November 21, 2010

The last four weeks after Election Day have passed quickly. Too quickly, it often seems.

I have been very appreciative of the kind words of congratulations that are still coming in, but I have been even more appreciative of the dozen opportunities to participate in community events so far and that hundreds more that are still ahead.

Last week, I was invited to participate in the Diwali celebration at RIM Park, hosted by the Gujarati Cultural Association. Together, we had the opportunity to reflect on not only the growing size of the event (the demand exceeded the capacity of the Forbes Room) and of the cultural community, but also on the intergenerational nature of these celebrations.

It was impossible not to notice the three or four generations of families celebrating together with each other and with 500 of their neighbours. There simply are not that many events in my own cultural tradition where that happens, and I wonder what that says about how cohesive and mutually supportive our broader community could be.

I want to thank Yogesh Shah for extending the invitation and for being such a gracious host.

We have a lot to learn from each other in our growing, diverse community. Being part of more of those events will help me better understand how different parts of our community experience Waterloo, and I look forward to more opportunities ahead.

Happy New Year to our Gujarati neighbours.