Homeland

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 & 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!