Research assignment Part 2 x Williams

X Williams: -Canadian, born in Toronto

-background is Jamaican/Guyanese

Parents:

Dad( Gary Williams): -born in Kingston Jamaica, mom is 1/2 Chinese & 1/2 Jamaican, and dad is Jamaican

-Mom (Beverly Warren) had him at 16

-Only child

-Mom left for Canada in 1968 to live with her mom, dad came later on in 1973 at age 12

-came for better opportunities

-Later moved to Acton where his mom met and married Jim warren (grandfather); biological father(Keith Williams) died in a drowning incident in Jamaica

-Grandfather (dad’s step dad) is English with a younger sister

-Grandmother(dad’s mom) is an only child

-Married grandfather in 1970, both were 26 years old

-extended family

-Had two children together, Sean Warren (1972) and Michelle Warren (1978)

-a combination of collectivistic and individualistic where one must respect elders and do as they are told, if they do not they would seek the repercussions but can also be independent and goal oriented. E.g. my dad has taught me to always respect and obey those in authority; as well as finding a career where I can see myself being successful as well as happy.

Mom (Sandra Welch): -born 1965 in Toronto, Canada

-nuclear family

-2 sisters, youngest of the three

-both parents born in Georgetown, Guyana

-grandmother (Claudette Welch) has 7 siblings, 1 brother & 6 sisters

-grandfather (Aubrey Welch) has 6 siblings, 2 brothers & 4 sisters

-parents got married in Guyana in 1958, mom was 20, dad was 22

-oldest sister, Audrey born in 1958

-older sister and mom came to Canada in 1961, and moved into a basement apartment in Toronto, dad & his brother came later on in the same year

-came for better opportunities

-middle sister (Pauline Brown) born in 1964

-individualistic culture where mom and siblings were allowed to make their own choices, free will(to a certain extent. Got to choose what they wore, post secondary education and careers) but they still had to respect elders and one another

Assimilations: -English is spoken in both Guyana and Jamaica with accents, in Guyana it is referred to as Creolese and Jamaica as Patois. My father and his mother spoke Patois in Jamaica, but once they moved to Canada my dad had to “lose” the accent while attending school as it was predominately Caucasian students; grandmother upon marriage in Canada didn’t speak Patois as frequently. But would speak Patois with black friends/acquaintances that he encountered.

Mom’s parents would speak with their accent at home and around friends and family.

Food and recipes were carried over from homeland and continued to be enjoyed while in Canada while incorporating foods from Canadian culture like burgers, pork chops, mashed potatoes, fries etc.

http://www.rgs.org/WhatsOn/Past+events/Travel+Events/Guyana/guyana+background.htm

http://jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/20100421/cleisure/cleisure3.html