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HOW
IS CANADIAN CULTURE DIFFERENT FROM THAT OF YOUR
COUNTRY?
Before I came to live in
Canada, I had suffered a lot in my
country and I was afraid of living in a new country with different
people,
customs and languages. When I boarded
the plane, I started to cry and I kept on cryng all the way to Canada.
When I arrived at the
airport, I felt very confused and was
very fearful of the new life. I could not hear anything because my mind
was
blank – I could only see people walking by.
My husband came to pick me up and I did not say anything because
I was
angry that I was here. When we left the
airport, it felt as if my whole world had collapsed around me. Everything was grey and there was no
sun. There was snow everywhere and I was
very cold. My husband had bought me a
coat but I refused to wear it. However, everything around me was
perfect. The streets were clean and i had
never seen
such tall buildings and people from different cultures.
But I kept feeling lonely as never before.
Days later I noticed that
this country started to give me
peace. I didn’t speak any English but
people always helped me. In this
country, you learn how to help newcomers.
In Canada, people learn how to share.
In my country, you don’t think about others.
In this country, there are laws and everybody
knows and respects them. In my country,
nobody knows or respects them. In this
country, there is no racism or division into social classes and
everybody can
be in the same place. In my country, one has to fight to survive. In this country, you are valuable for who you
are and not for how much you have. In my
country, you are less valuable.
In this country, anybody
can work: it doesn’t matter if you
are old, or have physical disabilities.
In my country, if you are over 25 years old you are already too
old to
work and some jobs are only for men.
In this country, having a
job gives
you the opportunity to live with dignity.
In my country, many jobs are embarrassing and you feel less
valuable for
doing them. In this country, you can eat
and wear anything you want. In my
country, you can only purchase what you really need.
In this country, even if
people
don’t know you, they respect you. In
this country, you can breathe fresh air with the smell of peace and
love. In this country, nobody looks for
the best
brands but prefers to enjoy life the best way they can.
In this country, you can see and smell every
season, enjoy their different colours
and learn how even sad winter days can be wonderful.
In this country, you can see a big smile on
children’s face. In my country, smiles
are hidden and you only notice tears. In
this country, you learn that family is the most important thing in your
life
and one works to live and not live to work. This country is nearest to
heaven. This country adopts and protects
many people. It takes care of us and
worries about our future. My country has
forgotten my name.
Now 15 years after I came
to Canada
for the firts time, I thank God for bringing me here and to my husband
for
giving me a wonderful life and making me a part of this country. I never knew this country could give me
everything I needed to become who I am today.
We have moved to different
countries several times but we always come back to our home Canada.
Elibet
Level 6/7