When I was growing up as a young girl, I wanted to desperately ‘fit in’ with the rest of my classmates.  During our primary school days, my sister and I were the only children who looked racially ‘different’ from the rest of the students in our elementary school.  We had ‘brown skin’ and many of the children were unwelcoming to… Continue reading

Mental health and addictions services for Canadian newcomers have huge gaps to help understand and support our communities as they are increasingly becoming more culturally diverse. People who are new to this country and who are experiencing the migration or settlement and re-settlement stages are under a tremendous amount of stress. … Continue reading

Mental Health and Wellness knows no nationality, race, colour, culture, community, socio-economic status, gender, sexual orientation, or profession.  In fact, it impacts and is impacted by all areas of one’s social, mental, physical, emotional, spiritual, psychological and financial health.  Canadian society has begun to shift its focus entirely from the ‘problems’ and reducing these ‘problems’ to focusing on how we define and create a better sense of health and wellness. … Continue reading

What comes to your mind when you think of a South Asian “Super Woman” ? Do you picture her in a saree, salvaar kameez or in that red & blue onesy? How you answer this question may give you an idea of the challenges that each of us women are facing in balancing our versions of the East and West… Continue reading

Every immigrant parent who has moved to a new country has come here with hopes, expectations and intentions of creating a better life.  There are dreams and long-term plans to start a journey that will be ‘successful’ and comfortable not only for themselves and their children, but also for their future generations.

However, with the challenges of starting… Continue reading

When I think of 2011, there is one word that I hope to describe this year to be.  This word is TRANSFORMATIVE.  During this time of year, you will usually find that I am on a journey to inspire others to re-assess or to create a personal vision, mission and values statement that will align them to a life that… Continue reading

I was very fortunate to attend the very inspirational local community grand opening of an Immigrant Women’s Health Resource Clinic recently on December 2, 2010 in Surrey, British Columbia.  It is a fabulous initiative that recognizes the critical needs and gaps in health care services provided for immigrant women.  And it is the hope of all partners in this… Continue reading

As the first day of 2011 approaches, this day commemorates the start of another year and a new beginning.  Along with celebrations, this day should also be a time to reflect, mourn the passing of 2010 and to move forward into 2011.  When you think back about this year in solitude and in a peaceful state of… Continue reading

So are you going to go to school to be a doctor, an engineer or something of a similar [professional] caliber?  Being born into a South Asian family myself, these questions remain common amongst most the first and second generations of newcomers.  Parents worked hard to immigrate to a country wherein their children are given an opportunity for a better… Continue reading

Have you ever wondered why you even need to change or redefine what you consider to be “beautiful”?

I recently went away for my holidays to Mexico and decided to get my hair braided into “corn rows” or “dreads” because of the extreme heat and humidity as I was unable to manage my curly and unruly hair. It was… Continue reading