By Sue (Sirui) Chen, from Shanghai JinZhou Primary School:
I picked up my luggage and said goodbye to my parents. This was the first time for me to travel without my parents. I tried to imagine the wonderful time I was going to have, so that I would not miss my parents too much.
As I boarded my flight, my heart soared high towards the bright blue sky. Will I be able to live independently without my parents? Will I mess up? Many questions began to form in my mind as I drifted off and fell asleep.
When I first landed in Richmond, I complained about everything. The weather was too dry and the food tasted weird. I missed China. After a while, I got used to the Canadian lifestyle and learned to appreciate everything here.
Canadians are always smiley, especially in the neighbourhood where the school is located in Richmond. Everyone is so friendly, respectful and gentle. Because my home-stay family has been so generous and kind to me, I feel like I have known them for years.
Canadian education is quite different. Academics is important, but so is the cultivation of character, integrity, ethics and morality.
Of all the trips we took, the journey up to Whistler Mountain is the most unforgettable. As we took the gondola up to the mountain peak, I saw the beautiful mountain clothed in a delicate layer of white dress reflecting over the greenish- blue lakes. It was simply phenomenal. I caught it all on my phone!
My summer learning in Richmond will soon come to an end, but I will not forget this experience any time soon.
By Bobby (Zhixing) Xie, from Shanghai JinZhou Primary School:
This summer, I partook in a Canadian summer language camp in Richmond, Canada, organized by my elementary school. It was indeed a great learning experience.
The biggest challenge that I overcame during my trip in Canada is my fear of darkness and being alone at night. I had never slept alone by myself. However, this trip, even though I got sick, I did not wake my home-stay parents. Instead, I got up, gathered my courage, and I overcame my fear of darkness by sleeping by myself and going to the washroom in the middle of the night by myself. This may seem like a small challenge to others, but to me it was a victorious moment.
I am so glad I came to Canada. I will, for sure, miss everyone here.
By Winnie (Yiyang) Li, from Shanghai JinZhou Primary School:
Our homestay family in Richmond was so very nice and very funny. The blueberry picking on a Richmond blueberry farm is one thing that I will not soon forget. We visited several local blueberry farms, only to be told that they were not yet open and to come back the next day. Of course, he took us back the next day, and we had so much fun picking local fresh blueberries.
I really love Richmond. It is a city that is so close to nature, and yet so vibrant with different local restaurants and shops.
By Sky (Kunyang) Sun,from Shanghai New Putuo Primary School:
Canada is a peaceful country. In Richmond, where my program is, there is no pollution and it is full of fresh air, which makes me feel relaxed. I like the sea. I like the blue ocean. It looks like the blue eyes. It’s deep, beautiful and it’s full of fish. I like fish, and Richmond’s Fisherman’s Wharf was such a neat little place filled with fun local shops.
Canada is also a modern country. When I visit Richmond, I can see tall buildings everywhere, and the lights in the city shine brightly at night. Richmond has warm weather and it always seems sunny.
All in all, the most important thing is the people. The people I have met in Richmond are friendly, kind and they always have a smile on their faces. Canada is a friendly country. It is a country full of smiles.
By Jason (Zexu) Ye and Junshu Zhang, from Attached Primary School of Xi’an University of Architecture and Technology:
Disposal of rubbish is a problem in every-day life. In China, there are only two kinds of trash: recyclable and non-recyclable. The way China sorts its rubbish makes it easy to waste.
In Canada, the classification of garbage is very detailed. When I went to Richmond Centre, there were many different bins in place for people to sort their garbage so they could reduce waste production. Precisely because of this way of dealing with waste, the Canadian environment remains clean.
The classification of rubbish is very clear. People finish their meal and finish drinking water, and consciously throw away their bottles and lunch boxes in the appropriate bins. Even in Canadian families, household waste is classified. My trip to Canada and what I learned from my school in Richmond have made me realize that I want to protect the environment. The correct methods must be adopted. Only in this way can we protect the natural environment.
