It is necessary to book the camping appointment as early as you can, or there will not be a satisfactory camping spot left. Me, my husband, my daughter, as well as our dog started to like going camping 6 years ago in Winnipeg. The camping site which I liked most is located at Birds Hill provincial park in Winnipeg. Enjoying the night star sky and walking the dog in the quiet woods in the early morning are my favorite camping stuff. As Birds Hill Park campsite is a popular camping choice, I usually booked the reservation as soon as the campsite website was open. 2 days is the minimum camping time. Setting up and collecting the camp and canopy takes time and energy for everyone after all. It took 1 and a half hours to drive to the camping park. We filled the trunk with a tent, a canopy, sleeping bags, a cooler, enough disposable tableware, as well as enough food. There was a beach at the lake in the park. It was a great place where everyone can enjoy water fun. My husband and my daughter pretty much like going to swim in the lake on a hot afternoon. Next, it was great to enjoy the barbeque after the lake fun. We sat around the barbeque pot and ate amazing kabab. When it was sunset, we started a fire beside the tent. Then I brought the prepared marshmallow, strung the marshmallow on sticks and barbecued them. A couple of minutes later, it was time to enjoy the delicious marshmallow together. The camping experience impressed me very much and it also made me love outside activities.

It is summer in Canada. This means that it is time to take off the heavy clothes, get out the t-shirts, shorts and sandals, enjoy the outdoors, and take a look at nature coming to life again, such as the trees, grass and the singing of the birds.

Don’t forget it’s also a great time to practise summer sports! My favourite summer activities are cycling, volleyball and, above all else, pickleball. I usually play pickleball with friends on Fridays or Saturdays. It is a good way to get the body moving and burn a few calories but, the main reason I love playing, is so I can meet up with friends and have a bit of friendly competition. Pickleball uses the same type of court as tennis, but with different lines, which are longer in length than tennis, but shorter in width. The rackets are different too. They aren’t made with net and don’t have any holes. They are made of wood, plastic or carbon. Playing pickleball is the same concept as playing tennis except the points are counted in a different way. For me, this is the perfect summer sport and you do not need to be a professional. Anyone can play it easily.

Everyone must have their own equipment, such as racket pads, balls, comfortable clothes and comfortable shoes, and be prepared to play at least 2 hours. We switch players each game and the winner stays on the court until being defeated. Therefore, the best player will naturally play more. I usually stay on the court for a while. Maybe I’m a good player or maybe my friends just don’t play that well!

My favorite game is soccer. I like to watch and play it. I started playing it when I was 9 years old. It is the best game I know.

Somebody can say that soccer is an easy and primitive game. In fact, this game has a deep meaning. Things like tactics and strategies, quick decision-making, and good physical fitness play an important role in this game. Only players and a team with good intelligence as a whole can succeed in this game. In soccer, every little detail matters and brings results.

I am very happy that I can not only watch but also play this game. Here in Toronto, I play for a team that every year takes part in a small amateur tournament of 8 teams. We start the games in May and finish in September. Games are held every Sunday. It is a wonderful emotion and great for getting into good physical condition.

I would like more people in Canada to appreciate how great this game is.

Last weekend I had a wonderful time. I did many outdoor activities. The first activity I did was go on a walk. The second activity I did was go biking. Also, we had my favorite meal with my husband. My favorite meal is pizza with a special home made sauce on it. I really like that sauce because my mother used to make it. I felt amazing after I ate the pizza. And the last activity I did was go to a park.

It was a sunny day in the city. My wife and I decided to try for the very first time jumping out of an airplane. In the morning, we woke up thinking about how it would go. We were really excited to go skydiving. Around 2 pm, my family drove us to the site where the skydiving team would prepare us for the jump. After learning the training and the safety procedures, we were ready for the big moment.

We were at 16000 ft above sea level. The moment the team gave us the signal; my heart was pounding really fast. I was scared of the altitude, but something inside of me was telling me that this would be a great experience. The airplane was on the mark; the instructor gave us the last indication before the jump. My wife jumped first, and then it was my turn. We were free falling at 150 km per hour and at first it was hard to breath because of the speed. Suddenly, all fear disappeared, and I felt a big rush of adrenaline running through my veins. 15 seconds later, the parachute opened. For a moment, I forgot everything, and all my attention was on the landscape and my brain was trying to process what had just happened. On the ground, my wife was waiting with a big smile on her face. She looked really happy and I knew the reason. I felt the same. She gave me a hug, and we were both really happy.

This is an experience that I will remember forever.

I always remember the day when my brother taught me how to ride a bike. Although I couldn't ride the bike on the first day, the experience was amazing. My brother helped me familiarize my brain and body with using the bike; he explained how to turn right or left, how to use the brakes when I wanted to stop, and he also taught me about the parts of the bike.

It was awesome. I loved it and as a result, the next day I was able to ride the bike by myself. Until this day, I still feel confident, and I love riding the bike.

I love summer. I enjoy the sports and activities of this season. Last year was our first year living in Guelph. There are two lakes near the city: Rockwood Lake and Guelph Lake.

My wife and I bought two paddleboards, we really enjoyed paddling on these lakes. The lake water is quite cold, but swimming in summer is very fun.

Another summer activity we enjoy is cycling on the beautiful trails in Guelph. We also like playing tennis on the public courts.

In my opinion, Canada is a great place for summer activities. It is fun and not expensive.

Kortright Centre for Conservation is located at 9550 Pine Valley Drive in Woodbridge, Ontario, Canada. It’s 10 minutes north of Toronto.

You can do activities like hiking, bird watching, visit historic sightseeing and the most popular is the Maple syrup festival. It’s a beautiful place for a hike, a picnic, incredible trails that are well maintained with great lookout spots. I went there with my family and we had so much fun and it was educational for everyone, it’s really a nice activity with the kids and all of us enjoyed it. I found it interesting because it’s an educational activity, hiking is something you can do as a family, opportunities to learn about nature, gives experiences, something to remember as a family adventure, above all a sweet memory.

Have you ever heard about rock climbing? When I first heard about it, I thought it would be too difficult to enjoy as a hobby. However, once I tried rock climbing, I completely fell in love with it.

First of all, there are various levels from beginner to professional. Each climbing route that called a “problem” is marked with a different colour. Every three weeks, the climbing centre changes the problems so there’s always something new to try.

In addition, there are two main ways to enjoy climbing. One is lead climbing which always put harness on with the safety rope. This is perfect for beginners because the rope helps reduce the risk of injury. However, the walls are quite high. It is usually between 7 to 15 meters. The other one is bouldering which means you climb using your own strength to climb without rope or harness. The walls are shorter than lead climbing. The maximum height is about 4.5 meters. However, there is no safety equipment.

But still, it is so attractive to use own physical power to solve the problems.

In my case, I started with auto-belay system and harness. I really fell in love with the bouldering. You can feel huge sense of accomplishment when you solve the problem step by step. Also, everyone is cheer me up while I am solving the problem. We always support each other which creates a really supportive community. In conclusion, I highly recommend trying rock climbing as an activity once in your life.

Last winter, my friends and I took a trip to Mount Washington in British Columbia to go cross-country skiing. The drive up the mountain was beautiful, with snow-covered trees and big hills.

When we arrived, the weather was cold but nice. We put on our skis and followed the trails through the forest. The snow was soft, and everything looked white and clean. It was quiet and peaceful and we laughed a lot while skiing together, but I did not expect it to be so hard without preparation and good technique.

After a few hours, we stopped to rest and to have hot chocolate. We talked, took pictures, and enjoyed the fresh mountain air. It was a fun day, and I hope we can go again next winter.

Over the past couple of years, pickleball has become one of the fastest-growing sports in North America among people of all ages. Pickleball was created in 1965, and as I like to say, “If ping-pong and tennis had a kid it would be Pickleball”. It was during the winter of 2022 when I started playing this wonderful sport. I haven’t been able to stop playing since.

This sport can be played indoors or outdoors on a pickleball court, which is basically a small tennis court, with two players (singles) or four players (doubles). The players hit a perforated hollow plastic ball over a 36-inch-high net using solid-faced paddles. The first side to score eleven points wins the match. Players earn points each time their opponent doesn’t return the ball, or hits the ball out of bounds.

Pickleball is a fun, fast paced, low impact game that keeps people active and healthy. When I started, most players were seniors, but this sport has since grown in popularity and now you often see kids playing too.

Because of playing regularly, watching videos and getting advice from more advanced players, I have been able to rapidly improve my game. I've noticed that people who have played other racquet sports such as tennis or ping-pong pick up the game easily.

I've become addicted to playing pickleball, and can’t wait for the outdoor courts to open, so I can start playing outside in the fresh air under the open sky. At the club I'm a member of, you'll find friendly people who are very enthusiastic about the game and make playing it fun and rewarding.

My favorite movie is The Gadfly, an old movie released in 1955. It is a romantic action movie. I am lucky to be one of the people who can watch this famous movie.

I have watched it several times. Each time after I watched it, I was very sad because the movie’s ending is heart-wrenching. The movie is about the underground fights of some young Italians against the Austrian invaders for independence of their home country. In the last part, the Gadfly was arrested and lost his life. His girlfriend received his letter and cried. The actor, Oleg Strizhenov, is the best one that I ever know. He was also very good-looking.

All in all, The Gadfly is a classic movie and the best of the best in the world.

I like so many actors, but my favourite actor is Gippy Grewal. He is a very good actor. He is a singer, also. He gets so many awards from the award shows. He is even a producer. I really want to meet this actor. He made more than 80 movies. My favourite movie is Ardass. I want to ask one question of this actor: how is he doing everything together? He is an actor, producer, singer and writer. I want to meet him once in my life.

People in my native country watch American films. We like to watch comedy and action movies.

I like to watch comedy movies with my family, because they are very funny.

The best movie I saw was "Titanic" and it ended with a sad ending. The main actor is Leonardo DiCaprio, and he played the character Jack Dawson. The best part in the movie was that Rose was alive in the end. The movie had everything. It was romantic, suspenseful, and it had great actors.

Art and craft activities are a fun way to express our creativity and make beautiful things. It is a great way to reuse items like paper, bottles or shells and turning them into useful or decorative pieces.

One of my favourite hobbies since childhood is arts and craft. I just love to engage myself in making innovative and unique decoration stuff. Whether it is painting, sewing, or making best out of the waste, these activities are always enjoyable and relaxing for me. One such arts and craft I made was with pistachio shells. It was a lot of fun and incredibly creative! Pistachio shells are small, durable and have a unique shape, thus making it a great material for DIY projects and moreover its eco friendly.

Material I required was easily available at home like painting colours, glue, shells and undoubtedly my enthusiasm. I used a canvas board to create my theme "aquarium.” Firstly, I painted the background blue to mimic the water. Secondly, I painted the pistachio shells in different colors to represent fish, stones and pebbles. To add details like eyes and stripes on fish I used a fine brush. Next, I just glued the pistachio shells onto the base to create a lively underwater scene. Finally, once it was dried, I made corals with a thin brush.

It's amazing to see how small pistachio shell can turn into a beautiful piece of art!

It’s perfect for kids and adults alike, allowing everyone to unleash their imagination!

I like Padman, the movie. This movie is about the health of women and menses pads. Women do not like to use pads in a family and country during their period. A lady feels hesitation to use pad during menses.

Her husband requests her to use pads during her period, but pads are very expensive to buy. Her husband makes pads with his own hands, but those pads start leaking. He wears those pads to test them again and again. Everyone dislikes him for pad testing.

At the end, he succeeds in making pads. His pads are very cheap to buy. He and his pads become very famous. His angry wife comes back in his life. Everyone appreciates his achievement worldwide.

I am a big movie buff and I love action and horror movies; however, there are things that I don’t do about movies.

One of my favorite movies is Fast and Furious. It is an action movie and I would like to see it because I like cars and speed. Also, in this movie there are so many kinds of cool cars. The second movie is It. It is a horror movie and I would like to see it because it talks about long term friendship and it shows us how the seven children faced their fears, each in his or her way.

I would most like to meet the action movie star, Vin Diesel, because he has a unique way in acting. The special thing about his actor is the distinctive deep voice that he has. I am going to ask him to give me a chance to drive a car in one of his movies.

I don't like to be in crowded places, and when I want to watch a movie, I like to focus very much, I don't like to be distracted. Although I love movies' stars but I don't like to be a part of the red carpet crowed of fans waiting to see the stars. So I would not like to see movies or stars in Toronto during the TIFF.

We need be careful about what movies to play when children are around. Sometimes we can't force children to close their eyes when there are inappropriate, terrifying or disgusting scenes and that may get stuck in their mind and effect on their behaviour, also these scenes can expand their horizon in wrong directions while they should focus on their study and sport at these ages.

My name is Kyara. I am from Colombia.

I studied and worked as an industrial engineer in my home country. I was responsible for planning and optimizing production processes in a manufacturing company.

I’ve been living in Canada for about four years now. Currently, I am living in Wasaga Beach.

I have a small family. I have a daughter who is two years old and a husband.

I love my daughter, she is very active and loves eating, singing, and reading.

I am trying to improve my English through LINC Home Study and other ways, so that I can find a job that helps me with growth opportunities, work-life balance, and support my family.

My name is Saron. I'm from Eritrea. When I was young, I remember I helped my mom and Dad. I played soccer with my friends almost every day. I was a student in Eritrea. I left Eritrea and went to Ethiopia. I got married.

First my husband came to Canada, and then I came. I moved to a new country. It is a big change. I feel lucky, and I studied a lot of things. I'm happy to be here in Canada. Life in Canada is easy. I feel safe and happy. I live with my husband and daughter. I love it with all my heart.

My dream is to speak English fluently. I want to travel and meet new people. I believe English will open many doors for my future. I want to be a nurse.

I was an international Taekwondo athlete from Nepal. I have participated in many international matches. I have 15 years of security experience. I work in Macau as a security guard and supervisor. I came to Canada in 2019 for a better future. I'm happy to live in Canada. I'm working part-time as a taekwondo master and my full-time job is a press operator in a steel manufacturing company. I want to give a good education to my children.

My name is Mahmoud. I was born in Abu Dhabi and raised in Amman, where I completed both my high school and university education. After graduating, I moved to Dubai and began my career as an HR Clerk, eventually becoming the Administration Manager in the same company I worked for throughout my time there.

Canada had always been a dream for me, especially for the future of my children—to learn English and pursue their education here. Thank God, that dream came true, and we are now happily settled in Canada.

My future goal is to start my own business in construction or a related field, while supporting my children as they work toward their medical degrees in Canada, inshallah. I’m also very thankful to the Canadian government for offering the free LINC Home Study program, which has greatly improved my English and helped me learn more about Canadian culture, nature, and society.

About 2 years ago, I experienced my first Canada Day in Thunder Bay. Before that, I did not know about this day since I always stayed at home. It was a sunny day with bright sunshine, so I wanted to wander around. I went to a park and saw a celebration. I was curious and discovered that it was Canada Day. Therefore, I knew this day.

In the park, there was a stage with some performances, singing or dancing. I was shocked by them since everyone was very happy and energetic. I was infected by their happiness and joined them. In addition, there were a lot of booths selling food, coffee, and some toys. Children were playing on the grass, dogs were running with their friends, and groups of Canadians were sitting together, singing or talking with each other. Everyone enjoyed this time. This was celebrated until the evening. I saw the bright fireworks in the sky and was shocked by it.

Most of the time, I am nervous in my daily life. I think I should do something or achieve something so that my life has meaning. However, this day gave me a new feeling that enjoying life is also meaningful. If I have the chance, I will celebrate it with more newcomers from my hometown. I believe they will love it.

Are you looking for a place to take your family this summer?
One fun place I went to with my family in the summer was Blue Mountain. We rode the open gondola and saw beautiful trees and mountains from high up. Then, my husband and my oldest child tried the aqua trike and pedaled on the water; which was a lot of fun. After that, we walked around the little shops and bought some snacks and small gifts. The nature all around us was very gorgeous. It was a great day.

Summer in Ottawa is a wonderful time filled with outdoor activities and festivals for families. I love walking along the Rideau Canal and enjoying the beautiful green parks around the city. One of my favorite events is the Ottawa Bluesfest, where you can listen to amazing live music under the sun. The ByWard Market is always lively, with fresh fruits, flowers, and local crafts. I also enjoy spending weekends at Mooney’s Bay Beach, relaxing by the water with family and friends. Summer in Ottawa feels full of energy and happiness, making it my favorite season here.

What was it like to live in 19-century? Did you visit the Upper Canada Village? Upper Canada Village is a living museum. It's my favorite place in Canada. It's near Morrisburg, Ontario. They have authentic buildings, tools and stuff. I went there last year. The people who lived there worked in the same way as the same people lived in the19-century. They also wore clothes that were the same as those people at that time. They used carriages for transportation. The ladies baked and cooked on the wood stove, and I remembered the good smell. There were beautiful gardens with big sunflowers and vegetables. There were different buildings that the people worked at there. For instance, when I walked in front of the bakery I smelled the fresh bread. That was the best day I had in Canada. It was a different experience. I had a weird feeling that I liked it. I will plan to visit again. I recommend visiting.

I´m from Colombia, a country with friendly people, pleasant weather, gastronomic variety and beautiful places, but unfortunately can be violent at times. That is why I had to migrate and look for a better future in a quiet country like is Canada. When I arrived at this country it was a challenge didn´t speak the language as I would like. From the beginning I began to study English, and I have had two excellent teachers, who have helped me improved my skills every day. Here I have found very special people, friends who have become like my family, who have been helping me overcome all the challenges that being a migrant, also I found a job in my field in the airline that represent my country here in Canada. 20 years ago, I dreamed of working there, a dream that I fulfilled here in Canada, although it has not been easy, I feel grateful to God for everything He has given me and the way I have advanced. Two years ago, when I arrived and I didn´t understand a word of the people when were talking to me, I wouldn´t have imagine the progress that I have made now. I´ll continue to fight every day for my dreams to come true and to build a happy and peaceful life in Canada.

My name is Fidele. I come from Congo. I have been living in Canada for over 6 years. I moved to Canada in 2019, and currently, I live in Ontario in a Small town called Atikokan.

When I moved to Canada, the weather really surprised me because it’s so different from my home country’s weather.

In Congo, we have two seasons, the dry season and the rainy season. These seasons are neither too hot nor too cold. But in Canada I discovered that there are 4 seasons: spring, summer, fall and winter. It was very difficult for me to accept winter because I’m not used to the extreme cold like in Canada.

In winter, I was so happy to see the snow because that was the first time to see the white fluffy snow, but the cold was so intense that I felt uncomfortable. I had to cover myself everywhere and many layers, yet I remained cold.

As the years went by, I started to get used to it. Now I am okay with Canada’s winter. It is not difficult anymore. I have learned to cope with the cold.

Being a citizen means being a part of the community and society. Citizens must be aware of their rules and duties. These must be performed in accordance with the principles of morality, culture, tradition, and the law. Citizens have important duties that they must fulfill. There are many responsibilities of citizenship, but I would like to share these key duties. The first main duty is voting. Voting is important for citizens. It allows them to choose their leaders or the party whose principles can guide how the country runs. The second main duty is to obey the law. The law is a regulation, a rule of a state or nation that enforces and controls the behavior of individuals in society. When people follow the law, it makes society great and peaceful. The last duty is to protect the environment. Nature is the biggest source of CO2 for everyone. It includes not just trees, but also soil, animals, air, and water. Therefore, citizens must be very serious about protecting them. Additionally, we can enjoy beautiful nature and have good natural resources for a long time. These are the duties and responsibilities that I think are the most important.

Niagara Falls is a famous waterfall located on the border between Canada and the United States. We went to Niagara Falls last May long weekend. We went with my family and friends. We went by car. It is 130 km away from our city, so we reached there in 1 and half hours. We enjoyed a wonderful boat trip at nighttime. We enjoyed bright fireworks at night when we were on the boat. It was a really memorable experience for me. Niagara Falls is a very crowded place. We took a night stay in The Brock hotel. It is located in front of Niagara Falls. The nighttime view was really amazing. Next day, we went to the White Water Walk and the Butterfly Conservatory. It was a really great experience for me and my family.

