Personal Narrative: Moving To Canada

When I was a kid, a girl lived next door to me. She was beautiful, graceful, and overall a kind person. Her name was Riley. I remember the times where I hung out with her. She was a cool girl who didn’t mind a boy hanging around with her. We often spent our time swinging on a rope in the park and playing tag. In time, I felt… attached to her. I wanted to tell her this. However, something happened.

I was not born here in Canada, I'm originally from Haiti. I came to Canada when I was young and I only spoke French and Haitian Creole. In the beginning it was really hard adjusting to the new culture, life, school, making new friends, etc. it was like my world just turned upside down and I had to start all over again. Although Canada is a bilingual country where I was living, which is Windsor Ontario the majority of the people spoke English, most of the schools and government facility were also English places. I used to be really shy and quiet because I was afraid to be judged for not pronouncing or not understand what the words mean that is why when I went to school or any place that required me to speak English I just stayed quietly in a corner.

Although I am Canadian and still carry Canadian traits, adopting new traits from being in a different environment has helped me grow and become a better individual. Someone who doesn't move will forever lack certain traits because you are not exposed to different environments. Being from a different country, I have different thoughts on an American than Americans, but after being in America my perspective has altered. Being able to adapt to situations and environments, just as the frontiers had, has lead me to take more pride in my individual self. Going trough life significant life experiences has made me appreciate values of Americans like freedom and justice. The western mythology has helped shape this nation and is responsible for many

My ancestors first came to Canada around 1845-1852. The names of the first people in my family to come to canada was Robert Young and Anna Young. They came to Canada from Ireland.

My mom Andrea Svank moved from Hungary to Canada in 1998. My mom was born July 19th, 1970 she was born in Nyíregyháza, Hungary. She got the idea to move to Canada because her husband Joszef Svank (my dad) went to Canada to visit his aunt and uncle for 8 months before they met. When they met he always talked about how nice Canada is and that one day when there married he wants to move to Canada.

It was a regular Sunday morning, precisely at 8:00, I was walking my dog Sham. He may look cute but he will snap and bark at any stranger (but that is completely irrelevant). Anyway, all of a sudden the authorities came and evicted everyone out of their homes! I caught up with my parents and they acknowledged that we had to move to Canada because of the virus.

My life in my perspective has been extraordinary. I have been fortunate enough to travel the United States and live in various parts as well. Each environment that I have been exposed to have differed from one another. The environments in which I was raised changes When my father received his orders. then my family and I have to move to another region of the United States. with these experiences, I have been well-rounded to accommodate to my new and unfamiliar surroundings. throughout my life, I've been privileged to see the world through my own eyes instead of reading about it end books and watching it on television. for example, Honolulu, Hawaii 2 people who have never been the entire island is a resort. but in all actuality the island experiences poverty. without me having to move every so often I wouldn't have known that but the experience of knowing that there are a big world out there very productive gains.

My parents weren’t the first people in their family to move to Canada. Two of my dad’s brothers had lived in Canada for ten years prior to when we moved. Due to the downfall of Iran’s economy and constant war threats towards the country, my parents decided after they had me that in order to build a better life for not only me but also themselves, that the best choice was to move to another country. They’ve always dreamt of moving to Canada, so when they got the news that they were granted their VISA, they were overjoyed and eager to start a new life. They said that when the date got closer they began to have second thoughts. Imagine living somewhere for your whole life, your childhood, your teenage years and your adulthood, then having to leave

I have to say, that my life now, is fairly cushy. I don’t have to worry about to many things: I own my own car, I pay my rent on time, I have a decent job. A lot of what I have now, I owe to my grandparents. They chose to immigrate into the United States from Mexico so that my Mom would have a chance at a good life.

When we are reading a book, if we always read the same easy book that we read since we are the kindergartens, we wouldn’t learn new things. We would just read the same ten page over and over again, without knowing anything new. Although I was born in another country, the United States is the place I feel like home. When I came here (five years ago), I was a kind of a person, who has no perseverance or determination at all, and I was so negative, plus, I thought that I was the best in the world (which is not true). But all of that started to change suddenly when I get to know more about this country. Therefore, in here, I learned lots of new lessons, especially the lessons about life. So now, I am a persistent person, I believed, who won’t give

Three months ago I was studying my last moments of high school in Mexico. I had already planned the university I was going to and the major I wanted to course. Everything was happening really fast when my father told my mother and I that he had a job opportunity in the United States. He didn't wish to force us to go with him, although we did accept to leave because both of us consider that the most valuable thing in this world is family.

Have you ever thought that you would move to a completely new place and start everything from scratch? There are thousands and thousands of people moving from place to place for better opportunities, education as well as careers. There are lots of struggles that come along the road. It will be an individual’s self-motivation and encouragement that will push them forward in his or her life. “A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step,” (Lao, Tzu) and my new journey had started when I landed and started schooling here in United States. Moving to the United States and attending school here was a challenge I wasn’t sure up to, but hard work and determination, I was able to make friends and be successful.

As I walked to the parking lot where my mom had arrived to pick me up from school, my sister ran out of the car, ran towards me and yelled excitedly, “We’re going to Canada!” Having grown up in Kuwait for my whole life of 15 years, I could hardly believe my sister’s words. Going to Canada! I had only been out of the country twice, each time just to vacation and visit family in the Philippines where both my parents are from. I had always imagined what life would be like outside of Kuwait, and now it was finally going to be real. My 15-year old self was devastated - We were leaving the only home I had known for 15 years. It did not take long for my sisters’ excitement to die when we realized that we would be leaving our friends and everything we’ve ever known and not returning for a long time. Life in Kuwait for 15 years was comfortable and we were more than financially stable. Moving to Canada without a job offer in place meant that we would have to start from the beginning all over again. Goodbyes were hard but my parents encouraged us to see the joys of moving to a place where we could start over and become accepted citizens of a country. Arriving in Canada, I experienced the biggest culture shock of my life. Vancouver, BC was cold, wet, and loud. I had thought adjusting would be relatively easy; I spoke English with a slight accent but I was very shy that it confused some of the other kids to think I couldn’t speak English. I did not understand the culture, which took a

A young child, Serat migrated to Canada at age 3 from Somalia, East Africa. Living the Canadian dream and Canadian culture while living with her aunt to get a better life.

That day at the airport, I thought about a lot of things while we wait for the plane to take off. Moving to the United States with my sister was a huge turning point for me on so many levels. It meant that I will need to learn a new language and adapt to a new culture. It meant that I will leave my aunt and uncle who have raised me for the past eleven years. It meant that I will live with my mom and see my dad and stepdad for the very first time. My emotion was mixed with excitement, fear, and hesitation.