Amid the recession, money is tight for everybody.
Let’s face it, immigration can bring a fair share of financial trouble. First, applying for permanent residence and relocating in Canada isn’t cheap. Then, finding a good job may take time. And above all, managing your money in a new country isn’t easy, as you may not be as “street smart” yet as residents.

A while ago, I was visiting Gean’s blog when I noticed an intriguing banner: “Lend $25, change a life. Get $25 back and lend it again. Change another life.” I clicked on the banner and I was directed to Kiva.
I learned that Kiva’s mission was to: “empower individuals to lend to an entrepreneur across the globe”.

Every day I thank the language Gods for the invention of the pronoun “you” in English. No matter who you talk to, whether it’s your boss, your in-laws, a close friend or a perfect stranger, it’s a no-brainer: just say “you”.
It’s not a given, you know. A lot of languages have two ways of saying “you”: French has “tu” and “vous”, much like Spanish has “tú” and “usted”, Portuguese has “tu” and “você” and Chinese has “你” and “您”.

It’s only when I showed up at Starbucks that I realized I had no idea how to order in French. And ordering my coffee in English in Montreal would look back, wouldn’t it. But I needed coffee: this is a working weekend for me and I haven’t had much sleep the last few days.

When I exited The Bay, he was standing here, playing the harmonica. I stood here for a minute, looking at him. I grabbed the camera which was slung over my shoulder and our eyes met briefly. He nodded, still playing. He first slowly turned on his side to show me the cat perched on his shoulders, safe from my camera’s peering eye. I smiled and waited. Eventually, he looked straight into my eyes. I snapped two pictures quickly, gave him a couple of bucks and walked away.