Though Toronto and Windsor both cities are situated in the province of Ontario, Canada, yet there is a lot of difference in the lifestyle between the both cities.
We can categorize both cities under below given points:

Toronto

Pros:

- Toronto is a more renowned, metropolitan and international city.
- Toronto is the hub of multinational business.
- Toronto hosts international events and festivals such as, exhibitions, TIFF etc.
- Toronto has more career and business opportunities for individuals and businesses.
- Toronto is the hub of multicultural civilization in Canada.
- Toronto has numerous tourist attractions including, CN Tower, museums, parks, night clubs, casinos, stadiums etc.
- Toronto has multiple transit facilities.
- Multiple universities, colleges and schools are available for national and international students.

Cons:

- Crime ratio and drug addiction is increasing.
- People feel less safe in Toronto than before.
- It's too crowded.
- The traffic jams are extremely annoying and time-consuming.
- Accidents, fires and murders have become so common in Toronto.
- People feel it is difficult to keep their kids on the right track regarding good manners and habits.
- It has become unaffordable for both renters and owners.

Toronto

Windsor is the Southernmost city situated at Canada-US Border and it’s a small city with almost 300 000 inhabitants which are less than half of Mississauga's population.

Pros:

- Windsor is a peaceful city with a healthy atmosphere that is less polluted compared with Toronto.
- People in Windsor do take care of each other helping their neighbors in need.
- Windsor is not a crowded city, rather it offers a relaxing atmosphere.
- It's better for kids’ growth, including physical health and character building.
- There are no traffic jams.
- There are less criminal activities in Windsor.
- It gives easy and quick access to the one of the largest US city and airport (Detroit) though there is a small airport available in Windsor.
- There are a lot of farms and unbelievable wildlife around the city.
- It's affordable for both renters and landlords.
- There is less snow in Windsor compared with Toronto.
- Winter is less harsh compared to Toronto.

Cons:

- Employment opportunities are limited.
- Health facilities are very less compared to Toronto as there is no major hospital as we find in Toronto.
- Diagnoses facilities are few as someone has to wait for months and months to get an ultrasound done.
- There is more humidity in Windsor in summer than Toronto because it's hotter than Toronto.

Conclusion:

I would like to conclude that even health, employment and educational facilities are notably limited in Windsor city, but it's a better place to bring up the little kids and a peaceful family life, if someone prefers family life to the career. Despite the fact, there are more luxuries and facilities in Toronto, still, I would like to say, family life is better in Windsor than Toronto.

Last summer, I went on a trip to Niagara Falls with my family. It was my first time visiting this amazing place, and the view was truly breathtaking. The sound of the powerful water falling from above was unforgettable, like the music of nature.

We rode the boat that gets close to the falls, and the mist from the water sprayed us, but we were laughing and having fun the whole time. After that, we walked around the city and had a meal at a restaurant overlooking the river. In the evening, we watched a fireworks show above the falls, and it was a magical sight

This trip was one of the best moments of my life because it brought my family together in a special place, and I felt happy and relaxed the whole time.

Hello everyone.

I am Hamidullah. I am writing about my first day in Canada.

I was very excited when first I arrived in Canada. Because everything was different for me. I was very comfortable. Because I passed the first day and night in a very modern hotel.

Canada was very different from Afghanistan. Because it’s a very improved country. And weather in Canada was a bit similar. Both countries have cold weather in general. Speaking English was easy for me to understand. But I couldn’t understand French. That’s why in the airport some people were talking in French. I hoped to bring my family to Canada. So I did it. I wanted to come to Canada to be safe and live a good life. I found some of the things match my dreams and some not. Like lots of facilities here but not an unstressed life. Everyone here has treated us the best. First days I felt very excited in Canada. I was feeling very alone in my first days. Then I found lots of friends. Finally I began to feel that I was in my own home and Country. When my wife and children have arrived in Canada and now I am very happy here.

During the Easter holidays, I went to Quebec City with my family. We wanted to discover a new place. We drove a few hours to get there. It was my first time visiting Quebec City, so I was very excited.

First, we visited Old Quebec. It is a very beautiful and historic place. The streets were beautiful, and the buildings are very old. It looked like a small town in Europe. There were many tourists, and everybody was taking photos. We walked around and ate poutine at a small restaurant. I really enjoyed seeing the Château Frontenac. It was big and very beautiful.

The next day, we went to the Quebec Aquarium. It was a lot of fun, especially for my daughter. We saw many animals like fish, jellyfish, seals, and polar bears. The polar bears were sleeping, but they still looked amazing. We spent a few hours there and learned a lot about sea animals. At the end of the day, we were tired but happy. It was a wonderful trip. I had fun with my family, saw new things, and made good memories.

A very difficult decision for someone to leave his family and into the unknown. The first country I lived in was Egypt. In that country, I lived my most difficult days. I was alone in a country with a different culture and a different taste of life. But with time, I adapted to living alone without my family. I really learned a lot about life. After a year and half, I moved to Libya, looking for an opportunity to cross to Europe a cross the Mediterranean Sea. In order to find security first, then work on my future in terms of education and work, but I did not succeed in that dangerous way. But I did not give up.

I thought of a safe way and the solution was one of the safest decisions I have ever made in my life. I registered with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees(UNHCR).

This was the beginning of my destiny to come to Canada. On 3/4/2024,it was the most beautiful day of my life that I will never forget. That day I arrived in Canada, the land of dreams and the humanity in Canada gave me a sense of security that I had never found in my life.

Thank you Canada.

Do you want to know about Maha Shivaratri? I would like to share some information about these festivals. Maha Shivaratri is a Hindu Festivals. There are many historical stories told about this Maha Shivaratri. First, on this day devotees' worship lord Shiva and observe fasts. People stay awake all night. Second, is a solemn event notable for its introspective focus, fasting, meditation on Shiva, Self-study Social Harmony and an all-night vigil at Shiva temples. Lastly, it is a day of to seek the blessings.

To sum up, we can listen to many stories about this Maha Shivaratri that are still very interesting.

Dashain is the biggest and most important festival in Nepal, my native country. We celebrate Dashain each year in October.

Last October, I celebrated Dashain in Canada. We celebrate the Nepalese festival in Canada. It was a time when families came together to enjoy and celebrate. We started by planting jamara (barley sprout) on the first day, called Ghatasthapana. On the tenth day, known as Vijaya Dashami, the elder put tika and jamara on our foreheads and gave us blessings. We wore new clothes, ate delicious foods like sel roti, and visited relatives. Children played on a traditional bamboo swing called a linga ping. The festival was full of happiness, and I enjoyed spending time with my family.

Coffee ceremony in Ethiopia is much respected traditional and cultural practice to celebrate holiday, and to show respect for the guest and encourage socialising.

First, coffee ceremony is a common practice during holidays for example, in Ethiopia on a holiday one person is selected to prepare the coffee, who does so by wearing traditional clothes called “Habeshas kames”. During the ceremony, family members, neighbors, and friends gather, sit in a circle and engage in conversations, laughter and storytelling while enjoying the aroma of the brewing coffee.

Secondly, we prepare coffee ceremony for special guests such as in-laws or elders in the family, by preparing a lavish meal with coffee, because the in-laws and elderly are given a lot of respect in Ethiopia. These gatherings are not only about drinking coffee but also about showing honour, building trust, and strengthening family and community relationships.

Finaly, from social aspect the coffee ceremony plays a vital role in maintaining community bonds. It is a daily or weakly tradition in many households, especially in rural areas, where people use it as a time to share news, resolve conflicts, and teach values to younger generation. Women often lead the ceremony, showing their central role in preserving cultural traditions and hospitality. The coffee ceremony is also used to welcome visitors, which reflects the Ethiopian value of warm hospitality.

This is a celebration held in the Department of Huila, Colombia. It is one of the oldest and most important celebrations, having been celebrated for several years. This celebration takes place annually in Neiva - Huila, during the last two weeks of June.

The National Bambuco Pageant is a competition in which each department of Colombia sends a female representative. The female representative must know the SanJuanero dance. These aspects are evaluated by a jury, including beauty, punctuality, general knowledge and the culture of the department of Huila.

In my experience, it was one of the festivities I enjoyed most as a child. I attended these parades for almost 12 years. I went with my father, family, and friends. When I was a child, I remember my aunts making me a traditional Bambuco costume, and I wore it to every parade.

I remember that at each parade, especially the last and most important one, we would sit down and wait for more than half an hour for it to begin. During that time, my father would buy me popcorn, cakes, soda, or cotton candy. Then, the sirens of the police and fire trucks would sound, signaling that the parade had begun. During the parade, each contestant could be seen wearing their traditional costume representing their department. They rode in a decorated car. Behind each car with each contestant, there were always dancers, musicians, and people dressed in costumes representing Colombian culture. The entire parade could last almost four hours.

At the end of the parade, there were always horses, where you could see different breeds. Finally, at the end of the day, you could watch on television how the representatives or contestants danced the Bambuco, and whoever scored the best dance would be chosen as that year's Queen.

One of my favorite holidays is Eid. It happens after Ramadan. People usually celebrate by giving each other gifts. One time I got a really amazing dress as my gift. They also wear traditional clothing and hang out with family and friends. I really like Eid because it brings the family together. My aunts and uncles visit us often. We all work together to make a big feast for the whole family. Then we all sit together and enjoy the meal.

Since we organize a number of popular community events, such as the Eid and Nowruz gatherings.

For example, in the month leading up to Eid, people start getting ready by cleaning their homes, washing the couches, rugs, and curtains. They also cook different sweets and pastries and buy dry fruits for the guests who will be visiting their home for Eid Mubarak.

All of the girls gather the day before Eid to apply henna to each other's hands.

On the morning of Eid, we put on our new clothes, apply cosmetics and fragrance, and then attend Eid prayers at the Masjid. And we all come together and say Eid Mubarak to all as younger should go to elders and say Eid Mubarak.

I remember from childhood that on Eid days, after prayers, I would often go to my father, brother, and uncles to receive money as an Eid gift, and was excited with the money they gave me, which I used to buy snacks and toys for my friends and myself.

When I was 20 years old, I had a party at my home in my birth country. It was a community party with my close friends and neighbours. We cooked a lot of traditional food, played music, and danced together. I remember that day because everyone was so happy. We were laughing and talking for many hours. It was a special day for me because I felt close to my friends, and we had so much fun. We took photos and made good memories. I miss those times because now I live in another country. That party is one of my favorite memories from my home.

The arrival of spring, which means warmth, sunny days and birds singing, I think is expected not only people, but also nature itself. With the arrival of warmth, everything around becomes bright, beautiful, seems kind and cheerful. When you being to notice all this beauty: the rustling of green leaves, the singing of birds, the scent of wildflowers, the purity and blue of the sky, you involuntarily begin to think: “How wonderful are your works, Lord!”

For believer the arrival of spring is of course associated with the most important holiday - Easter. Easter, the day of the Holly Resurrection, is the main event of the year for Orthodox Christians.

On this day believers celebrate the atonement of the sins of mankind through Christ the Savor and express their attitude to the holiday with the words of prayer: “ This is holiday of holidays and the triumph of triumphs”.

According to the law of our religion, before the Bright Day of Resurrection we need to endure a 49-day Lent. During the fast you need go to church more often, pray more not only for the living, but also for the departed, help those in need, try to reconcile with anyone in a quarrel, limit yourself in food and entertainment.

When I lived in Ukraine and I attended my church, I paid special attention to the services during the last week of Lent. The soul at these services was filled with sorrow for the suffering of the innocent Jesus and joy for the imminent coming of the Resurrection.

In our faith Friday when Christ was crucified is sad day, we sympathize with his suffering. But I understand why this day in Canada is Good Friday, without the crucifixion there would be no Resurrection.

Usually by Holy Saturday all the preparation for the feast is completed. The most festive dishes are prepared, and Easter bread is baked.

On Saturday evening we typically went to church to the all-night vigil. On this night our church always illuminated with many lanterns. People who could not attend the night service could listen to Easter songs and greetings through the installed loudspeaker. At 12 AM the priest proclaimed, “Christ Risen” and parishioners responded with joy and triumph “He is truly Risen”. Everyone started hugging and congratulating each other. I can`t put into words what feel believers in this moment! It`s so exiting and joyful!

But now in Ukraine, here it is the third Easter has passed without a night vigil, but with a curfew and without the sounds of the serenade, without the ringing of bell, but with the roar of exploding shells. In many towns and cities churches destroyed, priests and parishioners were murdered. The third Easter my parents met in silence, solitude, tears, fear. For some people this Easter was their last…

Living in Canada we try to preserve our faith, our holidays family traditions, but most importantly, we pray for peace in Ukraine, for peace in the World. We ask God to help us to become better, kinder, wiser. We pray that the Canadian people will never experience the grief that Ukrainians are experiencing.

It was a Tuesday at morning around 11 am that I was at my son school at a tea with another mothers this school about the Mother's Day. I was welcomed by my son at the entrance of the school and taken to the table with the other mothers. We started by welcoming the principal school, then students began to give tea or coffee with a little biscuit and sandwich. After the children began to give a gift to every mother. Finally, every mother takes a picture with the child or children. In conclusion, I had a great Mother’s Day.

Last year I was invited to a Korean wedding. It was a colorful traditional celebration where the newlyweds and their parents were dressed in traditional attire. Amazing! I've never seen anything like this before! But during the ceremony, I realized that just like us, Ukrainians, parents give their blessing to the birth of a new family, wish their children prosperity, love, wisdom and mutual understanding. Also just like us, in the wedding ritual they change their outfits, use candles and predict the number of children the future young family will have. The celebration was colorful, fun and very touching!

However, the Balinese weddings are usually based on creating harmony, peace and fulfillment. They are meant to create balance between the maternal and spiritual worlds. The ceremony that is practiced is a chance for a groom and bride to testify before the god, creatures of the underworld and their community. The ceremony itself includes gift giving and a procession through the streets of the village, where the married couple will soon live in. They also go through a purification ceremony to clean their hearts and souls from negative energy.

Before I tell you about my wedding day, let me start by how we met. In 2008 I saw my future wife after a very long time because she left the country when she was 5 years old. She was so pretty. My dad and her mom are cousins, but we never met each other. In 2008 I told my dad I like Aziza, and I wanted him to go and ask her to marry me. Weddings in my home country are usually arranged by the elders.

I met her in March of 2008, and we got married in August of 2008. Between March and August 2008, I met her only once. The second time I met her was at the wedding hall.

We had around 1000 guests at the reception. It is common for Afghan weddings to have at least around 1000 people invited or uninvited people who show up if there is a wedding in the area. The groom must be ready anytime to feed all the guests in the wedding hall. Due to culture differences between the west and the east the groom family covers all the costs, from wedding hall to food, jewelry, clothes, and gifts.

Afghan weddings are segregated by genders. Men enjoy the reception in a different hall than women. The segregation means you’re not supposed to meet other women.

We ended the night with our Nikah, the most important tradition that ties the bride and groom in a relation. It mainly occurs on the big day. However, some Afghani families prefer arranging a Nikah ceremony many days before the actual marriage day. It's not considered a grand ceremony in Afghanistan. In short, it is a short and private tradition. Only the couple's family members, the Mullah and Islamic clergy, are present at the Nikah moment.

At present we live happily in Canada.

In my country every March 8th of the year we celebrate Women’s Day. Women’s Day is a famous holiday in my country. Several women like it. During women day the government of Cameroon gives permission to make a loincloth for this holiday each year with different patterns. This day a parade is organised in the honor of the woman. This day each man gives the gift to his wife or brings them to a restaurant. Other women organise a party for this day. In conclusion, women's day is a very famous holiday in my country which allows us to honor women and show them that they are the mothers of humanity.

Every year in November Indian people celebrate the Diwali Festival. On that day everyone is happy because the Hindu god name is Ram Ji came back to India after 14 years. Then everybody celebrates Diwali. They decorate their houses, make special food, exchange sweets and firecrackers.

Most of the Hindu people organize Diwali events in the convention center or in hotels. They have a lot of small stalls for food, clothes, games, jewellery and tattoos.

I like the clothes stall because they have sarees and suits. The suits have pants with long shirt and dupatta. The material is made of silk. I enjoyed a lot the fashion show.

One of my favorite memories from a community event in my birthland, Iran, is celebrating Nowruz with my family. Every year, we gathered at my grandparents’ house to welcome the Persian New Year. We set up a beautiful Haft-Seen (7 S) table with items like Sabzeh (sprouted wheat), Seer (garlic), and Senjed (dried oleaster). The house was full of laughter, and we all wore new clothes. I loved listening to the elders tell stories about past celebrations. At the moment of the New Year, we hugged each other and exchanged wishes. This event is memorable for me because it brought the whole family together and created a warm and happy atmosphere. Even now, when I think about those days, I feel joyful and proud of my culture.

Korea has many streets with cherry blossom trees. So, I have seen cherry blossom trees when I lived in Korea very often. Every year in the spring, I went to see the cherry blossoms in Yeouido, which is very famous among locals to see. When I was young, I went there with my friends, and then after I married, I went there with my family, husband and daughter. There are many kinds of food trucks on the streets. We enjoyed the cherry blossoms, street food, and took a photo with the cherry blossoms. Every person had a smiling face, and they looked happy. Especially the night view was wonderful. There were so many kinds of colour lights under the trees, and they flashed on the trees. The memories make me happy, and I miss my family. I wish I could go to Yeouido in Seoul again with my family soon.

Easter in Greece is a huge deal. It's the biggest religious celebration we have! Greeks call it "Pascha" and it's all about life winning over death. The whole thing is deeply rooted in our Orthodox traditions.

We start getting ready weeks before, lots of people give up certain foods during Lent. Holy Week is when things really kick into high gear, especially from Thursday through Sunday. That's when all the cool rituals happen that blend our religious beliefs with colorful cultural stuff.

One tradition everyone knows about is our red eggs. We dye them on Holy Thursday to symbolize Christ's blood and rebirth. Later, we play this fun game called "tsougrisma" where you try to crack someone else's egg without breaking your own, it gets competitive in my family!

Good Friday is super somber though. Most of us attend the service honoring Christ's crucifixion, and we carry the "Epitaphios" basically a decorated representation of Christ's tomb through the streets in these beautiful candlelit processions. It's quite moving, honestly.

Saturday night is when things get emotional. We all gather at church with candles, waiting for the "Holy Light" to be shared. Then, right before midnight, the priest shouts "Christos Anesti!", Christ is Risen! And the sky explodes with fireworks! Everyone's kissing each other's cheeks and sharing happy wishes. After that, we head home starving to break our fast with "magiritsa" - this special soup made from lamb liver lettuce and herbs.

Sunday is just pure celebration! Lambs roasting on spits everywhere, music blasting, and people dancing traditional dances like the Kalamatianos. It's all about family, laughing together, and keeping these ancient customs alive. Greek Easter isn't just religious, it's this powerful symbol of hope and community that brings us all together. My grandma would say it's the heart of who we are!

In my country people don’t like and allow others to celebrate Valentine’s Day due to religious factors in front of them.

When it comes to marriages, most marriages are arranged marriages, love marriages are not common. When boys and girls approach marriage age their parents start finding a bride or groom for them. Hopefully, they find a good bride/groom for their children. After that they arrange an engagement ceremony. On the engagement day bride and groom exchange the rings and see each other for the first time. After some months they decide on the other wedding ceremonies like Mehndi, the wedding day and the reception day. In a nutshell, love marriages are very rare. In the Mehndi ceremony the girl and family friends sing songs for the bride or groom for their sides. They eat delicious Pakistani food. And the bride put henna on her hands. On the wedding day the groom relatives come to take the bride, with his family and friends with a total of almost 200 people. At the end of ceremony bride leaves her parent house and start living with her groom. On the reception day arranged by the groom side, everyone eats delicious Pakistani food and gives wishes to the bride and the groom. Each ceremony is attended by 200 to 500 people. It is the most important day in life for most people.

