One beautiful fall day in Hong Kong, I boarded an airplane for the first time. I was with my mom, my dad and my two younger brothers on a trans-Pacific flight. We were on airplanes or at airports for over 24 hours as we crossed the Pacific and most of continental North America to our destination in Timmins, Ontario. We did not understand more than ten words of English.
I saw snow for the first time in my life the day after we arrived in Timmins and the snow stayed permanently as did I. I started kindergarten at the old Mattagami Public School where I quickly learned English. My mom, dad and grandmother never did pick up on English as a second language, where as English became my primary language. I guess it’s true that we are blank slates when we are little.
My parents had two more boys in the next few years. My mom stayed at home taking care of five boys while my dad worked twelve-hours a day, six days a week to support the family. As a result of my parent’s problems adapting to the English language, I learned responsibility early. I was helping my parents by translating and advocating for them at such places as medical appointments, stores, school, the car dealership, the lawyer’s office or the real estate agent’s office.
In retrospect, what I’ve come to realize is what I was doing for my parents is similar to a large aspect of a lawyer’s work. I am now looking out for my clients just as I was looking out for my parents all those years ago.
Bob Yu
Bob Yu studied Economics and Computer Science at Western Ontario University. He is a graduate of Osgoode Hall Law School. He has been a lawyer in Timmins since 1996. He acts for businesses and entrepreneurs in all aspects of the business life from incorporating and structuring business agreements, financing, employment issues, debt collection, to the day to day management of a business and the buying and selling of a business. He also acts for clients with life situations like buying, selling and leasing property, planning for the future with wills, powers of attorney and other estate planning tools, dealing with insurance, and Ontario Disability Support Program or Canada Pension Plan Disability Benefits.