People of German descent immigrated to Canada for a wide range of reasons. Although the largest wave of immigrants happened after WWII, many are still arriving today. For some of the participants in the oral history project, it was literally a honeymoon that never ended. For others, Canada simply sounded like an interesting place to live. Others yet had no idea about Canada and thought it was part of the United States.
Although many interviewees felt welcome here, many also felt homesick. Some became acutely aware of the differences between Canadians and Germans, right down to the kind of window dressings and doorknobs used in homes. This chapter covers many topics surrounding the immigrants’ arrival in Canada: living with or apart from a German immigrant community, accepting jobs with low pay rates just to make ends meet, experiencing prejudice, and more. You’ll also read about some important theories in immigration research and how it applies to the participants’ experiences.