Easter or Resurrection Sunday is a Christian festival and cultural holiday. Resurrection of Jesus from the dead. Why people especially kids love Easter even non-Christian people? Mostly for an egg hunt. It Is a traditional activity where children search for hidden decorated eggs or sweets. The egg is a symbol of rebirth and new life has been associated with the Christian celebration of the resurrection of Jesus. Some believe the tradition dates back to the 16th century in Germany where men would hide eggs for women and children to find.

Today Easter egg hunts are popular family friendly tradition. Easter is celebrated on the first Sunday after the first astronomical full moon. Week before Easter as Holy week begins on Palm Sunday marking the entrance of Jesus in Jerusalem.

Good Friday was the last Supper. Across the world believers gather to rejoice the resurrection of Jesus, the moment that changed everything. Jesus defeated death we can have hope in this life and in eternity, therefore Easter is a celebration of life, hope and victory.

Pohela Boishak is our Bangali New Year.I woke up early morning on boishakh and made some treditional foods panta vat, hilsha fry, vorta. Then we ate breakfast. After breakfast I wore sharee, my son and husband wore panjabi. Then we went to Botanical Gardens in Hamilton. We tooks some pictures, and making fun with ours friends and family. We ate some snacks and biriyani. Then we came back my home. It was amazing memorable day but also missed my parents and my brother.

My favorite summer holiday is Eid al-Adha, and I have celebrated it both in Afghanistan and in Canada. In Afghanistan, Eid al-Adha is very special. I used to celebrate it with my family and neighbours. We would wake up early, wear new clothes, and go to the mosque for prayer. After that we would do the Qurbani (sacrifice) and then share the meat with family, friends and poor people. It was a time for family gatherings, delicious food like kebabs and rice, and visiting relatives.

Now in Canada, I still celebrate Eid al-Adha with my friends. We go to the mosque for Eid prayer, and then we have a small party at home. Sometimes we do the Qurbani through an online service and we make Afghani food like Mantu, Kabuli pulao and kebabs. Even though it is different here I try to keep the same traditions and celebrate with joy and thankfulness.

Eritrea’s Independence Day is celebrated every year on May 24th. It marks the day Eritrea became free from Ethiopia in 1991. People remember the long 30-year war and the brave fighters who helped win its freedom. On this day, the streets are full of flags, music, and dancing. Families gather to celebrate and enjoy traditional food. Schools and communities hold special events and parades. Everyone feels proud to be Eritrean. It is a time to think about the past and hope for a better future. Children learn about the country’s history and its heroes. Many people wear traditional clothes to show their culture. Eritreans around the world also join in the celebration. Our community in St. John’s celebrated it together, too. Eritrea's Independence Day is a proud and happy time for the whole country and those of us who live around the world.

Community events are really important and appreciated by me and my neighborhood. So, every year by the end of May, the high school where I taught for 12 years organized a big community event. I was part of the organizing committee for 10 years and my role was to guide the students who were showcasing their talents as singers, dancers, or instrumentalists. At this time of the year, the school was buzzing with preparations. Some were finishing their music partitions to present, others were on the phone to finalize the last details before the big day.

To promote the event, we made some flyers, sent email to everybody, called parents and the local authorities of the city. Students were willing to help with sharing flyers, setting everything up and most importantly being part of the festivities. We also raised funds to award all participants in each category and people volunteered without complaining.

What I loved the most with this kind of event is the community spirit. With everyone giving a hand and with parents, municipal's authorities being present, this show was crucial to help gather participants and to celebrate our community. This makes a huge difference in the students' minds and for sure they will remember it for the rest of their lives.

To summarize, it's very important to be a volunteer in your neighbourhood or your workplace. It fosters a sense of community and it makes people around you happy.

One of my favourite memories is the celebration of “City Day" in my birthland, Ukraine. Every year, people in my village gathered at the local community center on the main street to commemorate the founding of the village. Each village, town, or city had its own traditions and local culture. I volunteered for 10 years to promote the event by creating posters and advertising it on social media. This family-friendly festival had a full entertainment program. It started with an official ceremony and a concert prepared by local folk artists, and it ended with dance parties. There was also a fair and food trucks. Everyone was happy and full of energy. I liked listening to Ukrainian traditional songs and watching kids’ comedy sketches and competitions, where everyone who wished could participate. I enjoyed eating locally made ice cream, especially since the festival took place in mid-July. One thing I didn’t like was the hot weather! Also, the place was crowded, and it was easy to lose your family or friends. This event was special for me because it brought the whole community together and connected us with the past. I felt proud of my culture, and I will always remember it.

One time, I was a volunteer at the Red Cross. We helped kids' homes and did fundraising to support them. We gave food, clothes, toys, and other things. We also talked to people and asked them to give money or donate things. I was so happy to help. I enjoyed working with other volunteers. It was a good experience for me because I love to help children and people who need it. I felt proud and useful. I want to volunteer more in the future.

The city of Barrie holds Winterfest each year, a community tradition and one of the top winter festivals in Ontario. The event is held at Centennial Park. It is free to attend, and no ticket is needed! There are two days to enjoy it. It is usually on the weekend. We attended twice this year. In Canada, we have almost half a year of winter. Someone feels so bored in the winter, so we went to the festival to have some fun.

The 2025 this event featured activities all day, including spectacular ice sculptures, lumberjack shows, family entertainment, drop-in activities, and much more! We saw a lot of ice sculptures. My son likes one of them, an airplane which has a lot of small real airplane models in the ice model. We watched it for a long time to figure out everyone's airplane name. Then we made some toasted marshmallows by ourselves. This time was my son's first time to eat marshmallows. He said it was so tasty. We ate some traditional food whose name is beaver tails and played with a lot of toys on the snow hill. We clapped to lumberjack shows. There were two horse-drawn carriages, and so many people waited for them. We met my neighbour at the lineup, and they said they needed a long time to be able to ride the horse-drawn carriages. At the end, we wanted to ride a helicopter. We were in the lineup, but my son was scared of the helicopter's roar. So, I think maybe we can ride next year because he will be more grown up, and the noise will be better for his ears.

Barrie Winterfest kicks off "Hello Winter" each year. "Hello Winter" offers outdoor arts, culture and community events throughout February. We love it and hope to attend next year.

It was my first event for me after one month since I have been in Canada. I went to the park to buy chicken wings, mashed potatoes and three small buns. The event was very busy. I found different types of food, drinks, live music and other things. I was excited to try BBQ chicken for the first time in Canada. I bought my chicken and because the weather was too hot that day and crowded so I decided to leave after couple hours. It was a nice event for Canada Day and the people enjoyed their time and the last thing the chicken was delicious.

The last soccer community event which we had was short; however, the one in Mississauga, ON was much more interesting. I don't know who arranged the event, but it was wonderful. Before the match, people were excited and nervous, but after the game, everyone cheered. They looked happy because they all loved soccer.

One of our family friends had invited me to a soccer event one day before it started, and all participants were from different countries. Before the soccer match started, they were dressed in their own culture clothes. The soccer field looked amazing and the atmosphere on that day was electric and full of emotion. I met many different people and we took some memorable photos. On that day we lost the match three times and according to the tournament rules, we lost.

At the end of the tournament, the Pakistani team won the match because they practiced well, worked as a team, and really wanted to win, but I guess another reason is that they also arranged the event, so they felt more comfortable.

Hopefully, this year we will have the same as last year's tournament. This time I hope to win the match.

May is the month we have our annual Multi Cultural festival. I love taking part in the festivities. It's really great event where we can share and celebrate our different cultures.

Personally, I think it’s a great event you meet people from all walks of life. One gets to try new food and learn about other people and their culture as well. It’s nice to see families and communities come together and make this festival a great success. I have met so many fellow South Africans at this event and it makes me happy to know they are here.

The opening of the festival starts with a prayer and the Canadian anthem which usually brings a tear to my eye. Then it’s the parade with different countries flags. It’s amazing to see the vibrant colours and the atmosphere is just so jolly. I hope this event will inspire others to join us and make it happen every year for all our younger generation to see. It does take a lot of meetings and planning but it’s worth it at the end of the day.

The event that I want to talk about is the acknowledgment of Indigenous land in Sudbury, which took place at my university. As a student at the university and a member of the Association of Students, I participated in this event as a volunteer. This event was organized by the administration, and it was in March 2025.

My role consisted of welcoming and orienting people who were coming to attend the event. There were between one and two hundred guests at this event even though it was a working day and we didn’t take a break from courses.

At the beginning, the President and some personalities of the university delivered their speech and we watched a short movie based on the history of the university and their relationship with the Indigenous. Their leader delivered his speech. I had never attended this kind of event and I learnt a lot about the history of the Greater Sudbury Area.

After this, we attended a dance party where indigenous showed their culture. They wore clothes that I was familiar with. Also, they wore hats that contained some feathers, and it was nice to see this.

At the end, we shared some cookies, cakes, coffee, and so on. The festival ended at around 11 am.

I incidentally saw a flyer at my daughter’s school when I picked her up, and she convinced me to join a community clean-up event with her. At that moment, I thought it was a lovely activity for us to do together and a great way to teach her about caring for the environment. The event took place in St. Catharines, and our goal was to clean up parks, the river banks, and the beach shore. We helped organize volunteers, picked up litter, and made sure all waste was properly collected and disposed of. It was also wonderful to see so many people from the community join in after hearing about the event through flyers and social media. The event was also family-friendly and full of positive community spirit. My daughter was able to make new friends, and so was I. We talked about parenting, our kids, and shared many interesting stories. I never realized that my daughter could be this happy while making new friends and helping the environment at the same time. It was also a great way to connect with our local community. At the end of the day, I felt proud of myself and my daughter, not only because we helped the environment, but also because it was a meaningful way for me to be with my daughter and practice a positive environmental habit with her, and stay active as a family. The community won't be successful if we don't stand together, and events like these truly make a difference in helping people feel connected and it bring us together.

I live in Toronto near an Iranian community. I think community is very important for newcomers. For example, I moved to Canada 17 months ago. The community could help me to find a rental apartment, find a job, and become familiar with rules and regulations in Canada.

I firmly believe that the community can help newcomers to find an English class and improve in the English language soon.

One of my favourite memories is the celebration of “City Day" in my birthland, Ukraine. Every year, people in my village gathered at the local community center on the main street to commemorate the founding of the village. Each village, town, or city had its own traditions and local culture. I volunteered for 10 years to promote the event by creating posters and advertising it on social media. This family-friendly festival had a full entertainment program. It started with an official ceremony and a concert prepared by local folk artists, and it ended with dance parties. There was also a fair and food trucks. Everyone was happy and full of energy. I liked listening to Ukrainian traditional songs and watching kids’ comedy sketches and competitions, where everyone who wished could participate. I enjoyed eating locally made ice cream, especially since the festival took place in mid-July. One thing I didn’t like was the hot weather! Also, the place was crowded, and it was easy to lose your family or friends. This event was special for me because it brought the whole community together and connected us with the past. I felt proud of my culture, and I will always remember it.

One experience I had was volunteering at a food bank in London, Ontario. I joined the event with some classmates from my ESL class. We helped organize food donations and pack boxes for families. I enjoyed it because I felt I was giving back to the community that welcomed me. It was also a good chance to practice English and meet new people from different backgrounds. Everyone was kind and worked together as a team. It made me feel useful and connected to the city.

I want to do volunteer work because I believe it will make a positive change in my life. first, it gives my life more purpose and meaning because I feel useful when I support the community. Second, volunteering can improve my confidence. As a newcomer, I need to understand the workplace in Canada and volunteer opportunities can give me this chance, so when I successfully complete a task I feel more confident. Finally, it is a great way to build a network because I can meet new people and make relationships, and even I can find new opportunities. In brief, I think volunteer work can grow my life in different ways.

Today, I will talk about one of my favorite events in the city of Mississauga, which is called Carrassauga Festival. The Carassauga Festival event happens on a yearly basis in May for three days.

The Carassauga festival is an event, which gathers a lot of different cultures from different countries in one place.

First, I would like to highlight that the event is very well-organized. Each visitor will receive a passport, which includes the events and the locations where each country representing that culture will appear. That country location will present their food traditions, famous dances and souvenirs related to this country. Furthermore, these passports can be used for free transportation for the guests.

Second, the passport will be stamped with the country name which you decided to start with. Then, you will find a different activity in each country introducing the cultural aspects of this country, the food, the dances and so on. My advice is that you need to plan ahead to know which countries you want to visit, since you will not cover all the countries in one day or even different days.

Finally, I need to highlight my experience with the festival. I remember my home country of Egypt. It is a good time to visit one of the famous Coptic & Egyptian museums, which includes a lot of statues, the lovely tasting Egyptian food, and meeting with some old friends.

Furthermore, one of my good memories is my visit to the Portuguese event on Queen Street. That event had amazing food and nice shows and a lot of souvenirs, which I bought to my wife and my daughter.

I would recommend this event to be repeated twice a year, since I gained a lot of knowledge about cultural traditions and was able to experience many activities about many countries in one place.

In the summer of 2014, my church had their annual celebration, where all the different branches would come together to worship, meet and greet along with other official meetings that would take place during this time of year.

These meetings and yearly celebrations are to maintain the standards and values set for the church body, and to also talk about the welfare of the members and the maintenance of all the churches that are associated to this organization.

During this time of celebrating with worship and songs from the various churches combined, I would be volunteering my service into the kitchen preparing some delicious meals, while meeting and greeting at the same time.

I have made some lifetime connections through this celebration that are now like family. I learnt about different cultures and their countries. I also met people from my country that could relate to me, making my experience one to remember. The weekend was great with all those different ethnicities and food. Summertime was the best part of the year for many who travelled from near and far. Annually a church location would be chosen for the upcoming year’s celebration.

I went to the black history event in Thunder Bay. First of all, we started the event a bit late because the organizers were not in. We started with a prayer, and after the event started with a word of welcome to the guests and different preachers. Next, we started to sing as a church choir. Other groups sang and danced. The pastor prayed for the food. After that I learned a lot of things and became part of a community with different cultures.

I started to volunteer last June at the Heritage Festival for our church St. Dimitrije in Windsor. One of my friends from the church approached me and asked me for help. I helped in the kitchen. That is now my ongoing volunteering position. In our Church Community Centre, we celebrate many festivals and fundraising, promote our culture and these events are all family friendly. This is also the reason why they need many volunteers.

Whenever we celebrate a saint or have service in our church, we have a meal served in our community hall. My usual job in the kitchen is to prepare apple turnovers or desserts. Sometimes I'm also peeling the potatoes. I am in the group of volunteers who come the day before the event to prepare everything, so that the other group of volunteers who comes on the day of the event can just bake and serve everything.

I mostly work with the same women every time. In addition to the work we do, we also have lots of fun. We are speaking in our native language and listening to the old women, who have been here in Canada for more than 50 years, as they talk about their old days when they came here. I really like the spirit of our community.

Being a volunteer is a good way to get involved in your community life. My language teacher and friends all gave me the same suggestion. About a year ago, I started applying for volunteer positions. These positions were so popular that I was just on the waiting list. Last week, my son’s school had a book fair, and I finally got a volunteer position, even though it was only half a day.

The event was held in the school library. I was responsible for the books that only had one copy left. So I must help students fill out the form to order a new one. At the same time, I worked with other volunteers to keep the books tidy and answer the questions. Some volunteers showed good experience in communicating with children. I learned to talk with every student who approached and encouraged them to check out the books. Some of the students did that.

But once they saw the price, the response was ‘Wow, so expensive.’ The only hotspot was the stationary booth. Different-coloured, shaped pens, cute notebooks, and other fun items attracted most of the girls. Different grades also had different attitudes. It is the last year of Grade 8 students. They are familiar with such an event. So they took this just as their break time, walking around and talking with friends. Younger students had more interests and tried to spend out their budgets.

It was a rewarding experience to observe school life closely. I should cherish such a chance, facing vibrant and curious kids, and learning a great deal from simply being part of their world. Of course, meeting with other parents provided me with new information.

From the websites of local government and some organizations, it is easier to find more volunteer opportunities. In Canada, you can feel the enthusiasm of being a volunteer. You contribute to the community, and in return, you also learn from it. In China, volunteer work is not so popular. Most of such events are organized by governments, and you are assigned some tasks. There will be a long way to go before more people are willing to contribute their time.

Last summer I went to an Afghani key-ring event in Scarborough. It was a barbecue event and they sold key-rings, some toys and sweets. I liked it because the food was spicy and delicious. There were many people, and everyone was having fun.

The area was closed by the police, so people could walk around freely. There was an amusement playground for children, so they could jump, slide down the slopes, and play.

So, my family and I had a lot of fun. It was nice to change our daily routine. We had the opportunity to see other cultures and talk to people.

Having a car is a big responsibility. It is not just about having transportation, but also about protecting your important investment. Cars are not cheap, so you must take care if you don't want problems. When you don't take care, things can go bad and is more expensive later.

First, taking care of your car helps you save money. If you don't change the oil, the engine can break down, and you will need to pay a lot of money. Doing regular maintenance is better than fixing a big problem. Changing tires, checking the battery, and cleaning the car are a part of good care.

Second, a car in good condition is safer for you and other people. Brakes, lights and tires must work well so as not to cause an accident. Many accidents happen because the car hasn't been serviced. Checking your car frequently can help prevent this.

Third, if you take care of your car, it will last longer. When you fix small things early, you keep the car working well. Also, if you want to sell the car in future, it will have more value. A clean and good car is easier to sell.

In conclusion, taking care of your car is important because it helps you save money, be safer, and use your car for a long time. I always try to do my best to take care of my car.

The traffic is amazing - how it changes in different places.

I’m from Cuba and there I think we don’t have to worry about if you are going to be late because of the traffic. When I came here to Canada almost four years ago that was one of the most things that impressed me. Here when I was on the Highway 401 and I saw all the cars, I was amazed. It is one of the biggest in the world than I mean, there is traffic every moment.

Since I started to drive here around 3 and half years already the only days that I haven’t seen much traffic is in holidays. Another problem that increases the traffic in Toronto is the car accidents. We have lots of accidents happening every day and that increases the traffic, because the police, ambulance and firefighters close sometimes two lines and when that happen you have to wait sometimes more than one hour because of the traffic, but we have good news. On June 1 the Premier of Ontario said that the 407 to the east will be free. That will save money and time for the people. Many will use it, and hopefully that get better the traffic in Toronto.

Driving in Canada has been a good experience for me. After coming to Canada, I learned the rules of the road and worked hard to get my driver’s license. The roads are clean, which makes driving easier. I also learned to drive carefully in different weather conditions, especially during winter when there is snow and ice. Getting my license was an important step for me. I studied for the written test and practiced for the road test. It helped me become a better and more careful driver. I always try to follow the rules, drive safely, and respect other people on the road. Driving helps me in my daily life. I use my car to go to work, buy groceries, and visit family and friends. It gives me freedom, and I feel more comfortable and confident every day.

Driving is an important skill, especially in Canada because you have to be on time for work and you usually can't find a job close to home and you have to drive. Everyone has to know how to drive and it's a big part of your life.

However, in my country, Afghanistan, driving is definitely different. It’s more stressful because people don’t always follow the rules. They don’t follow the sign or speed limit and other rules. Also, the cars aren’t the same as here. It’s hard to drive in my country because there are many people on the road.

When I came to Canada, I realized driving here is different from my country in many ways. You have to follow all the rules. You have to know all the signs and also you have to drive at your speed limit. I have to know how to drive because I didn’t know anything about driving. The biggest challenge for me was learning how to drive in the winter. Snow and ice made the roads slippery, and I had to drive slowly and carefully. And I had taken driving lessons.

I can never forget my first time I was driving on the highways like Highway 404 and Highway 401. I had just received my driver’s license and had no experience driving on these highways. That day, I was alone and had no choice but to drive on that route. It was very difficult and stressful. I spent about three to four hours on the highway, and because of the stress, I got a terrible headache that lasted for two days. But after that day, the stress slowly disappeared, and now I can drive on these highways very easily and comfortably.

"Driving is a privilege, not a right." I read that sentence when I was looking for information about driving license. Let me explain to you my story.

