Unpacking 'Where Are You From?': Perspectives on Identity and Belonging | Ft. Desire Olabode Ep. 046 - My Thick Accent

Episode Transcript
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Gurasis (00:00):
Hi, this is Gurasis Singh and you're listening to my
Thick Accent Podcast.
So hear me out! There's aquestion that makes many people

(00:21):
offended, which is "where areyou from?
But for me, it's just aquestion asked by someone who is
curious about your looks,accent or mannerism.
Instead of taking offense, Isee it as an opportunity to
share my unique culturalbackground and experiences.
It's a chance to bridge gaps,foster understanding and

(00:42):
celebrate diversity.
Embracing this question canlead to enriching conversations
that break down stereotypes andpromote a more inclusive society
, and today we have a guest whoknows a thing or two about the
intricacies of this question.
Originally from Nigeria, he haslived in various parts of the
board, from the UK to Nigeria,and even pursued his masters in

(01:04):
marketing in Cyprus.
He now teaches health marketingat Fanshawe College and has
some interesting insights toshare about cultural shock,
acceptance and the promisingfuture he envisions in Canada.
Let's explore how hisexperiences have shaped his
unique perspective on life andhis journey as a newcomer to
this diverse and welcomingcountry.
Please welcome Desire.

Desire (01:29):
Thank you.
It's so amazing to be part ofthis.
I love what you're doing,Gurasis.
It's an honor to be here.

Gurasis (01:38):
Likewise, Desire.
It's an honor to have you onthe podcast.
Thank you for doing this andI'm very excited for this
conversation.
So, before we get into yourjourney and all the experiences
that you have had in Canada, Iwant to start by asking you two
questions.
First is tell me this one habitthat you have adopted that has
changed your life, or somethingthat has become your second

(01:59):
nature.

Desire (02:00):
Thank you for that question, Gurasis.
If there is anything I haveadopted recently or from time
past, it would be reading.
I love to read and I am also awriter myself.
You know, by the virtue of whatI do from day to day, I write
from time to time, and soreading and writing, it's

(02:22):
something that I've come toadopt, it is part of me.
I also have my own books.
I am an author, I have.
The last one is on projectmanagement, managing projects,
you know, managing systems andstructures, and I have that on
Amazon.
So, again, reading and writingis something that is now part of

(02:47):
me.
I mean, I'm just going to leavewith me for the rest of my life
.

Gurasis (02:50):
Awesome and I'm sure it also helps you to articulate
your thoughts a little better aswell.
By reading, obviously you learn, add more things to your
vocabulary, but also helps youto articulate your thoughts when
you start writing.
Absolutely.

Desire (03:03):
Absolutely.

Gurasis (03:04):
Okay, so the other question I want to ask is what
is this one cultural aspect ortradition from your home country
that you have managed topreserve or cherish up until
today in Canada?

Desire (03:17):
Well, you know, coming into Canada became like a
different ball game entirely.
You know we met great people.
Canada is a great, fantasticcountry with amazing people,
very polite.
You know people going by I meanduties in a very respectable
manner, and that is also whatresonates with me from back home

(03:41):
.
Nigeria is a very amazingcountry.
We have great, fantastic lovingpeople, peaceful people, we
love education, we love research, we love so many things.
We love nature, and so that isone of the things that really
resonates.
That's one of the culture.

(04:01):
You know, it's not a cultureshow, because this is what we
were faced with back home.
This is what we're used to backhome and that is what we met
also in Canada.

Gurasis (04:13):
But is there something in terms of you know something
that is unique to your house?
For example, it could be interms of the language, in terms
of like a certain food that youstill preserve up until today in
Canada.

Desire (04:25):
Yes, absolutely yes.
How would say food?
Yeah, because you know we'renot used to the normal Canadian
way of eating and you know,coming into Canada we decided,
you know, we're just going tohave to stick to what we know
how to eat.
We love a particular kind offood, local food, and when we

(04:51):
came into Canada we broughtquite a number of that, you know
, with us.
Yeah, and from time to timewe'll go back, you know, to make
orders to bring to Canada, andCanada has given us that
platform I mean very liberalcountry for us to bring our own
local food.
So, yeah, I would say food isone aspect that we have kept and

(05:15):
will keep keeping.
Well, maybe the kids willchange their minds, but for me
I'm not changing my mind.
My wife is not changing my mind.

Gurasis (05:24):
Okay, awesome, okay, since you're talking about the
food in Nigeria, let's just getback to your home country.
Tell us a little bit about yourtime you spend there and a
little bit more about theformative years you spend there.

Desire (05:36):
Yeah, thank you so much for that question.
Like I said, nigeria is a veryloving country.
It's in West Africa and it isthe most populous country in
Africa.
We have a modern state takingits present territorial shape as
a result of the 19th centuryBritish colonization.

(05:58):
You know, we're colonized bythe British and we gain
independence in 1960.
And so many things havehappened since then, you know,
in terms of political, socialhappenings, economic, education,
research.
But one thing that is setting isNigeria is still in the growing

(06:20):
stage.
I wouldn't say we are adeveloping country, because if
we say we're developing country,then that leaves us to be like
maybe still like the Stone Age.
But no, I mean, nigeria hasreally advanced.
There's still a lot of work todo, it's too much to do, but
it's a great country.

(06:40):
Against you, people back homeare doing really well and
anywhere Nigerians findthemselves, they're doing
amazingly well.
In any country they findthemselves in Canada, in the US,
in Europe, anywhere In otherparts of African countries
they're doing amazingly well.
And yeah, so that is one goodthing I would say about Nigeria.

Gurasis (07:04):
And how was it like just growing up there, something
that what the focus was ongrowing up within your family?

Desire (07:11):
Well, growing up in Nigeria was quite unique because
, you know, there wasn't toomuch technology.
Then, like, I'll tell my kidsoh, you have iPad, you have, you
know, this gadget, you havethis to play with.
I didn't have all of that, soit's just a different ball game.
We had our own style oflearning.

(07:31):
Growing up was fun becausethere was this social, cultural
thing that we kept.
You know, we knew each other,we played with each other.
You know you go outside yourown space to go play with other
kids, you know, in another zone,in another region or in your
street, right.
So there was just that closemeet between people and you know

(07:55):
, growing up again was fun.
Education was a priority in.
Nigeria.
Everyone was, you know,expected to go to school.
Well, some people probablydidn't make it to school due to
financial issues, but at thesame time, it was a priority.
Every child in Nigeria, everyhome in Nigeria, took education

(08:21):
as a major priority.
And yeah, so we went to school.
We did all the things thatevery other kid anywhere in the
world did and, yeah, again, itwas fun, lovely places to visit,
the family, culture held inhigh esteem, nature really

(08:41):
cherished.
Basically, all of the thingswe've noticed in Canada as well
are all the things that you know.
That is back home as well.

