Brooks, AB

Immigrant

Cambodia

50-59

Kim

Originally from Cambodia, Kim landed in Vancouver in 1995 and then moved to Brooks, Alberta two years later. Since then, Kim has been living in Brooks and working in a local meat plant.

Having a stable income is very important for me to settle from a larger city to a smaller city. As an immigrant like myself who cannot speak English fluently, being able to build a livelihood wherever there is an opportunity was an important consideration.

This is the exit from Highway 1 into Brooks. When I moved from Vancouver to Brooks, this was the moment that I realized how different this place was from a larger city. It was emotional moving from a large city like Vancouver to the Town of Brooks (at the time).	Having a stable income is very important for me to settle from a larger city to a smaller city. As an immigrant like myself who cannot speak English fluently, being able to build a livelihood wherever there is an opportunity was an important consideration.	This is part of my everyday life. This is the turn from Highway 1 to my workplace, which I have been commuting to since my arrival in Brooks.

This clip shows the site of the former Cassils Centre Mall in Brooks that had been demolished in the early 2000’s. Today, it is the site of Safeway, Canadian Tire, and other businesses. The mall used to be a place for me to see and encounter people in the community. Once the mall had been demolished, I would go to larger cities more often.

As an immigrant at the time, despite Brooks being a small city, it didn’t feel that way having a mall like a bigger city. Having all amenities in one place allowed me to socialize, meet community members, and to understand life in Canada. This image shows Christmas photos with Santa at the mall in 2002. Even though I have not traditionally celebrated Christmas, I remember feeling connected to other people celebrating the festivities of Christmas together as a community at the mall.	The Duke of Sutherland Park (also known as the “Water Park”) was a place that was important for me when I first moved to Brooks, especially having small children and a place for them to play. Canada Day events also occur at this park. I have many memories here since my arrival to Brooks until recently as well.	Sam’s Oriental Market is owned by a Cambodian family. Having access to Cambodian and Asian groceries in a small city is very important for me.	Cambodian Buddhists in Brooks gather at a rented community hall to celebrate Cambodian New Year in April and “Pchum Ben” (traditional Cambodian festival) during the Fall. This is the time and place that we get to connect with the Cambodian community in Brooks, but also from Medicine Hat and Calgary.
When I first came to Brooks in 1997, there was not much accessibility to ethnic groceries. Today, No Frills is a major supermarket in Brooks that carries ethnic groceries that were not to be found when I first arrived.	Downtown Brooks is very quiet, especially during the weekends. Even though Brooks is a smaller city, I do not visit Downtown very often because there are not many activities going on.	Much of the activities in Brooks occur at the JBS Canada Centre (recreation centre). Although there are recreation facilities and the public library at this place, I do not go here often.	Having cities such as Calgary nearby allow my family and I to visit on the weekends to go shopping and dine in at restaurants that may not necessarily be available in a smaller city. At first, the two-hour drive would feel very long but everytime it feels close to home.

Brooks, AB

Immigrant

Cambodia

50-59

Kim

Originally from Cambodia, Kim landed in Vancouver in 1995 and then moved to Brooks, Alberta two years later. Since then, Kim has been living in Brooks and working in a local meat plant.

This is the exit from Highway 1 into Brooks. When I moved from Vancouver to Brooks, this was the moment that I realized how different this place was from a larger city. It was emotional moving from a large city like Vancouver to the Town of Brooks (at the time).

Having a stable income is very important for me to settle from a larger city to a smaller city. As an immigrant like myself who cannot speak English fluently, being able to build a livelihood wherever there is an opportunity was an important consideration.

This is part of my everyday life. This is the turn from Highway 1 to my workplace, which I have been commuting to since my arrival in Brooks.

Sam’s Oriental Market is owned by a Cambodian family. Having access to Cambodian and Asian groceries in a small city is very important for me.

When I first came to Brooks in 1997, there was not much accessibility to ethnic groceries. Today, No Frills is a major supermarket in Brooks that carries ethnic groceries that were not to be found when I first arrived.

Downtown Brooks is very quiet, especially during the weekends. Even though Brooks is a smaller city, I do not visit Downtown very often because there are not many activities going on.

Much of the activities in Brooks occur at the JBS Canada Centre (recreation centre). Although there are recreation facilities and the public library at this place, I do not go here often.

Having cities such as Calgary nearby allow my family and I to visit on the weekends to go shopping and dine in at restaurants that may not necessarily be available in a smaller city. At first, the two-hour drive would feel very long but everytime it feels close to home.

BACK