I'm a newcomer in Canada, and I chose to live in Ontario. I came here with my driving license from my country. It was difficult for me to drive without doing the G1 (it's the theoretical exam and the first step of the driving license in Ontario. After the G1, we have 12 months to drive while being accompanied by a person who has a full G. The G2 comes after the G1. It's the practical exam). With my driving license from Cameroon, I was allowed to do the G2 directly after my G1. The problem is that I traveled without my driving license from my country. Now, I'm waiting for my wife to come with it before I start the process of the Ontario driving license.

When I arrived in Canada, I started looking for jobs online. For almost all job descriptions, I was reading the same sentence: "A driving license is necessary for this job." Others were saying that "a car is important for this job."

The question here is: "Why am I not doing my G1 when I noticed the importance of a driving license?" I know that you were asking yourself the same question. Indeed, I forgot to travel with my driving license from my country to Canada. It's funny, I know—I realized my mistake when it was too late for me. I asked my wife to send it to me, but the mail with my driving license never arrived. I started a new procedure to have a new one from my country so that my wife would travel with it to come and join me.

I would like to talk about the courses I’m taking currently in Human Resource Management to achieve my dream of having a career in HR here in Canada as well. I find these courses very interesting and am enjoying studying them.

I started the certificate program recently and hope to complete it soon. The courses are in an online format, and I am taking one course each month because I am work full time and take care of my family as well. I began with a course, Introduction to Human Resources Management and then took Organizational Behaviour, which has been my favourite course so far. I have a bachelor's degree in psychology from my native country with an emphasis on organizational behavior. I always loved learning about people, how they think and behave in the work environment.

This program is very important to me because, although I have experience in human resources, there are some gaps that need to be filled. For example, understanding Canadian HR laws and health and safety regulations is important, as these would be quite different from my native country.

I love studying human resources, and I cannot wait to see the upcoming courses on recruitment and hiring, both of which are my favorites. I have extensive work experience in these areas, and in my previous boss's words, "my greatest strength is selecting people."

So, anyone who likes to work with people and about people, I suggest thinking about this field too for studies and a career.

I had great difficulty learning something new when I was studying computer science. We had to create programs, and the more complex the program was, the more difficult it became. I asked my teachers for help, but their explanations were not clear.

I tried to find the solution by myself online, but it was difficult. I was looking for video tutorials, even blogs or courses online, but none of these really helped. In computer science it is pretty hard to just go by your own logic.

I realized it was not for me, so I changed my university program and moved to marketing. I liked marketing more and I graduated in that program. As a result, I also found a career in that field.

In Canada and Cameroon, the education system has two main parts. Francophone system for French-speaking and Anglophone system for English-speaking, because both countries are bilingual and both systems have public and private schools. Public schools are free but parents have to pay for uniforms and books. Private schools are so expensive.

In Canada, in Ontario, we have two systems: public and Catholic systems. We also have Francophone, English and French immersion schools. Education in Canada has strong focus on technology. Student in Canada have to pass some provincial test as mathematics and French in grades 3, 6, and 9. In Canada, the education have some plan for student with special needs.

I did some internships in French-speaking public and Catholic schools in Canada, and I was surprised that most of students speak English in the classroom. For this reason, teachers use some strategies to encourage them to express themselves in French in the class and during recess. I have noticed that students in Ontario can learn English if they go to French school. Students can learn French if they go to English school. They start in grade 1 and in others in grade 4.

I will try to compare and contrast the social work practices in Canada with those I practiced in Ethiopia while also discussing the Canadian social work practices in connection with the integration of refugees. Social work is a professional activity that involves helping individuals, groups, or communities to enhance or restore their capacity to function in society and creating conditions favorable to this goal. With the objective of addressing social problems, social work is a universal profession practiced with consistency in its values, knowledge, and approach.

There is a clear difference in how social workers in two countries function despite social work being a global field. By comparing social work practices in Canada and Ethiopia, a few new issues have come to light about the Canadian social work practices in relation to refugees’ integration. In Canada, there are many programs for the integration of refugees, which include different housing assistance and education assistance programs. Refugees can benefit immensely from these programs.

Social work in Canada is guided by a strong ethical principle. In Ethiopia, there is no system for implementing ethical principles and taking corrective actions when misconduct occurs. In Canada, I learned that regulatory bodies for social workers and social service workers' guides are available, such as the Canadian Association of Social Workers (CASW) and the Ontario College of Social Workers and Social Service Workers (OCSWSSW). In Ethiopia, I observed that the social work education curriculum is not uniform across various educational institutions. Social workers' jobs are likely to be taken over by other social experts and health professions such as nursing and psychology.

These include providing freedom of movement, fostering economic self-reliance through sustainable livelihoods, and supporting refugee integration into national and regional systems. Even though the Canadian practices are not exactly similar because of the situational differences, they are compatible in providing shelter support, housing administration and other supports from their arrival up to integration in Canada.

I learned that practicing social work in Canada offers a relatively favourable environment for integration work. In Canada, social services provide support to refugees by considering the needs of the individual being served. In Ethiopia, social workers do not pay much attention to individual needs, and most of the support is basic and lifesaving. However, in Canada, social welfare programs are focused on solving the social problems of individuals, and the government has clear requirements for all services. Technology has also helped people to get services, and the rights of service users are heard. In Ethiopia, on the contrary, the rights of clients are minimal.

As observed, social work implementation in Ethiopia focuses on fulfilling social service users’ material needs, with limited attention to individual-specific psychosocial wellbeing. As a result, the approaches and practices differ significantly. What surprised me most in Canada is a strong emphasis placed on individuals’ wellbeing. The government has clear eligibility criteria for all social service beneficiaries.

Even though refugees in Canada are assisted towards employment opportunities, most refugees reported having a great deal of difficulty finding jobs. Factors mentioned include a lack of experience, social networking skills, and the need for Canadian credentials.

I think lifelong learning refers to the ongoing process of continuous education beyond formal schooling. Lifelong learning allows individuals to adapt to changes and update their knowledge and professional skills.

Companies should offer a variety of courses to support lifelong learning and help employees be competitive in their fields. Some of these courses include leadership and management development, personal and career development, and technical skill training. As mentioned before, companies don’t want to spend a lot of money to teach the human resources/their employees, so they prefer to use computers and AI.

To continue my lifelong learning, I plan to study computer programming and data science. I will familiarize myself with emerging technologies and research in the use of AI in health care.

I need to confess that I'm so interested in computers and information technology. As a nurse, I know in the future only those people who know how to train AI can secure their jobs because computers cut our society in two parts: one part is made of those people who don't think, and they have to be obedient workers or they will lose their jobs, and the second part is made of people who are making the AI and training it to do things. I think we need to be in the second part.

The education system of my country Eritrea is similar to other countries. When I compare the education system in Eritrea with other countries, there are a lot of differences and similarities. The similarities are that the school starts at the same age in kindergarten, after that the students are going to the elementary school from Grade 1 to Grade 5, then they pass through the junior school from Grade 6 to Grade 8. Next, they continue to High School from Grade 9 to Grade 11.

The difference from the canadian education system is that in Eritrea, there is a yearly payment fee from kindergarten to Grade 12, and also the students have to buy the textbooks and notebooks by themselves, but in Canada, the education from Kindergarten to Grade 12 is for free and there is no payment at all. Another difference is that we take a general exam in Grade 8 in Eritrea. In Grade 12, all Eritrean students go to Sawa. Sawa means an educational institution where all the students are learning together and are also taking part in the military services. Those students who are able to get good marks in the exams, they go to universities or colleges while the rest go the military school.

I remember having great difficulty learning history in school. My biggest obstacle was remembering all the dates and names.

I found it hard to understand how everything was connected. At first, I felt bored and confused but later, I started using videos and timelines to help me understand better. I used YouTube videos, and I made my own timelines with the information from the videos and lessons. I also made short notes to remember the important facts.

Slowly, I began to enjoy history, and I improved my marks. With time and effort, I overcame the difficulty.

I think it is important to be involved in your child’s school and programs. Unfortunately, I have not been to any of my son’s parent-teacher meetings. I don’t feel confident enough to speak to my son’s teacher. My wife says my listening and speaking are good, and I should go to meet the teacher, but I don’t feel confident. I trust my wife to meet the teachers and always inform me how my son is doing at school. I don’t have time to meet the teachers as well because I am always working, and it is hard to take a day off. I feel sad sometimes because I can’t go with my wife since I am so busy at work. It is not easy to take a day off.

I feel content because my wife is taking good care of my son’s school work and education, and she is keeping me informed. My wife says the teacher is very helpful to my son. She is great with kids. My son loves to go to school and see his teacher. My son has a great time with his friends. They make a lot of arts and crafts, and he brings them home to show me. The school also has field trips for the class, and it’s my son’s favourite part of school. He loves to go to farms and see all the animals.

I think the teachers are really understanding. Because my son's teacher works closely with my son on his reading every day. They understand that some students need more time practicing reading and writing. Now my son reads and writes so well. It's so nice to see him read so well. I sometimes read books to him before bedtime, and he reads them with me, and I can see he has improved so much.

My son was born in Canada and started kindergarten here in Canada. I think if I were young and came to school in Canada, it would be very hard to understand the teacher talking. It would also be hard to make new friends because I wouldn’t speak as fast as others in class. The work would be even more difficult and would take me more time to do than other students in class. Learning a language is so important because it helps you reach college and have a career. It’s also important to learn it to get a good job. I think school is a good way to learn the language. At the beginning, it's very hard, but it gets easier when the teachers are so helpful and when you find encouraging friends.

I think children learn a language very fast. They are adaptable. In the beginning, it can be hard. Especially when children want to make friends but language becomes an issue. But teachers are so great, they help the kids, and the kids learn so quickly.

Parents should know what the kids are learning in school. Some kids need more help. It is important to know if my son needs help learning and understanding the teachers in school. It's good to ask kids what they are learning in school and if they need any help. My wife talks to my son’s teacher to make sure my son is doing better in school. Sometimes kids don’t like to ask for help, so we, parents, have to be involved in their school activities and learning.

To learn English, I must focus on my goals through language, practicing English writing emails, reading an article, and listening to podcasts. I must start a good language course which helps me with the English language. I must have a good conversation with people. I must focus on understanding how words are used in English and memorize them as much as I can. Watch English movies and TV shows with subtitles and gradually move to watching without them to improve my listening and pronunciation. I am going to focus on my regular schedule in learning the language through reading, learning, watching English TV shows and speaking. I should make a study plan and try to speak with everyone as much as possible. I should watch podcasts, read some good articles and books. Practicing with a partner and tutor will make more improvement, and consider some online English courses.

English is a global language. Most of companies require English for employment applications and it is a technology generation now, so all the technology devices are run by English. There are many benefits of learning English. It takes a lot of time and commitment to learn English. I started to learn English in the secondary school.

I am not a native speaker, so I don't think English is the easiest language to speak. I am on my journey to learn English right now, and I still have a hard time to understand what others speak to me sometimes. And I feel like I'm very disappointed about myself, but after an English course or English training course, I feel much more confident. But in daily conversation English, I feel a little bit more confident than before. But in academic English, or in specific English, or for example, for hospital or healthcare or like technologies, I feel like I still have to learn a lot of words and terminologies.

English is the main language used in the business community. The shop owners and restaurant workers definitely learn English because it is very beneficial for their business. If they know English they can sell their products to visitors and they can communicate with foreign tourists and give visitors the best customer services. Hence, schools and universities offer courses for students to improve their communication skills and gain confidence while interacting with the customers.

I sincerely believe that more countries should focus on teaching English to children. English courses at an advanced level should be provided to job professionals to upgrade their skills.

I am taking online LINC classes to improve my English. I really enjoy learning English because it helps me in my daily life and with to speak to my children.

Since I started the classes, I have improved in reading, writing, listening, and speaking. My teacher is very kind and helpful. She explains things clearly and helps me understand. I feel more confident when I speak English now. I can read better, write simple sentences, and talk to others more easily. Learning English is important to me because I want to support my children with school and find a good job in the future. I am happy to be in the LINC program, and I will keep studying to get better every day.

In Canada, many people speak English. It is an important language for work, school, and daily life. Newcomers need to learn English to talk to others, get jobs, and understand things like signs and forms. Canada has free classes to help immigrants learn English. Speaking English makes life easier and helps newcomers feel welcome.

In Eritrea, people speak different languages. The most common is Tigrinya, but some also speak Tigre and Arabic. English is not used for everyday life, but students learn it in school, especially at university. It helps people read books and do research, but most daily conversations are in local languages.

I am learning English every day. I practice speaking with friends and listening to English videos. Learning English helps me talk to people, find jobs, and understand the world better. Sometimes, grammar is hard, but I keep trying. I also read simple English books and write small paragraphs to improve my skills. Watching English movies and listening to songs helps me learn new words. I also practice writing emails and short messages.

I have been living in Canada for three years. When I first moved here, I couldn’t understand people’s conversations. This made me feel worthless and unsuccessful. After for a while, a friend told me about ESL and LINC courses. I joined a language program, and during that time, I started to understand what people said and make simple sentences. At least, I began to feel more confident.

After six months, I learned about some English programs at colleges. I joined the EAP program at George Brown College. At the same time, I also joined some online speaking clubs. These helped me improve my vocabulary and become more fluent in English. I am thankful to all of my instructors.

After I graduated from George Brown College, I started thinking about my new goals. One day, I visited my family doctor and then went to the pharmacy. I noticed that some Turkish people there were having difficulty with English. I offered to work as a volunteer, and the store manager was very happy with my offer. He allowed me to volunteer at the pharmacy.

After one month, I started working as a paid employee. Now, I am really happy to be helpful to my community. I also feel very comfortable working here because I used to work in a pharmacy in my hometown.

Summer vacation with my family is my favourite time of the year as it gives me a chance to spend time with them, relax, and to explore new things. In the past we visited Canada’s Wonderland in Ontario. The families with small children will find plenty of things to do in Planet Snoopy. We all enjoyed it, and my favourite was the water park. My kids would love to go back to Canada’s Wonderland every summer. I would love to go to Niagara Falls one day. I heard it was beautiful. I would love to bring a camera to take pictures with, and I would go there by car.

October 5th is my wedding anniversary. It’s important to celebrate it with your partner.

For this time, I would have a romantic start in the morning. First, I will begin the day with a cozy breakfast: perhaps homemade pancakes and milk. I will pair it with fresh coffee. In the afternoon we will have a couple of relaxing activities. We could take a scenic walk through the breath-taking Victoria Park. Alternatively, we will visit St. Jacobs Farmers’ Market, picking up local food. In the evening, we could have a luxurious dinner in Langdon Hall. It is a short drive to Cambridge, and worth it for a Michelin-star-worthy tasting menu.

The anniversary gift is a light-power Citizen watch, a symbol of eternity. My wife loves watches.

If your partner forgets the anniversary, I would say your initial reaction can be disappointed. Just stay calm and give them a chance to remember. You can give him a gentle reminder, for example, “it seems what was happened in last year today.” If she or he is panic, let him or her make it up to you. Maybe they plan a surprise belated celebration.

One of the best memories of my life was the moment I told my husband I was pregnant with our daughter. When he heard the news, he cried with happiness. Although he loves both of our children equally, I didn’t understand why he felt like that. Even now, as she is growing up day by day, she and her dad argue daily about many things, especially her studies. When my husband tries to teach her, the house is filled with shouts from both of them. However, he is always the first person she goes to when she has questions or wants to explore something new.

Yesterday I went to visit chinguacousy. I went to park with my children and wife. We planned to go in the afternoon. It was a sunny day. My wife cooked sandwiches and chicken rice to take with us. My son and daughter played alot on zipline, swing and slide. We had lot of fun in the park. There was ice cream truck inside the park.

I met my friend Estelle through my son’s swimming class in a community center. I usually sat far away from other parents, I’m always too shy to join other people’s conversation. But Estelle was very nice to talk with me one day, and I feel comfortable to talk to her even in English. The other day, I sent her a message to invite her and her daughters to come over. The two girls are the same age as my kid. I'm so glad that they had a lot of fun here. We had a very peaceful time watching the kids play together and we just talked quite a lot.

We haven’t got any chance to have another play date during the past winter. Just last week when I was searching for a swimming class for the upcoming season, I sent her a message to ask if she also has the same plan. She got back to me so quickly and said, “What a coincidence!” She had typed two sentences for me yesterday but hadn't finished sending them.

That’s my best experience of making a local friend. I enjoyed talking with her because I can learn so much from her. She’s always so patient and understanding to me. This positive experience gave me more confidence to be open with friendly people.

There are a lot of ways to make friends in Canada. First I went to the park with my son and there we met a lot of different people with kids and dogs. Usually I can start a conversation with “you have a beautiful dog”, “how old is your kid?” and continue the conversation. I can invite new people to my place or coffee and spend some time.

I met my friend from Armenia in the park. She has a son the same age as my son. We had a lot of things to talk about. And we are still talking and meeting after four years.

I love playing soccer in the summer when it is warm and sunny. I play every weekend with my friends at the park. Sometimes we wear our Arsenal shirts and sometimes we wear normal clothes. We laugh and have a lot of fun together. After the game, we drink cold water and sit in the shade to rest. I enjoy playing soccer because it keeps me active and I like spending time with my friends. Soccer is my favorite sport and summer is the best time to play.

Since coming to Canada, I have mostly made friends through my workplace. I started working at a company soon after arriving, and that environment gave me the chance to meet new people. By working together on different tasks, helping each other, and spending time during breaks, I slowly built friendly relationships with my coworkers. Many of them later became my close friends.

This experience was very positive for me because I didn't feel alone. The teamwork and support at work helped me feel more confident, and having friends at work made each day easier. I think the workplace is a great way to make friends in a new country.

I met my best friend eight years ago at the kids’ playdate. Our local community organised playdates for moms and their kids to make new acquaintances and have a good time outside of their home. These meetings were every Tuesday. One Tuesday, my daughter started to play with my future best girlfriend’s son. We started to chat, then we decided to go to the other places with our kids together. Then we met by chance at an evening dance class. We started celebrating holidays together. Today we are friends with our families. We continue our tradition and every Tuesday we meet to have a coffee together to catch up.

There's too much violence on the streets. Actually, in big cities, there is lot of violence, that involves gangs fighting to take control of certain areas. Just in the past year, in Canada there have been robberies in jewelry stores done by kids or teenagers. Even carjacking and thefts happened to steal important makes and models like Lexus, Audi, Ferrari, or Honda CRV.

Laws here have to be stricter; it’s incredible that people know how to break the rules and take advantage of them. For example, if someone has been caught driving drunk, their driving licence should be suspended for 1 year, the car confiscated for 1 year, then the driver should serve a sentence in community services, and if caught again for the same crime, their sentence should be increased to 10 years.

The Canadian government should change the laws. This means that any person who has been released from jail and continues to commit violent acts, thefts, or scam should not be released again. Their prison sentence could be increased to up to 30 years depending on the crime.

Recent discoveries in brain studies show that some people are introverts and others are extroverts. According to these discoveries, our brains are unique and require specific substances. Some of them need dopamine (extroverts) and the others need acetylcholine.

Extroverts love rewards and great exposition ( in fact, receiving a prize provides dopamine ). In certain cases, dopamine creates a real addiction; you can see it with great competitors like Serena Williams, politicians, actors, etc.

Some of them have many strategies for having this substance again and again. Serena uses introvert and extrovert strategies to reach her target. For me, these substances are good for the brain, but for dopamine, I'm confused because receiving that substance in large quantities is dangerous.

Introverts, most of the time, are quiet and big thinkers; it's the best attitude to have if someone must reach a target. In fact, there are great providers of ideas and solutions in their areas. Serena uses this attitude for learning and executes the new process. Using these attitudes (introvert and extrovert) as tools to reach her targets at different times shows that Serena has great skills in her field and is a great competitor.

