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Personal Narrative: My Experience Of Moving To Canada

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I cannot believe it has already been a year since I moved to Toronto from my hometown in Botswana. I am so grateful for all the opportunities I’ve received since I’ve arrived. At first, life in Toronto was not easy, since I did not speak English. Not only that, but it was my first time in Canada and the lifestyle here is very different from the one I was used to . Luckily, with my younger sister Caroline by my side, I was able to adapt quicker to the Canadian school system, mentality, and way of living. Along the road I also made many new friends. In this school of just a couple hundred of students, it is obvious how the diverse nationalities and cultures differentiate and make the students unique. If there is one thing that I have learned …show more content…

Some of the friends that I have made are from Japan, Uganda, Syria, and the Phillipines. Just like me, my canadian friends come from places from all over the world so despite our different backgrounds, we have many similiarities that bring us closer together. At school and when we are together, we are all just teenagers, but when we are at home, however, we also try to remember our cultural backgrounds. Caroline and I for example, make sure that we speak both English and our mother tongue Setswana, so that we don’t forget our roots. Our mother always prepares dinner for us in her traditional dress and cooks dishes native to Botswana. This way, the three of us bring a little bit of Botswana flavour to our new home in Toronto. My sister and I also keep the ‘Botho Spirit’. Back in Botswana people communicate and interact with each other a lot more than here; even if someone is having a bad day, they will still smile and say hello to people on the street. Interacting with others, being polite, and being positive is what the ‘Botho Spirit’ is all about and it is essential in the Botswanian society. If there is one thing I’ve missed the most since moving to Toronto, it’s that practice. I hope to be able to spread the Botho spirit throughout my community and encourage everyone to be friendlier and more polite to each

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