Showing posts with label from a youth immigrant to another. Show all posts
What's So Special About Vancouver?
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| Source: Jon Rawlinson |
As an immigrant coming from a third world
country, Vancouver is one of the best places on Earth. There are many reasons
to love the city--from its beauty, its opportunities, and its community. All of these things combined make the best
city ever.
Vancouver--British Columbia in general--is
SUCH a beautiful place. Have you seen the mountains? Have you seen the
waterfront? Have you seen the creative architecture of downtown? If you go on a
long drive toward any direction from where you are, I am sure there is
something amazing bound to be seen. We are blessed to have great beaches and
parks. Speaking of parks, did you know that our very own Stanley Park is named
as Top Park in the World according to TripAdvisor? Yup!
Most of us moved to Canada for a better
tomorrow. Although yes, the living expenses here are quite high, it’s still
something worth more than what we had. Vancouver is a place of opportunities-
may it be career-wise or education-wise or both.
My most favourite reason as to why
Vancouver is so awesome is its sense of community. For example, the Vancouver
Immigrant Youth Blog wouldn’t have been established if it wasn’t for a bunch of
new immigrant youth wanting to make a difference! And here in Vancouver, there
are numerous people who are inclined to change the world. Have you heard that
Vancouver is one of the greenest places on Earth (or at least trying to be
one)? Volunteerism is also on the incline because of all the beautiful,
selfless people inhabiting this little bubble of awesomeness. Vancouver is also
a diverse place. Everywhere you go, you meet a person of a different
background! I always like to compare Vancouver as a mall’s food court- you can
find food from all nationalities in one place! Vancouver is hundreds of
countries merged together in unity.
We are extremely lucky to live in such an
amazing place. I don’t know about you, but for me, Vancouver is the place to
be. So be grateful you live in a great city. Let’s also respect its beauty by
keeping it green and peaceful. Vancouver is definitely a place worth bragging
about.
To Vancouver, the city of rain
Jose
All the World's a Stage
Shakespeare quoted one of the most important things shared
to mankind. Your life is a story and you’re the main character.
In movies, when someone is about to die, they usually don’t
go without a fight. Think of humans against a horde of zombies. No matter how
futile their efforts are, they still fight to survive, they try hard to live,
they work together to make the battle easier. Your life is just like that,
everyone’s life is.
Would you believe it if I tell you that your life is just
like a video game, a book, or a film? You’re the player, the main character,
the protagonist. Everyone else are just supporting characters, antagonists, and
stock characters. Think about it for a second, you don’t want to call yourself
the minor character in your life story, it is your life, not someone else’s.
Life is a game, your character is either strong at first or
strong at the end. In the real world, we call them prodigies and late bloomers.
A prodigy is just extremely gifted, born with the skills and talent, gets
special attention while young. A late bloomer is the opposite, a random nobody
until the day the late bloomer begins a series of hard work (quests) to improve
itself. Both, of course, can reach the same pinnacles of the game, the finales
(the boss levels), the best moments in life once achieved. Leaving a mark on
civilization, just like Mozart, Einstein, Disney, Socrates, Lincoln, Da Vinci,
and many others, whether child prodigies or late bloomers, they all reached the
same heights of success. Game is not over, work hard from now on, make a
plan—they all did, successful people owe their success to their hard work.
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| Courtesy of: Matthew Paulson |
Life is a storybook, you’re the main character. The story
can be set in a millionaire’s house, an impoverished country, or the
middle-class neighborhood. A good story requires a great conflict, something
the protagonist needs a lot of effort to beat. There’s going to be drama,
horror, psychological dilemmas, hardships, and sadness as the story goes on.
Also, there will be times of happiness, love, excitement, sentimentality, and
friendship. Your story continues chapter after every chapter, some long and
some short. The story revolves around you and the conflict: could be your
school, peers, family, society, and even yourself. The story only ends when one
force prevails, you must overcome the antagonist, do not try to escape it. Work
hard to achieve success, don’t procrastinate, a good story has no chapter where
the main character does nothing important.
