13 items

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  "I'm Annett. I'm Trouble." - Dec. 2015

  In this short video, Annett Filler, a valued member of the local German-Canadian Club, speaks about her family and the German holidays she still celebrates here in Canada. Starting with the New Year, Annett highlights the differences between the holidays celebrated here in Canada and those in Germany. Annett emigrated from Magdeburg, Germany in 1998 with her husband and two young children to Ottawa, before moving to London. In addition to woodworking, running a household containing two University-aged children (and an exchange student or two), Annett is responsible for organizing and running many of the holiday events held at the German-Canadian Club. These events run throughout the year, and includes some well-known events, like Oktoberfest, and lesser-known events, such as Summer Solstice.
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  A Passion for Languages and Cultures: Teacher, Researcher, and Principal of the German Language School

  The purpose of this portrait project is to display a personal experience of migration, as well as the integration into a new culture through one’s work and passion. It is to exemplify how interactions within a new culture aid to solidifying an identity that encompasses many different cultures, lifestyles, and personal experiences. Through an interview, captured on film, it is seen that there are many different aspects of interactions which provide an understanding of how an identity is established and then developed throughout life. Living within a new culture, and immersing oneself in a daily routine, it is evident that each person adapts to their new life differently. As seen in this depiction of a first person experience of immigration, work is a large part of a person’s life, and can have a great deal of influence on their identity.
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  A passionate story about teaching and integration - Dec. 2015

  This is Ilse, the woman who came from Germany to Canada and set out by teaching her language to Canadians. It's people like her that make Canada diverse and multilingual, and I'm proud to have been able to present her portrait to the London Community.
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  A Story of Canadian Immigration - Dec. 2015

  This visual assignment will be examining the story of a German community member of the London German Club. I will be sharing his story of coming to Canada and all the changes he had to go through culturally and socially. He decided to leave behind a farm that had been passed down in his family for over 14 generations and I would like to see what feeling he was experiencing at that time. I will be examining the struggles and difficulties that this individual has encountered throughout the opening few years of being exposed to an alien culture. When immigrants leave behind their homeland they either fall in love with the country they move to or regret their decision. This portrait will also be exploring to see if the individual ultimately considers themselves as Canadian or German after having live in Ontario for over 30 years.
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  Art with Intent: The Craft of Creating and Continuing Culture - Dec. 2015

  Roswitha Mackenzie is interviewed by Jean-Paul Sauve about her immigration experience, and her efforts within the local German community to support the London, Ontario German School’s exchange program. She and he talk about coming to Canada with her husband, and their 3 young children, and how she sent her oldest to the German school. She talks about how she ended up teaching Kindergarten at the same school, which is how she heard about the Christkindl Markt. They discuss her involvement with the Christkindl Markt, while they do needle felting, which is a new craft for her social group. She explains some of the history of the various markets, and how they have adapted to the modern ways of living. I learned about how many people give a lot of their time so that others can benefit from the uniqueness of their culture, whether learning a language, or decorating a mantel.
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  Building a German Community: A Story from the Leader of the German Canadian Club

  This project is a digital documentation of one German immigrant's life growing up in the London community. The project primarily focuses on Jurgen Belle (the president of the German-Canadian Club in London), who has been a member of London's German community from a very young age. He reflects on events he participated in as a child, such as soccer games and Sunday traditions. Now, as a leader in the community, he explains how he works hard to keep the German community thriving. Jurgen also shares the struggles young, German immigrants experienced in the school system and racism directed towards German community in recent years. To accomplish a well-rounded presentation several meetings were held before the final interview at the German-Canadian Club. In the conclusion, we discover Jurgen has a strong connection to German culture because of the community he is a part of, regardless of the fact he has spent majority of his life in Canada.
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  German Food and Culture - Dec. 2015

  We look into the life of Christa Englemeyer in relation to what the German Community and Food mean to her. Immigrating to Canada made her accustom to many of Canadian culture, but she still keeps certain German tradition close to her. Although, there are certain times where she would mix the two traditions, she shows that that is not any less German and that it is possible to mix two cultures and coincide with one another. With Christa and her husband Jim, they give a plethora of valuable information of German-Canadian culture and how they celebrate Christmas to just a regular dinner at home - here at London, Onatrio.
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  I Don’t Sit Between Two Chairs. I Have Two Chairs To Choose From

