βThe love of one's country is a splendid thing. But why should love stop at the border? -- Pablo Casals

Mr. Jeet Singh emigrated to Canada in 1985 from India. He didn't have any family here and felt overwhelmed by his new country. It took a few years, but eventually he began to feel more at home and considered himself a Canadian.
π«π³πΎββοΈπ
Mr. Singh came to Canada to make a better life for himself. He knew it wouldn't be easy as thing were very difficult at first. But he was determined to succeed as he worked a series of odd jobs. After a couple of years, Mr. Singh was able to open his very own market. The store would feature fresh fruits, vegetables, and imported goods from his native India.
πͺπ³πΎββοΈπ₯
Mr. Singh immersed himself in Canadian culture as much as he could. He even managed to learn some Canadian slang such as a 'double-double' or 'two-four'. He even became a huge fan of The Toronto Raptors. But they still wanted to maintain their culture by speaking Hindi and celebrating some of India's major holidays. Unfortunately, that seemed to bother some people.



My friends and I would pass by Mr. Singh's store every morning on our way to school. He was always so friendly and would often give us all an apple or something sweet. I didn't speak his language but I managed to learn some basic phrases in Hindi. His face would light up when I would say 'Namaste' which meant 'Greetings.'
π±π»ββοΈπ³πΎββοΈπ
As I grew older I began to notice a change in my friends' attitude. They were beginning to develop a bit of mean streak. Our jokes used to be harmless and silly but now they were starting to make fun of other people. Most of their so-called jokes had to do with someone's appearance or personality quirks. Though I didn't join in, I stood by and let it happen.
π§π»π±π»ββοΈπ¦π»
I'm not sure if it was peer pressure or something that they learned at home, but these weren't the kids that I grew up with. Soon noone was safe from their hurtful comments, even my friend Mr. Singh. He still had a pretty thick accent but I was able to understand him. My friend Blake began to do an unfunny impression of Mr. Singh right to his face. And again, I did nothing.
π¦π»π³πΎββοΈπ§π»
I could see how hurt Mr. Singh was as Blake continued to mock his accent. But instead of apologizing on behalf of Blake, I ended up following him and Matt to the bus stop. I didn't say a word during the entire bus trip home. All I could think about was the look on Mr. Singh's face. It was a mix of sadness and disappointment.
ππ π’
One evening during supper, my Dad began to rant about 'those people.' It took me a while to figure out who he was talking about. He had an incident durng his commute to work and nearly got into an accident. The driver of the other car was a woman wearing a hijab. I was really disappointed in my Dad. I thought he was better than that.
π±π»ββοΈπ‘
I tried my best to keep an open mind but sometimes I felt like giving in and going along with the others. It's hard to think for yourself when it's so much easier to follow the crowd. I didn't like the way my friends were talking but I remained silent. I could've spoken up or walked away from them, but it wasn't that easy. We'd been friends for years.
π±π»ββοΈπ¦π»π§π»
My friends appeared to have moved on from their rude behavior as they turned their focus to sports. I was so relieved to be talking about something that brings people together for a change. But that all ended one Friday afternoon when Matt thought it would be funny to hurl a football through Mr. Singh's window. We immediately ran off after the glass shattered but I knew that Mr. Singh had seen me.
ππ»ββοΈπͺπ
"Touchdown!" Matt joked. "What's wrong with you guys? Mr. Singh is our friend." "You're so woke!" Blake snapped at me. "Woke?" "We're just having fun. If you want to save the world, you can do it all by yourself." After a brief staredown, I headed for home and ran upstairs where I burst into tears.
ππΌββοΈπ π
My Mom knocked on my bedroom door and sat beside me on the bed. I told her the story about what my friends had done and how they had changed. "I'm proud of you Alex. You have a good heart." "But now I don't have any friends." "You're still young and will be making friends for the rest of your life." "The only friend I care about is Mr. Singh. I wish there was something I could do for him." "Maybe there is."
π±π»ββοΈπ§‘π©πΌ
For the next few months I would be helping do light clean up duty for a local construction project. They were long days and it left me with little time for myself on the weekends. But it was worth it. Eventually I would have enough to help pay for a new window at Mr. Singh's store. Even though the job was repetitive and boring, I got through it. I was presented with a cheque that was more than enough to replace the window.
π·πΌββοΈπ²πͺ
- Full access to our public library
- Save favorite books
- Interact with authors
βThe love of one's country is a splendid thing. But why should love stop at the border? -- Pablo Casals

Mr. Jeet Singh emigrated to Canada in 1985 from India. He didn't have any family here and felt overwhelmed by his new country. It took a few years, but eventually he began to feel more at home and considered himself a Canadian.
π«π³πΎββοΈπ
Mr. Singh came to Canada to make a better life for himself. He knew it wouldn't be easy as thing were very difficult at first. But he was determined to succeed as he worked a series of odd jobs. After a couple of years, Mr. Singh was able to open his very own market. The store would feature fresh fruits, vegetables, and imported goods from his native India.
πͺπ³πΎββοΈπ₯
Mr. Singh immersed himself in Canadian culture as much as he could. He even managed to learn some Canadian slang such as a 'double-double' or 'two-four'. He even became a huge fan of The Toronto Raptors. But they still wanted to maintain their culture by speaking Hindi and celebrating some of India's major holidays. Unfortunately, that seemed to bother some people.



- < BEGINNING
- END >
-
DOWNLOAD
-
LIKE(79)
-
COMMENT()
-
SHARE
-
SAVE
-
BUY THIS BOOK
(from $4.39+) -
BUY THIS BOOK
(from $4.39+) - DOWNLOAD
- LIKE (79)
- COMMENT ()
- SHARE
- SAVE
- Report
-
BUY
-
LIKE(79)
-
COMMENT()
-
SHARE
- Excessive Violence
- Harassment
- Offensive Pictures
- Spelling & Grammar Errors
- Unfinished
- Other Problem
COMMENTS
Click 'X' to report any negative comments. Thanks!