Becoming a Canadian on Takuya Kitazawa

The End of the Beginning—What I Talk About When I Talk About Malawi

Mon, 24 Jun 2024 00:00:00 +0000

"How's Africa?"—my friends outside of the continent frequently ask.

Where should I start...?

Malawi—the 10th poorest country in the world¹, with a life expectancy of around 60 years², less than 30% internet penetration, a median age under 18, and more than 80% of the population living in rural areas³. It's a country far from discussions about race and ethnic diversity and predominantly uses underrepresented languages. This is the "Africa" I have lived in for the past 11 months as a Canadian international volunteer, and now I'm about to end my one-year assignment. Unsurprisingly, there are many immediate struggles you wouldn't experience in wealthier nations. But life here is actually not *that* bad and can even be happier than in more developed countries.

Let me be honest. I am exhausted, both mentally and physically. I don't know if it's due to the side effects of malaria prevention medicine, the full-time onsite work in a dark and noisy office space, the general safety concerns that hinder me from going out as frequently as I used to, or the people who stare at me whenever I'm outside. In any case, I've been struggling with fatigue and a sense of insecurity throughout the year. My body feels shockingly heavy (without any visible weight gain), and I cannot focus on anything, even when I need to. In a short period, I've completely lost stability in many aspects of my life, including mindfulness, fitness, finances, and intelligence. Despite this, the handful of valuable things I've received—such as connection, laughter, and joy—make me feel like these costs are worth paying. I have no issue with living in this country longer if necessary.

I'm Not "China"—Connecting HERE and THERE in Systems

Tue, 30 Apr 2024 00:00:00 +0000

"China!" A random stranger yells at me. Welcome to Malawi—the Warm Heart of Africa—though I don't consider it "friendly" and it is simply racial discrimination¹. Over the last nine months living in the country, I've also received countless judgemental comments on my character, socio-economic status, and thought and behavioral patterns based on the stereotypes they might have against Japanese, Asians, and foreigners at large. Unfortunately, this kind of discomfort is the only yet non-negotiable reason why I cannot imagine my future living in this beautiful country; from my recent experiences in Ethiopia, Egypt, and Malawi, I learned being an Asian in Africa naturally puts me into an endless psychological tension with locals and brings a greater sense of insecurity and vulnerability. The alienated feeling strongly demotivates me to invest my short life in the environment.

* Malawi is undoubtedly beautiful. My concern, and future opportunities, inversely, are centered around its people and businesses.

Meanwhile, I was recently traveling to Frankfurt in Germany, Tallinn in Estonia, Helsinki in Finland, Stockholm in Sweden, and Copenhagen in Denmark for two weeks by plane, ferry, and train. Although I'm willing to write a full article about the trip, the biggest surprise was that nobody stares at me in the public spaces and shops and restaurants. In Malawi, on the contrary, I always feel someone is looking at me whenever I'm outside. Thus, it's been a while since the last time I felt it was okay to be my authentic self from the deepest part of my heart, and I simply enjoyed the emotional freedom during the trip. What a great pleasure running in the city center of a large Scandinavian city for 10km with an empty mind! As running is an essential part of my life, I could easily live here permanently.

Starting Field Study on How Information Flows in Malawi

Wed, 23 Aug 2023 00:00:00 +0000

On July 28, 2023, I moved to Malawi, a beautiful landlocked country in southeastern Africa, for a Canadian international volunteering program at World University Service of Canada (WUSC). The program is funded by the Canadian government, and the organization sends Canadians, including permanent residents, to developing countries to advance Canada's Feminist International Assistance Policy.

As of writing, I've already spent three weeks in the country. Interestingly, there hasn't been much of a culture shock so far, probably because I visited mostly urban areas where we see a lot of influences from Western countries; at a surface level, if you subtract the economic growth from Southeast Asia, it's here.

* Lake Malawi, the source of fresh and delicious fishes like chambo and usipa.

However, the reality isn't that simple, and one of the poorest countries in the world is suffering from various forms of gaps, between rich and poor, urban and rural, and the other countries. These gaps are the very reason why I'm here, and you can read more about the motivation at my fundraising page.

