Canadian Life: A Teenager Insight

It is always hard when children have to move to a new school, no matter the situation. It is even harder when they move to a completely new country. Deciding to change your lifestyle to live in Canada with your family is a big step, but it has multiple benefits. Canada is a country that will give you and your family a safe place to live, countless benefits and, exceptional opportunities primarily for students.  When I was younger, my parents would say one day we will live in Canada, of course, I did not think of it seriously until, the day when they bought the plane tickets.

At the time, I was nervous about this unknown place that we were suddenly going too. Except when we arrived there the atmosphere was different, people were more generous, calm and patient. They would walk by and smile or say hello. The roadway was also a lot more secure and well instructed. All the areas were safe. We could spot children playing outdoors with no adults in sight. People would forget personal items in public places, yet no one would steal them. Additionally, you could take a walk in the streets during night time, take public transportation, go to the club and more while being safe. Overall, Canada has an extremely safe environment for children, which is a luxury that not many countries could offer.

Another one of my worries was how I would communicate. Before we moved to Canada, I would cry just by the thought of me not speaking my native language. Whenever my parents would make me practice speaking English, I would start crying. I would have never envisioned myself speaking English fluently. I used to imagine that it would take me years to learn how to write, speak or understand it. Although, I proved myself wrong because it took me about five months or less to learn it. Of course, the school I went to helped and inspired me a lot. My classmates were kind, patient and helpful. They made me feel welcomed and, helped me through my journey of learning a new language. When we would have conversations, they would correct my pronunciation. There were also a few kids that spoke my native language. The teachers would be patient and give me extra help. There was also a teacher that would take me out of classes to give me extra English lessons. Overall, if you think your child would have difficulty learning English think twice because kids learn new subjects quickly, classmates here are supportive and, the teachers are doing their best work so your kid can succeed.

Another part that I was worried about was school. I did not know what to expect if my classmates would be kind or if I would become friends with any of them. But I soon recognized that my classmates were friendly and that the school system here did not tolerate any way of bullying. They took bullying very seriously. They would make assemblies about the topic, we had a 'kindness week', teachers would talk about it and more. If there ever was a situation where someone got bullied the teachers would notice right away. As well as calling home so parents get involved in the situation.

There was another unexpected aspect. After a while of going to school in Canada, I realized there were many people from different parts of the globe. This concept soon became one of my favourites things about the school here. All my friends are from different cultures. I discovered multiple new things, heard new languages, tried new dishes, learned about new religions and much more. These experiences make you more aware of other cultures and how different they are from your own. It teaches you to be open-minded about other communities.

I can not imagine how my life would be if we did not move to Canada. Moving was one of the best choices my parents have made for us. Life here has been amazing. We created experiences, got benefits and met people from different cultures and this could have only been possible because we came to Canada.