Canada

Canada was my first and only foreign country I've ever been to. I was born and raised in Ukraine and till the age of 21, I'd never been abroad. Then my family decided to move to Canada and that was my first experience in a different country. Someone said that if you ever live abroad or travel for a long time, your life is never going to be the same. And it's true! Today I want to share my first impressions of Canada, the country that changed my life.

I must sadly admit I didn't know much about Canada before coming here. All I could recall about this country, besides that's the second largest country in the world, besides some famous places and big cities, were maple syrup and hockey. So, I arrived here with no expectations.

One of the first things I've noticed is how extremely friendly people are! It's incredible! Every single person starts a conversation with 'How are you today?'. Even if you're not good in English, everyone is patient and tries to make an effort to understand what you're saying, and if you don't understand something, they will try to explain that to you, using different words. I was amazed how Canadians were explaining every simple word to me, a foreigner, who could hardly understand English, and at the end I knew what they were talking about without even using Google translator. I don't think I can explain the meaning of any Ukrainian word in a way that every foreigner can understand it.

I knew Canada has one of the largest Ukrainian diaspora in the world, but even though, every time I met a Ukrainian here, I was so surprised. Anywhere you go, there is a big chance you can meet someone who is from Ukraine or who knows Ukrainian. Every second person I met knew a few Ukrainian words and asked me some new ones to learn. I was impressed how much Ukrainian culture and cuisine are kept alive here. Maybe this is not a big thing for someone, but I was pretty happy to know that I'm not alone and there are a lot of people here that have Ukrainian roots.

Of course, talking about my first impressions about Canada, I can't miss its beautiful nature and wildlife. I was told, it's a country of lakes and bushes and I agree. There are so many lakes that some of them don't even have a name. Back in Ukraine I lived in a big city and didn't have a chance to see any wild animals, and I don't think there are as many as in Canada. But here I live in a small town and I was so excited to see deer, moose, elk and even bears for the first time in real life.

Canada is a great place to live. There are a lot of opportunities, lots to do, lots to learn and lots to see. I'm so happy one day my family made the decision to move here.