Hey, all! How are you doing? I've decided to write a short personal narrative (creative non-fiction as a lot of people call it) about a typical Wednesday since Wednesdays are the days I look forward to every week this summer. So I hope you enjoy reading this new story and if you like it, give this blog post a Google +1 and share to your friends who are Canadian or who has migrated to Canada as their new home! Happy Canada Day!
8 minutes till the bus comes? Better hurry! A voice rang in my head. I quickly laid the last wet shirt on the clothes drying rack. Thanks to the summer sphere in the azure sky, the big pile of laundry from my family of seven would be dry the whole morning. I ran from the basement to upstairs, put my Converse on, and dashed out of the front door with my handbag slung on my right shoulder. Luckily, I waited at the bus stop for five minutes till my trusty ride arrived.
It has been about four years since I've moved to British Columbia, Canada. The longer I've lived in a Coquitlam residence and traveled at some parts of Vancouver, Burnaby, and Richmond, the more I've learnt about the unique, respectful Canadian culture. The culture here is made up of a gigantic melting pot of cultures from all over the world. If you're either a local or an immigrant, you're treated as a part of the Canadian family, a community that respects one another's cultures. Every time I sit in a bus, I see different kinds of passengers with respective destinations to go to and we would offer empty seats to elders or empty spaces for remaining passengers to fill up an almost-packed bus. We share this caring heart for one another.
It took about an hour for me to arrive at my destination for the day, New Westminster via bus and sky train. The atmosphere was a little different from Coquitlam, it was more like a bustling city with a mix of people of all ages and races. Once I reached the bottom of the stairs at New Westminster train station, all I could think was a cold icy beverage and a sweet morning snack. So I decided to go to Tim Hortons' (Starbucks for Canadians) which was just next to the stairs. This iconic coffee shop is a must for Canadians to have in their daily life. Why? Once you step through the glass doors of Tim Hortons', you will see a long line of customers who are eager to fetch themselves a steaming paper cup of freshly-brewed coffee, a refreshing plastic cup of iced cappuccino, a packet of crispy toasted panini, or even a party box of donuts and tidbits. The smell of fine caffeine and sugar will instantly lure you to get recharged with their menu.
With a small cup of Oreo iced cappuccino and an Oreo donut in both hands, I made my way up the hill where Douglas College was located. My friends complained that the hill always tire them out and they hated it. I had to agree with them but I got used to the extra workout the hill had given to my legs. Anyway, after going up the hill, up to the fourth floor of the campus, and into a classroom, I was ready for a fun hour of helping a group of Japanese students with their English conversation skills. It was supposed to be a conversation lab with two teachers, a group of students, and a group of volunteers, but that morning, we were divided into two big groups. It turned out that a class of Korean students were to join us. I remained in the classroom with some others while the other half of students and volunteers went downstairs to join the rest of the Korean students. It actually was a lot more fun than before because I got to help rookies from two different countries. As a longtime fan of Japanese anime (mostly magical girl types) and a recent big fan of Super Junior, a K-Pop boy group, I have this desire of travelling to Japan and Korea someday. Seeing these determined students to learn English makes me feel honoured to introduce the universal language to them as a part of the Canadian culture.
In fact, being a part of the conversation lab also helped me to learn both Japan and Korea a little more especially with the topic "Basic Dining Etiquette". We discussed the similarities and differences between Korean and Japanese table manners, and we were intrigued to see the answers listed by the teacher on the white board. If I were asked what's the Canadian Dining Etiquette, I would probably say that it depends on our respective cultures but we were flexible with with what we believe in.
After the volunteering, I watched some 11 seconds videos posted by Super Junior and worked on a little on the second chapter of my new novel. My 11-years-old protagonist was like a reflection to myself because I placed her in a situation where she had to learn to cope in her new home but also learn to love her roots. As I was digging in a scene of my story, a friend of mine found me through the glass of a dome structure which we Douglas college students called "The Fishbowl". It was a place where students can lounge around and log in to the computers that were set up at corners. My friend and I went to a nearby sushi place for lunch before his class at 2:30pm. That reminded me of the rich blend of cuisines from all across the globe that was fused into this colourful, diverse country. The citizens here were open to get their taste buds excited with unique flavours and textures.
Friendliness and humour were also a key for the people here to make others feel like home. I was in my own bubble, listening to my Super Junior playlist while making my way to New Westminster train station after lunch. Suddenly, my peripheral vision caught a glimpse of blonde hair that crept a few feet from me. She kept up with my speed and I thought I was chased by a pickpocket. As I quickly looked at my left, an old friend grinned at me with her blue eyes staring back at me with her square-rimmed spectacles. I ripped one of my earphones off my ear and laughed at myself for being so clueless. She laughed too. "I called your name but you walked past me," she said. Sigh,,this is what happens when I got addicted to an awesome new music group. XD
Ah...Canada. You're just so full of joy, warmth, and harmony. I never knew that I grew to love living here. I'm happy to say that I'm proud of being a part of Canada.
