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The ‘Maple Leaf’ExperienceGeneration yTexT: LeaT ahronyWhen you grow up in one country all ofyour life, there is only that one placethat is familiar to you. For me, this wasTaiwan. Before graduation, I was setfor a new journey. After a term at the University ofVictoria and five months in Canada, I now realize howimportant diversity is.To find one's niche in university life can bechallenging when you are dealing with a long list ofadjustments. It is natural for international studentssharing similar backgrounds to group together."UVic has diversity," said one UVic student fromCalgary, "but I find that many of the internationalstudents tend to stick to each other like glue." Thisis quite noticeable around the campus. Over time,however, international students familiarize with thenew culture and environment. They slowly releasethemselves, and engage with students of othercultures and ethnic backgrounds.On August 29th, 2011, I landed on Canadian soil.As I scanned the immigration lines, diversity filled thespace around me. My parents were worried aboutme leaving an Asian environment, but I feel as thoughI am surrounded by it. A spark inside me jumpedwhen I spotted Chinese characters on store signs.Fairway supermarket had it all: Bok Choy, Chinesewhite cabbage, bean sprouts, bitter melon, YowChoy, and not one, but three types of tofu. Hearingthe cap seal break on a container of soy milk wasmusic to my ears: the rich aroma of fresh soy beansbrought me back to the breakfast stores in Taiwan.With one sip, I was home. It wasn’t So Good,Silk, or Vita Soy. It was creamy, rich, pure, andplain ground soy beans with water. Chinatown indowntown Victoria is fascinating and familiar. Therewere exciting festivities and celebrations for ChineseNew Year. But it was not enough to satisfy myinterest, and I started to feel like a Canadian when Ibecame curious about other cultures, religions, andpractices.I met people from different provinces of Canada.I conversed with people from Germany, Scotland,Denmark, India, Iran, the Philippines, China,Singapore, Malaysia, and Taiwan. Learning aboutdifferent cultures was colorful and fulfilling, likeeating a bowl of Tang Yuan. It was entertaining tocompare accents. Doing this opened my eyes andaccelerated curiosity levels. There is little diversity onthe streets of Taipei, but it is everywhere in Canada.I am drawn by Canada’s quality of life, and itsreputation as a peaceful, open, and caring society thatwelcomes newcomers and values diversity. I feel theworld as a whole lacks this quality and reputation. Ihave met numerous immigrants who have been livingin Canada for over twenty years. When asked ifthey felt like outsiders, they all said no, despite lowEnglish ability. There is a certain degree of diversityin every country, but to me, Canada seems one of themore welcoming places for immigrants.The color of our skin is only an outlook. Thefeatures of our face and the sizes of our bodies arepieced together by million of strands of DNA. Thelanguages we use to communicate may be different,but nothing can stop us from learning. My father —who has lived in Taiwan for thirty years — still doesnot speak Mandarin. He shops in the traditionalfood markets with a few familiar Chinese sentencesin mind, and makes use of creative body language.The environment you grow up in certainly affectsyour customs, behaviors, values, language, practices,and more. However, every human has the right tointeract with each other, explore new places, andcherish different cultures and ethnicities. I ask myselfwhy the globe is round and not square or triangular.It signifies unity. Humans are all the same insideand out: skin, cells, fat, and bone. When we die andreturn back to the earth, nothing differentiates usfrom one another.Some people may say leaving your home, aplace you have known all your life, is an arduousjourney. If Canada is your new destination though,your experience will be less of a challenge because,in my opinion, in this peaceful and multiculturalnation you have all the support and culturaldiversity you will need. The maple leaf symbol isfound in every Canadian province. It symbolizesequity, unity, and cultural diversity. Although theycarry the same generic shape and form, every leafis unique. Canadians value and cherish differentcultures that augment our knowledge beyond ourfamiliar surroundings and enhance our everydaylives. Taiwan is a magical place, and Taipei AmericanSchool was an excellent school both academically andsocially, but going abroad for university was the bestdecision I ever made.Leat Ahrony is a business undergraduate student at the University of Victoria (UVic)in Canada. She began her journalism career in high school writing for the Centered onTaipei magazine. She has a weekly online column for the UVic newspaper, The Martlet,and regularly writes print news and culture articles. She plans to earn her B.A incommerce and continue a side career in journalism.www.communitycenter.org.tw march 201229