Gurasis (08:51):
So, you know, I have had the pleasure of speaking
with people on the podcast whoare from Nigeria and even, like
you know, offline, and they tellme about.
You know how the threelanguages are there.
I'd always forget the third one.
I remember the two, which wasIbo and Yogoba, I believe, and
then there was a third one aswell, which you can share with
me and also tell us, like whatcity are you from?

Desire (09:12):
Oh, yeah, so I am from oil state, okay, and I grew up
in Lagos.
And talking about language,nigeria is a multinational state
, you know that inhabits morethan 250 ethnic groups and, as a
matter of fact, we speak over500 distinct languages.

(09:36):
Okay, and I mean, we allidentify with a wide variety of
cultures, so it's a highlymulticultural state or country,
but the largest ethnic groupsare the AUSAs, the Yoruba in the
West and the Ibo's in the East.
Okay, so those are the threemain tribes, or ethnic groups as

(10:00):
you may call it.
And, yeah, and talked about thelanguage, we have AUSA, we have
Yoruba, we have the Ibolanguage, which are the major
language, but, like I said, wehave over 500.

Gurasis (10:11):
Okay, Okay, awesome.
I had no idea about the easy.
I mean.
Of course they did share withme these languages and know how
multicultural it is, but Ididn't know about like 15, 500
different languages, that'scrazy Over 500.

Desire (10:25):
Yes, yes, yes.

Gurasis (10:31):
You also lived in UK for some time and then you also
went to Cyprus for your masters.
Tell us about those experiencesand the decisions to travel.

Desire (10:42):
Well, yeah, and you know that was also a very, very
interesting part of our lives.
My wife actually studied in theUK.
Okay, she had a master's degreein the UK.
I had my master's degree inCyprus, but few times I went
visiting in the UK.
So I stayed in the UK, just,you know.

(11:03):
I'll say briefly, you know,three weeks I go back, come back
, two weeks I go back, you know.
So it's well, it wasn't likemaybe six months at the stretch
in the UK, but you know, we wentto different places Milton
Keynes, liverpool, london andall these great, beautiful

(11:23):
places and cities.
And one thing that resonateswith us is the UK is also a very
fantastic place to live in.
You know, wonderful people,great atmosphere.
They have their own culture aswell.
You know, as you already know,there is Scotland, there is

(11:44):
England, there is Wales andNorthern Ireland, so those four
countries make up UK.
So we were in England, which isjust one one part of the United
Kingdom, and then going toCyprus.
You know, I love academics, Ilove research, I love going to
new places, I love, you know,meeting new people and that's

(12:04):
one of the reasons I decided,you know what I would love to,
you know, do my master's degreein Cyprus, and that's what I do.
So I decided to be there.
Cyprus is a loving, beautifulcountry.
It's an island to be, I meanyeah, it's an island and oh yeah
, it is massive, beautiful, itis geographically in West Asia

(12:26):
but, culturally andgeopolitically.
Southeast European, okay, andit's.
Cyprus is the third largest andthird most populous island in
the world.
Beautiful sea, beautifultourism spot or location?
Yeah, it's, it's amazing, thesea, the Mediterranean sea,
which is, yeah, the one theyhave.

(12:48):
Lovely, I think it's one of themost gentle sea in the world.
I really enjoyed my stay livingin Cyprus Wonderful people,
great food oh, my goodness, oh,I miss the kebab.
Okay, by my yoghurt, you know.
Lovely, lovely atmosphere.

(13:08):
If there isn't one place Iwould love to go again, it would
be Cyprus, just, you know, tosee the lovely sea, lovely
people, amazing people, greatculture and all of that.

Gurasis (13:19):
Okay, well, sounds very fascinating.

Desire (13:22):
You should go, you should go for sure.

Gurasis (13:25):
I should add that to the list, but I also read and
heard Desire that English isless spoken than than Turkish or
Greek in Cyprus.
Right, but I wanted to educateus like how was your experience
like in terms of communicationthat?

Desire (13:40):
Well, it was a bit of a challenge, to be honest with you
, because English was my mainlanguage, but I had to live in a
country where I have to learnhow to communicate in Turkish or
Greek.
Yeah, and it was.
It was a bit of challenge, youknow.

(14:01):
Even getting a job was, youknow, relatively, relatively
impossible to be honest yeah,because of the language barrier,
you would.
I mean, the job is there for you, they want to employ you and
you're speaking English.
Excuse me please, I need a job,do you have any vacancy?

(14:24):
And they say, oh, my friend,brush, brush, brush and you'll
be like, oh my goodness, how arewe supposed to communicate, you
know?
Or you call the taxi taxi, I'mgoing to.
You know you mentioned theplace, and then it takes you
somewhere else and then youwould have to now, you know,

(14:46):
battle it out.
Oh, this is not.
No, this is not a place.
And it's telling you oh mygoodness, how are we supposed to
manage this?
So it was a bit of an issue, tobe very honest.
But other than that, the costof food, housing, utilities,
even education was, wasrelatively low, I mean, not so

(15:09):
expensive like other Europeancountries.
So that that was something.
That was that.
I mean, that would took away.
That.
That was something else.
If the language barrier is abig issue, all these other
things are just going to be okayenough to stay in this country.
So it made us stay.
So let's pivot towards yourCanadian journey, Desire.
You moved to Canada in 2019with your family, with the
permanent residency with PR.
But first tell us about thedecision to move.
what influenced the decision andthe duration it took you to
come to Canada and I thinkthat's a good point.

Gurasis (15:36):
To be honest with you, there are several reasons why
people relocate abroad.
You know why they move abroad?
Yeah, and for me it was acombination of so many things.
Not like Nigeria was in give up, but like Canada was in give up
.

Desire (15:47):
The best that we want, because Nigeria is a land of
opportunity as well.
There is so much you can gainliving in that country.
But, you know, I also wanted toexplore a better quality of life
, and I think that's a goodpoint, even though I made up my
mind that Canada is the lastcountry.

(16:08):
I'm not going anywhere anymore.
I haven't lived in, you know,different countries.
For me, it was more of a, youknow, a better quality of life.
I love adventure, I loveexploration, even though I made
up my mind that Canada is thelast country.
I'm not going anywhere anymore.
I haven't lived in, you know,different countries.

(16:31):
For me, it was more of thecareer opportunities, the
education.
We cannot deny the fact thatit's much more better here in
terms of all these things Imentioned quality of life,
education, access to technology,you know, and all of those.

(16:51):
So, yeah, so it was more ofhaving access to all of that
that made me say, you know what?
We would pursue the opportunityof coming to Canada.
And we did and we got, you know, canada gave us that privilege,
gave us that opportunity tocome here with my family, so,
and we've been here for fouryears and a half, from now going

(17:15):
to five years, and it's been anamazing journey.
We've met great people, youknow.
We've made families out of thepeople we met here.
Canada recognizes communitybuilding, so they also get to
also give you the opportunity tohave your own lead to community
right.
So the Nigerian community hereis solid.
I live in London, ontario, andit's the Nigerian community is

(17:39):
one of the best in Canadaclosely needed amazing group of
people and we're doing greatthings.
So coming to Canada for me wasmore of adventure exploration.
You know, seeking for morebetter quality life education.
I want to learn more othercareer opportunities that may

(17:59):
come.