My favourite room in my house is my family room. I have a beautiful sofa in my family room and it also very comfortable. I have decorated my family room with so many plants. Why I like this room is because we are always sitting here. This room is very comfortable for my kids. One more good thing about my family room: there are so many colourful lights. We always turn on these lights when we watch TV. There are three windows. I want to change one thing in my family room: my TV wall. I want a beautiful wall like a stone wall. Finally, I like my family room floor.

My daughter’s school had a Science North school trip and I was a volunteer and went with class 5 students. Before we left, the teacher spoke about the trip and gave notice and warning.

At10:00am, students went to 3 floods Northern Ecosystems, learning about prey or predated animals. In these 1 hour, all students very interested asked a lot of questions about Canadian animals. Second class students learned about turtle in Canada how many different turtles are here. All the kids could touch or watch different turtles, but my daughter didn’t like them too much.

Around 12:30pm they visited Brick Masters studio on the first floor in Science North.

This is a very funny place, it has a lot of bricks to use. You can build anything you want, and some videos showing how to use the bricks. With so many beautiful goods my daughter asked many questions many times and took photo with that, but the happy hours always fly very quickly!

Everyone has happy smiles got into the school bus and back to school!

On this trip I saw my daughter how she is learning in class, follow the teachers. I am really proud of her!

Ensuring our children’s safety at amusement parks is essential and here follows a simple guide:

Before entering the park, take a photo. Snap a picture of the children to help identify them if needed. Also take a picture of you and your children together to help others identify your relationship. Bright clothing is always important. Dress them in bright colors to spot them easily. Always have emergency contact information handy. Write your phone number on a bracelet or a note in their pocket. Choose an emergency meeting spot. Pick a clear place such as entrance or a store with a huge sign to meet if you get separated. Take a picture of the meeting spot.

We also need teach children about safety. They should try to stay put. If lost, they should stay where they are. If emergency happens, ask staff not strangers for help: find a park worker in uniform for assistance and tell the employees immediately with details. Don't go anywhere with someone they don't know. Then go to the meeting spot because our child might be waiting there.

MissingKids.ca is a useful website and it offers support to find missing children and provides prevention tips.

I live in the city of Toronto. We have a small apartment downtown. I live with my family: my husband and my two daughters. We have two bedrooms, a large living room and a dining room.

I liked this place better than another house as it is near the lake and has a wonderful view. Sometimes I take my daughters to the swimming pool. But the supermarket is not across from me.

I am responsible for cleaning my apartment. It’s important to clean every day and deep clean once a month. I wipe kitchen, dining, and food prep surfaces with an all-purpose cleaner on a daily basis. When you see your home is clean and everything is arranged, you live in reassurance.

I also like that the common areas in my building are clean and new, but all the people live in the building are just single. Mostly my neighbors are the students who live with their family or friends near universities. I prefer a house with a big space for my two daughters to play around in and I have problems with the floor sometimes. So I’m thinking about moving to another place.

Andrea and Riccardo went to the Mountain View Resort Hotel for their winter vacation last year. They had been waiting a long time to visit this beautiful place and celebrate Andrea’s birthday.

The room was very amazing and the most comfortable they had ever found, and they had the most beautiful views they had ever seen. They had breakfast watching the scenic mountain views and breathing the fresh mountain air. They wanted to do different activities at the hotel. They were very excited to go skiing because they had never done it before. When they finished skiing, they rested a couple of hours in the room. After that they went skating on a big skating rink because they knew it was the biggest skating rink in the region they had ever seen. This is how the first day ended.

The next day Andrea and Riccardo had breakfast early. The food was the most delicious they have ever eaten. After breakfast they wanted to go to an indoor pool and relax because it was very cold in the mountains. The indoor pool was the most beautiful pool they had ever seen before because it had a view of the big mountain. The water was the clearest and the warmest they had ever swum in. At night the couple went out to drink beer and dance at the discotheque. They listened to the most amazing classical music they had ever heard. They had a wonderful night. It was the most special moment to celebrate Andrea’s birthday.

Andrea and Riccardo enjoyed their vacations, and they would like to return next winter.

One of my favorite hobbies is perfumery. It might sound strange, but aside from being a professional perfumer, enjoying perfumes is a real activity, with many people involved in it. While most are collectors, others love wearing, learning about, and discussing scents. I don’t collect, but I enjoy describing perfumes without reading the notes and sharing impressions with others. It combines sensory experience, intuition, intellect, and connects people. While I like all sorts of perfumes, my favourite is Moschino perfume.

Since I was young, I have been in good health, and usually I went to the hospital twice a year just for routine checkups. Back in my home country, Cameroon, private clinics usually have welcoming doctors and staff. When I arrived, they took the time to understand my concern and did their best to quickly resolve any health issues that I had.

I used to complain about our public health system because if you don’t have money, it’s very difficult to receive a quick or good care, and in public hospitals, staff and doctors are not welcoming. It’s the reason why I always preferred private clinics. You could see people die or suffer because they didn’t have money to go to a private hospital or take care of themselves. It was very crazy and sad to live through this situation without being able to help them.

That is one of many reasons why I chose to immigrate to Canada, believing that the health system would be better, and my health and my family’s health would be in a better condition. However, I was wrong about a few things. Canada is a welcoming country, and the best thing that I appreciate is that, they don’t prioritize money when you have your health card. But I had a bad experience in this country when I had a tooth problem. I suffered from many vibrations that travelled from my tooth to my head for exactly two months. Every week, I went to the walking clinics and took different medications to reduce the pain that already paralyzed the left side of my head. I was very sad to see my kids crying because their mother was not well. One day, one general practitioner referred me to a dentist thinking that the issue might be dental. I made an appointment, and once arrived, they took the decision to extract one of my teeth. I was very happy thinking my trauma would end, but NO, the dentist forgot one piece of my tooth in my mouth.

A few days later, the pain returned stronger but I had already moved to another city. I spent my time with my husband looking for a dental clinic to help me, but we were unsuccessful. When we arrived and asked for help, no one accepted me as a new patient by saying, “We don’t take new patients.” Every day, I cried like a child in front of my children and my husband. They were very sad and said many prayers for me. One day, I went to one dental clinic and told the doctor who received me in tears, “I am sorry. I am disappointed with this country. Even if you explained that you do not take a new patient, sometimes, you should make an exception for people that suffer like this.”

One day, I thought of returning back to my home country to take care of my tooth, but finally, one dentist accepted me as a new patient and removed this piece of tooth. I told them that in my home country, in an emergency situation, you would receive care even if they don’t take new patients, just because they see one person in pain. In my opinion, the Canadian system is very difficult. I was traumatized and afraid of dying and leaving my family in tears.

Access to dental care in Canada and Pakistan differs significantly due to variations in healthcare systems, economic conditions, and infrastructure. In Canada, dental care is private and not covered under the publicly funded healthcare system. However, some provinces provide dental care for vulnerable populations such as children, seniors, or those receiving social assistance. The cost of dental care can be high, with a simple check-up and cleaning ranging from $100 to $300, and more complex procedures like root canals or crowns costing so much more.

In contrast, dental care in Pakistan is also largely private, but it is more affordable compared to Canada. However, public dental services are often limited in what they can do and the quality of their work. Insurance coverage is rare, and most people pay out of pocket. In both countries, there is a huge gap between urban and rural access to dental care. Urban areas in Canada and Pakistan usually have more clinics, better-trained professionals, and modern equipment, while rural areas often face shortages of dentists and lack of facilities, making dental care less accessible and sometimes delayed or neglected.

I will be talking about the topic exercise. I enjoy exercising due to the multiple benefits of exercising and examples of the benefits are that it reduces stress, healthier lifestyle and also helps with weight loss and another reason that I like to exercise is the different ways of exercising and those would be running, going to the gym, swimming and a lot of other and my favorite is running because it helps me reduce stress and receive fresh air.

Having regular exercise and workouts during the week helps prevent many diseases and illnesses. It boosts your immune system, reduces blood sugar levels, strengthens your muscles, and lowers cholesterol. Moreover, it also makes you more energetic and motivated.

In my view, people who exercise regularly during the week tend to be more punctual and reliable because when they decide to work out, they don’t care how tired or low on energy they are. They stay focused and committed to their goals.

Having regular workouts is important for middle-aged people, too. For them, having a consistent fitness routine should not only become a habit, but it must be a principle in life because during middle age, you can prevent many illnesses in old age through exercise.

In the four years that I have lived in Canada, I have found the health care system to be well-functioning, with the exception of the current shortage of doctors and nurses; when necessary, we have received adequate care. The hospital has sufficient resources to offer patients treatment that is appropriate to their needs.

However, it would be essential for the system to work more on prevention. When the population is subjected to continuous health controls, these would help to detect any disease at an early stage, and treatment would be possible more quickly and at lower cost to the system, compared to when the disease is at a more advanced stage, where resource occupation and costs are quite significant. So far, I have observed that the health system, and local government policies, are not very focused on prevention, not only through routine check-ups for the population, but also on a culture of good eating habits and personal self-care, which would allow the population to have better health in general terms.

It is evident that, in principle, if the population of this country contributed by eating the right food, avoiding habits such as smoking and drinking alcohol in large quantities, and doing some sport, and if the government invested more in health personnel, we would all help to prevent the system from continuing to collapse, and the cost of running the system would certainly be lower than it is now.

My hobby is swimming. I like to swim because it helps with my back problem. I go swimming every two weeks with my friend. In conclusion, l like swimming because not only does it help me to keep my body awake but it also helps my mind and soul to ease.

Moving to Canada was a big change for my lifestyle. It took me some time to adjust and find the best ways to keep myself healthy, and I would like to share my experience.

Firstly, I follow a balanced diet as recommended by Canada’s Food Guide, which divides the main plate into three main sections. Half of the plate is vegetables and fruits. One-quarter is whole grain, and another quarter is protein foods. It also emphasizes water as your drink of choice. As a vegetarian and a mom to a newborn, I see this diet is perfect and provides sufficient energy for my busy routine. 

Secondly, I’ve tried to exercise every morning, following workout videos on YouTube for at least 30 minutes. I just choose simple practices, nothing complicated. Doing housework and gardening is also another type of exercise for me. This helps me keep fit without costing a penny.

Thirdly, to help my mental well-being, I meditate daily to calm my mind. This benefits me to be positive and see the bright sides of life.

Finally, I try to limit my screen time as much as possible. Instead of surfing the Internet, I prefer to read books.  Spending quality time with my kids and talking to family members also brings me joy and helps reduce stress.

With the busy and often stressful life nowadays, it is quite hard for people to balance their working life and family. But it is said that where there’s a will, there’s a way. I hope that everyone can find their own paths to maintain a balanced and healthy life.

What is that - work and life balance? Is it possible in modern life? How to achieve it?

Recently, I found a video of a stand-up comic about work and life balance in Canada. He said this phenomenon had disappeared in Canada when Europeans arrived here.

Honestly, I do not know what this balance means. I would say when you are happy at work and outside of work, it is a balance. There is no standard type of balance which can apply to every person. For example, some people are more active during the day, some of them are active during the night, some of people would not like to be active at all etc.

In my experience, I have only work balance where there is no space for life. Sadly, I find it out only now but lucky for me I got it and I am going to fix it. And it is possible, first step is done - to realize that you need a life balance too. Let’s become happy with life, not only with work. It does not matter in what country you are living in!

To conclude, as long as you are happy, and, I would say people close to you are happy with you, that means you have the work and life balance.

Coffee is a popular drink worldwide, and I personally drink a lot of it. In Iran, while tea is the dominant beverage, coffee has a significant place in the culture and is becoming more common, especially among younger generations.

Coffee was introduced to Iran during the Safavid era (16th–17th century) through trade with the Ottoman Empire and Arab merchants. At that time, coffeehouses, called qahveh-khaneh, became important social hubs where people gathered to discuss politics, literature, and daily life. Over time, tea replaced coffee as the most popular drink in Iran, but coffee still remained important, especially in certain regions and among those who prefer its strong taste.

In Iran, many people drink coffee daily, especially in cities where coffee shops are becoming more common. Traditional Turkish coffee, espresso, and instant coffee (like Nescafé) are the most popular types. Coffee consumption is increasing as more people enjoy it at home, in cafés, and at work.

Coffee has both benefits and drawbacks. Some of its benefits include:

• Boosting energy and focus, which makes it a favorite drink for students and workers.
• Containing antioxidants that may help protect against diseases.
• Potentially reducing the risk of Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s disease.

However, drinking too much coffee can have some drawbacks:

• It can cause insomnia, especially if consumed late at night.
• Some people experience anxiety or restlessness due to high caffeine levels.
• Caffeine dependence can lead to withdrawal symptoms like headaches.

Why Coffee is Popular in Iran, Despite tea being the most consumed beverage, coffee is gaining popularity for several reasons:

• Coffeehouses remain important social spaces where people gather to talk and relax.
• Young Iranians are embracing Western coffee culture, leading to a rise in specialty coffee shops and modern cafés.
• The growing coffee industry in Iran, including local roasters and cafés, has made high-quality coffee more accessible.
• Many people enjoy the variety of flavors and brewing methods that coffee offers compared to tea.

My name is S.C. I come from a city in southern China. I came to Canada to study in 2005 and later met my wife and started a new family.

When I first arrived in Canada in May, the climate was warm and dry. At that time, the climate in my hometown was hot and humid, and I felt very comfortable. The houses in Canada are very beautiful, mainly detached, spacious and with large land areas. Because China has a dense population, the houses there were relatively small at that time. The living conditions in Canada were still enviable. I remember once going to the hospital for a check-up. In here, medical care is completely free, and the hospital facilities are complete, but the waiting time is too long. In China, mainly due to the large population, hospitals are crowded, and it's not easy to see a doctor.

Nowadays, many infrastructure facilities in China are quite complete, and the cities are built very beautifully. It's quite frustrating to see that Canada hasn't made much progress in the past 20 years. I love Canada because I live and work here and have my beloved family here. I also love China because it's where I was born and my first hometown.

I do believe that compare one country to another won’t be fair due to our cultural differences, the years and the history of each countries in question has. I will try to do a very honest comparison from my perspective.

As a Mexican, I cannot be more proud of my country, we are the descendants of Aztec, Maya, Olmec and Zapotecan people. That gave us so many traditions, recipies, rituals and lots of knowledge of agriculture, medicine etc. which is funny because at the same time we also very religious country. After this cultural pause, Its time to start the massacre.

One of the things that bothers me the most after some few years living out of Mexico are:
Unpunctuality an the lack of consideration for the person waiting is very annoying, its everywhere, DR., family, offices even friends tents to make you wait for then 30+. I just can’t stand that, I feel that they are playing with my time. Unlike Canada in Canada people respect your time.

The garbage and the street pets
Mexico city is a density populated capital because of that and the lack of environmental awareness, poverty and zero common sense the streets are dirty, you will find garbage everywhere and dog poop, the city has very peculiar odour. In my opinion Canada is more aware of the garbage and pets issue, you rarely find dog on the streets.

Traffic is terrible in a distance that usually takes 20 min in the city could take you 60+ min.

Safety is another huge issue; I was telling my family that in Mexico you develop another instinct. Every day, everywhere robberies happen, kidnaps, murders etc. Its insane the numbers meanwhile here in Canada is happening too but not in the same level.

My homeland is Cameroon officially known as the Republic of Cameroon. Cameroon is a country in Central Africa. It is a bilingual country with two official languages: French and English. Cameroon has ten regions. Cameroon's population is 28.75 million people who speak 250 native languages in addition to the two official languages. My country is known as a multicultural country and this is one of the resources of riches. The multicultural status makes Cameroon a good place for tourism. This status also has an impact on our diet.

In Cameroon we have 250 ethnicities, each of these ethnicities has several traditional meals. Some of the touristic areas in Cameroon are Mont Cameroon, 'Ekom fall, National Park of Waza, Palace of Sultan Bamoun, Lobé fall, Mefou Park. Cameroon welcomes 1,02 million tourists, which makes it the 120 places to visit in the world.

In the domain of sport, there is one Cameroonian who is popularly known as a good boxer, not to say the best boxer and fighter of our day. He is called Francis NGanou. Francis Nganou has 18 victories in his mixed martial arts career, with 3 losses.

My homeland is just a wonderful place. I would advise someone that wishes to have a good holiday, have fun, and discover nature. This is the perfect place for a person who is curious. This place is full of nature and the people are very welcoming. Cameroon is the place to be.

I believe that everyone has their own homeland, their own country and they love their homeland very much because that is where they were born and raised, a place that holds many memories from childhood to old age. I, too, love my homeland very much. It is associated with me many memories such as fields, roads, rivers, schools, cuisine and dear friends. I can never forget those joyful moments after school such as swimming in the river, playing soccer in the yard and going fishing with my friends.

Now that I have grown up, those memories remain vivid in my mind, and I love my homeland more and more. It has nurtured me with the love of my grandparents, parents and memories of the faith and flag of my homeland. I always remember my homeland, it is a part of my body, where my grandparents, parents and siblings are still living. Every 2 or 3 years, we return to our homeland to visit them, it is so happy and meaningful when each person has their own homeland to love and to return to.

The Habesha people inhabit the Horn of Africa, primarily in Ethiopia and Eritrea. Their origins trace back to the southwestern region of Asia, specifically the Arabian Peninsula. They are classified as a semitic. The Habesha community possesses its own unique Geez alphabet, numbers and calendars. The alphabet consists of over 230 basic different characters and a calendar begins on September first. It started eight years before the Gregorian calendar (G.C). However, the Geez language is predominantly used in the Orthodox Church and regarded as sacred. Notably academic institutions, such as the University of Hamburg in Germany have conducted extensive research on this subject. The traditional Habesha cuisine features injera accompanied by a variety of dishes and Habesha clothing is made by hand. I take pride in being part of this vibrant community with its rich cultural heritage. I am Habesha.

The name of my country is Nepal. It is a small but very beautiful country. My country has many mountains, hills, rivers and green places. The highest mountains in the world, Mount Everest, is also located in my country. There are many tourist that come to my country to see it and like it. In Nepal, the place I used to stay at is Kathmandu. It is also the capital city and is full of temples and kind people. Kathmandu is very old and beautiful. I also like Pokhara. which is near Kathmandu. It is a quiet place and has a big lake in the middle of the city. Lumbini is also a special place for us in Nepal. It is the birthplace of Lord Buddha who we worship because my family follows Buddhism. Nepal has many people living there who are kind and always ready to help each other. I feel very happy. The most beautiful places in Nepal are Everest base camp, Chitwan National Park, Phewa Lake, Sarangkot, Sagarmatha National Park, Boudhanath, Bhaktapur Durbar square, and Lumbini.

I was born and grew up in Abidjan (Ivory Coast) and I lived there for a big part of my life. Ivory Coast is an African country that is located in the western part of the African continent. In fact, the Ivory Coast's capital is located in the south of the country, very close to the Atlantic Ocean. It takes at least one hour from the capital to see the sea. The population in this town was at least 6.3 million when I left my native town for Toronto in 2020. We have a population of 26 million, and 20% of this population lives in Abidjan, which is the capital. It's a beautiful city to live in; we have the sun all the time (of course, sometimes it rains). People are happy despite some financial problems. Life there is very pleasant. We have a problem with infrastructure (namely, roads), so the traffic is heavy most of the time. Many people prefer life in the capital compared to other towns where their difficulties are bigger; that's why the population in Abidjan is very high. This fact creates a problem with health security because we don't have enough hospitals. With the increase of corruption, it decreases life expectancy, which is at 59 years old right now.

When I came to Toronto in July 2020, I was surprised by the size of the city. In fact, Toronto is the fourth largest city in America. After New York City and Los Angeles in the United States, and Mexico City. Toronto is a beautiful and diverse city. We have many communities (French, Latin, Indian, European, African, etc.). It's a pleasant city. Toronto is the capital of Ontario, which is the richest province of Canada. The population is around 3 million, and the traffic on the road is pleasant. We can have all the activities we want in this city. I really appreciate this town because we have many communities, so I can discover many foods and many cultures. Toronto is very nice in terms of beauty, but I also like my native town. I think I have these two cities in my heart.

