Chapter 9

Leaving Home

Saying farewell is never easy for me and this occasion was no exception. Tears flowed freely. Ma, Daddy, Clement, Lionel, Ralph, Enid, Sydney, other relatives and several friends were at the airport early one morning in September, 1958, to see Reuben and me off. It was not as if we were going to another city, or to be away for a few months. We had taken the bold step to resign from our secure Civil Service jobs and were leaving loved ones and familiar surroundings for a far off country. We had no idea as to when we would be back. I was 22 at the time and Reuben two years older. We were University bound for Canada, I to the Ontario Agricultural College in Guelph and Reuben to Carleton University in Ottawa.

The weeks prior to our departure passed very quickly. We sought information from anyone who had been to Canada, shopped, packed, said good bye etc. We patiently waited for our students’ visas, for which we had written months earlier. As our date of departure drew closer, we sent a cable to Ottawa. No reply. Was fate against us? The worst scenarios entered our minds; we would not get our visas in time. Desperation forced us to send a second cable to plead our case. Our prayers were answered and our visas arrived three days before our departure. I quickly sent off a cable with details of my flight, to Valentine Mohabir, a friend who was attending the Ontario Veterinary College. He had promised to meet me at the airport.

With no post secondary institution in Guyana, we had decided to study abroad. When we were in High School all that we looked forward to was a relatively easy Civil Service job. We would be set for life. At least so we thought. Six months doing a boring job in the Telephone section in the Post Office, a monthly salary of $76, with the potential of small annual increments and reaching $200 in seven years made me realize that it was a dead end job. I had wanted to do something that was interesting, challenging and with a better future. At that time my options were very limited. I had to choose a field that was in demand, not one based on aptitude. A career in Science seemed to be the best bet. With no Science background, not even at elementary level, we enrolled in the Evening Science Classes at Queen’s College in Georgetown. It took us two years to get our G.C.E. O Level in Chemistry, Biology and Physics (equivalent to Grade 11). We were admitted to our respective programs in Guelph and Ottawa without the necessary prerequisites--Grade 13 or equivalent. But to get our Grade 13 equivalent would have required another two years at Evening Classes and I had already been out of High School for five years. It was going to be tough for us in University. However, we were determined to succeed.

During our flight we met a few other students who were also on their way to Canada. One of them was Ian de Vertuil, a Trinidadian who had lived in Guyana for a few years. Ian, who had just turned 18, was full of life and we took a liking to him. Ian entertained us with his jokes and we soon forgot our problems. Our flight was delayed for four hours in Puerto Rico and we missed our connection from New York to Toronto. What else could go wrong? Instead of arriving that evening we were expected to land in Toronto at 9 a.m. the following day. We had the choice of spending the night at a hotel but turned it down because we had to be back at the airport in eight hours. We were not sure whether we had to pay for the taxi fare but were afraid to ask. The terrible stories about New York were also at the back of our minds. We felt safer at the airport.

We were wide awake when our flight touched down in Toronto at about 9 a.m. After saying goodbye to each other we were on our own at the busy airport. Valentine was not there to meet me. I was stranded and without alternative plans. I did not know how far away Guelph was or how to get there. With some help, I was able to phone the Registrar’s Office and got instructions to take a bus to Union Station and from there a train to Guelph. Exhausted and sleepy eyed, I arrived at Union Station and learned that the next train for Guelph was in the late afternoon. What followed was due to lack of sleep, naiveness and inexperience. I took a taxi from Union Station to Guelph for $20 (equal to about $120 in today’s money). Later on, I got a lot of teasing from my friends for that incident. To me twenty dollars seemed reasonable in comparison to twelve dollars, the cost by train which was quoted by someone--not a railway employee. The cost was about five dollars at that time.

The Registrar’s Office was very helpful and after completing all the paperwork, I moved into Room 364, a large double room in Johnson Hall. My roommate, Linton Murray, a Jamaican had already moved in but was not there. After unpacking, I felt lost. I had not eaten for several hours but did not feel hungry--most likely too much adrenaline was flowing. I went out and met three students, Charlie Csiza, Tony VanDreumel and Joe Ocran who were sitting on a bench in front of Mill’s Hall. They were foreign students, about to enter the Veterinary Medicine Course. Their faces mirrored a sense of uncertainty. Even though Charlie looked very sad, he seemed the most willing to talk. He told me that he had been a student in Hungary and had escaped with his life for taking part in the 1956 Hungarian Revolution. His parents had been killed during the revolution. Having listened to Charlie, my problems and concerns seemed miniscule. As his command of English was not very good, he had to take a Proficiency in English Entrance Examination. He was awaiting the results. Tony was from Holland and Joe from Ghana. They filled me in on Cafeteria hours and other basic information.

Later that day Valentine arrived and apologized for not meeting me at the Airport. He had received my cable at about the same time that I landed, the reason being that the cable was placed in his mailbox and it was on that morning that he had cleared his mailbox. The normal procedure was for the message to be given over the telephone and the cable to follow later by mail. The foul-up was rather expensive for us because Valentine had rented a car and headed for the Airport. By that time I was either at Union Station or on my way to Guelph.