Gurasis (18:00):
And how long did it took you to the whole process of
getting the PR and moving?

Desire (18:04):
Well, I would say we were among the few people that
were very lucky.
You know, sometimes it couldtake months it could take years.
Absolutely.
But for us it took, I'll say,one year, you know, from getting
the documents, from uploadingthe document.
As a matter of fact, we gotrejected, oh okay so for the

(18:27):
first instance.
Yeah, we got rejected because Imistakenly uploaded my songs,
that certificates for mydaughter and because of that
error they say you know, we'renot, we're not disqualifying you
from applying again, but wehave to start your application.
You have to start yourapplication all over.

(18:49):
We just put all of ourdocuments together one more time
and then we started the processand within one month of
submitting all of our documents,within one month of about eight
weeks there, about six weeks,we got our PR and, yeah, that
was it for us.
That was, you know, the change,the game changer.

(19:09):
That was what changedeverything for us.
We were so excited and, yeah,and that's how we started our
Canadian journey.

Gurasis (19:16):
I'm sure I'm sure it must be a game changer, but tell
us about your first day whenyou landed some initial thoughts
or emotions.

Desire (19:24):
Oh yeah.
So because I've lived indifferent or visited different
countries and you know, indifferent places in the world, I
used to feel like, oh, how coldcan it be?
You know, talking about theweather in Canada, how cold can
it be?
Oh, I've seen minus 12.
I've seen, you know.
and then Until you came toCanada oh yeah, yeah, the first

(19:49):
day we came in, I remembereveryone telling me when you
come in, they show you whereyour gloves put on a very thick
jacket and all of that.
And I'm like, come on, I don'tneed that.
Come on, man, coming intoCanada, the weather was no one
told me to put on my gloves.
I was like what?

(20:09):
And it was minus 18 on that day.
I would never forget.
I came outside the airport andI ran back inside.
What?
This is more than deep, deepfreezer.
This is.
I mean, this is man.
But beyond that, we met greatpeople.
The immigration officers werereally amazing.

(20:33):
It feels good to hear the wordwelcome to Canada.
It feels so good.
We've heard so much aboutCanada, we've read so much about
Canada.
Oh, they're so polite, they'reso friendly, they smile, they do
all of that.
I saw it for the first timewhen we came in Our very first

(20:53):
day and I was like, wow, I mean,if everyone is this nice all
over the world, the world isgoing to be a better place.
And you know, that kind of likethat was one of the things that
kind of resonated with us.
Oh, wow, this is a beautifulcountry.
Look at the staff, look at theofficers Look at, you know, and
then the code aspect of it aswell.

Gurasis (21:15):
But that's my, I would say that's my first experience
coming into Canada for them,yeah, so you said that you have
obviously lived in and allaround the world, different
countries, different places, andyou were also telling me that
obviously you just mentionedthat, how Canada is so accepting
and warm and welcoming towardsimmigrants, but what are any
significant cultural differences?
Comparing it to the otherplaces that you have lived in Is

(21:38):
something that completelycaught your eye or something
that you can share.

Desire (21:43):
Oh, oh, yeah.
So well, look, look, look intoacceptance and I must be very
honest with you, coming from theangle of a black person, I
think it's a little bitdifferent.
In Canada, there is racismeverywhere, even in my country,

(22:05):
I mean, there is bias, biasnessthere is, you know what I mean.
There is preferentiality inplace, but in Canada it's
slightly different and that'sone of the things that first,
that we first pointed at, youknow, myself and my wife it's,
it's, it's slightly different.

(22:27):
They accept times, thefriendliness, the, the welcoming
is just totally differentcompared to every other country
we've been to.
Maybe in other countries, maybe, I'm just saying maybe they may
look at you in the face andjust say, hey, I don't like you,
I don't like you.
Okay, it's different herebecause even if they don't like

(22:49):
you, they still smile with you,kind of like well, I may not
like you, but my system, myculture, my, the country I live
in, says I should be nice and Ihave to be nice.
This is who I am right, I mean.
I just have to be nice becauseit's a fair world and it's just
totally different.

(23:09):
To be honest, I mean it's, it'snot in compared to everywhere
we've been.
I mean everywhere, everywhere.
I mean talking about Cyprus,talking about UK, talking about
other African countries we'vebeen to, talking about some
other European countries withVCTAD.
It's just different, absolutelydifferent here in Canada.

Gurasis (23:30):
I just want to go a little bit more deeper into that
.
Do you remember any certainanecdotes, certain instances
that you came across, that youwill, you will kind of like
taken aback then, whoa, what didshe just say?
Or what did he just say, orwhat just happened here?

Desire (23:45):
Yeah, if I remember very well, I would say, for instance
, when we came into Canada andeveryone asked you questions
like are you okay when I'mcoming from or where I visit,
that no one really cares.
Okay, like no one really caresif you.
I mean, why should I ask you ifyou're okay?

(24:05):
Right, and you know, my wifewas pregnant at the time when we
came in and we'll go into thestore and you see people coming
to us.
I'm like, hey, expecting a baby, what's the name of your baby?
Oh, hope you guys are keepingwarm, keeping good.
All of those niceness was likecome, where are we?

(24:35):
We're coming from anothercountry where, not that they're
not nice, it's not like they'reevil people.
No, no, no, no.
But maybe they don't express itwell enough like they express
it here in Canada, right.
So people, people looking afteryou, people asking you questions
if you're good, if you're okay,and all of that it's.

(24:56):
It's something that kind of eatus like heart, like whoa.
This is a lovely place and yeah.

Gurasis (25:05):
I'm actually glad to hear that you highlighted the
good experiences.
I'm very happy to hear that,because it's always the bad ones
which, kind of like, stayedwith you at times.
But tell me, does it, whatlessons have you learned?
You know through these good andbad experiences, or from these
you know diverse culturalexperiences that you can share.

Desire (25:26):
Oh yeah.
Well, and to be honest with youas well, guresh, there's all.
There's also been some badexperiences, but I would say one
out of 10, against any othercountry, maybe five over 10 in
any other country, maybe inCanada is one, don't one person
out of 10, like looking intoyour face and telling you go
back to your country.

(25:46):
And you know you get those kindof words sometimes, but in the
midst of all of this, in themidst of all of this wanting
kept us strong.
We know we came to the rightcountry.
We know we are in a countrythat is going to give you the
opportunity you want, if onlyyou can believe, because a lot

(26:07):
of people have their challengescoming in as a manager, coming
in as a doctor, coming intoCanada as you know, a
professional and then having tostart all over.
It's a big challenge and Iresonate with that, to be honest
, because we also had to startfrom the scratch.