Connecting the Dots in Complexity

Thu, 03 Nov 2022 00:00:00 +0000

At a certain point in my university days in Japan, I was so into reading Complexity: A Guided Tour written by Dr. Melanie Mitchell, Davis Professor at the Santa Fe Institute. I even took their online course (putting the other textbooks needed for the university's exam prep aside).

Why? I wanted to find out how society on the internet evolves. As information technology becomes the norm among early- to late-majorities, the atmosphere on the internet had clearly shifted from digital "nerdy" communication hubs, which I deeply loved, to competitive marketplaces where people seek profit and reputation for practical reasons. I was curious about why/how the transition happened so rapidly, almost like an uncontrollable natural phenomenon. Eventually, I learned such a network structure is known as a complex system and then started working on social network analysis for making sense of the complexity. I've gotten a handful of actionable insights and encountered a larger set of more complicated problems ever since then.

About 10 years later, I recently attended an art class hosted by a local art gallery and artist in Canada. We practiced meditating in the forest, maximizing the sensitivity of our body, and turning perception into expression.

My First Month as Self-Employed

Wed, 05 Oct 2022 00:00:00 +0000

It's been a month since I officially became self-employed in Canada. So far, things are going quite well, especially in terms of quality of life. Time flows slower, and a day is surprisingly longer than I used to feel. Even though my monthly income in Sep 2022 was roughly 50% of the amount I earned until the previous month, I feel the "cost" for a better life is pretty cheap. And thankfully, the 50% amount is still not a threatening number for a single person living in the city.

That said, I know it's too early to conclude; being in a situation where every minute literally counts needs a radical shift in how to use my own time, and I'm tuning myself daily to be a better version of myself in various ways. Here, let me jot down some of the key changes, observations, and tips I have had for the first 30 days.

What are you doing now?

You can find the answer in takuti.me/now:

Reviewing Things I Do Not Know About the Indian Act #NDTR

Thu, 29 Sep 2022 00:00:00 +0000

September 30 is the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation (hashtag: #NDTR) in Canada, a day that we look back on the dark history of the residential school system European settlers had implemented, raise awareness of its impacts, and take an action to rebuild the relationship with Indigenous Peoples.

As a foreign national living in Canada, I see understanding the local history, especially the ones about Indigenous Peoples, is an important mission, and I've been continuing the journey through learning Canada's history and taking an online course. Here, my recent reading of 21 Things You May Not Know About the Indian Act: Helping Canadians Make Reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples a Reality was a highly insightful and great use of time for the week of Truth and Reconciliation.

The book gives readers a succinct collection of important facts and references about how terrible the past & present is, and what we can do as an individual. Importantly, the content is NOT about the history that's already over, and the impacts rather still visibly exist in various scenes.

Paddling in the Life, and Currently I'm a Freelance Software Developer

Fri, 02 Sep 2022 00:00:00 +0000

I quit my software engineering job at Amazon on August 31, 2022. One week before my resignation, I was in the ocean for a week-long kayaking trip with my friends on the west coast of Vancouver Island, which turned out to be my longest adventure ever in such a remote environment without any utilities.

The vacation was unbelievably fantastic not only because of the unreal scenery & contact with wildlife but also as an opportunity to spend an abundant amount of time on self-reflection; I felt so good staying disconnected from the internet for an entire week, and I realized that having time to kill with an empty mind is the richest thing we will rarely experience in the modern life.

Takeaways? Life is short, and it can be like a paddling trip.

Unpredictable, like the waves and tide.
Absolute silence on the islands — Quality of life, in a true sense.
Feeling of being part of the earth — How tiny our day-to-day struggles are.

Accumulating unpredictable experiences

Life is unpredictable, and my journey moving from one place to another on a case-by-case basis is pretty much like paddling in the ocean. While I can cruise at a comfortable pace with minimum use of power under perfect conditions, strong wind and bigger waves sometimes disable me to proceed to the desired direction in the shortest path, where I need to save energy and wisely use the pieces of equipment to get things right.

Indigenous Canada: Storytelling, Community, and Sustainability

Sat, 11 Jun 2022 00:00:00 +0000

It's National Indigenous History Month in Canada, and I just finished University of Alberta's 12-week course of Indigenous Canada.

