I’m writing this while in Vancouver, Canada. We have visited the Museum of Vancouver which devotes more than half of its space to the history of the Haida first nations people. There are displays that talk about the cruelty that has been inflicted on them, and how this has affected their lives and culture. One thing I have really been struck by, is the term ‘reconciliation’. Everyone can have a place here, the puzzle is to work out how everyone with such different backgrounds and cultures can achieve this.
In 2005, I participated in a university exchange program and spent time at the University of New Brunswick on the east coast of Canada. I arrived on a student visa and quickly upgraded that to a temporary residency visa. I loved the Canadian way of life and hoped to stay in Canada. My time there was cut short when bad news at home pulled me back to the UK. It was in caring for my Grandmother that I realised that ‘place’ doesn’t have to be physical, it can also be about people.
I have since travelled quite a bit in the UK and around the world. Whenever I am away on a Sunday, I search online for an Anglican church. The sense of place I feel within these churches, regardless of the backgrounds and cultures of the people I am worshiping with, reminds me of the unity that can be found in our diversity when we gather together to worship God.
Jen Adams