(26:27):
Of course.
But again, beyond all of thosebad experiences like you lose
because we lost everythingtechnically, I mean coming here
to start all over, all over.
You know you have to be yourresume from the scratch.
They tell you don't have enoughCanadian experience.
Once they hear you and you havethe accent oh, oh, come on, or

(26:49):
your name is not sounding theway they should Like, the normal
way they know your chances areso limited.
So, yeah, as much as I can sayall of those good experiences, I
know there is also the bad one.
I'm not I mean going to denyall of that happening, but again

(27:10):
, in all of this, we know thisis a great country and this is a
country that's going to giveyou any opportunity as long as
you keep pushing.

Gurasis (27:21):
You know, obviously, that you came with your family
and you came with, like, acertain experiences from Nigeria
and I'm sure you have had, likesome sort of preparation for
coming.
But was this something that youwere not prepared for that you
came across?

Desire (27:36):
Well, it's the rejection of my background my career
background.
Coming into Canada, I was comingwith high hopes.
I was a manager back home andyou know I had people working
that I worked with subordinates.
Coming into a country, Ithought, okay, I might not start

(28:00):
at the peak, maybe I wouldstart in the meat range and then
walk my way to the top.
But no, coming into Canada westarted from the bottom.
So that was a total rejectionof, I mean, everything we've

(28:20):
built, everything I have everbeen.
That was.
That was a not so goodexperience.
Right Again, we've got to dealwith that and we're glad for
what we had today and where weare right now.
And we know it's only a matterof time we'll build our way to
the top.
It's only a matter of time.
It's only a matter of time.

Gurasis (28:42):
Yeah, of course.
And how did your childrenintegrate into this new culture,
new society?
Tell us about that.

Desire (28:48):
Well, to be honest, funny enough, they were so fast
to integrate, very, very fast.
You know, making friends asfast as I mean I can't imagine
how very fast they make friendsin school.
They come back, tell of all ofthose beautiful stories about
their classroom and we sometimesask them oh, do you miss your

(29:12):
school back home?
And they'll be like, no, no, no, really what.
You know, they kind ofintegrated very fast, maybe
because they were very, I mean,still little.
My eldest, dan, was just fouryears old and no five years old.
My second was two years old.

(29:34):
No three, yeah, three, five andthree yeah.
So it didn't take so long forthem to get used to the system.
They loved the weather theyloved the people when we were
still having a struggle eatingthe Canadian kind of food my
kids were already asking for,you know, the Canadian meal

(30:00):
right, the fries and chicken,the I mean all of those great
Canadian food right which wewere still having a hard time to
eat.
Well, yeah, so they integratedvery fast.
Yeah, that was a good thing forus.
It didn't take us too much to,you know, learn how to also be
part of that group and yeah, so,and, and we're doing really

(30:21):
well.
They're doing really well.
Today.
The kids are doing reallyamazingly well.
Once in a while, they want toask you, can we make a visit to
Nigeria sometime?
And you'd be like, oh sure, areyou sure you want to go to
Nigeria?
They'd be like, yeah, we cantry, let's go, let's just, you
know.
But to be honest, they don'tremember anything about Nigeria.

(30:42):
If I tell them, do you remember?
You used to do this back, oh,wow, they'd be like, oh, really,
Did I do this?
Oh, yeah, you did that.
They don't remember any of anyof any of such anymore.
So that's how fast theyintegrated.

Gurasis (30:54):
Yeah, no, very, very similar responses I have got
from other immigrants I'vespoken to on the podcast and
they have said the same thatchildren were the quicker than
us to really integrate into thisnew world and they were really
happy.
And and somebody I spoke to whowas from India and she said I
asked my children that, oh, weare planning to visit, you want
to visit?

(31:14):
They were like no, no, I'mhappy here, I'm happy with my
friends in school here.

Desire (31:21):
Yeah, yeah, it's this.
I think it's the sameexperience almost everywhere.
Just very few kids coming anddon't like this place, very few.

Gurasis (31:33):
So, Desire, you have mentioned that the question
where you're from is often askedof you, and it's a question
that can sometimes make peopleoffended.
However, you have taken acompletely different perspective
on it and seeing it as aquestion of curiosity.
Can you share with us some ofyour personal encounters with

(31:54):
this question and how you havechosen to respond to it?

Desire (31:58):
Thank you for that question.
To be honest, I personally donot see anything wrong with
where are you from.
I'm always very glad to letthem know.
Oh, my origin or my history ormy background is West Africa.
And then they kind of ask againwhere, where in West Africa?

(32:19):
And I say, well, Nigeria, oh,okay, oh yeah.
So a few times we get that alot.
Some people mean it in a verygood way, and some people mean
it in a very, very bad way.
They're telling you, go back toyour country.
And it's not something weaccept.

(32:40):
Well, to be honest, A few timesI just let it go, because you
don't want to engage people likethat, negative people.
I try as much as possible tostay away from them, but a few
times we get that a lot.
If it means well, I'm alwaysable to read it.
If it means well, oh, I'malways happy to share.

(33:04):
And I ask them the samequestion where are you from, too
?
And they'll be like from Canada.
I said, no, I'm talking aboutyour background, Because now I
show that it'll be like oh yeah,my granddad is from Croatia.
My you know, and then they go alittle bit into the history and

(33:25):
the background, because somehowI think everyone immigrated here
at some point.
Maybe it's 100 years ago, 80years ago, 50 years ago, 10
years ago.
At some point people came intothis country to make it what it
is today.
Yeah, so when we get questionslike where are you from?
Sometimes I see if it'spositive I respond, you know, in

(33:49):
a very positive way.
If it is negative, I just letit go.
I mean I just let it slide.
I don't want to brew negativity.
And then you know what I mean.
So I just let it go.
I mean the reality is peopleask these questions from time to
time.
I remember working as acustomer service agent for a

(34:12):
telecommunications company and Idon't want to mention the name
and a few times, because I alsodo sales.
So a few times when I cold call, you know you just call random
people.
First thing they tell you getout of my line or go back to
your country and all of that youknow, sometimes you just smile

(34:32):
Because that's how we've beentrained anyway, you do a service
job.
You can't say what do you mean,you know.
And then you know you don'twant to go that way, right, yeah
?
So again, I just let it go, Ijust let it fly, you know, just
don't think about it.
Move on, move ahead.
And the good ones, hamongos,don't see any offense when they

(34:57):
mean it.
Well, I respond well as well.