Toronto Island is a small and beautiful island located south of Toronto. It's a beautiful place where everybody can have a pleasant and nice day with family or friends. This particular place reminds me of my native town, Abidjan, where we can also have some water very close to the downtown. It's a place to be, especially in summertime, where you can find many sweetest winds. Toronto Islands is the best place for me to spend time with friends or family in the summer, it's good for having fun, dopamine and for mental health. We need this type of place in our working life to observe nature's beauty and support our friends or family.

Definitely, Toronto is a very big city (Fourth in North America) where you can enjoy life and diversity in many different places. Abidjan, my native country, has the same structure, but the difference with Toronto is the size of the town and the diversity. Toronto is also very beautiful. I really love this town.

I come from Vietnam, a beautiful country in Southeast Asia. Vietnam is known for its rich culture, delicious food, and friendly people. The country has many famous places to visit, such as Ha Long Bay, Hoi An Ancient Town... The weather in Vietnam is warm most of the year, which is great for traveling. One of the things I love most about my country is the food. Dishes like pho, banh mi, and spring rolls are popular around the world. Vietnamese people also value family, hard work, and respect. Even though I am now living in Canada, I hope to visit Vietnam again soon and share its beauty with my new friends.

I want to talk about my lovely hometown, where I was born and raised. The beautiful memories of my childhood spent there will always stay with me. I was born and brought up in a small town in Pakistan, called Haslanwal, in Punjab province. It was surrounded by neighboring small villages and most of its surrounding areas included agricultural land, irrigated by natural river and canal systems. Perhaps that's what made it special.

The reason I decided to talk about it is that usually when we talk about smaller towns or villages in developing countries, what usually comes to mind is a place where there would be illiteracy, inefficiency, inadequate health and education services, and so on; however, my experience of growing up and living in a small town/village is completely different.

Haslanwal is a famous and busy small business hub for neighboring villagers. At the time I was there, it had a little more than 2000 households. This town has almost all amenities, including supermarkets, good elementary and secondary schools for boys and girls with good enrollments in both, which is rare for a tiny town.

Not only that, the people there are amazing. They live in peace, are very hospitable, and most of them are educated and live with good cultural and religious harmony. It has a good literacy rate and most of its population is well educated in terms of religious and general education. Best of all, I had amazing teachers in these schools.

I completed grade 10 from there, and was able to get into good college and university with it. My teachers were always very polite, supportive and encouraging. A few teachers were also from my hometown. They were excellent role models for us. They were the guiding lights of the town that left a good impression of high morals not only on us as students but also on the general population of this town.

I have fond memories of my childhood spent there, the time I had spent with my friends, my respected teachers and parents. It would remain a cherished and unforgettable asset of my life. Life flows like a river, one never knows where destiny would take them. I moved on and life brought me to Canada, a few years ago, with a university degree, good work experience and with lots of dreams.

I now live in Mississauga with my family. It's now my new hometown. I am very happy that we picked Mississauga. It's a beautiful city. It has all the amenities that one can imagine within walking distance of my home. I also feel very fortunate to be living in Canada. It’s a beautiful country and has everything I and my family dreamed of.

Long live Canada, my new home Country!

In my country, Eritrea, a library was only available in school in the city where I grew up.

We used to go to the library once per week to find books or materials for subjects like science, English, history, biology, chemistry and so on. We would spend one to two hours looking for the books and doing our assignments in the library. This service was free and paid by the government.

In our school library, we had different books to read available for students, and also, they taught us how to use the computer. We had a teacher who used to teach us about computers in the library.

In my opinion, libraries are still a valuable resource. I have friends who are newcomers here, and while they are on the waitlist for English and other courses, they can go to the public library and find resources to learn by themselves while waiting to start their registered courses.

Mother’s Day is always on the second Sunday of May. Mother’s Day was officially created in 1914. Mother’s Day is a day, where you celebrate the mother figures in your life and you thank them for being there.

On Mother’s Day, my sons gave gifts to their mother, and we went out to eat lunch at a restaurant. I also gave my mother-in-law a little gift for always helping around. My mom lives in Vietnam. I called her and spoke to her. We don’t celebrate or observe Mother’s Day in Vietnam. I came to know about Mother’s Day when I came to Canada. I feel it should be observed as it gives a good feeling. Every day is a Mother’s Day. Every mother is a gift so must love and value our mothers.

My name is Melissa. I’m 28 years old. I come from a small town in Ecuador. In my country, many people follow the Catholic beliefs and traditions, and my father was one of them.

When I was young my life was very simple, no worries, just studying, keeping my parents happy and having a lot of fun with friends.

I met my husband when I was fifteen years old. It was love from first sight. I still remember my nineteenth birthday; it was so much fun. A month later, I started to get sick. My mother was my safe place and haven. She reassured me that nothing to worry about. By the third month, I started to become more emotional with a big appetite. My mother took me to the doctor to get the confirmed news about my pregnancy. My parents were so disappointed because I didn’t preserve the family’s dignity. The decision was to give birth in the States away from my town.

My boyfriend gave me hope and reassurance that together, we will build a beautiful family in Canada. Two years later, we got married and he took me away from my cold house and people. Canada was and still our bliss. We are both working and raising our beautiful Sophie. My daughter changed my life around, and I’m so happy to be living with an amazing, caring, and loving community in Mississauga.

Let’s not be afraid of changes and new beginnings. Everything turned pink in my life, and I’m blessed to have a beautiful family like mine.

Becoming a first-time mom in a country far from family has been both a beautiful and overwhelming journey.

Without my usual support system, I think that every little cry from my newborn will feel like a mystery I have to solve on my own. However, I learned that caring for a newborn is less about perfection and more about presence

What will make all the difference is the kindness and strength of friends and community. The team effort could include bringing meals, holding the baby so I could shower, and reminding the mom that she is doing great even when one could feel unsure. From diaper tips to baby-wearing tricks, friends and community could share wisdom, filling in the gaps that the new family might need to cover. I have learned that taking care of a newborn isn't just about sleepless nights; it's about building trust, embracing small wins, and allowing others to help carry the load. This experience has taught me that love and support can come from many places. It takes a tribe to take care of a newborn.

I chose Mother’s Day topic.

For many North Americans, Mother's Day holds special meaning, celebrating it as a way to strengthen family bonds and simply say, "We see you, we appreciate you, and we love you so much."

Our celebrations are centered around mom feeling happy and relaxed, and usually involve me, my siblings, and my dad, together as a family. Sharing food, chatting, laughing, and looking through old photos.

I was still working on Mother's Day this year, and the restaurant was busier than usual. When we got off work, I prepared a table of delicious food to thank everyone for celebrating Mother's Day together. I also get handmade cards and warm greetings from the children. The work was hard, but I was very happy and grateful that our family was together.

Mother’s Day is supposed to be a special day for moms. Well, mine was very special — just not in the way most people think.

I’m a mom of two boys. This year on Mother’s Day, I didn’t get flowers, cards, or even a simple “Happy Mother’s Day” until I reminded them what day it was. There was no breakfast in bed, no sweet surprises, no big hugs. So… I decided to treat myself. I went out and bought an ice cream. Yes, just one. For me.

But guess what? As soon as I opened it, my older son asked for half. Half! And of course, being the "nice" mom I am, I gave it to him. So much for my sweet reward.

I didn’t even get a little note or a paper heart. Just silence… and a half-eaten dessert. Honestly, compared to other moms posting photos with flowers and gifts, I felt extra special.

But that’s motherhood, right? It’s not always Instagram-perfect, but at least it gives me funny stories to tell.

Among kinds of pets, I like dog best because of these following reasons. First, the dog is lovely. There are many dogs which have beautiful hair. Also, their faces are often very expressive. Especially you might like having a dog when you see a Japanese dog. It is so small and cute. My parents used to raise many breeds of dogs such as: Poodle, Corgy, German shepherd, Chihuahua, Golden. Second, I think the dog is so loyal. I could say it is my best friend. Dogs are really effective gatekeepers for you every night and when you are away from home. I grew up always having a dog beside me until I moved to Canada. Life was too busy so I have no time to own a dog, But I still love to spend time with my friend’s dog. Finally, the dog can bring you good luck. My country people said that when a strange dog comes to your house, you may win in the lottery. It is the reasons above that I like dogs best.

Perfect recipe for on the go breakfast, will last in the fridge for up to 7 days and it is just so delicious.

This dessert is super easy to make. If you need your bread to be gluten free, substituted it with oats.

What do you need:

• 2 extra ripe bananas
• 1 big apple
• 2 eggs
• 150 g oats
• 2 tbs Greek Yogurt
• 1 tbs maple syrup
• 1 tbs baking powder
• 1 tbs cinnamon
• pinch of salt
• Some nuts, chocolate chips or raisins

How to make it:

1. Mash the bananas into a smooth paste. Add the eggs, maple syrup, yogurt, cinnamon, baking powder, pinch of salt, grated apple and mix together. At the end add some nuts, chocolate chips or raisins and gently mix again.
2. Add to lined load tin and bake 180 degrees for about 50 minutes.
3. It also freezes well too, perfect for and on the go breakfast, snack or desert.

Enjoy!

Today we will talk about fermented cabbage. First of all, it is necessary to say about the high biological value of sauerkraut for human health, about the high content of vitamins (especially vitamin C), trace elements and beneficial microorganisms. The natural fermentation process takes place at room temperature for about 3 days.

A very important point is the choice of a variety of cabbage for pickling - you should take its hard varieties.
So, let's make a calculation for a 3-liter can.

We will need:

• 1 head of cabbage about 2 kg,
• 1 large carrot,
• 50 grams of coarse table non-iodized salt,
• 3-5 bay leaves,
• 15 peppercorns,
• 30 grams of black mustard in grains.

Method:

1. Boil and cool the water to room temperature.
2. Sterilize a 3-liter glass jar over boiling water.
3. Cut the cabbage, grate the carrots and all the ingredients, except salt.
4. Mix and put in a jar.
5. Add salt and water.
6. Cover with a lid and set for about 3 days to ferment.
7. It is very important to pierce periodically in order to release gases.
8. At the end of fermentation, put the jar in the refrigerator and enjoy a healthy natural homemade product.

Instruction:

• 600 ml water
• 300 ml uncooked glutinous white rice (sushi rice)
• 75 ml rice vinegar
• 10 ml salt
• 4 sheets nori (dry seaweed)
• 20g cucumber, sliced into thin strips
• 20g avocado - peeled, pitted and sliced
• 60g crabmeat puree

First, cut the cucumber into strips that are 1cm thick and 20cm long, then cut and peel off the core with a cross knife. Cut the avocado into 0.5cm thick avocado slices.

Second, put the sushi rice evenly on the seaweed, turning the seaweed side upside down, with the rice on it.

Then, put 1 cucumber stick, 2 pieces of avocado and 60g crabmeat puree in the center of seaweed.

After that, roll up the seaweed in the bamboo curtain to make a sushi roll.

Next, sprinkle sesame seeds and fish eggs on top of the roll.

Finally, cut the sushi into 8 pieces and put them on a plate.

Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• Clarified butter (desi ghee) – 1 bowl
• Sugar or brown sugar – 1 bowl
• Wheat flour, chickpea flour, or semolina (any one) – 1 bowl
• Dry fruits (according to choice)
• Water – 1.5 bowls

Recipe:

- We need two pans. In one pan, we put a mixture of clarified butter (desi ghee) and wheat flour, chickpea flour, or semolina. On medium heat, stir continuously.

- At the same time, prepare sugar syrup (one and a half cups of water and one cup of sugar). When you smell a good fragrance and see the color of the flour change, add a little bit of crushed dry fruits.

- Then mix the sugar syrup into the flour mixture on low heat and stir continuously. When you see it turns into a solid form (binding like a ball) and releases ghee, it’s ready to eat.

Yummy!
It’s good for kids, young people, and old people.

Tsbhi derho is a traditional dish from my birthplace, Eritrea. It is the main dish there, and many people enjoy it because it is spicy and delicious. More children love this dish very much. It’s usually served as a main dish, and I sometimes change the recipe like adding a boiled egg and a bit of water to adjust the texture.

Ingredients:

• 1 large chicken cut into 12 pieces (traditionally, it is always 12 pieces)
• Medium red onions - 6 pcs.
• Tomato paste - 2 tbsp.
• Paprika powder - ½ cup
• Vegetable oil - 2 tbsp.
• Water - 2 cups
• Garlic - 5 cloves
• Ginger - 3 inches
• Black pepper - ½ tsp.
• Salt - 1 tsp
• Butter - ½ tsp.

Peel and chop the onion, then fry it in vegetable oil until soft. Add paprika powder and tomato paste, and continue frying for about 15 minutes. Pour in 2 cups of water and let it cook for another 15 minutes. Add minced garlic, grated ginger, black pepper, and salt to taste. Mix the chicken well with the sauce and cook for 15 to 20 minutes. Finally, add a bit of butter and continue cooking until the chicken is tender. Serve with Injera (teff flour) bread and sides.

*Senay nay drar gize (have a good meal).

The year 2020 took everybody by surprise- a pandemic called COVID-19, a dangerous virus that took many lives between 2020 and 2021. This led all the countries of the world to close to counteract its spread, since it was a virus thar spread quickly. At first it was lethal and unknown, which generated uncontrolled panic and forced thousands of scientists to search for an immediate cure. While all this was happening, families had to wait inside their homes for a quick solution, which many thought would arrive in a matter of days, but that wasn´t the case… There were months of confinement, hopelessness and a lot of fear.

But, what could be done to make this wait a little less tedious and boring?

Most people turned to their hidden talents: cooking, painting, online teaching…since they had a very busy schedule, they couldn't spend time with their family, and this time of confinement gave them the opportunity to do everything that, due to work, academic and professional commitments, was not normally possible.

In my family's case, we were no exception. My husband came up with the idea of preparing different dishes, searching for easy recipes online. He delighted us with a new dish every day. I greatly appreciated his efforts to keep us entertained, so I also started looking for something he would enjoy. He loves desserts, and I found an easy recipe for me, since I don't have much talent for baking. That's how I discovered the Napoleon dessert, whose ingredients were simple and which I usually already had at home.

So, let's get to work!

I started by reviewing the recipe several times before making it, so I could keep control of the quantities and preparation time.

Then, I listed the ingredients:

• Ducales cookies
• Heavy cream
• Milk 2%
• Condensed milk
• Cornstarch (And my special touch: cherries and Oreos)

My husband loves cherries, and my kids love Oreos, so I wanted to add a personal touch that would make it special for everyone.

Preparation:

1. In a blender, combine the whole milk and condensed milk, and while everything is blending, add three tablespoons of cornstarch.
2. Next, in a pot over medium heat, cook the mixture until it reaches a thick consistency. When it reaches this point, it's ready. Let it rest for about five minutes.
3. In a square baking dish (or any mold you prefer), start by placing a base of the mixture, then a layer of cookies, as if making lasagna. Alternate layers of cream and cookies until the mixture is finished.
4. Finally, crush three Oreo cookies and sprinkle them over the dessert, garnishing them with cherries to taste.

This recipe became important to me because we enjoy it so much every time, I make it. My children and husband eagerly wait for it to be ready, and sometimes it doesn't even last a day!

Something that fills me with joy is that, although I'm not a great cook, I embraced this recipe so much that I even taught it to my mother, who is an excellent cook. She learned it from me and now prepares it to sell among her social circles.

I'm so happy to be able to share my experience with Napoleon Dessert, a recipe that, beyond its flavor, holds within it a little piece of love, family, and hope.

Spring arrived and it brought a lot of flowers and the Cherry Blossoms. This flower is one of the most famous of blossoms because you can find it in different countries around the world, so I believe you already have seen this before. Even though it is originally from Japan, we can see festivals in Korea, China, Taiwan, Sweden and Brazil, United States of America.

These flowers attract people by their beauty and all of them get impressed when they walk through the trees and observe the white and pink flowers. Nobody wants to lose the opportunity to take wonderful pictures with it.

I had a chance to see these flowers in two different countries. In my home country there was a park very close to my house that used to gather thousands of people just to see the Cherry Blossoms. I remember when I visited the park, my daughter was 2 years old, she loved the landscape and we got amazing pictures. In addition, as we are living in Canada we also saw the Cherry blossoms while we were doing some trails.

Although, if you get to know a Cherry Blossom festival close to you, don’t miss it out, because it doesn’t last forever.

I am always imagining my family of origin could have an opportunity to travel together. My immediate family is happy and in harmony with all family members: my parents, my older sister, and my little brother. I grew up in a delighted family atmosphere so that is why I am so eager to go back to that happy time again. In this situation we all have our small families already, so it is pretty hard to schedule a perfect time to travel together. Additionally, I live in Canada currently and haven’t planned the next time to go back yet. However, I can imagine a family summer vacation arrangement and we just only need to implement it as soon as I come back to my home country.

First and foremost, I would choose a place that is cool for summer travel. In the north of China there is a place called Qingdao which is also world-wide famous for the beer of Qingdao. It is a place with an average summer temperature of 27 degrees with a huge, long coastline of the Pacific Ocean. My parents were busy caring for my siblings and I and couldn’t afford to bring our family to travel to the ocean’s beaches. I would also ask my sister’s and brother’s family to set aside that period of time to go together. I plan to travel five days during the week. There would be fewer people because Qingdao is a hot tourism city, especially in summer. I would book the flight tickets and hotel in advance at least 2 months before. I also would prepare beach stuff for my parents and kids such as swimming suits, sun cream, hats and towels and sand toys. I would list all the detailed things in my phone to make sure we have smooth beach days. A variety of seafood is the local specialty, and I plan to bring them to enjoy it. I can imagine my father drinking beer sitting on a beach chair watching kids playing and splashing. My mother would dress up in fashion and I would take lots of beach photos for her. My sister and brother and I would talk and laugh when remembering our childhood.

I hope this summer vacation is safe and full of happiness and comes true quickly.

My name is Liliia and I arrived in Canada from Ukraine in 2022. I arrived with my family: My husband and daughter. Our son was born in Canada.

We love warm seasons, such as spring. We spend a lot of time outdoors. My daughter loves roller skating, and because of that, every weekend we go to Point Pelee National Park and we roller skate on the pathway.

We like fishing. Every member of our family has a fishing rod and a fishing license. That's the difference between Canada and Ukraine. In Ukraine you don't need a fishing license. We like to fish away from the hustle and bustle of the city, to be quiet and hear the birds singing around us.

We like to walk on the beach with a metal detector. In Ukraine we found a lot of old coins when we used our metal detector. The oldest coin we found was from 1812, still from tsarist times. It is very exciting.

This is how we spend time as a family in the spring!

Cherrey Blossoms usually bloom in late April, early May. Yes, I saw cherry blossoms last week. I saw them in Guelph, while am driving back from the school. I like them colour, I did not takes pictures because I was driving my car. Sure I will go to see them again.

I come from Kharkiv, Ukraine. In 2017, Japan gave our country 2,500 Sakura trees. The gift was so special as it marked the 25 years of diplomatic relationships between Japan and Ukraine. You can see beautiful Sakura trees in parks and near universities in different cities in Ukraine, and in Kharkiv, my own city. The first year, when we heard “Sakura ga saita,” which means, “Cherry blossom trees have bloomed,” in Japanese, we went to amaze ourselves by the charm of those trees that symbolize the Japanese tradition and culture. In Ukraine, Sakura is the time we enjoy the prettiness of nature and take photos with friends and family.

When, I moved to Canada, I was surprised to hear that Japanese government did the same with the Canadian government in 1959. I eagerly waited till the last week of April to go to High Park. I just wanted to delight my eyesight and recall those unforgettable days in Ukraine with my loved ones.

It’s not only the beauty of the soft pink and white flowers, but the memories that flow back with them. Thank you, Japan, for sharing this beauty and tradition that life is transient, and the belief in new beginnings and hope.

I will never forget the Spring of 2019. My very first Spring in Canada. I had arrived in Ontario with a suitcase full of dreams and a heart with nostalgia. Everything was new to me: the weather, people, language… and the trees.

