Welcome back after the May long weekend! You probably know that Monday was Victoria Day, a holiday to celebrate the birthday of Queen Victoria. Hopefully you enjoyed it.

Now as the days are getting longer for summer, we are starting something new – a sharing cycle! As part of that sharing cycle, we’re looking for your answers to important summer questions so that we can share them with our community. How do you spend your summer? How do you stay involved in the community? Any interesting summer activities or volunteer opportunities you would recommend to other people?

After all, Language Partners BC is about language but also about community connections across language communities.

Let me tell you about my experience first. When I just moved to Canada, I was looking for ways to expand my social circle and get into the community. I started with volunteering in a rabbit shelter in Richmond, a place that is always happy to have volunteers. Have you seen how many homeless bunnies are running Richmond?

The shelter rescues rabbits from different parts of the city, accepts abandoned bunnies, and gives bunnies for adoption and fostering. I’ve learned a lot about taking care of rabbits, and I’m still learning. What is good for them to eat, how to track the health issues, how to train them to be more social, etc. It’s fun, because you can cuddle with bunnies, and it’s useful, as there is an opportunity to learn that any pet is not just a cute toy, but actually is a commitment. Every rabbit has its own personality, some of them are very social and love cuddles, some of them prefer solitariness.

I’ve met many nice people there. I’ve made friends. The conditions for volunteering are suitable even for allergic people. And now, during COVID, there are safety precautions in place, which not all volunteer places can provide. The shelter is always happy for help and really values it, bunnies appreciate the volunteers.

Tell us about your experience that you would recommend to our community for this summer!