Gurasis (34:59):
Yeah, I think you have touched some great points,
Desire, and I think I would liketo mention, like highlight,
like few of those, obviously.
The first is Canada is the landof immigrants Everybody has.
Most of Canadians have somehowat some point in their life have
immigrated or their familieshave immigrated from some part
of the world.
So I think I personally alsonever take offense to this

(35:22):
question, because I feel likewhat if the person is genuinely
curious about me, or they'recurious about my colors of my
turban, or they're just becauseI have met so many people who
have no idea about?
You know, I'm a follower ofSikh faith and many people don't
know about Sikhism.
Many people I came across, youknow, in Canada who are from

(35:42):
various parts of the world andI'm happy to educate them.
And, like I said, there's adifference between the people
who are genuinely curious andthe people who are just trying
to.
You know, pull you down and Ithink you just have to gauge
accordingly and I love that yousaid that sometimes you don't
want to brew the negativity, youknow you don't want to really
respond to that and just move onwith your lives and don't get

(36:04):
into that.
And the other thing you said is, you know, working for the
customer service agent andpeople shouting at you, you
wouldn't believe, Desire, thispodcast, the name of this
podcast is the result of one ofthe experiences I've had.
I was talking to somebody on thephone and the person I was
interviewing someone over thephone and this man in between

(36:24):
the conversation said oh my God,you have such a thick Indian
accent.
And to which I replied sir, youalso have a thick Canadian
accent.
And so when I said that, theperson was kind of taken aback
and he started giggling and wenever continue the conversation.
So for some reason, that wasback in 2019, I believe and that

(36:48):
not that I want to start apodcast back then, but that name
somehow stayed in the back ofmy mind and see today Thank you
to those people everybody whogave me the name to the podcast
might take action.

Desire (37:00):
Yeah.

Gurasis (37:02):
Hey, if you're enjoying the content and conversations
we bring to you every week, wewill love for you to join our
growing community.
Make sure to follow us on allmajor podcast directories,
including Apple podcasts,spotify, google podcasts or
wherever you consume yourpodcast.
That way, you'll never miss anepisode and you'll always stay
in the loop with the latestinsights and stories.

(37:23):
And speaking of stayingconnected, I always always
encourage you to follow yourheart, but also also on
Instagram.
The handle is @MyThickAccent.
We'll be sharing a lot morebehind the scenes content, some
updates and some even fun sneakpeaks.
So give us a follow and let'sengage even more closely there.
And to all those who providedtheir feedback and input, thank

(37:46):
you so much.
It truly, truly shaped thedirection of a podcast, and I
would love to hear from any ofthe new folks who joined us
today.
Don't hesitate to reach outwith any thoughts, ideas or even
suggestions for future guests.
Drop us an email atHello@mythickaccent.
com.
Now let's get back to theepisode.

Desire (38:05):
Oh yeah, oh yeah, we can take that away.
To be honest, behind the accentis a warrior.
It's a conqueror Love that, andyou know, I was having a
conversation with my friendsyesterday, canadian friends and
I asked them one question Wouldyou leave this country, leave

(38:29):
everything you've acquired,everything you've ever been, and
move to another country tostart all over again?
And all of them said, um, no,no, I don't think I'm gonna do
that, I'm done.
I don't think I'm gonna.
I'm gonna do that.
I said, well, so that's it.
If you can't do that, thendon't be too hard on people who

(38:50):
take that bold step to leavewherever.
I mean because some people weredoing really well absolutely.
And I still decided to, to moveand we've seen what also
happened in Ukraine.
You know people could be victimof anything.
You know, famine, war, anythingcan make people leave, can make

(39:11):
people emigrate and, of course,some of them don't speak
English and it's not a, it's anout of place to be nice to
everyone and because behind thataccent is a tough, tough
journey.
Yeah, 100%.

Gurasis (39:27):
I always say this accent is a sign of bravery and
do not underestimate us.

Desire (39:32):
Absolutely, absolutely.

Gurasis (39:37):
So, Desire, since you moved in 2019, you have gotten
to various jobs and roles, rightStarting as, like you said, the
customer service agent forvarious telecommunication
companies.
Then you also became a socialmedia manager, but also at some
point you were telling me thatyou felt that healthcare is
going to be a very interestingindustry and and you actually

(39:58):
went back to school and study,and later you also worked as PSW
, post and support worker, andnow you also teach at Fanshawe
College.
So tell us about all thesetransitions that you've had.

Desire (40:08):
Yeah, and you know it's pretty interesting because you
know we talked about.
When you come into Canada, youhave to start from the scratch.
You know, like you know, startfrom yeah, from the bottom.
Well, we also must say thissome people came into Canada and
started at the peak.
To be very honest with you, Iknow a few friends that came

(40:29):
into Canada and they didn't haveto start from the scratch.
They just started from whatthey used to do, or even above
what they were doing.

Gurasis (40:37):
How?

Desire (40:37):
how tell us like an example I know a few friends in
the IT world, the IT industry,that maybe they were software
developers back home and thenthey came into Canada and they
got first their first job as asoftware developer.
They didn't have to do Huba,they didn't have to do customer

(40:58):
service, you know.
They got their dream job andcontinued in that line and even
some of them, you know, evenwent higher in terms of profile
than what they used to do backhome.
But for someone like me, I hadto start from the scratch.
Starting from the scratch means, you know, just getting

(41:18):
anything that comes my way youknow, and gradually I got well,
I would say.
I got promoted to get anotherjob, which was with the
telecommunication industry.
I worked for Rogers, I workedfor Bell Canada and then I
transitioned into going into myfull role, which is digital

(41:42):
marketing.
Like you said already, I'm adigital marketing and
communication specialist and,you know, a creative public
relations professional and, yeah, so I deal with internal and
external communication.
You know, area of expertise iswebsite optimization, media
relations, content marketingdevelopment and you know, and

(42:05):
all and all of those you know,lovely brand identity, brand
values and all of that.
I went to school in between.
Anyways, I went to more collegeto study public relations and I
got my graduate certificate.
That helped me to get that job,but unfortunately COVID
happened and I lost the job.

(42:27):
So I was home for a little bitof time and I just found
something else to do.
You can?
You know, canada, there isviews.
Keep coming right.

Gurasis (42:37):
Absolutely.

Desire (42:37):
So yeah, so I just got something else quickly in the
manufacturing company andshortly after that time COVID
was still a thing right andthere was just so much attention
in the healthcare industry andI felt, you know what, this is
an opportunity for me to go intohealthcare in Canada to make an

(43:01):
impact.
I've always loved healthcareanyway.
So what's the minimum I can do?
Then I said, okay, the minimumwould be to be a personnel
support worker, because theyneeded care, give us.
I mean everywhere.
There's and there's a lot ofseniors in Canada, as you
already know.
So I decided you know I'm goingto go back to school got my
certificate and then became apersonnel support worker.

(43:24):
While I was working in thatfield as well, you know you
don't stop right.
You keep pushing, you keeppushing, you keep pressing.
And something else came up.
Something else came up,something else came up and
somehow you know, you network,you volunteer, you do all of
those great things in Canada asyou, as they would expect, and I

(43:47):
grew some very solid network.
And that's how I, one of thosedays I was just talking to my
friend and she's a lecturer inFanshawe College, and so you
have a very solid resume.
You have, I mean, from the wayI speak to you it seems like you
know.
And that's how, oh, do you mindI could recommend you for a

(44:08):
lecture in Rome?
I said, oh, I've been dreamingall my life to be in the
classroom.
I love the classroom so much,how would I appreciate if you
recommend me?
And that's one thing aboutCanada as well.
Recommendation works.
Referral is a thing, it's a bigthing, and then she referred me

(44:28):
and I was interviewed and I gota job and it's a major of
healthcare in Canada which Ihave now been part of and
digital marketing marketingbackground.
I have my master's degree inmarketing and I really, really
appreciate what I do right now,going into the classroom and

(44:50):
talking about the Canadianhealthcare industry and talking
about marketing itself.
Oh, I love it.
It just keeps flowing you know,and it has been an awesome
experience.
I met great students and I havemet quite a number of
international students.
Because I teach internationalstudents and amazing people,

(45:14):
people that came into Canadajust like me, and it's I mean.
As much as I try to teach, Ialso try to make them understand
all of the struggles and howthey can be part of the system
and also be successful in.
Canada, so they always listento me.

