Strangers of Another Language

"The ice shone with light... There were about ten men skating, part of a game. One chased the others and as soon as someone was touched he became the chaser. Each man held in one hand a sheaf of cattails and the tops of these were on fire. This is what lit the ice and had blinked through the trees... Patrick was transfixed... But on this night he did not trust either himself or these strangers of another language enough to be able to step forward and join them (Ondaatje. In the Skin of a Lion. pp. 21-22)."
            I was intrigued by this romantic scene of loggers skating on ice. It probably would not have been as romantic if the loggers spoke English, a language that Patrick understood. Foreigners and logging, this combination reminds me of the Polish domestic helpers in Germany, Philippine caregivers in Taiwan, and Thai blueberry pickers in Sweden. I have high respect for any seasonal worker in every country.
            Later on in the book, Patrick stayed in a Macedonian neighbourhood. The Macedonians started arriving in Canada in the late 19th early 20th century, many as a result of the Ilinden Uprising in 1903. They stayed mostly in the Toronto area, where they found industrial work. Today, there are about 150,000 Macedonians in Canada, among them many are restaurant owners