Summary: My Move To Canada

In order to understand the world that we live in, it is imperative to first conceive the operating forces that shape how our society, economy and politics work, and what the impacts in our lives and environment are. In this sense, it is necessary to approach the following topics: political ideology, globalization and our natural environment. Political ideology is basically a political code of conduct, gathering up similar ideals and beliefs about how society and government should work. Political ideology does not refer only to politicians, but to anyone who is inserted in a society. Given the plurality of opinions and beliefs among people, it is not a surprise to realize the variety of political ideologies all over the world. Overall, the

Globalization can be defined as an interconnection and interdependence between countries, with the establishment of a unified international market with free flow of products, services, culture, capital and labour, leading to a “borderless world.” (Yip & Eaton, 2014, para. 1 & 2) If I did not live in a period when the globalization exists, it is possible that I would not have heard about Canada. Likewise, I would not have been able to search more information about this country, such as which documents would be necessary to present to the Canadian Embassy or which college would be the most appropriate for me. Even the presence of a Canadian Embassy in Brazil would be unthinkable without globalization. Besides this lack of information, the own act of travelling to Canada would be difficult. Today, there are dozens of daily flights between Brazil and Canada, which would be impossible without globalization. And the impacts of this force in my life are still noticeable even after I moved here. I am able to follow the Brazilian news, to buy imported food from there and, most important, to talk to my parents and my friends in a daily basis. Additionally, coming to a multicultural country has allowed me to experience other cultures other than Canadian. I have met people from China, India, Poland, Russia, South Korea, Kazakhstan, Italy, Mauritius, just to mention a few. Also, I have tasted different foods, such as

However, the way that the environment shapes our society is not singularly related to its functionalism itself, but to the way that humans perceive the role of environment in their lives. According to Suzuki (2009, para. 2), in today’s world the main perspective towards nature is the anthropocentrism, where humans believe that they are the centre of the world, and all the other aspects of nature must succumb to their dominance. In this view, everything that surrounds us is “an opportunity or resource to exploit.” (Suzuki, 2009, para. 2) Putting in that way, anthropocentrism sounds as inconceivable and even despicable point of view, that I would immediately reject as being part of my lifestyle. But then I calculated my footprint, and I can say that I am not proud of my results. Unsettlingly, I can also be accounted as one group member of the anthropocentric lifestyle. According to my results, if everyone lived like me, it would be necessary 3.7 planets Earth to provide enough resources. Mobility and food are the categories which contributes the most to my ecological footprint. I must confess that food was not a surprise for me, since I eat meat daily and it is known that cattle is the leading factor of greenhouse gas emission. Mobility, however, was quite shocking for me, since I use public transportation and do not own a car. Apparently, these behaviours do not