(45:35):
I have 95% attendance in class95, yeah, 95% average average.
So almost everyone wants to cometo class, even when they have
they have a hard time coming toclass.
They want to come to classbecause they know I'm gonna
share my experience, I'm gonnatell my stories, I'm gonna say

(45:56):
all those beautiful things theywant to hear Because, beyond
doing that program, beyondpaying that tuition, they also
need to know that this is acountry that can work for them,
in their favor.
All they need to do is keeppushing.
So they love the story when Itell them oh, I kept pushing,
I've been laid off, I've beenfired on my job before and they

(46:21):
were like what I said yeah, youknow, done several things, done
this, I've done that.
They be like what I said yeah,and now I'm standing in front of
you to tell you all these greatthings.
It's a pleasure, it's a honor,and I'm not taking it for
granted at all.
So yeah, so that's my journeyso far in Canada, and I know

(46:43):
it's just the beginning.
I'll keep pushing and I'll getthe desired result.

Gurasis (46:48):
Absolutely.
I'm sure about that and I lovewhat you said.
This country works in yourfavor as long as you keep
pushing.
I love that.

Desire (46:56):
Absolutely, absolutely, yeah, because you know, sorry to
say, you know people give upsometimes and that's one of the
struggles as an immigrant andyou know the accent is not in
your favor the Canadianexperience you don't have it.
So people sometimes, you know,want to give up and be like, oh
man, you know you meet people.
They're crying, they having ahard time integrating.

(47:19):
I just tell them, you know whatwipe your tears.
It's not a time to cry, it'sthe time to push, it's the time
to forget all of those bad,negative words people are going
to tell you into your face, allthose words you don't want to
hear.
Go back to your country and allof those racial sloths.
You have to push that asideAbsolutely.

(47:41):
Keep your head up, keep moving,keep pushing and you get
desired results.

Gurasis (47:45):
Yeah, keep your head up , keep moving, keep pushing and
you get the desired result.
This was going to be my nextquestion what advice would you
give to the internationalstudents?
And this is the best advice, sothank you for sharing that.

Desire (47:56):
Oh yeah.
Oh yeah.

Gurasis (47:57):
Yeah, and you know, apart from the jobs, you have
also done a lot of volunteeringwork and I have again had
various interactions where theguests have mentioned that, how
volunteering has been anessential part of the Canadian
journey.
I want to tell us that howimportant was it for you, and
also about the project that youdid with the city of London on

(48:18):
mental health.

Desire (48:19):
Yes, thank you so much, gurasi.
Volunteering cannot beoveremphasized.
In Canada, we were coming fromwhere I came from.
Volunteering wasn't really athing right, but coming into
Canada it opened my eyes.
So I could be part of this.

(48:39):
I could be part of this in mycommunity.
I could make impact, and that'show I also built my network.
I volunteer, even currently,for different organizations.
Some of them are religiousorganizations, some of them are
community based organizations,some of them are healthcare
organizations, and I'm evenplanning to be part of more okay

(49:02):
because sometimes it's when youhave the time or the
availability that they call onyou or you, you know.
Make yourself available to dothe job they want you to do.
So it's not all the time so it'sonly 24 hour basis kind of task
.
So it's once in a while.
I volunteered for Saint Vincentde Paul in Hamilton, I

(49:24):
volunteered for Friendship Bench, I volunteered for NALA, which
is the Nigerian Association ofLondon and Area, and while we
volunteered, that was also whenwe got a grant to execute the
project, the mental healthproject sponsored by the city of
London.
I was part of the facilitatorfor that project and you know

(49:48):
several of that roles haveplayed in different communities
in different organizations.
If people are looking in thatdirection, it's one way they can
integrate very fast in thesystem.
It's one way they can buildtheir solid network.

Gurasis (50:03):
Absolutely.

Desire (50:03):
Because Canada is all about network.
Oh, it's all about network.
It's all about network, yeah100%.

Gurasis (50:09):
It is all about network , for sure.
You are also an author, likeyou mentioned in the beginning,
and you have written three books, and the one of the last ones
was called the power of systemand structure, if I'm not wrong,
and you were telling me thatyou're also working on the
fourth one, which was around themarketing as well.

(50:32):
So tell us that where canpeople find these books and when
is the next one coming?

Desire (50:37):
Well, I mean.
Thank you so much, Gurasis.
I always love to talk about mybooks.
Yeah, the last one is the powerof structure and system.
It's on Amazon.
All my books are on Amazon.
The next one is the chroniclesof internal marketing.
The chronicles of internalmarketing, basically, is just

(50:57):
providing an exceptional youknow customer service experience
, starting with having anexcellent internal customer.
Every brand must recognize thatthe first customer or the first
customers are the staff, theemployees.
It is when they have thatunderstanding that they can, you

(51:19):
know, come up with some lovelyconcept that works first,
because the employees have to bepart of the organization for us
, before you now even startreaching out to the external
customers, I'm still puttingthings together, but it should
be out next year, hopefully,because you know it takes a lot
of effort to sit down and youknow, right, right, right, right

(51:41):
, right right.
If it's out, it's going to beon Amazon as well.
I feel it's just very easy toput it on that platform.
It's the biggest, or one of thebiggest, out there.

Gurasis (51:51):
Yeah for sure, well, do .
All the links to check out thebooks can be found in the show
notes.
So, Desire, before we get intothe final segment, I just have
one last quick question to askyou that, as someone who has
seen different parts of theworld, you know and what do you
see in Canada's future, and howdoes it align with your

(52:15):
aspirations?

Desire (52:16):
Beautiful, beautiful question, gurazis.
I mean you should.
I don't know if you arepursuing PhD in questioning
people.
Yeah, you are amazing and youask very great questions.
So, Canada is a place that givesyou around, you know, great

(52:38):
opportunities and we never canpush that aside.
With my current status andwhere I am right now, I am
looking forward to becoming a,should I say, renowned teacher
or professor in the future, andI know Canada is going to give
me that opportunity to bewhatever I want to be as long as

(53:00):
I keep pushing right.
So so I see myself in thefuture coming that and I know
Canada is a place that is goingto give me that great
opportunity.
Accent or no accent, I am notthe one, I am not the type that,
you know, let things affect me.
I just move forward, I keeppushing and I believe, yeah,

(53:21):
it's just a matter of time, I'llget my desired result.
Yeah, so once again, future isgreat, canada is going to be
Canada, it's going to be anawesome country.
It's welcoming people.
I mean, I think Canada hasgrown to 40 million.
40 million, yeah, that is huge.
When I came in, it was 36million and so in close to five

(53:45):
years they've grown by 4 milliondifferent you know parts of the
country, so that is reallygreat.
So it's a country that isgrowing, welcoming new people,
welcoming, you know, immigrants.
They're very welcomingcountries, so, and I hope to be
part of that growth yeah, I hopeto be part of that growth as

(54:07):
the country gives us theopportunity to grow.

