While the idea of moving seemed exciting sometimes, most of the time, leaving your parents, your home, your friends, and the life we had built together seemed daunting. After all, we do need our village to survive. Would we be able to create a new village in the new country? Would our children get to know about our traditions and roots? All these questions never left our minds when we came to Canada.

Two years down, I think we have been on the right path in building our new home, making our own family traditions, and adapting to the change while keeping our roots intact. Here are a few tips to help immigrant families transition while keeping old traditions.

Sharing stories from home

One way to keep your roots strong is by sharing stories from your home country. Very often, we sit down as a family and talk about your culture, traditions, and the history of your homeland. I asked my friend to send in some books from home that I could read at bedtime. The girls find them very amusing and have lots of questions about them. This often sparks conversations about my husband and my personal childhood experiences. It makes them understand where they come from and value differences.

Making traditional meals together

Back home, like any culture, we had special food for special occasions. I started making those for them to recreate some of my core childhood memories that I still carry with myself. Just like the smell of a particular cuisine reminds you of a special occasion, I try to create that for my daughters here. It is delightful to watch them cherish it and own it.

Celebrating cultural holidays together

As a family, we make sure to make a big deal out of the cultural/religious holidays that we celebrate back home. The best thing about Canada’s diverse culture is that we can get decorations similar to back home easily. A night before the holiday, we decorate our home, we dress up, and celebrate as a family just the way we used to.

Speaking the native language at home

When we moved here, we made sure to speak in our native language at home. This keeps them connected to their roots and helps them not feel alienated when we speak to friends or family back home. They love listening to songs and watching movies about them. One day, my daughter came very excited from school because they played a well-known song from our home country at her school’s cultural day. I remember her feeling so proud of her identity. A bonus is that it helps them stay connected with their grandparents back home.

Visiting back home

Now that Covid restrictions are over, planning a trip back home has become easier. Since we came here, we have been able to make one trip back home, it really helped in refreshing my children’s memory about it. While they loved meeting family, and experiencing their traditions firsthand, it also made them value what we have created here more. We got to eat our favorite local street food and had a wholesome time.

Staying connected

The hardest part of moving to a new country is the fear of missing out on what is happening back home. All I wanted was to be there for my best friend on her wedding, and with my family on my grandfather’s death. I mourned my children not being able to be there on some of the most special occasions back home. However, in this digital age, talking to our loved ones back home and staying connected with them on video calls and texts has been the biggest support. It helps making the miles long distance feel less far.

In the end, the tough times make us realize how strong and resilient we are. While embarking on a new journey, keeping a piece of your home with you through these little traditions keeps us grounded. Moving away from home might feel overwhelming, however, gradually, we learn to make a new home for our family to call their haven. Just like the roots of the trees, our own roots help our family grow and thrive in our new home.

The post Immigrant Families: Balancing Old Traditions with New Beginnings appeared first on The Mabelhood.

Before you go

Limit the distance.
Don’t venture too far on the first trip. If you keep your travel time reasonable, it will be easier to head home if there is bad weather or someone becomes sick or injured. Search for a nearby location with convenient amenities and family-friendly features like a beach or playground.

Talk about it. Since this will be a new experience for some (or all) family members, chat about what to expect. Camping website TheCampCorner suggests talking about things that will be the same (spending time together and eating meals as a family) and things that will be different (sleeping in a tent or trailer and cooking food over a fire). If you have an only child, consider inviting a friend or cousin for company.

Set parameters for screen time. If one of your camping goals is to “unplug” from your devices for a few days, make this clear in advance. Explain to your kids why it will be valuable to connect to nature (instead of apps) for a few days. Or, maybe you have a specific vision for technology use (for example, during the drive, to keep little ones occupied during set-up and tear-down, or to take photos and videos). Whatever your plans, communicate them openly so kids know what to expect.

Plan group activities. Ask the kids to Google campfire stories, songs and games for around the fire.  If you’re a musical type who is bringing a guitar, throw in some simple background instruments, like shakers, harmonicas and kazoos. You can also re-connect as a family with an old-school deck of cards or a travel board game.