Life is a film, a movie without a specific genre, not just
action, not just adventure, not just drama. Life is a mix of many different
genres, there’s adventure, romance, suspense, comedy, drama. You either aspire
for a movie (life) you want that’s full of satisfaction, or you can aim low and
reduce the amount of possible genre mixings. You may not have control of
everyone, thus you can’t be the writer of your life, but you’re the director,
the one who chooses a vision to follow. Oh, and make sure it’s a cool movie,
you’d be able to leave a mark on society.
Dream for a nice life, but don’t forget that a lot of effort
goes a long way, studying an hour a day amounts to more than 350 hours in a
year. Learning 5 foreign words a day amounts to more than 1800 words a year,
enough for language eloquence. I’ve seen a lot of people get the supermodel
body after exercising daily, within months. Working hard can get you anywhere,
just like when Michael Jordan was in high school, the only thing extraordinary
about him, at that time, was that he played as if every game was his last.
Just remember this: dream then start, then you fail, then
you succeed… and then you improve.
- Angelo
Preparing for University
Changes in life
can seem scary sometimes. Changes can be quick and unnoticeable; while other
times, it’s so sudden and we weren't even prepared for it. That’s why some people describe changes as tornados: they hit without any sign of warning and can turn
your house upside down completely. I usually don’t like changes because I will
have to adapt to the new environment and I’m usually not good at it.
The biggest change
I’m facing this year is to graduate from high school. It will be one of my most
important life events. I think it will take me awhile to get used to my new
life. So I want to prepare early. I asked my friends attending universities and
got some tips that will be useful to adapt to changes in your life such as
moving, changing school and going to university.
Tip#1: Make friends
Engage with
people, converse, ask questions. When you have friends, you won’t feel lonely.
You can have someone to talk to and hang out with. It’s the best to start
during the first week, while everyone is in the same boat. It is hard to make
the first move, but it will benefit you later on. Be nice and just be you. It’s
simple!
Tip#2: Join clubs
There are lots of
activities to do on campus. Take a look at the clubs list and join in. It’s the
fastest way to make new friends. You get to meet many people with same
interests as you do. Don’t be scared.
Learning how to use the library resources is always important because you will be spending lots of time here researching. It will be painful learning how to research because it’s boring. But it will pay off later in the year.
Tip#4: Choose courses you enjoy
You can always go to the first class and see how it goes. If you were bored and didn’t find it interesting, then drop it and find a new year. By choosing a course you enjoy, you will be motivated and willing to learn.
Tip#5: Don’t over commit
Start with a couple classes. Add more if you have the time for it. Do not start your year with 10 courses and a job. It will stress you out! Slow down and take time to learn.
Tip#6: Don’t Wait
If you feel yourself falling behind, do something about it immediately. Reread lecture notes and textbooks, ask a friend, do extra practice or ask your professor. Don't wait till right before the midterm/exam to deal with it. Don’t be afraid to ask for help.
Tip#7: Ways to save money
Work! Working during school can reduce your debt upon graduation. Most
of the schools offer on campus jobs. You can work part-time and save it up.
Universities can be expensive! Also, buy used textbooks! Ask around for used textbooks or buy them online (craigslist
etc.) It can save you A LOT of money. If you don’t write on it, you can re-sale
it next year!
Hopefully these short and basic tips will be handy once you are in university!
- Lu
One Page at a Time
Being “you” is easier said than done especially when you are adjusting into a culture that you are unfamiliar with. As a young
migrant, it can be tough to adjust to cultural differences between your adopted country and home country while you are trying to map out your identity as an individual.
As an immigrant, it is common that you are first identified
by your racial background – a part of a greater whole – a culture with its own
ways and tradition. But aside from that, you are also an individual molded by
experiences and stories strengthened through time. All of these can be a lot more complicated
when you are parachuted into a new life – a new culture that may be different
from what you are used to together with new experiences that shapes your new
personality. And even then, there is a bigger question:
How are you going to fit yourself in this new culture
or society with their own ways? How will you find a way to keep ties to your
roots, fit into this newly introduced culture all while you keep on growing and
mold yourself as your own person or as an individual?
