It was a warm summer day in Yongin, Korea when my parents broke the news to me. "We're moving to Canada," they said. I was only ten years old at the time, but I knew enough to realize that this was a big change. I was leaving behind everything I had ever known - my friends, my family, and my home. The thought of moving to a foreign land was both exciting and terrifying.
As we boarded the plane, I looked out the window and watched as Korea slowly faded away. I wondered what Canada would be like and how different it would be from Korea. The plane ride was long and tiring, but when we finally landed, I felt a rush of excitement and curiosity.
When we arrived in Vancouver, I was struck by the beauty of the city. The mountains loomed large in the distance, and the air was fresh and clean. It was a far cry from the bustling city I had grown up in. My parents enrolled me in a local school, and I soon found myself in a classroom filled with kids
…show more content…
Although I did English cram school for a couple months, I still had very little exposure to the language before moving to Canada. This made everyday tasks like communicating with classmates and teachers, ordering food, and even making new friends incredibly difficult for me. As a result, I often felt isolated and alone during my early years in Canada.
Another challenge was adjusting to the different customs and traditions. My upbringing in South Korea was vastly different from what I encountered in Canada. The Canadian culture was less hierarchical and less formal, which took some getting used to. For example, the way people interacted with each other and the concepts of politeness were very different. I kept bowing to the teachers as a reflex when greeting them, since that was the way I was taught in Korea. I found myself questioning my own traditions and customs, trying to find my place in this new world while still holding onto my identity as a