  This video portrait provides an insight into the life of Karin, a German immigrant to Canada. Karin grew up in Germany, in the Black Forest. When she was 16, she met a German soldier who was based near her hometown. In 1981 she marries him and they move to Toronto, Canada together. In this video portrait, she talks about her experiences at her first job in Canada, her first experiences of multiculturalism and how she overcame obstacles with the English language before becoming fully bilingual. Through these experiences, she managed to balance both a German and a Canadian way of life, without feeling like she had to pick one. All in all, she passes on a message of inclusivity and celebration of the coexistence of various cultures in Canada. She now lives near London, Ontario with her second husband, has two married children and a grandchild. Through her personal story, I learned about the importance of having an open heart when moving to a new place; The importance of embracing differences and focusing on the good things that that new place has to offer.
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  Maintaining German Heritage in Canada: Generation to Generation

  This video shares how a member of the German community in Canada maintains German heritage and gives her kids the opportunity to grow up between cultures. The interviewee, Christine moved to Canada over 20 years ago for an au pair position, and ended up spending the rest of her life there. Through a series of interviews a video was created focussing on the theme of passing on culture from generation to generation. The video shares both the mothers, and the kid’s perspective of identity, and differences between Germany and Canada. The video highlights the kid’s and mother’s commitment to their German Nationality, and the daily implementation of German culture in their lives. Christine mentions the ways in which she maintained her German culture while living abroad, and which activities she kept consistent in her kid’s lives for them to receive this culture as well.
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  Making a home away from home- How a German immigrant became part of the German- Canadian community.

  Barbara Weis, from Weimar, Thüringen, Germany, shares the story of her immigration to Canada in 1953. She guides the viewer along with her journey, starting with her reason for leaving due to a series of unfortunate events. When the family farm was taken over by German soldiers in the GDR (German democratic republic), the family was forced to evacuate their home and settle at refugee camps in Berlin and West Germany. It was during this time that they applied for a Canadian travel visa, which was approved three years later. She presents a detailed description about her initial experience when arriving in London, Ontario, Canada, after traveling across the Atlantic Ocean on a big ship for multiple days, and finally taking a train from Montreal to London. Ultimately, she tells a little more about the major components that aided her transition, such as the extremely accommodating German community, composed of German nationals that had come to London in previous years, who helped her and her family adjust to their new life and feel at home in a new country. The German- Canadian club is also a major focus throughout the video, as it was here that she formed many lifelong friendships and found the support that she needed to become truly German- Canadian. The short- documentary is concluded with some short words about how her experience has impacted her life, her identity, and the life of those around her. A truly inspiring story about the importance of the bond between people who share similar experiences and life journeys.
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  Migration from Germany to Canada through the wonder of travel - Dec. 2015

  Using video and a large amount of personal photos, this portrait documents the travel experiences and the unusual path that led Hans to settle in the London area in Canada in 1960. Hans and his lifelong friend Franz embarked on their amazing travels together and passed through many unique cultures and countries on the way to both settling in Canada. The two friends often hitchhiked to get from place to place, and found work to finance their travels onwards. Hans eventually made it to Canada through Iceland after hearing of Canada needing trade school professionals and settled in Strathroy, Ontario. After working for a short period of time, Hans decided to open his own business, which is still in operation today, 50 odd years later. After spending an unbelievable year abroad in Germany, I had a strong personal interest in hearing the stories and perspectives of those who had emigrated from Germany to Canada as immigrants. Through his wonderful story, an important personal objective was to highlight that oftentimes the most rewarding experiences come in the most unexpected of ways.
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  New to Me: From Germany to Canada; From Perception to Reality - Dec. 2015

  This portrait details the immigration of Karin Reinhardt and her family from Waiblingen, Germany to London, Ontario. The information is given from her perspective. Karin discusses what it was like for her to leave behind her friends and family to come to a new country where she did not know anyone and where she did not speak the language. She talks about an encounter she had with a school peer and with one of her neighbours. She also shares what she thought Canada would be like when she first came over. Karin also mentions the role of German language and of the German Canadian club in her life. This portrait was done to engage with the German Community within London, Ontario. It is important to learn about different cultures within the local community and in this case, the focus was on the local German community. To learn more about it, an interview was conducted with a German immigrant to learn why she chose to leave her home country and come to Canada. It was interesting to learn about the struggles she faced when she came over as a young girl and how she overcame them. Her story is part of understanding the various reasons people decided to emigrate from Germany to Canada, how people adapt to new environments and how important it is to people to maintain a connection with their culture.
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  Stefanie and The Tea Haus: A Microcosm of Canada's Multiculturalism - Dec. 2015

  “Stefanie and The Tea Haus: A Microcosm of Canada's Multiculturalism” documents a German immigrant’s life in Canada and eventual set up of her local business, The Tea Haus. The video’s main focus is on differences in culture in Germany and Canada. With Stefanie’s favourite thing about Canada is its multiculturalism, the interviews focus on how the Canadian multiculturalism policy has influenced her as well as two of The Tea Haus’ regular customers, Lisa and Nicole.