Making Anew My Home

Mathew Zachariah (BA, BEd, MS in Educ, Ph.D) was in the first wave of highly qualified professionals (doctors, engineers, professors, teachers) who came to Canada in the 1960s and became Canadian citizens. This book ­- in part family memoir, autobiography, poetry, reflections on national and cultural history as well as religious faiths and traditions - asks three questions: How did Calgary in Canada become his place in the universe? How has Canadian attitudes and behaviours helped him become a global citizen? What has he done in his life as a teacher and professor in his adopted country? In Mathew's life, there were arduous hills to climb, soothing valleys to rest in, stretches of plains to walk warily and wearily in. Yet, he also had many achievements. He describes them with anecdotes, humorous incidents, recall of sad events and separations, literary allusions, reasoned opinions, descriptions of colourful characters and places. Readers should find in the pages of this book resonances of the struggles and triumphs in their own lives ­- whether they are native-born or immigrants ­- while reconstituting their identities subtly or obviously in the face of multifarious pressures. The book should be of specific interest to scholars and students in multicultural, intercultural and identity studies. The thematic organization of the book is evident in a few of the chapter titles: Names, Naming and Me, Arranged and Personal Choice Marriages, My Christian Faith, The British Empire's Influence, Branching Out in America, Flowering in Canada. This work reveals a unique and original approach to writing an autobiography that readers will relish.