Some dates are unforgettable, June 17, is one of them!

Like today but 31 years ago, in 1990, Bambi and her family arrived to Canada. First, they all arrived to the welcoming Québec. Then, she moved to the fascinating Ontario. From there, she arrived to her beautiful New Brunswick. See, all Canada is beautiful :)!

Every June 17 and every July 1st, Bambi thinks of her parents. She thanks them for having brought their family to Canada’s safety and welcoming arms.

Of course, the day before, June 16, she thinks of the start of her family’s long trip: Leaving Lebanon and all their loved ones behind where they escaped perhaps the ugliest round of the civil war (i.e., street war in addition to the usual shelling…). One song comes to her mind on that day. Of course, it is: “J’ai quitté mon pays” (“I left my homeland“). Some of Bambi’s childhood friends recall having listened to this song while their boat was taking them away from Lebanon’s shores toward the island of Cyprus (and from there to France). This must have been a very moving moment.

Well, to come back to June 17, the song that comes to Bambi’s mind to highlight this beautiful day is again by Mr. Enrico Macias. It is entitled: “Les gens du Nord” [“People of the North“] on how one’s host country (in his case, France; In Bambi’s, it is Canada) is welcoming to those who have suffered in other places of the world.

Time really flies in life. Already over three decades of discovery and enrichment in Canada . In addition, Bambi remains under the charm of our winter :)!

To conclude this post on both a musical and a funny note, here are the two songs mentioned above (the first sub-titled in English. The lyrics of the second are shared below). Following these songs, Bambi will share an older post featuring Mr. Gad El Maleh in his first one-man show, which was about Mirabel airport (closed now). It is there where the KLM airplane, transporting Bambi and her family from Amsterdam (as well as her new friend Carla and her family :)), landed on June 17, 1990. It is not surprising then that Mr. El Maleh’s jokes remain particularly meaningful to Bambi.

Anyhow, many thanks to Mr. Macias as well as Mr. El Maleh, for their inspiring talent… and thank you Canada!

“The people of the North

Have in their eyes the blue that is missing in their decor

The people of the North

Have in the heart the sun that they do not have outside

The people of the North

Always open their doors to those who have suffered

The people of the North

Don’t forget they’ve been through hell

If their houses are lined up

It is for the sake of equality

And the peniches

Poor or rich

Bear the fruit of their efforts

The people of the North

Bend your back when the wind blows too hard

The people of the North

Get up early because it depends on their fate

At the horizon of their campaign

It is the coal that makes mountains

The streets of the cities

Sleep well

Rain falling on the fields

The accordion makes them dance

And then the beer blackmails them

And when the party

Turn your head

We see two of them getting married

The people of the North

Have in their eyes the blue that is missing in their decor

The people of the North

Have in the heart the sun that they do not have outside“

(English lyrics taken from: https://lyricsaround.com/en/enrico_macias/les_gens_du_nord/).

Do you know Mr. Gad el Maleh? He is too funny in both French & English!