On the following day Valentine took me downtown to get Fall and Winter clothing. Of the items bought, the only thing that I do remember was the well-lined black coat with a hood. I was teased a lot when I used the hood during cold weather. Many things seemed strange to me during my first few days--cars and gigantic ones driving on the right side of the road, newspapers sold from kiosks on the honour system, self service in stores, meals served in a large cafeteria, coin-operated washing machines. I learned quickly. Before I was able to settle in, we the Freshmen, Frosh, were rounded up by second year students. They took control over our lives for the next few days. After taking my brush cut, I had to wear my Frosh Hat, roll up my pants to my knees and carry two large cardboard name tags, hung around my neck, at all times. We lined up at all hours of the night, sang Frosh songs, did push ups etc. We hardly had any free time and wondered how long the military type regimentation would last. During meal time at Creelman Hall we sat opposite the Mac Hall Frosh ladies. One person that I talked to was Arlene Ryder, Mac’62. I guess I must have referred to my home country by its abbreviated form B.G. for British Guiana. Several years after , she still called me by B.G.. At the conclusion of Frosh activities, I was a true OAC ‘62.

On my way to classes some of my classmates used to say what a nice day it was, when I had been finding it cold. I could not imagine how a cold sunny day could be considered nice. Decreasing daylight also took a toll on me and I found it rather difficult to be going to classes and returning to my room in darkness. Daylight hours were relatively constant in Guyana. My problem was that I was homesick. I did not tell any one because I was embarrassed. I was not prepared for it. In retrospect, I realize that my homesickness clouded my judgment and appreciation for the beautiful Fall colours. That was a difficult time for me. At times I wondered whether I had made the right decision to leave my job in Guyana. The more I thought about it the more I realized that I could not quit and return home. I would be too embarrassed.

I was also experiencing difficulty with my studies. My roommate was very helpful. He used to tutor some of us in Physics. I found the guys on our floor very nice and quickly made friends with Wayne Stinson, Paul Dolbear, Francis Buckmire, Francis Leonce, Fred Hayles and Percy Chen, On one occasion someone played a joke at my expense. After doing my weekly laundry I had all my white underwear turn blue. The next day I found one of my shorts pinned up on the bulletin board on our floor. Now I think that I was a trail blazer in fashion because after that incident, coloured underwear was sold in the stores.

In November, a group of us, foreign students, received a note from Ian White, the Dean. The Rotary Club of Shelburne, Ontario had invited us to spend a weekend with Rotarian Families. Ken Daly, Percy Chen, Fred Hayles, Paul Houghton and myself accepted. We were picked up on a Friday in front of the Administration Building, Johnson Hall, by Clayton Anderson who worked at Schneider’s Meats in Kitchener. He travelled home to Shelburne on the weekend. I was billeted with Glenn and Jean Ewing and their children, Bill, John and Dave. Paul, their last son was born a year later. Glenn was the agent for Allis Chalmer’s Farm Equipment. The Ewings were interested in learning as much as possible about me, my background, my family and Guyana. I was made to feel at home and this was good medicine for my homesickness. On the Sunday all the students and our host families attended the United Church in Shelburne. We were asked by Rev. Dobson to say a few words to the Congregation. What a surprise for us! We survived. I truly appreciated the kindness of the Ewing family and that weekend started a lifelong friendship between us.

Early one morning in December there was a knock at my door. I jumped out of bed and wondered whether I had slept in. At the door was my friend Paul Dolbear who took me to the window to show me the first snow. Paul was as excited as I, because he knew that I had not seen snow before. I quickly got dressed and rushed out to touch and examine it.

Reuben came down to Guelph to spend Xmas holidays with me in Mills Hall. We were invited by the Ewings to spend Xmas with them. On Boxing Day we were taken to one of the hills on the outskirts of Shelburne for our first toboggan ride. As my luck would have it, I suffered an accident. I remember closing my eyes when I held on to Bill Ewing who was at the front of the toboggan. We were travelling at a high speed and I was scared. Suddenly we hit a rock and both of us went flying. I was hurt and was in severe pain. The first thought that entered my mind was that I was going to die and was so far away from my relatives. My accident was a shock to the Ewings but they were a tower of strength. The doctor prescribed pain killers for the night. On the following day I was taken to Guelph to see Dr. Clemes. X-rays indicated a “slipped disc” and I was put in a cast all across my chest and abdominal areas from below my arms to the lumbar vertebrae. I was partly incapacitated for the next eleven weeks and could not even tie my shoe laces. That was my first and last toboggan ride.

I survived the rest of my first year without any other major misfortune. Now I can look back to that period as a very important one in my life. With help from my roommate, many class friends and the Ewings, I was able to endure and overcome many problems which a newcomer faces. Those experiences have made me a stronger person.

	Jean and Glenn Ewing (Shelburne, Ontario)
	Lucy, Jean Ewing and Bill Ewing (1996)