Gurasis (54:10):
Awesome, I love that answer and more power to you,
for sure.
I'm sure you will geteverything.
Like you said, you arecontinuing to push and you'll
continue to push and you'llreach wherever you want to go,
for sure.

Desire (54:21):
Absolutely, absolutely.

Gurasis (54:26):
So, Desire, now we're in the final segment of the
podcast.
I call it Beneath the Accent.
I'm going to ask a couple ofquestions.
You can answer them in one word, or a sentence, or house ever.
You feel like the idea is justto know more about you.
So ready, yes please.
So first is, what advice wouldyou give to someone who is
struggling with the culturalshock and the new cultural

(54:48):
experiences that they're having?

Desire (54:50):
Great question.
Cultural shock is normal and Ithink everyone should realize
there has to be that culturalintelligence to accept other
people's culture as part of yourown.
I would say you know what?
Embrace the new place you foundyourself, Embrace the new

(55:10):
identity that they're trying topass across to you because,
trust me, this country has grownfor millions of years, so
there's a way to do things here.
There's a way you do things backhome and it's all the same.
And if you want to thrive inthis country, you have to be
open.
You have to be open, that's thebig word.

(55:32):
You have to be open and find away to integrate into the system
.
Well, if it's a bad one thereare some bad cultural shock of
course you find a way to helpmake it better.

Gurasis (55:42):
Perfect Love the answer .
The next is if you could giveadvice to your younger self,
tazure, tell us like, at whatage would you like to give
advice and what would be thatadvice?

Desire (55:53):
Hmm, yeah, deep question .
Looking back into my life, I'llgive an advice to my 20 year
old, because I think that waswhen everything really, really
changed for me.
Because coming out of highschool, yeah, high school

(56:17):
graduated and I was waiting togo into college or university.
I made some wrong decisionsright, and things didn't go well
as I should expect.
Our advice to make the rightdecision.
And again, one of the advice Iwould have given to myself was I
would have loved to come toCanada much longer than I came

(56:40):
now.
Okay, If I had the opportunity,I would have made that decision
way, way, way.
Because even at 20, I know fewfriends that came into Canada to
study.
But then there wasn't muchinformation.
We saw Canada as a very, veryfar away, cold country and it

(57:02):
didn't make us make the quickdecision.
Because there is so much youcan gain if you come into a
country like this at a youngerage, rather than coming when
you're 40, you're 45, you know46, you know what I mean.
So there's little there's, sothere isn't so much you can do
or achieve at that time anymore.

(57:23):
But notwithstanding, notAmerica, Canada always tell you
you can't be anything at anytime.

Gurasis (57:29):
If you could change one thing about the immigration
system in Canada, what would itbe?

Desire (57:35):
It would be to give preference to everyone, everyone
, and not selective, selectivepeaking Is that the best English
to use?
You know you're givingpreference to some people over
some other people.
That shouldn't be.
Maybe they will say you know,well, we don't do that, but

(57:57):
somehow we know some countriesget some More privileges than
somehow that one, yeah, yeah.

Gurasis (58:05):
And one of them which I absolutely hate is like we
Indians had to do aisles, whichis the international English
learning language test, and wehad to do that before come.
I think it's the same forNigeria, I believe you guys had
to do that.
Yeah, exactly, but then thereare some countries where they
don't speak English at all andthey just can apply for the visa
and they can come without Doingthe aisles, which is totally

(58:28):
unfair in my opinion.

Desire (58:29):
Absolutely, absolutely, if it's.
If you do it for a, you must doit for all.
Yeah so it should be a fairgame to everyone.

Gurasis (58:40):
Yeah, if you had to describe yourself as a creature,
what would it be?

Desire (58:45):
I'll describe myself as an eagle okay, a bird and the
eagle is a very, very amazingCreature because it doesn't
really mingle with all that kindof birds.
It's a special breed, it canswar really high and it

(59:06):
symbolizes inspiration, releasefrom bond, bondage, speed and
longevity.
You know, pride.
I'm loyal to all the symbolslinked to an eagle and those are
if I, if I want to talk aboutmyself, I am a, I am a big
inspiration to myself.
I have flown, or how do I say,yeah, I've gone over, gone past

(59:33):
any kind of bondage In my life.
So there are so many thingsthat could have held me down, so
many things that could have,you know, put me down, but you
know, I overcame.
I overcame and I had victory,longevity.
I'm alive today, despite all mystruggles, despite living in

(59:54):
different countries, despite myaccent.
I'm alive.
Yeah.
I'm not still going and speed.
Oh, I ate sluggishness.

Gurasis (01:00:05):
I.

Desire (01:00:06):
I don't have any tolerance for sluggishness.
I love speed.
Oh, oh, too much I love speed.
Unfortunately, you have tolearn to tolerate.
You know some things or someplaces or some people you know,
sometimes by love speed.
That's how I'm going todescribe myself.
I'll describe myself as birdand eagle.

Gurasis (01:00:26):
Okay, perfect, and I believe your parent, your
children, have a tough dad whodoesn't like the sluggishness.
Oh yeah.

Desire (01:00:34):
Oh yeah, oh, they know that he likes it fast, fast,
fast, fast.
Get your shoes, get yourclothes.
You know I play with them.
We have great time as a family,but they also know when I
switch.
It means.

Gurasis (01:00:50):
Okay, is this something ?
Does it a you recently boughtand you're not a grad?

Desire (01:00:57):
What would that be?
Yeah, I'll Say yes, I Investedinto Cryptocurrencies okay.
Last year.
They're about and I made a lossand, yeah, I am the type that
usually don't want to be part ofthose kind of you know.

(01:01:18):
This one is all moving rightnow.
This is.
This is the outcake in themarket.
This is what is selling rightnow.
I usually don't, but there wastoo much pressure from friends.
Oh, this is right.
You should know this is sellingright now.
You could buy Bitcoin, youcould buy this Currency, you
could buy that currency and theymake you and it's okay.

(01:01:39):
You know, okay, let me investsome thousands of dollars in it
and I did, and few weeks laterCame down.
But I lost so much and I regretit Even to today.

Gurasis (01:01:55):
So what's next on your bucket list about from going to
Nigeria and Cyprus?
What's next on a bucket list?

Desire (01:02:01):
Oh yeah, I'm looking to make a trip to Cancun.
Can come Mexico.
I heard it's a very lovely.
They have very lovely resort.
It's a very beautiful.
Is the island, or it's a verybeautiful place To be?
I have couple of friends thathave visited and they said very
great things about the place.

