Personal Narrative: Moving To Canada
I have always relished new experiences. I am an adventurer at heart and I love to explore. I thoroughly enjoy the outdoors and sharing outdoor experiences with others, as well as learning about different cultures through traveling and history.
My first big adventure came when I moved to Canada. I was born in Great Yarmouth, England and I lived there for the first five years of my life. To this day my English citizenship and heritage is a big part of who I am. Before moving to Canada, I moved to a small town in rural Maine. My family built the home we call “Old Brick” in 1812, and it is has been passed down ever since. I moved to Canada six months later, however we returned to Maine every summer. Living in Maine created a strong contrast to my life in Halifax and exposed me to people from different walks of life.
This international perspective influences and fuels my desire to learn about the world. I am a product of globalization, and it is this concept that will be inherent to the future of the entire world and will fundamentally shift how countries interact as we move into the future. …show more content…
My family has lived throughout Europe and North America.
I was born to a British and American mother and a Canadian father. My Dad’s parents were diplomats, so he grew up in Austria, Yugoslavia, France and Canada. Through living abroad my parents gained a strong appreciation of different languages that they passed on to me. I speak French and English fluently and am currently part of a language exchange where I am learning Spanish and Chinese. Languages are the way we truly connect with other cultures and I want to be able to appreciate other regions of the world when I get the opportunity to travel. It was this strong appreciation of learning that encouraged my application to Pearson College UWC in Victoria, British
Columbia.
Two years ago, my life veered in another direction. I was selected to attend UWC a movement that has greatly shaped who I am. Over the past two years I have lived in a community with people from over ninety countries and a variety of socioeconomic backgrounds. My conversations have been centered on global environmental issues, Zimbabwean politics, the Syrian refugee crisis and much more. I have developed into a better version of myself in this community. I have become increasingly aware of the impact both the US and Canada have had in foreign countries. As Canadian, English and American Citizen, this has been an integral part of understanding my roots and the ripple effects of colonization. I have aspired to give at least a portion of the rewards my acceptance to UWC has given me back to this community.
In order to give back to the UWC community, I participate in several volunteer initiatives to support the students on campus. I am the leader of the Cross Training group. This group meets once a week and is part of an initiative to improve the student health and wellbeing. We talk about sustainable sleep and eating habits that will contribute to good mental health. I also bake preservative-free bread for the entire community to eat for breakfast. This further promotes healthy eating and provides a good alternative for students who would otherwise eat muffins for breakfast. I have also worked in the greenhouse, chopping wood and giving weekly tours of campus to prospective donors and students. These activities allow me to give back to my community, and I look forward to volunteering and getting involved within the U of T community.
Last year I got involved in the school Kayak program. I have become incredibly passionate about the sport and have made several efforts to share it with others. Last year I acquired a Paddle Canada Basic Sea Kayaking Instructor certification that allowed my to work as a kayak guide and camp counselor in Halifax over the summer. In order to increase my credibility, I took the High Five Certification for working with Children as well as the PCOC boat licensing test and the BC Sailing Coach boat Course. Since then I have been able to apply the skills I learned while working for Halifax Recreation in the summer and as a Kayak leader at Pearson College. I thoroughly enjoy being outside and relish sharing these experiences with others.
Over the summer, I went on a three-week bike trip around the Maritimes. I dedicatedly planned for months and then took off during the month of June. I traveled to New Brunswick, where I spent a week volunteering on an organic farm before heading to PEI. This experience took perseverance, and in total I biked over 655 kilometres.
My first big adventure came when I moved to Canada. I was born in Great Yarmouth, England and I lived there for the first five years of my life. To this day my English citizenship and heritage is a big part of who I am. Before moving to Canada, I moved to a small town in rural Maine. My family built the home we call “Old Brick” in 1812, and it is has been passed down ever since. I moved to Canada six months later, however we returned to Maine every summer. Living in Maine created a strong contrast to my life in Halifax and exposed me to people from different walks of life.
This international perspective influences and fuels my desire to learn about the world. I am a product of globalization, and it is this concept that will be inherent to the future of the entire world and will fundamentally shift how countries interact as we move into the future. …show more content…
My family has lived throughout Europe and North America.
I was born to a British and American mother and a Canadian father. My Dad’s parents were diplomats, so he grew up in Austria, Yugoslavia, France and Canada. Through living abroad my parents gained a strong appreciation of different languages that they passed on to me. I speak French and English fluently and am currently part of a language exchange where I am learning Spanish and Chinese. Languages are the way we truly connect with other cultures and I want to be able to appreciate other regions of the world when I get the opportunity to travel. It was this strong appreciation of learning that encouraged my application to Pearson College UWC in Victoria, British
Columbia.
Two years ago, my life veered in another direction. I was selected to attend UWC a movement that has greatly shaped who I am. Over the past two years I have lived in a community with people from over ninety countries and a variety of socioeconomic backgrounds. My conversations have been centered on global environmental issues, Zimbabwean politics, the Syrian refugee crisis and much more. I have developed into a better version of myself in this community. I have become increasingly aware of the impact both the US and Canada have had in foreign countries. As Canadian, English and American Citizen, this has been an integral part of understanding my roots and the ripple effects of colonization. I have aspired to give at least a portion of the rewards my acceptance to UWC has given me back to this community.
In order to give back to the UWC community, I participate in several volunteer initiatives to support the students on campus. I am the leader of the Cross Training group. This group meets once a week and is part of an initiative to improve the student health and wellbeing. We talk about sustainable sleep and eating habits that will contribute to good mental health. I also bake preservative-free bread for the entire community to eat for breakfast. This further promotes healthy eating and provides a good alternative for students who would otherwise eat muffins for breakfast. I have also worked in the greenhouse, chopping wood and giving weekly tours of campus to prospective donors and students. These activities allow me to give back to my community, and I look forward to volunteering and getting involved within the U of T community.
Last year I got involved in the school Kayak program. I have become incredibly passionate about the sport and have made several efforts to share it with others. Last year I acquired a Paddle Canada Basic Sea Kayaking Instructor certification that allowed my to work as a kayak guide and camp counselor in Halifax over the summer. In order to increase my credibility, I took the High Five Certification for working with Children as well as the PCOC boat licensing test and the BC Sailing Coach boat Course. Since then I have been able to apply the skills I learned while working for Halifax Recreation in the summer and as a Kayak leader at Pearson College. I thoroughly enjoy being outside and relish sharing these experiences with others.
Over the summer, I went on a three-week bike trip around the Maritimes. I dedicatedly planned for months and then took off during the month of June. I traveled to New Brunswick, where I spent a week volunteering on an organic farm before heading to PEI. This experience took perseverance, and in total I biked over 655 kilometres.