shared pause in busy days. School pride and social life also find expression in items like Panda Game tickets and the Pedro Panda Trophy. These objects represent one of uOttawa’s biggest traditions, a yearly football rivalry with Carleton University that brings students together in celebration. Moments like this create a strong sense of community, even among a large and diverse student body. The Orange Shirt acknowledges the atrocities and suffering experienced by those who attended residential schools in Canada as part of the national Truth and Reconciliation mandate to honor Indigenous peoples. Finally, artifacts such as the U Cup mug, beer glasses from Father and Son's, a Prusa 3D printer, and even O-Frango’s—a popular student food stop, represent the blend of innovation and everyday culture. They show how uOttawa combines research, creativity, and social connection in a way that feels uniquely its own. Taken together, these objects tell a story about identity and community. The culture of uOttawa is defined by hard work, inclusivity, and pride, but also by small moments of connection. From the student card to the Panda Game, each item reflects how students experience and shape university life every day. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Original Prusa MK4S HF0.4 nozzle Subject The topic of the resource Prusa 3D printers at University of Ottawa Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Prusa Research by Joseph Prusa Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2024 Language A language of the resource English French Type The nature or genre of the resource Physical object - 3D printing machine with a HF0.4 nozzle Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Made by Prusa Research by Joseph Prusa. Purchased by the University of Ottawa Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Acquired from: uOttawa Richard L'Abbé Makerspace, STM 107 150 Louis Pasteur Ottawa ON K1N 6N5. Catalogued by uOttawa General Inv. <a href="https://www.prusa3d.com/product/original-prusa-mk4s-3d-printer-5/" title="Company's website listing of the product">Original Prusa MK4S</a> Curated by: Fred Gagne; Maya Norgaard; Lorelie Houde; Erica Doucet-MacDonald Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource Original Prusa research can reproduce this model. everyone with access to Richard L’Abbé Makerspace can operate it Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource The printer weighs 7 kg, and has dimensions of 500×550×400 mm. The building area is 250 x 210 x 220 mm and the printing plate is Magnetic heatbed with removable PEI spring steel sheets. It has a mainboard for controls, a nozzle of 0.4mm, advanced sensors and a cooling fan with a 360 degree cooling system. It uses Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) techniques. The print medium is with a USB drive, LAN or with the internet via Prusa connect. It is to be noted that the medium used at Richard L’Abbé Makerspace is a USB drive. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context 00022617 Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Prusa Research A.S. EU Partyzánská 188/7A, 17000 Prague 7 Czech Republic Description An account of the resource 3D printing machines can be found in the STEM building in MakerSpace since 2017. This space is a part of Centre of Entrepreneurship and Engineering Design (CEED) and is a crucial aspect of the engineering faculty . Back in 2017, the only printers available were the UltiMakers released in 2013. In Summer 2025, CEED acquired two Prusa MK4S in MakerSpace. This place is available to all students and staff members of uOttawa. It is useful to engineering students for many of their classes, but it is also used for personal projects by other faculties. In prior years, access to the printing machines was free. As of Fall 2025, costs of ten dollars are included in tuition fees of engineering programs. For other members of the community, a few options are offered; it is free on Sundays, they can buy a day pass for 5$ or pay 25$ for a semester with unlimited use. Since 2017, Richard L'Abbé Makerspace and its 3D printers have been part of the culture, but the Prusa MK4S are truly unique to the current culture now in 2025 and have changed how things work in general. Functional