Celebration

I moved to New Brunswick on April 6, 2016. One month later, I joined the Chinese Waist Drum Team, which is sponsored by the Chinese Cultural Centre. When I joined the team, it was working on a traditional Chinese musical/dance routine for the Canada Day gala presentation. Everyone practiced very hard for almost two months because we wanted to give our best performance.

On July 1, Canada Day, I arrived at King Square in downtown St. John, which is the starting point of the National Day Parade. It was a perfect day. The sun was shining brightly and there wasn’t a cloud in the sky. I saw people of many nationalities holding the Canadian flag with pride. They were all smiling from ear to ear. I was deeply moved at this moment and thought this is what makes Canada such a great country.

Throughout the parade, our performance received enthusiastic applause from the audience standing on both sides of the streets. While our team was performing, I was able to see the Korean and Indian dance teams perform as well. They were fantastic!

When we arrived at Saint John Market Square, our handsome mayor dressed in uniform made a warm speech. Unfortunately, I did not understand what he said because I had only been living in Canada for a very short time. There was also another official holding a big gun. All the people in the square were counting down because they thought there would be a loud gun salute, but when we got to zero, the gun did not fire. After a few seconds of silence, everybody laughed together. I was so surprised by way everyone reacted. It was a joyful moment. To end the amazing day, all the people attending the Canada Day celebrations shared birthday cake the mayor gave us.

I am very grateful for all help I have received since I came to Canada. I did not grow up in Canada, but I love it here. The people are so joyful and positive.