It is fairly easy to get lost with these questions as it is
a lot to take it all in at once. But each individual has their own ways of
dealing with it. Some just go with the flow; some manage to paint it all
together in one canvas – a mosaic with vibrant colours clashed together as an
art. Sometimes it is a tug of war. It is a battle between keeping your identity
and losing it in order to fit in and even then, there is no assurance or
certainty that you win the game.
Finding balance is the key to answer the question. It is
important to realize that being in a new place or country does not necessarily
mean forgetting your roots nor does it require you to completely ignore the new
ways of living and continue your old ways. Your roots, culture and tradition
will always be yours and there is no shame of being proud of it. The same goes
for trying out new things and exploring this new culture in front you for it
expands your horizon and will let you explore greater things and experiences
that will later on help you to become your own person and become a part of a
larger community that is molded by individuals just like yourself – each with
their own experiences and stories to share.
Trying to fit in does not mean forgetting. Embracing your adopted country does not mean
turning your back from your home country. Sometimes it is a matter of putting
pieces together to create a bigger picture. It is a way of building bridges and
opening a door to new possibilities and vital connections that put both aspects
of old roots and new ties into a well-rounded individual with the capacity of
living in the best of both worlds.
As far as individuality goes, it is a story with an endless
possibility and the course of its progress is entirely up to the person holding
the pen: you. So let your pen find its way to your paper because sometimes,
being ‘you’ is a story written one page at a time.
Janine
Now What?
As summer approaches, another year of school has ended. Some of you are
probably getting ready for a trip somewhere else and enjoy the heat. Some of
you might be starting to wonder what is waiting for you after summer and where
you are heading to and some are still probably looking for signs that will take
you to the right path.
I can still remember the summer I had after my high school graduation.
It was both exciting and scary at the same time. Exciting because I was finally
out of high school and it was the first summer that I finally landed a job.
Scary because I wasn’t really sure what I would be doing after summer. It is
the time where we start to think more about our future and start making ‘adult’
decisions.
What
shall I pursue?
Which
college/university will I apply to?
How
do I sign up for classes?
Will
I make any friends?
How
will I be able to pay for my tuition fee?
How
do I apply for student loans?
Who
will I speak to about my concerns?
Some of you are probably asking the same questions above. It is
overwhelming and it somehow feels like you’ll never get to where you want to be
because of all these processes that you need to take care of before you
actually get there. In other words, it’s like going sky diving and realizing
that you forgot to put on your parachute.
Just kidding. It’s not that scary.
For us immigrants, it might be a completely different process than for those
who were born in this country or have been here a lot longer than when
they started high school. Some of you might have to go to adult school to
complete your credits from high school, some might have to upgrade in order to
take college level classes, some might have to take additional classes for
specific programs that have prerequisites, and some have yet to decide what it
is that they really want to pursue now that high school has ended.
I am not an expert but as an immigrant who has gone through the same
situation, here is a three-step advice that might help you get started and less
scared of what future holds.
1. Make a list.
Make a list of your goals, interests and possible career plan. It
doesn’t have to be an intricate and complete list. A simple, abstract one will
suffice. It can be as simple as putting your interests and checking out the
ones that you are most passionate about and would not actually mind
furthering your knowledge about that specific subject area. It can be a list of
the colleges you wish to attend to. It can also be a list of your simple
everyday ‘to-do’ list. Making a list will help you to look forward for
something and get you inspired to keep going.
2. Research.
I am pretty sure that you are all familiar how internet works and the
great thing about it is that it is more than just social networking sites and a
place to watch cat videos. Everything that you need to know about applying for
college is sitting somewhere around the interwebs. Remember the list I
mentioned earlier? That list will now come in handy. You can start by
searching about a specific interest of yours. For example, I am interested in
Psychology so I searched about the career areas, specializations and pretty
much everything that there is to know about the field. Then, I searched for
colleges that offer the program and then the requirements that I need in order
to get into the program. Yet, here’s another tip, when you do a lot of research
and you gather a lot of information it can be quite overwhelming and when that
happens, I suggest that you take a deep breath and stop searching. Remember the
list? Now is the time to take a pen and paper out and make a list again. This
time, list the questions that you have in mind or just simply write down your
thoughts about the whole research. This will help you map out a plan and
specify the things that need to be done.