That’s when I saw them~the Cherry Blossom trees. I had heard about the Cherry Blossoms blooming in High Park, Toronto. But nothing could have prepared me for the emotion that overwhelmed me that day. Walking around those trees was like stepping into a dream. I will never forget how petals fluttered gently in the breeze like soft whispers from Mother Earth. Pink and white flowers adorned the landscape with quiet elegance on a sunny day. I stood there in silence and then I remembered that famous quote by Mark Twain that says “Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore, Dream and Discover” (Mark Twain).

In that very moment, I was grateful for all the good things life had given me, but also for daring to take a step forward and explore a new world far from where I’d once been home, and for taking advantage of this new beginning. Flourishing and not regretting the things I would do from then on. Afterward, I smiled. and a friend took this photo to capture that special moment. Just I felt as if the trees were welcoming me to this new chapter of my life.

But, the sight also stirred something deeper~ a memory from home. As I was reminded of the Araguaney, Venezuela's national tree. The Araguaney doesn’t bloom in pink or white, but in bold, vibrant yellow. It bursts into color between March and May, just like the Cherry blossoms, transforming dry hillsides into golden landscapes. I used to watch the Araguaney bloom with pride~ a tree that defies the heat and drought to shine with unshake brightness. Though thousands of kilometers apart, the Cherry Blossom and the Araguaney bloom at the same time of the year. Their colors are different, but their message is the same: Life can be beautiful, even after harderts season.

The Cherry Blossoms made me feel something I hadn’t felt in a while~ a sense of peace and wonder, yes, but also a strange comfort, as if a piece of Venezuela had followed me to Canada in the form of petals. These trees, so different and yet so similar, taught me that beauty speaks in many languages, and that no matter where we are, nature finds a way to connect us to our roots. As a nature lover every spring since 2019, I return to the Cherry Blossoms wherever they are. Not just to admire them, but to remember who I am and how far I’ve come. I carry both trees in my heart~the Cherry Blossom of Ontario and the Araguaney of Venezuela~ one soft and poetic, the other bold and radiant. Together, they remind me that I belong not to one land, but to both.

Do you see cherry blossoms in your life?
Today, I want to say about cherry blossoms. I see cherry blossoms for the first time in Canada in my life and it was so beautiful and I took a lot of photos. Now I want to talk about the colour of cherry blossoms, which are white and pink. At the end of my topic, I want to say that if you want to see cherry blossoms the best time to see them is in spring. This is why you should go to see the cherry blossoms.

What do I know about cherry blossoms in Canada? I have been living at 100 Graydon Hall Drive, North York, Don Mills, since August 2022. Near our house, there are two schools: George S. Henry Academy High School and Rena Garden Elementary School. In front of the school, there are many trees that bloom in April. I see cherry blossoms there, and they make the neighbourhood very beautiful during April and May. Moreover, I have seen them in different provinces in my country; however, due to the limited time that all kinds of cherry blossoms have, people in my country won't be able to enjoy them as much as people here in Canada.

What’s so memorable about my experience in Canada? To be honest, I like nature and want to go visit cherry blossoms parks. However, as a newcomer, I have a lot of problems that I should solve. For instance, I should concentrate on my lessons to improve my skills in the English language and find a good job. Furthermore, the real enjoyment of life for newcomers is to focus on their goals until they succeed, and afterward, they will find time to sight see.

What’s my opinion about this topic? I have lived in Canada for a while now and haven’t been able to see Niagara Falls. I imagine I’m not alone, living in Canada for the first three to five years is very difficult until people find their way and complete the adaptation process. Overall, cherry blossoms beneficial for people to immerse themselves in nature and appreciate its beauty. This experience helps people relax, unwind, and recharge, preventing them from giving up.

I have experienced the beauty of Cherry Blossoms in High Park, Toronto, and it was unforgettable. I visited in early May when the blossoms were in full bloom. High Park nature blew my eyes with pink and white petals covering the branches. It seemed like a fairy tale. I can’t believe the nature in my eyes.

In the moment, I took many pictures. It was an amazing visit that I will never forget. I would love to return High Park every year. My home country doesn’t have native cherry blossoms. The cherry blossom pictures on my phone bring me a sense of calm and peace. In conclusion, High Park looks like a serene garden so people should go to see cherry blossoms.

The cherry blossoms are beautiful in the spring. These cherry blossom trees bloom in Canada in April and May. The cherry blossom is known in Japan as "sakura" tree. They only blossoms for a few days. During these days, people go to parks, festivals or take walks to country to see them. Family and friends have picnics and parties. You should enjoy this cherry blossom tree in Canada.

There are four seasons in a year. Spring, Summer, Fall/Autumn, and Winter. Every season has its own advantages and disadvantages.

My favorite season is spring. I like spring so very much because the weather is nice and blessing. Trees and parks become green again and flowers blossom every where. In spring I usually go out in the afternoon and visit parks, recreational places and my friends on weekends. Every morning I look through my window to see the beautiful view of the park and trees surrounding the area. I listen to the heart blessing songs of the birds everyday and it feels awesome. I love birds especially parrots. I also have a parrot at home and it's really beautiful. Every day I talk with it and now started coming out from the cage and sitting beside me and my wife. Everyday I go to the park and do my daily excercises beacuse excercises are really vital for my body stamina. As a person with disability it's really necessary for me to keep it doing every day. I also see many people at the park everyday doing different activities. We should plant more trees because trees play essential role in keeping the environment clean and help in rains too. I will go the bookstore today and buy a book to read it in the park because silent places are good for reading. It's really good for health to have some flowers at home too.

When I was in my country, I used to hear the 4 seasons of Vivivaldi. It's because his music surprised me when I heard it first in movies. So I search the song and want to know about it. This song make me think about the seasons in my country. We have really 2 seasons in my country. Rain season and dry season. The rain seasons really began at March and finished at October. The dry season began at November and finish at March. The two seasons are their specific wind: harmattan and monsoon.

So when I come to Canada, I just want to really observe the 4 seasons but it is not really a trimester per season. In April, at Sudbury, we continue to see a snow on the road, we continue to have in a weather minus temperature. It starts snowing at October and finish at April. So I can clearly say Canada specifically Sudbury, has two seasons: raining season from May to October and snowing season from November to April. I have to agree that we can see the trees in their four aspects in the years. Trees without leaves between November to may. A beginning of leaves growing in May. Trees with leaves between June to September and the falling of leaves at October.

To conclude, the 4 seasons done take each a trimester. It changes due to the place on the earth that we are.

One day, I went to High Park with my husband and my two dogs, Mocha and Latte. The weather was wonderful, and the cherry blossoms were in full bloom, so it was a perfect day for a walk. The cherry blossoms reminded me of my home country, Korea, where you can see cherry trees everywhere in spring. It made me think of home and feel a bit nostalgic.

High Park has an off-leash trail, so Mocha and Latte were able to walk and run freely. They looked so happy. I think the off-leash area in High Park is the best in Toronto. It's really big! There’s also a small train called the High Park Trackless Train that tours the park. It was so cute. We also stopped by Hillside Garden, a popular spot in the park. There’s a flower garden shaped like a maple leaf, and it was really beautiful. But there were also a lot of birds and a lot of bird poop on the grass. So we moved to another area and had lunch there. I brought some bread from H Mart, and we enjoyed a little picnic.

It was such a happy day. I’d love to go back again.

In Japan cherry blossom call as "Sakura" the mean is hope, and the transient nature of life.

Cherry blossom typically occur between late March and early April, in Japan, people like picnic under the cherry blossom tree, enjoy the sum and view, also young girls will dress "kimono", the kind tradition clothing, with cherry blossom printed pattern fabric on it, also night time some people make firework to celebrate cherry blossom season advent.

I love Cherry Blossom here in Canada as well as back home. It is a symbol of spring, fresh air and sunlight. It brings dull life of winter back to brightness.

Spring in Toronto is a long and mixed season. In summer we enjoy the warmth and the sunshine. Then a long, warm and comfortable fall. Winter in Toronto is not very long and there is little snow, but spring is a long and cold season. Some warm days and a lot of cold weeks is a symbol of Spring. In the morning it may be sunny and warm, but in the evening there may be freezing rain with strong wind. March and April are quite cold months in Toronto. There are often very strong winds. Snowfalls are also not uncommon. The sun begins to warm more strongly and the day becomes longer. Nature comes alive. Raccoons and skunks wake up. Migratory birds arrive. Trees starts to bloom. Cherry blossoms are a grand event in Toronto. Cherry blossoms begin to bloom in April or May. High Park has large alleys with Sakura tress. This is a gift from Japanese people. When Sakura blossoms - it is a very beautiful but busy place. To avoid the crowd it is better to come there early. There you can take beautiful photos. However, Toronto has another lot of interesting place in spring season such as Toronto Islands, Scarborough Bluffs, Ontario waterfront, and a lot of big and beautiful parks. The main thing is weather is comfortable for walking. Let’s enjoy sunshine, enjoy warm, enjoy spring.

Cherry blossoms are great event in Toronto. Many people visit to parks and squares and enjoy beautiful view. High Park where there is a Sakura alley becomes a very busy place at this time. So to avoid the crowd it is better to go there early morning. I think cherry tree are grown as decor plants in Toronto.

In Russia, cherries are more of a farms plant, they are grown for their berries. So you don't often see her in the city. But, owning small plots of land outside the city is very popular in Russia. There people grow many plants, including cherries. So if you leave city and get into the gardens you will be to see a lot of blossom plants, such as cherries, apples, pears and plums.

Gorgeous cherry blossoms festival in Toronto, Canada during the same time frame but cherry blossoms in Toronto typically bloom in late April to early May, Depending on weather conditions. Cherry blossoms at Centennial Park with a beautiful sunset. Quite a site this evening for many Japanese the blooming of the cherry blossom trees, symbolizes human life. Transience and nobleness. The Japanese love to celebrate and cherish the cherry blossoms trees during the limited flowering period, and many people hold flower watching parties known as Hanami typically in the spring.

These festivals which include picnics parties and viewing events, are a century-old cultural tradition in Japan and are also celebrated in other parts of the world, including Washington.

Cherry blossoms also known as "sakura," are a beautiful and delicate cultural symbol of the land of the rising sun. Every year, when spring comes, the cherry blossom branches begin to bloom with a gentle pink color, painting the natural landscape like a vivid painting. And as I know,, Canada was gifted cherry trees as a thank you to Japanese Canadians who served in World War I.Vancoiver , Toronto and Victoria are place that we can come and admire its beauty.

I used to live in Vancouver where I saw Cherry blosson for the first time in Canada.For my self, Vancouver is a city that is most famous for its cherry blossom season. In the spring, thousands of cherry trees bloom, turning this place into a vivid picture. Destinations such as Queen Elizabeth Park, Stanley Park and VanDusen Botanical Garden are top choices to enjoy the poetic scenery. I walked under the trees filled with pink, felt the fresh air and checked in beautiful photos with cherry blossoms. It is an unforgettable moment.

Although I have never seen cherry blossoms in Toronto, as far as I know Toronto is a great choice for cherry blossom viewing every Spring. Centennial Park and the University of Toronto campus which also attracts many tourists because of its peaceful beauty and cherry blossom season. My husband lived in Toronto for 4 years. He always told me about the times he went to see cherry blossoms and his favourite place was high park. I also know that an indispenable name when you want to see cherry blossoms in Canada is Victoria. This place has its own charm with cherry blossoms blooming early from late February to mid-March. I hope when my baby is a little older, we can take time to see the cherry blossoms again.

In conclusion, Cherry blossom season in Canada is always an ideal time to explore the amazing natural beauty and feel the unique culture. Not only that, outstanding events such as Vancouver Cherry Blossom Festival not only honor the beauty of flowers but also bring vibrant cultural, artistic and musical experiences, creating a vibrant atmosphere. I never been in Toronto Cherry Blossom Festival but in Vancouver when we go for it- there are ton of activites such as picnics under the flowers, art performances, poetry, and street food. Because all of it, The image of cherry blossoms has become an indispensable part of the spring identity of Vancouver in general and of Canada in particular. One day I will visit the cherry blossom festival in Toronto to enjoy the Canada spring atmosphere again which I haven’t had for a long time.

Summer is my favourite season because the weather is like in my native country. It is warm and sunny. During the summer, I love to go to the park with my family. We have picnics under the trees, and the children play soccer or ride their bikes. Sometimes, we go to the beach and swim in the lake.

In the evenings, we enjoy eating ice cream and walking around the neighbourhood. I also like gardening in the summer. I grow tomatoes, peppers, and flowers in my backyard. It makes me feel happy and relaxed.

Summer is a special time for me because I spend more time outside and with people.

I am originally from Morocco and I haven’t seen cherry blossom trees before in my home country. Those beautiful pink flowers always bloom in late April or May, the first time when I saw cherry blossoms was this year in Ottawa city exactly in the Major’s Hill Park. In additional, this month when we was celebrating the Victoria day I went to the Elisabeth Park in Dows lake and it was such a very amazing experience and a memorable moment to see those trees. I really forgot to took some pictures but I would certainly go to see them again. In conclusion, I really enjoyed the beauty of Ottawa nature and I will go again with some friends.

One of my biggest personal successes has been rebuilding my self-confidence. When I first arrived in Canada, I didn’t feel confident at all. I often doubted myself, compared myself to others, and felt like I wasn’t enough. I used to be more outgoing back home, but in this new environment, I became quieter and more insecure.

Over time, I realized that waiting for others to notice me or make me feel valuable wasn’t the solution. I had to start by valuing myself. So I changed my mindset. I began taking care of myself more, dressing how I wanted, speaking up even when it felt scary, and setting boundaries. I reminded myself that I am unique and worthy, no matter where I am or who I’m around.

Little by little, I started to feel a shift. People began to see my light again—but more importantly, I saw it. I’m still growing, but today, I feel more confident, more grounded, and proud of the person I’m becoming.

"Sports teaches you character, it teaches you to play by the rules, it teaches you to know what it feels like to win and lose – it teaches you about life." – Billie Jean King

I think this thought perfectly describes how important sports are in the life of any human. While some people may begin doing sports only in adulthood, it is much more beneficial to start from early childhood.

As I mentioned above, sports have the highest influence on our life. And we can see this influence in different spheres. Obviously, the first and the main important point of influence of sports in our lives is our health. There are thousands of studies that confirm this. There are some arguments from them such as “regular physical activity can reduce the risk of heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, and some cancers by up to 50%” according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The World Health Organization (WHO) states that people who are regularly active live on average 3–7 years longer than those who are sedentary. In this way we can see that sports bring a lot of positive effects on our health. And we know that health is the foundation of happiness and success in our lives!

Another important part of that complex influence of sports is mental health. The National Institute of Mental Health found that just 30 minutes of moderate exercise three to five times per week can reduce symptoms of depression by 40–50%. Also, a study published in Frontiers in Psychiatry (2021) found that regular aerobic exercise reduces symptoms of anxiety by up to 60% in both clinical and non-clinical populations. This clearly shows that sport is a good alternative to meditation and affects our life in a positive way more than just pursuing a beautiful body. It affects all aspects of our life as mental health has the same importance as physical health.

Additionally to good well-being, we need to have good social skills to function successfully in life and sports also give you this. Sports help people become more confident and improve their social skills. The American Academy of Pediatrics says that playing sports teaches teamwork, communication, and leadership for both kids and adults. When people play on a team, they learn how to work with others and trust each other. Winning, learning, and setting goals in sports also builds self-esteem. These skills are useful in everyday life, school, and work.

A child who starts doing sports from early childhood will have good physical and mental health. He has strong social skills and character. All this allows him to be successful on the first stage of his life - he finishes high school with perfect results, with a lot of friends and he is completely ready for the next level - to adult life. And here sports allows him (because he knows what is discipline and power of will) to receive a diploma from university and get a good job. He continues to do sports all this time and throughout the years. He sees that most of his colleagues and friends have much more health and life problems, but he has a good and much more interesting life because of a much bigger amount of movement in it. And finally, at the old age because he kept moving and doing sports all his life he sees a giant difference between the quality of his life and most of the people around him. He sees a large number of old, sick people, against the background of which he appears to be a person full of life and health, who enjoys this life in retirement, instead of constant pain, heaviness and visits to the hospital. In my opinion, that's the best illustration of the influence of sport on human life.

I came to Canada as a privately sponsored refugee and became a permanent resident. I live in Sudbury with my family, including my 9-year-old son, 7-year-old daughter, and a baby. Life in Canada has its own challenges like the weather, the culture, job hunt, and also the language, but I am working hard to build a better future for me and my family. Canada is a big, peaceful country, and Canadians are kind and cooperative with newcomers. At First, I went to the YMCA centre in my area and they assisted me to fill out the child benefit application form. Also, they provided me with vital information about the health insurance card, Ontario driving license and how I can join free online courses. Through them I got the opportunity to join LINC Home Study. Since March 2024, I have been working in Chris Grocery Store in two departments as a service clerk and produce clerk. Overall, I like my life in Canada so far. In the future I have a plan to join the college or university to study a health related field.

I found my home through an estate agent. It really took a long time. Location and rent were important for me when I looked for a place to live, because I like to live in a nice area and quiet area and it has to be affordable.

My home was in Thunder Bay and it was in the country. It was a big house and there were five bedrooms. I lived with my friends. The apartments in my neighborhood were more expensive than my house. There was a library near my house, too. It offered many programs and services including activities, work shops, and access to technology.

It all started in Conselheiro Lafaiete, in the state of Minas Gerais in Brazil, but ended in another country. My mother and father always did the best for our family. I was a very happy child, I loved playing with my two sisters. I never thought about changing countries. But time passed, I met my husband, and he had already done an exchange in Vancouver and liked the world of Canada. Until unfortunately, I suffered a robbery on my way to work and that left me very scared, which made me think about maybe moving to a safer country to have our children. After this fact in 2017, we started planning our move. It took 2 years of planning, almost 6 years ago, in 2019, we moved to Canada with our dog, Dara.

Life as an immigrant is not easy, but everything has gone well so far. It has been difficult for me to find work because of my English. However, we have already obtained Canadian citizenship and have two beautiful children. My husband graduated here and I am studying English and I intend to go to college in the field of aesthetics next year. Looking back, I am very grateful to God for everything we have experienced so far. It was the best choice, here I feel safe with the family we built, even though I really miss everyone we left behind in Brazil.

My name is Larisa. I was born in Kabul, Afghanistan.

When our case got approved for Canada, it was one of the best moments of our lives. After a month, we received our visas and another month later, our flight was confirmed. Those days were the best days in my life. I was very excited for everything. When we received our visas, the very next day I resigned from my job, and it was the happiest feeling in my life. So, we started shopping for the things we needed. And the day that all of us were waiting for had finally arrived. I was very nervous and afraid, but at the same time I was happy as well.

The first morning in Canada was very different - everything felt quite calm. Sometimes it was like a dream for me, but no, it was not a dream, it was real.

After a month, I got a job in Canada. I was very happy. The first day at my workplace was good, but also it was a tough day, too. I learned everything with time at my workplace, and after three months they hired me permanently. Life in Canada is good but tough. The hardest part is waking up at 4 AM Five days a week. It is not easy. But the good thing is that we have lots of opportunities here. And I am grateful for everything that I have learned here. Even life here can be tough, but I haven't forgotten my dreams. I want to continue my education in Canada and make a better future for myself. I want to be someone my family can be proud of. I am confident that I will make it happen. I know the journey is not easy, but I believe in hard work and faith.

From a young age, I have always loved reading and writing. School was something I enjoyed and even on Fridays which were the weekend in my country. I was excited to learn more. My family means everything to me, and they have always been there to support me. I am so grateful for having them by my side.

The love I have for my country will never fade away. My heart will always be with my homeland. Even though I live far away from my country, I always carry my memories of growing up there with me.

I love the colour black. It feels timeless to me. I also try to stay positive and enjoy life's simple pleasures, like shopping and sleeping, which relax and recharge me. Remember to stay tied to your roots and always stay true to yourself.