When you visit Canada, you can easily find a connection to Indigenous culture in many forms such as road signs and public arts. However, it is not easy for everyone to understand the complex history behind the scene; if we take the cultural icons without knowing the background, we cannot establish a mutual understanding between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples in a true sense, and it's impossible for the society as a whole to build a better future in this beautiful country of Canada. Here, the online course was a great introduction to Canadian history and gave me an opportunity to realize how little I know about the country, where I currently (and permanently) live.

In fact, every single fact I learned from the course was eye-opening, but there are 3 key takeaways I strongly recall:

For Indigenous people, storytelling is a major way to transfer knowledge from generation to generation.
Community-based activity is vital for Indigenous people to live, learn, act, and strengthen their identity.
Indigenous lifestyle is based on deep appreciation for our mother's land and natural resources, which can be essential for modern sustainability development.

It should be noticed that these Indigenous ways of living/thinking overlap with what's been discussed lately in the context of global economy, and the practices have been completely normal for Indigenous people from the beginning. That is, Indigenous history, in general, is important not only for correctly understanding the past but also for making present & future better.

Becoming Permanent Resident of Canada

Sun, 05 Jun 2022 00:00:00 +0000

It's been more than a year since I relocated to Canada in Feb 2021, and I have officially become a permanent resident of Canada this week. My major motivation of being a permanent resident is to maximize the flexibility of choosing a job and possibly getting education in this country.

Thanks to BC Provincial Nominee Program - Tech (BC PNP Tech), the application process was very smooth even though I changed an employer in the middle; I was fortunately able to work with highly supportive attorneys both in the previous and current company, and my PR application has been approved much quicker than I expected¹. Here is a rough timeline I have undergone:

(2021/02) Moved to Canada from Japan with a work permit. Took IELTS, an English test required for PR application, 2 days before the flight.
(2021/06) Applied for BC PNP Tech.
(2021/07) Accepted BC PNP nomination, and received an invitation to apply for permanent residence.
(2021/08) Changed an employer. Initiated BC PNP post-nomination process.
(2021/12) Re-received BC PNP nomination and invitation to apply for permanent residence.
(2022/02) Applied for permanent residence.
(2022/06) Received an approval of my PR application, and the status has been confirmed in less than a week.

Note that the processing time varies depending on various factors. Everyone must refer to the government's website for the latest information. Meanwhile, COVID-19 impacted the process both in positive and negative ways, but I believe none of them was a significant blocker/accelerator. On a positive side, for example, the university I graduated from temporarily accepted a request for issuing a certificate of degree by email, which usually can be requested only by mail with a paper-based application. On the other hand, there was a little bit of confusion when I was trying to obtain a police certificate; the police office's fingerprinting service and embassy's operations were irregular during the pandemic.

Starting with Empathy to #GetReal, Beat Loneliness, and Be Ethical. #MentalHealthWeek

Thu, 05 May 2022 00:00:00 +0000

It's Mental Health Week in Canada. The theme empathy is a big topic for me as I recently made a dramatic shift in my focus as part of the latest update on my NOW page; currently, I have a strong feeling that being empathetic can be foundation of everything, including happiness in personal life, healthy mutual relationship with others, and sense of satisfaction on a job.

This spring, my physical and mental condition was the worst over the last few years for some reasons, and the experience gave me an opportunity to deeply appreciate the power of empathy that people shared with me. I'd like to leverage this Mental Health Week to look back on the experience. A key takeaway is that we all are extremely fragile, and paying attention to the things and people around us is a great way to complement the vulnerability in a collective way. Individuals are surprisingly powerless, and nobody's life is "solo" in a true sense.

Learning Canada's History

Sun, 01 May 2022 00:00:00 +0000

Canadian friend: "Do you know John Macdonald?"
Me: "I don't know. Who is it?"

Until a few months ago, I knew little to nothing about Canada's history, but I started feeling it's very rude and disrespectful. As a foreign immigrant, I personally think I should respect the culture, history, and people I'm regularly interacting with in this beautiful country. Hence, I have been intentionally building my knowledge through several museum visits and online resources (e.g., Indigenous Canada from University of Alberta on Coursera, a webpage from the Government of Canada: Discover Canada - Canada's History).

