The first thing that I am thankful for is my birth in the UK. This happened 17 years ago when my father decided to pursue his study overseas. Because this decision was made quite suddenly, my pregnant mother hesitated if this was an appropriate time for her to live in an unfamiliar country. This was actually a difficult decision for them, who both could not speak fluent English. However, I do appreciate they gave me the place of my birth in England, where English was created and spread to the world as the global language. That is, my first language is English, although I am still studying in ESL. Also, for the reason, I have a special Chinese name which is directly translated from my English name.
Secondly, I am thankful for having an opportunity to go back to Taiwan where my parents came from. I am proud of being a Taiwanese because I think Taiwanese people are very kind and they enjoy helping others who are in need. I am fortunate that I can write Chinese characters, making me understand how they evolved from Chinese wisdom. Some Chinese characters are indeed cool that their appearances look like a picture, by which ancient people can communicate more directly. To talk about education in schools, I learned a lot of knowledge that I was forced to learn but they are currently useful for my adjustment to the study in Canada. For example, the metal(金屬) elements on the periodic table in Chemistry, while being presented in Chinese characters, all have a Chinese radical: 金. Just like sodium(鈉), as you can see, the character includes the radical “金” which means that sodium is a metal. However, you can’t recognize the characteristics of elements in English.
Finally, the last thing that I am thankful for is that my parents provided me with the opportunity to continue my study in Canada. Several reasons can explain why I am grateful to them for their decision. In addition to the opportunity to improve my English, the establishment of an alternative approach to think and study is important for me. Furthermore, I have made a lot of friends at school. Some friends are hard-working, thus we can study together and learn new things. The others enjoy their life and inspire me on how to relax while I feel anxious about studying. These friends contribute to the important part of my current life.
The three things which I am thankful to look quite different, but they are all connected to my cultural understanding of how people live and think differently in the global village. So, I guess the next stop of my life journey would be living in the Arctic. If this dream happens, I would be thankful for some person who is not my parents anymore, because that would be a new milestone for me and my own family (perhaps, with my husband and children).
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