When I decided to come to Canada, it was the biggest change in my life. When I arrived, I felt happy and nervous at the same time. I was comfortable to be in a safe country but I was also worried about the new challenges. The language was the biggest problem I faced. It was hard to speak and understand English especially in daily life or when reading papers sent to us by the government. This made things such as going to the doctor, asking for help, or shopping more difficult. I also had trouble finding a job. I had many years of work experience from my country, but it was not easy to find a job in Canada. Most jobs need good English and Canadian work experience. I worked in simple jobs but I always looked for better opportunities. It was hard to be far from my family. In Canada, my wife works, so it is not easy to take care of the children, study, and work all at the same time, but we are trying our best every day. I am learning English in LINC Home Study program. I enjoy learning and try to improve my listening and writing skills. My goal is to improve my English skills well and find a job that suits me.

The differences between Canada and my country, Syria are many. The biggest one is the weather. The winter in Canada is very cold and there is a lot of snow; instead the weather in Syria is warmer most of the year. Another big difference is social life. People in Syria are very close. Friends and relatives visit each other often, and families spend a lot of time together, but in Canada, social life is very quiet. People are polite but often stay alone, and it is hard to make new friends. Sometimes, life here feels lonely. Also, life in Canada is more organized and people follow the rules and are punctual. In Syria, life was simpler but not always organized.

With all these problems, I am thankful to be in Canada. I believe the future will be better for me and my family. Life here is not easy, but it has many good chances for people who work hard and never give up.

I am from Damascus, the capital city of Syria. Before, I had a company that sold oriental antiques. I came to Canada in June, 2019, with my wife and our children. Now we live in a small town in Ontario. I work in a company that makes boxes for car parts. I work nine hours every day. I am happy with my job because it helps me take care of my family. Life in Canada is different, but I am thankful. My children go to school and learn many things. We are starting a new life here, and I hope for a good future for my family.

This February, I was looking for a new dress for my wedding anniversary. I planned to go to Yorkdale shopping mall to buy a white dress because I wanted it to match my silver-coloured shoes.

On the last Saturday of February, I went to the mall with my husband. First I went to Aritzia and tried on various styles of white dresses with different patterns and designs but, unfortunately, I couldn’t find the right one. On my way to another clothing shop, a furniture shop with promotional signs attracted my eyes. I decided to take a look at the sofas. There were many types and colours of sofas. I eventually bought a brown leather sofa and the shop said they would deliver it to my house. After that, I was focused on finding the dress. Around 30 minutes later, I found a white dress with silver stars. It seemed a perfect match to my shoes.

I enjoy shopping in person more than online shopping. When you shop in person, you can actually see the style and feel the material, which is way better than guessing online. In the end, I had a great day.

In Canada, I am exploring new ways of shopping as a new immigrant.

There is a bulk food store near me. It's about 10 minutes away and has a good variety of products like rice, pasta, nuts, and snacks. I think bulk buying can save money, especially on items that don’t spoil quickly. You often pay less per unit when you buy a larger quantity. Bulk buying is good for large families because they use more food and supplies. Buying in bigger amounts helps them save money and reduces the number of trips to the store.

Garage sale is also something new to me. This Saturday, I plan to visit three different garage sales in my neighborhood. I’ll start early to get the best items and bring a shopping bag and some cash. I’m looking for small furniture, books, and maybe something fun like vintage items or home decor. I'll check out the most interesting one first and then visit the others based on location and time. Sometimes I don't want to go to garage sales because they can be crowded, and the items are not in good condition.

I’m happy with the new shopping options I have in Canada.

I was born in 1963. In my childhood, there were no cellphones, no social networks and no Google. We played on the street, we got dirty, we talked face to face. There were no digital distractions. There was real life.

To have a colour TV was a luxury. I remember the first time I saw one, it was amazing, like the world changed in one second. To write a letter was something normal. We waited weeks for an answer, and that was ok. I also remember taking my vinyl discs under my arm to go listen to them with my friends, share music and talk all afternoon. If we wanted to talk to someone, we just went and looked for them. Today, with one click, you can talk with someone on the other side of the world… but sometimes, you don't talk with the person next to you.

When personal computers and the Internet arrived, everything changed. Everything became faster, easier, and more connected. And now, with Artificial Intelligence, you do not even need to think too much: you write one idea and a machine like this makes it a plan, a text or a code. Is amazing, but also a bit scary.

But maybe we lost something too. Maybe we lost our patience, now we want everything fast. Maybe we lost silence, now there is always noise, notifications, and screens. Maybe we lost depth, because many things feel quick, simple, and not so meaningful anymore.

Is not about hating the technology. I use it every day. But I don't forget where I come from. And sometimes, I miss that life without screens, when the world was slower… but also more human.

Computer makes our lives easier by helping us work faster and save time. They help us with completing tasks, school work and office work. Computers give us more information, easy communication and different ways to solve problems. You can play video games, online chat with family and friends, watch your favourite shows and much more.

Everybody should learn how to use a computer because it's very helpful in our modern life. Computers have been used everywhere in the whole world, but most likely we use laptops. There are different types of inventions like smartphones, iPads. Another advantage of the computer is entertainment.

Computers can be used for education, banks, industrial work and many aspects of life. It is quite difficult to get a job if you don't have good computer skills. Computers have created many types of technology which is hard to use and learn. By using computers, people have gained so much knowledge. There are many websites from which you can earn, such as marketing, trading stocks, creating online websites for buying and selling, marketplaces selling household things and many more.

Computers have had a big impact on our personal lives. By using computers all the time, people are having health issues, a lack of focus in studies, reading books, and playing with friends. It feels like an addiction after using a computer for a while. Some people have no interest in talking to new people or having good communication with their own family.

I remember it was about 20 years ago when I was attending a tech course in college, and I was not into it. Maybe because I was very young and consequently, immature, I didn't give myself a chance to get involved in this course. The course was mainly about computer software and programs. In the early 2000s it was all new, and because I did not have a desktop computer of my own, it was difficult to follow and apply all that I had learnt in class. Every semester we would learn new programs and we had to buy these and practice with them. For me, it was not very engaging and the communication aspect of it was not effective.

Unfortunately, I didn't overcome it. However, if I had been able to deal with it, I probably would be working in another career now, and my professional life would be on another level - for the better. I had an opportunity to work in the computer programming field, but I was not confident enough at that time and I missed that opportunity.

After all these years, I still have some use of my computer skills developed in that course, because I know a bit about how to shut down and protect my computer and the hardware from further damage.

Computers have helped our society in various ways. They have made work easier and connected people. I think addiction is the most threatening aspect of computers. When you get used to it, this becomes a habit and a waste of time.

Computers are changing the workplace by making tasks faster and easier. We can send emails, and we can connect with each other faster. We can also learn more at the workplace or in everyday life.

Using the computer has been a challenge for me because I have very basic knowledge of computers. Yet, I try to learn and improve by myself and sometimes when I need help, I can ask my husband or my kids.

AI is now everywhere. It can talk like a human, drive cars, help doctors, and do many other things. That sounds cool, but it also can be dangerous. So, we need to be careful with it.

In the video I watched, a professor named Roman Yampolskiy said that AI might get too smart, and then humans can’t control it anymore. He is very worried about this. He also talked about an idea from another scientist, Nick Bostrom. He said, what if we tell a robot to make paperclips? It could keep making paperclips forever, turning everything into paperclips — even people. Not because it’s evil, but because it just doing its job too good.

One big problem is that AI works like a “black box.” That means we don’t really know how it makes decisions. Even the people who make the AI can’t always explain why it says or does something. That’s scary, because if something goes wrong, we don’t know how to fix it.

Some bad things have already happened. In South Korea, a robot killed a man because it thought he was a box. That’s not from a movie — it really happened. Another time, a drone with AI attacked its own human operator just to finish the mission.

There are other problems too. Google had an AI that looked at photos and said two Black people were “gorillas.” That made many people very angry. It shows how AI can be unfair and hurt people. One chatbot told a sad person maybe they should end their life. That’s terrible. AI should never say something like that.

Microsoft also made a chatbot called Tay. People on the internet taught it bad stuff, and soon it was saying mean and racist things. Then they made a new one called Bing Chat, and it also acted strange. But Microsoft didn’t really fix anything — they just made more bots.

The professor in the video said he collected AI mistakes for many years, but now there’s too many every day. He said companies don’t really fix the problems. Even if AI hurts someone, people might say, “well, more people die from smoking,” and move on.

Even Geoffrey Hinton, one of the people who helped build AI, quit his job at Google because he got scared. He said AI could get too powerful if we don’t act now.

So yeah, I think AI is smart and interesting, but also dangerous if we don’t control it. We need rules and smart people checking it all the time. AI should help humans, not hurt them.

Computers are playing a vital role in my daily life and are making my life easy. I can get so much information online, communicate with anyone I want anywhere in the world, and I can get education from any online institution in the world. The reason why I have got the chance to learn in LINC Home Study is in fact the computer. Without my computer, I wouldn't be able to learn remotely. I am improving my English from the comfort of my home.

With my computer, I can order online from Amazon or Shein many items like toys, clothes, shoes and this saves me time from going to the store or to the mall.

Therefore, it is very true that in this modern world, we all need a computer to make our life easy.

It’s very necessary to have your own car to reach home or the kids’ school on time, to visit places, to go to work and go to the grocery store or pharmacy.

If you don’t have a car in Canada, travel time from one place to another is extensive and takes away from your availability to do other activities.

The means of transportation have changed in the last century and now we have more options like airplanes, trains, streetcars, trucks, helicopters, metro/subways which are faster and better than 100 years ago.

In the present, due to technology advances, we already have self- driving cars. A hundred years from now, we may have flying cars. These could fly at a lower altitude than planes and transportation would be faster. AI could manage your destination and then the car could fly you from one point to another.

There are many pros and cons of using social media sites. First, social media has helped us communicate with people far away. For example, my family members and friends in Korea communicate through social media. It can also be used for telling stories.

Second, you can gain information about things you have not experienced. When you look at Facebook you may find many people describing how their trip went or maybe you may be able to get a tutorial for some things. It allows me to get travel information and plan ahead before I travel. Let me give you an example from my experience. I love Roy Kim, who is a Korean singer , and I can learn from his singing skills to improve mine.

There are some disadvantages of using social media. People become too dependent on it. This is the Internet addiction that is a problem among teenagers these days. For example , studies have shown that when teenagers don't use their phone for just a few minutes , it may cause anxiety, depression, and they may feel they are missing out on all the stories their friends posted or they might think that they missed out on something important.

My conclusion is that social media certainly have clear advantages, but it is very important to utilize them well, and to utilize their advantages well. But, it is also important to learn through books in order to get accurate information.

I would like to express my opinion about netiquette: I believe it is very important to have rules for behaving properly online. The point is to have more and make our lives easier with computers and web resources. Try to get more positive things. Reading the 10 Netiquette rules made me realize how fragile it is to use this amazing tool wrong. I could summarize the 10 rules in one word - and that word will be respect, respect the time, respect people, respect fallings, etc. If I respect myself and everyone else, I can't go wrong.

Knowing how to behave properly online could help you to figure out who to trust online like you do in real life. I think the Internet behaving should be according to that and you should follow the same rules as a real life; never forget there is lots of people behind the screens and again we need to respect ourself and everyone.

My wife and I took winter vacation last year in Pakistan. We were both happy at that time. My brothers and my parents were happy and waited for us to arrive. We had wonderful time there.

Lahore is the and oldest city in Pakistan. We had many favorite street foods there. We celebrated Eid there, celebrated Ramadan and ate traditional foods. We enjoyed time there with a lot with nephews. We both were invited by my relatives for dinner. My sister travelled with her family to Pakistan. We shopped for comfortable clothes and shoes there. I had a ball with my old friends. And we attended relatives' weddings there. The decorations were amazing at bride's side. Everyone was so friendly and cooperative. Time had passed so quickly and after two months we came back to Canada.

Last year I went to Colombia for my vacation, and it was my first time going there. I liked my vacation there so much because my friends met me there. I took a plane from Canada to Colombia. I went with a tourist group. The city was big and nice. I did many things on the busy streets where there were many shops and restaurants. I also visited Piedra Del Peñol which had the rock view. I stayed in Colombia for 10 days and I loved the weather there, because it was always sunny and warm. My hotel room had a building’s view but was on the 21st floor, which it was very nice. My friends and I shared a big room. While we were there, everyone was very nice and everything was cheap. I ate lot of delicious food but mostly sea food and the fresh juice tasted good. All in all, everything there was so nice and amazing. I will go again when I have the chance.

This was my trip in Colombia.

Hello, everyone. I’m Daira. I have 2 kids; one girl and one baby boy. My daughter is 7 years old and my son is 3 months old.

We’re heading to Nintendo World in Orlando at the end of this summer, from August 18 to August 22! It’s our family’s first big vacation with both kids, and we couldn’t be more excited. The main reason we chose this location is because my daughter is obsessed with Super Mario. So, when we heard about the Nintendo-themed park, we knew we had to make it happen!

I know that flying with little ones takes planning, patience, and time, so here’s how we’re getting ready:

1. Flight: I picked flight times that work best with my kids’ routines to help keep moods as best as possible. Our flight is scheduled to leave at 7 AM. It is a direct flight which lowers the chances of meltdowns. And, we should arrive around 10 AM at our destination.
2. Packing: We’re packing plenty of snacks in case the kids get hungry, coloring books for entertainment, and tablets with downloaded shows and games. We’ll also have soft blankets and a change of clothes, just in case of any accidents.
3. Each child gets to bring one comfort item: For example, a favourite stuffed animal or blanket to help them feel secure on the plane.

If you’re planning your own theme park trip with little ones, here are some tips from me:
* Start getting them excited early: Involve them in the planning with countdown calendars or themed activities.
* Bring a stroller: Even if your kids are past the baby stage, theme parks mean tired legs.
* Stay close to the park if you can: Easy access makes a huge difference when you have little ones who need naps or breaks.
* Take breaks: It’s totally okay to slow down and recharge especially in the Florida heat.
* Pack light but smart: Overpacking can be overwhelming. Focus on the essentials: don’t forget sunscreen, hats, extra clothes, and a refillable water bottle.

I decided to visit my native town after 7 years living in Toronto. To give some details: I was born in Kazan. Kazan is the capital of the Republic of Tatarstan. Kazan is in central Russia and near Volga River. This is the biggest river in Europe. People use Tatar language for communication.

At the end of spring, as my work was not busy, I decided to take a vacation. I bought tickets, packed my things and boarded the plane. It was a very long trip.

First, I flew for 10 hours from Toronto to Cairo. Then 5 hours from Cairo to Moscow. In Moscow, there was a change of airports. I traveled 2 hours by train, and 1 hour by flight from Moscow to Kazan. By the end of my trip, I was exhausted. My old friend met me at the airport and he rode me home.

After a good night's sleep I felt rested. I didn't feel any jet lag, although the time difference between Toronto and Kazan is 7 hours. My wife and I went to visit my mother. I haven't seen my mom for 3 years and I miss her. My mother has a small summer house outside the city. This is really beautiful place. This house is located on the banks of the Volga river. There is a forest nearby. But it's an old house and so I had to work there a lot. Like any country house, it requires a lot of maintenance.

But I not only worked on summer house but also rested in too. I met with my old friends and classmates. Walked around the city and visited cafes. We even sailed on a small ship along the Volga River.

I had a really good time on this holiday. It's better to rest than to work, but money is running out, and it's time to go back to Toronto and start working again.

Last November, I went on a trip to New York City with my family. It was an unforgettable experience filled with many special moments. During this trip, we were able to make a few dreams come true. First, we finally saw New York, the city that never sleeps. The tall buildings and busy streets were amazing. Then, for the first time in our lives, we saw the ocean at Coney Island. It was cold, so we could only put our feet in the water, but it was still very exciting. Another dream was walking through Central Park, which we knew from the movie “Home Alone”. It was beautiful and peaceful. Our friends kindly welcomed us into their home and spent time with us. Exploring the city together made the trip even more enjoyable. In reality, three days is not enough to see such a big city full of famous places and attractions. We would love to go back again someday.

My one item on the “bucket-list” is my dream vacation. My dream vacation would be a trip to the beautiful and serene island of Honshu in Japan. Honshu island is the largest and most populous. I’m planning on going with my family. It takes 8 hours to reach that place. We plan to stay one month and to enjoy the white sand, swimming in crystal clear water, soaking up the sun. Honshu Island is rich in history and culture. I would like to walk around to taste the street food. I hope to make it happen someday.

Traveling is the most enjoyable thing in life! If I had enough time and money, I would definitely travel to visit all the countries in the world. However, as time and money are two of the most valuable things, traveling around the world is not a reality, and I have to set some summer travel priorities. So, going to Fernando de Noronha would be my ideal family summer vacation.

Fernando de Noronha is an archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean, part of the State of Pernambuco, located on the Brazilian coast. It is considered as a paradise and one of the most beautiful places to visit in the county. I would love to spend time with my family there. My sons would enjoy seeing aquatic animals, as diving is a very common activity to do in Noronha. My husband and I would have a peaceful time seeing astonishing sunshines.

As a Brazilian, I had never imagined planning outside activities in summer due to the fact that we have great and warm temperatures all year. However, after spending almost three years in Canada, I know the importance of summer plans. Visiting Noronha during the Canadian summer would be a good time because it is winter in Brazil. I know that sounds weird, however, winter in Northeast Brazil means pleasant temperatures, around 20ºC. So, it i better than going during the Brazilian summer when temperatures can reach close to 40ºC. Another reason is the fact that it isn't the high season, so flights and hotels would be cheaper. We could easily travel from Toronto to São Paulo and from São Paulo to Recife, capital of Pernambuco. From Recife we would take one more fight to the archipelago. It is not as cheap as going to Mexico, but it is not too expensive, and it is possible to arrive there with less than 24h flying.

The unique bad side of going to Fernando de Noronha in summer is going out of Canada during the most enjoyable season. Even so, there are many advantages, and my family would love to spend time together in a very special place where we always have had the dream to visit. I hope to realize this as soon as possible. Who knows, maybe it will even encourage you to visit this piece of paradise?

I moved to Canada in 2019. After a few years of living here, I finally had the chance to visit my family in France. I went to Arles and Montpellier to see them and enjoy the warm sun. In Arles, I was very happy to walk again in the old streets and see the beautiful buildings. I spent time with my family, talking, laughing, and eating delicious food.

Then, I visited Montpellier. The city is full of life. I walked around the historic centre, sat outside the cafés, and even went to the beach. The sun was strong and the weather was perfect.

This trip was very special for me. I feel peaceful and happy. It reminded me how important it is to have the family and sunshine in my life.

I came to Canada in 2020. I had to follow some steps to find the job that I have now.

First, somebody helped me to write a resume.

Next, I applied for jobs at different companies and sent out my resume.

After that, I received an email from the company I work at now to set up an interview. My company also required me to set up a medical appointment.

Then, I sent an email back to the company to confirm my interview time and my medical appointment.

Finally, I received an email from the company congratulating me as I had gotten the job. I started working for them in the summer of 2020.

I am still working for the same company and I love my job!

I entered the Waterloo store of T&T Supermarket in May 2024. When I first entered the kitchen department, I didn't understand the work requirements and responsibilities of each team and needed to relearn. I was very nervous at first, but luckily I met a great and experienced colleague who patiently taught me. Through two months of practice, each group's rotation work gradually gained my own work experience and insights.

The kitchen department is divided into hot food team, breakfast team, side dishes team, and sushi team.

The working hours of the hot food team are from 9:30am to 7:45pm. The cooked food by the chef is placed on a hot-table , and the dishes need to be changed in a timely manner and kept clean.

The breakfast team works from 7:45am to 6:30pm to cook snacks with Chinese characteristics for sale, such as pork dumplings, shrimp dumplings, shrimp Spring rolls and pork Spring rolls.....

The side dishes team works from 8:30am to 5:30pm to package the dishes produced from the T&T's central kitchen into small boxes for sale.

Many dishes nowadays are gradually becoming popular among locals, especially during lunchtime when many people from nearby workplaces come to buy them, so our kitchen department will be very busy now.

After a year of exercise, I am now proficient in mastering the work requirements of each group. So, I believe that as long as I work hard, I will definitely achieve success!