Gurasis (01:02:23):
Okay, who was your go-to person when you feel stuck
?

Desire (01:02:28):
I am a spiritual person, so I have some spiritual
leaders that I look up to andthey somehow people that I Talk
to when I'm stuck or when I needsome advice, and sometimes I
just close my eyes, I just pray.
God see me true God, I needhelp and you know, help always.

(01:02:49):
Yeah, I mean help always come,help always come.

Gurasis (01:02:52):
Absolutely.
Are there any movies or showsthat you like to watch over and
over again?

Desire (01:02:57):
I love family feud.

Gurasis (01:02:59):
Okay.

Desire (01:03:00):
Steve so much I mean I love the dude himself is a great
guy and I love the show.
I love the three idiots.

Gurasis (01:03:13):
Oh, that's an Indian movie.

Desire (01:03:15):
Oh yeah, I love this so much, I mean, I could see it
again, again.
I even love that guyparticularly.
I'm, it can now, yeah, yeah,can is a great guy.
He did one recently to onTalking about religion.
It's called PK, pk, yes,exactly, yes, oh, I love.

(01:03:37):
Pk to me is one of the more,one of the most undirated movies
of all time, because it did it,went deep.
It went deep that there aresome things about that movie
that you need a deep insight.
Yeah for you to understand.

Gurasis (01:03:52):
Yeah, a lot of uncomfortable topics were very
openly discussed.

Desire (01:03:57):
Yes, oh, I love it, I love it, I love it, yeah, so
that's a great movie that I love.
I love documentaries A lot, youknow, just getting to know.
Like I said, I love new places,I love new people, I love
exploration, I love adventure.
So, yeah, sometimes I just wantto see something about Malaysia

(01:04:19):
.
I just want to see somethingabout.
Oh, why do some and some peoplelike grasses where to ban?
Why, you know?
I just want to know more rightnow.
Oh, a little bit of more, oh,okay.
Why do people eat in thissetting way?
Why do they serve their food?
Oh, how do they cook this foodyou?
Know I just love yeah anddocumentaries one one way I get

(01:04:43):
to learn some of this things.

Gurasis (01:04:45):
So, speaking of food, is it any one dish or food or
something that you can eat forthe rest of your life?

Desire (01:04:54):
Well, to be honest, I I don't have any favorites.
Okay, I, I eat anything thatcomes my way and I try, I like
to try other people's food.
Oh, that culture food, I loveit.
So I really do have anypreference.
But if there's anything I won'tget tired of eating, it would

(01:05:17):
be maybe jollof rice.
Jollof rice is the local yeah.

Gurasis (01:05:23):
It's the best.
Yeah.

Desire (01:05:27):
Oh really! Yeah, yeah, I cook.
You can cook it in differentways.
Yeah, you know you could be.
We could put vegetables on it,we could put chicken.
You know you could just, yeah,Improvise as you like.
Yeah, I love jollof rice.

Gurasis (01:05:40):
Yeah, okay, so describe Canada in one word or a
sentence.

Desire (01:05:44):
Canada is Amazing.
In one word, canada is amazingit's it's freedom.
It's freedom.
This is a country that allowsyou to be anything you want to
be.
There are several religionshere Recognized.
We have different communities.

(01:06:05):
We have the Indian community,yeah.
We have the Nigerian community.
We have the Somalian community,yeah.
We have the Sudanese community.
We have the Turkish.
I've met different communities,yeah, and everyone thriving,
everyone doing well, and that'sone of the things I tried to
tell my people back home.
I live in a country that hasbrought Different people

(01:06:28):
together.
I mean different people fromdifferent parts of the world,
different languages, andeveryone is living well, yeah,
leaving us brothers and sisters.
So why should we be fightingwith ourselves back home?
So I tell, try to tell themthese things from time to time.
Yeah.
So again, Canada is freedom.

(01:06:48):
Yeah, Canada is amazing.

Gurasis (01:06:50):
Love that and if you could leave me, does it ever one
piece of advice, what would itbe?

Desire (01:06:56):
Yeah, it's simple and I've said that before Keep
pushing.
You be a go-getter, go afteryour dream.
Accents are a reflection of aperson's linguistic background
and you know they could carrycultural or regional

(01:07:18):
connotations.
However, beyond that accent isintelligence.
Beyond that accent is aconqueror.
Beyond that accent is a is afighter.
Whatever your dreams are,whatever your goals are, keep
pushing and you get your dreamresults.

Gurasis (01:07:41):
Thanks for that! And how would you describe your
experience of being on thispodcast?

Desire (01:07:47):
Amazing.
I mean this is one of the bestthings I have done.
Oh, I came into Canada.
I've done a couple, you know,media sessions, but this is one
of the best because it gives methe opportunity to talk about me
, to talk about my identity, totalk about my personality, to
talk about my struggles, to talkabout how I overcame my

(01:08:13):
struggles.
So this is a wonderful platformand I mean I didn't think twice
to want to be part of this.
I didn't think twice at all.

Gurasis (01:08:22):
Yeah, thanks to you, grasses, thanks to you for
putting together no, thank youfor being on the podcast and
adding value to my listeners,and I just want to conclude by
saying to our listeners thatnext time someone asks you where
are you from, consider it as aninvitation to connect and
educate rather than takingoffense.

Desire (01:08:42):
Absolutely.
Oh yeah, oh yeah, oh yeah.

Gurasis (01:08:45):
Perfect.
Thank you so much as they forbeing on the podcast and adding
value to my listeners.
Thank you.

Desire (01:08:50):
I really appreciate you having me again.
It's been an awesome experience.
I'm gonna tell everyone oh, Iwent on podcast today with
Gurasis is talking about myaccent.
Do I really have an accent?
Sometimes I ask that question,Do I really have an accent?
And they'll be like ah, yeah,you do.

Gurasis (01:09:09):
Well, I think we all do .
We all have our unique accents,which are unique to ourselves,
and that's what makes us US.

Desire (01:09:17):
Absolutely.

Gurasis (01:09:18):
Okay, thanks.
Thanks a lot, hey, listener.
Thank you for making it to theend.
I highly highly appreciate youlistening the podcast.
Subscribe to the podcast if youhaven't as yet, and please
share with your friends oranybody you think would like it.
And, like I always say, weencourage you to follow your
heart, but also ask on Instagram.

(01:09:39):
The handle is @MyThickAccent.
You can also leave us a reviewor write to us at
Hello@mythickaccent.
com.
So stay tuned and let'scontinue knowing each other
beneath the accent.

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Unpacking 'Where Are You From?': Perspectives on Identity and Belonging | Ft. Desire Olabode Ep. 046

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.css-14f5ked{margin:0;word-break:break-word;display:-webkit-box;-webkit-box-orient:vertical;box-orient:vertical;-webkit-line-clamp:2;overflow:hidden;}Unpacking 'Where Are You From?': Perspectives on Identity and Belonging | Ft. Desire Olabode Ep. 046