3. Email. Call. Make an Appointment.
I know this part is a lot more challenging than the previous ones but
treat this as an experience and a way for you to step up your game and put your
foot forward one step at a time. Most of the colleges and universities offer
assessment and counselling for students who wish to pursue their post-secondary
education in their respective institutions. Talking to someone about your
concerns will be helpful not only to help you get started but to learn and
understand more about the processes with regards to your academic career. If
you are not comfortable going alone, ask your parents or older siblings to help
you out. If that doesn’t work out for you, you can still go back to
researching. This time, do your research in the college’s website. List the
things and questions that you are unable to find answers to and then call,
email, or make an appointment with the school you are interested in going.
I know that the three steps require effort and a lot of thinking. But I
do hope that it will help you get started and figure out where you are heading
or at least, inspire you to not give up just yet. Think of it as one item on the
list that you can cross off in order to get where you want to be. Just take a
deep breath and get on to work because I guarantee you, a year or two from now,
you’ll be surprised how far you are from where you started. And one last thing,
Don’t be scared.
Because nothing is scarier than knowing that you let an opportunity and
a chance passed by without you doing anything to grab and hold on to it. And even if
you are, scared, just know that we’ll be at the sidelines rooting for you.
- Janine
What I Will Tell You
As I sit in front of my computer and stare at the
blank document with that annoying cursor that is continuously blinking in front
of me, I wonder and wander what to write and share to the rest of the world. But
mostly, I am thinking about what I will tell you.
You see,
there are a lot of things that I want to tell you. But I don’t know where to
start and how exactly I am going to tell you. I want to say it in a way that
you will understand –maybe not today but someday. Someday when you finally figure out how to
navigate your way into this place you now call home. Into the life that you are
unfamiliar with but will later call your own. Someday when that frown and
confusion will turn into smile and realization. Someday when you are the one
sitting in front of the computer and thinking about what you will tell them.
If I am
going to tell you something, it might sound like this.
I will tell
you that it is okay to be nervous on your first day of school. It is okay to
feel that heart pounding against your chest. Take a deep breath. Close your
eyes. And remember, that you are not first person that felt that way. And if
they survived their first day – you will, too!
I will tell
you not to feel awkward and perhaps a little embarrassed about your accent. It
will always be a part of who you were, who you are and who you will be in the
future. It will always be a reminder of a place you once called home, a part of
your identity and something that makes you even more special.
I will tell
you that as you adapt into the new ways of living in your new home, you may or
may not have a lot of questions about your identity. You may question who you
will give your loyalty to. You may or may not question where you stand and
where you really want to be. So I will tell you, you don’t have to choose. You
can have the best of both worlds. You can love both without being guilty. You
can love your home country and your new home at the same time. No one will take
that away from you because that will always be a part of you.
I will tell
you that as time passes by, you will have a lot of experiences –good and bad.
So the best thing that you can do is take something from it, learn from it and
use what you have learned as you move forward.
I will tell
you, that someday, you are going to look back and realize how far you are from
where you started. And you may be confused right now, but I will tell you, it
gets better.
But the
most important thing that I will tell you is that it is always up to you. No
matter what I say or what other people will say, it is up to you to make the
best of everything around you. It is you and only you that will decide what to
make of and do with what you have. It is up to you to paint the world as you
see it fit. It is up to you to decide where you want to be and who you want to
be. It is up to you to become the best version of yourself and embrace the
experiences you will have along the way. It is you who can tell what you can
and what you cannot do.
As I look
up and read what I have written – or typed, I realized that I have a lot more
things to tell you. But if I will tell you something, it will definitely sound
like this.
- Janine
- Janine