Build the menu. Ask the kids for input, and include some food items you wouldn’t typically have at home (my kids go bonkers for those mini individual boxes of “treat” cereal). Plan simple, wholesome meals you know everyone will like, and have a few extra ideas in reserve. Bonus mealtime tip: if you have access to a mesh canopy tent or picnic shelter, they provide welcome protection from the elements (and pesky insects) while eating.

Pack practical clothes. When camping, function takes priority over fashion. Pack durable, versatile items that can be worn in layers. Everything should be easily washable, since it will likely end up full of sand and smelling like campfire smoke. In case of rain, make sure everyone has a water-resistant jacket, splash pants and rubber boots.

Bring “quiet time” supplies. There will be moments where everyone needs to rest or regroup, so each child should have a small backpack with a few individual activities. Give older kids the responsibility of prepping this on their own. Pre-check the bags and slip in a little surprise to be discovered later, like a word search, sticker book, comic, drawing pad, or package of sports cards.

Choose comfort objects carefully. It’s a classic packing dilemma: do you bring your child’s favourite toy or stuffed animal, since they claim they can’t function without it… or does that set up the potentially disastrous outcome of a treasured item being lost or damaged? One alternative is to identify a special “camping stuffy” for the trip — possibly a secondary one from their collection, or a “new” one from a thrift store. You can get extra creative and select an animal that is part of the local wildlife, like a moose, raccoon, or fox.

Get kid-specific gear. You may need a wearable carrier for your baby, a rugged stroller for your toddler (which can double as a high chair) or a kid-sized camp chair for your preschooler. You’ll also want to travel with your child’s medications, epi-pens or other health accessories.

Make a list. And check it twice, so nothing is forgotten or left behind. To guide you through the process, consult this comprehensive packing checklist from the experts at Mountain Equipment Company.

During

Put safety first. A fully stocked first aid kit is a must. At your campsite, be diligent about basic fire safety procedures, like these ones from Smokey the Bear. If boating or swimming are in your plans, wear lifejackets and observe the posted swimming guidelines. Store all sharp objects (such as axes, knives and fishing tackle) in securely fastened containers, and don’t leave them anywhere children can reach them.

Share the chores. Give kids age-appropriate roles to build their confidence. They can pitch in with jobs like zipping the tent entrance, setting up sleeping bags, and putting clean dishes in the picnic basket.

Stay organized. Designate a specific storage spot for important items like electronics or flashlights, using a container or hanging drawstring bag. For multiple items belonging to different family members (such as water bottles or headlamps), add name labels to avoid mix-ups.

Keep hands clean. An experienced camping friend told me: “You can never have too many hand wipes.” Set up an easily accessible “hygiene station” with a container of single-use wipes or a pump bottle of hand sanitizer. You can also use a small basin of water with soap and a quick-dry towel (a marvellous camping invention).

Explore and play. Camping is all about new experiences, so encourage everyone to keep an open mind. As it suggests in this list of family-friendly camping activities, let your kids tap into their creative side and discover that a stick is so much more than “just a stick.”

Maintain your sanity. In any new endeavor — including camping — there can be moments of unexpected stress. Have a pre-set signal with your spouse or partner, to be used when either one of you is feeling overwhelmed and needs a few minutes of privacy to breathe deeply and regroup. It might sound like an unnecessary measure, but it can be useful in the moment when you encounter a frustrating roadblock or glitch.

Reduce the pressure. You don’t have to do everything or see everything on the first trip. Customize the daily schedule (or non-schedule) to suit your family’s needs, resources, and energy levels. In the end, it’s about quality, not quantity.

Document the experience. Start an old-fashioned journal of stories, funny moments, bloopers, and quotable quotes. Or, for a more high-tech option, have your tween record a video diary or take pictures to be made into a slide show with music.

After

Shop smart. Take inventory of the gear you used and make a mental “wish list” of items to be added or upgraded. Then, watch for sales at the end of the season, so you can be opportunistic and purchase high quality equipment at a lower price.

De-brief. A few days after your return, have a “post-camping” chat at a family meal. Gather feedback from everyone, including the highlights and low-lights. Take notes of the things you learned and jot down some reminders and ideas for “next time.” In the end, that’s the goal: for the first camping trip to go well, so the family will be keen to do a second one.

Good luck, stay calm, and camp on!

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