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Shakir Alam - Personal History Project

By 1alamsha

  • Bangladesh Liberation War [Secondary] #4

    Bangladesh Liberation War [Secondary] #4
    The Bangladesh Liberation War was a conflict that was caused by the independence Bangladesh deserved. This was because of the 1971 genocide performed on the people of Bangladesh who looked for independence. This was quite significant as my maternal grandmother's friends and family were murdered as a result, causing her to become an orphan at a very young age. In a conversation, I asked if she had in any pictures with her parents, she said "no we did not have a camera. I was only 20 at the time."

  • Parents' Immigration to Canada [Primary] #1

    Parents' Immigration to Canada [Primary] #1
    Today, my parents officially immigrated to Canada to start a new life. They decided to live in Toronto as they had friends from the 3rd grade living in the same area. Being a student looking to complete his masters in engineering, my father worked jobs for Microsoft and the Canadian Space Agency on the side to make a few extra dollars. My mother worked at TD bank in finance in DT Toronto. This was very significant as it was their hardships that I am able to live a nice life free of stress.

  • First Time Visiting Bangladesh [Primary] #7

    First Time Visiting Bangladesh [Primary] #7
    I became severely sick on a visit to my parents' home country when I was almost 1 year old. My situation was extreme and my parents and family were devastated. I had a high fever and a temperature that read 110°. Most of my family there thought I was guaranteed to die and did their prayers every time they visited my sick body in the hospital. After 2 months of recovery, I still have scars of IV therapy on my forearm. The picture shown is my paternal side of family after hearing I was healthy.

  • Moving to Montreal [Primary] #6

    Moving to Montreal [Primary] #6
    On this day, my parents found a better job and home in Montreal. In addition, both my parents learned French, and my Father finished some additional education. They decided it would be best to move here as they have another child coming (my sister). Here I learned to speak French and made friends with my neighbors. This was less significant than other events as I was very young so I did not remember much but nonetheless, it changed the course of my family's life permanently.

  • My Sister's birth [Primary] #5

    My Sister's birth [Primary] #5
    This was the day I was introduced to my first and only sibling. She grew up to play badminton, play music, watch Netflix and grow to be almost a foot shorter than me. This was a significant date as I finally was able to meet the artistic person that is my sister.

  • Grandmother Diagnosed with Cancer [Primary] #2

    Grandmother Diagnosed with Cancer [Primary] #2
    My grandmother suffered an injury to her hip which took her to the hospital. There, she was diagnosed with breast and a rare cancer that is bone cancer. She later took chemotherapy to resolve her breast cancer but her bone cancer kept up. As for significance; although this was a sad day, since then our family has been closer in a time like this and look to visit each other every few months when we can.

  • Grandfather Robbed [Primary] #3

    Grandfather Robbed [Primary] #3
    My grandfather is a wealthy doctor who is well known from helping the disadvantaged free of charge. He travels to see people in villages or mountains in Bangladesh, and Malaysia. Despite being a private doctor having his own lab, hospitals see him as a partner and he gets medicine for patients free of charge. He was robbed in the night and held hostage for 24 hours where he was starved and cut by burglars. This was significant as my family was quite traumatized and devastated by the situation.