From my point of view, there are several key moments I commonly see across different resources:

1604-1608: European's settlement began.
1867: The Dominion of Canada was officially born.
1941: Japan attacked Pearl Harbor.
1996: Closure of the last residential school triggered the following reconciliation acts.
2015: The Truth and Reconciliation Commission's final report was accepted by the Government of Canada.

Understanding the "dark" history for Indigenous people. We cannot speak about Canada's history without mentioning the history of Indigenous. While I'm still at week 6 of Indigenous Canada from University of Alberta on Coursera, I've been shocked every week as I learn how selfish the European settlers were and how Indigenous's life, culture, and rights were threatened between the 17th and 20th century. The problem is actually very complicated as both sides had different ideas of diplomatic relations; though it's completely unacceptable, it is reasonably explainable why Europeans in the 17th century took such actions and why their relationship with Indigenous communities, including establishment of treaties and regulations, didn't go well.

Voting for 2021 #BCAleTrail Best Brewery Experience Award

Mon, 06 Sep 2021 00:00:00 +0000

As a foreign worker who has been in the country only for half a year, there is nothing much to say about the ongoing Canadian federal election campaign. But don't worry, we have yet another voting opportunity: 2021 BC Ale Trail Best Brewery Experience Award.

One of the key drivers that brings me to British Columbia is its outstanding craft brewing culture. Although the activities are limited due to the COVID restrictions, I have been still able to explore many local breweries since I came to Canada in this February. So far, I'm really satisfied in this regard and have a strong impression that I made the right decision. Fortunately and unfortunately, 95% of the visits were solo though.

More importantly, I recently enjoy not only visiting breweries & grabbing a pint but also learning their story behind the scene through BC Ale Trail (though I'm not a fan of their mobile app's user experience), Cascadian Beer Podcast, and Pacific Beer Chat. Here, the Best Brewery Experience Award seems to be a great opportunity for me to look back on my journey on the BC Ale Trails and plan for the next adventure to dive deeper into them.

Next "Dot" in Journey: Curiosity-Driven Job Change in Canada (Aug 2021)

Sat, 28 Aug 2021 00:00:00 +0000

After five years of dramatic days at Treasure Data (TD), I decided to leave the company and join Amazon's Personalization team in Vancouver as a software engineer. When I first entered TD as an intern back in 2016, I didn't expect such a long, complex, and fruitful journey. I was influenced by the great corporate culture & colleagues literally on a daily basis, and I'm sure the 5-year experience will remain as a core of my life for a long time.

Importantly, while I changed my role from Software Engineer to Product Manager 1.5 year ago, now I'm back as an engineer for the new position in the field of recommender systems, where I have worked for a few years in the past (e.g., Google Scholar, CV). What I really like about personalization systems is how theoretical aspects¹, engineering problems², UI/UX design concerns³, business impacts⁴, and ethical challenges⁵ are strongly tied to each other. Thus, I'm curious about working in the domain at Earth's most customer-centric company.

Moving to Canada: Adding Randomness to My Life

Sun, 21 Mar 2021 00:00:00 +0000

On Feb 26, 2021, I have officially moved to Metro Vancouver in British Columbia, Canada from Japan under continuous employment with Treasure Data, where I have been working for 4+ years.

Why?

Just as an experience, seriously.

Of course, there are some tactical reasons as follows:

I have become a Product Manager having data science expertise. See "Why a Data Science Engineer Becomes a Product Manager" for the background.
Over the past few years, I have been interacted with many valuable customers across the world not only as an engineer but occasionally acting as a consultant, pre-sales person, and product representative.
As the company's business grows, the Canadian entity of Treasure Data currently plays a key role as the center of their R&D activities. Here, my experiences above hopefully help to accelerate the growth by bringing customer's points of view to the local team.

By the way, Treasure Data Canada is hiring :)

That said, my personal motivation is simply experiencing life in a foreign country, and I've been seeking the opportunity over the past few years.