Hannah N.

Toronto, Ontario

Toronto East Regional Fair

China to Canada: An Immigration Story

My parents and I are both immigrants from China, and this video depicts the experiences of the many others like us who are Chinese immigrants to Canada. Aside from my family's immigration story and an overview of Chinese Canadians and immigration, my video also features an animated spoken word poem expresses my own feelings and thoughts about immigration, based on the information I have gathered.

 

 

What was the most interesting thing you learned about your topic?

For me, first and foremost, it was very interesting learning about how my parents went through the immigration process. I learned a lot of things about my mother-country, China, that I'd never known before, including the exact reasons my parents had for emigrating out of China. It was also interesting to see how Canada's immigration system would change over time, to adapt to Canada's fluctuating economic and population situations. I am curious as to what will happen next with this system, and how it can be changed for the better.

What important lessons have you learned that you want to share with other Canadians?

I have learned a lot about all the things my parents had to go through to get us to this great country we're living in now. I think a big takeaway message is that we should not take the life we have for granted, because not everyone is given the privilege of things we don't think much of, like clean water and air or a progressive and supportive education system, among the other things we are fortunate to have here in Canada. It's also important to realize, I think, how much potential immigrants have and how much they can contribute to Canada if we give them the opportunity.

How would you compare your life today to the lives of those studied in your project?

I myself wonder a lot how my life and my family's lives might've been different if we had decided to stay in China instead. Living in China would likely be a lot more stressful on all of us, because the lifestyle there puts a lot of pressure on academic performance and productivity at work. Here in Canada, though, I feel like my life is more laid back and that students like me have more choices in our futures—rather than just following the university curriculums that are laid out for us in China, here we are presented with various educational programs, be it college, apprenticeship, or some other educational pathway.