1. This is a picture of me during my high school graduation. Unlike Canada, Chinese high schools have
ranking orders and I have had the fortune of attending and graduating from the number one high school
in my city. This day was bittersweet. I was happy that I was done with the four hard years of tough
academics but I was also sad that I will soon be leaving friends and family as I embark on my overseas
exchange.

2. This was my last day in China as I flew from my home city to Beijing which is where I will depart
for my international flight to Canada. I made sure to stop by Tiananmen Square as I have always
loved to travel. This time I was nervous because I will be going to a brand new country with very
little knowledge of the culture and only mediocre grasp on the language. Looking back, I am very
proud of this moment as I stood unfazed for the photo while being a nervous wreck for the
upcoming journey.

3. One year later I was able to realize my
dream of skiing in natural snow. This was
taken at Blue Mountain ski resort as I sat by
a large outdoor firepit. There was hardly
ever snow back at home. In fact the
previous photo which was also taken in
January illustrated a snowless Beijing city.
Having never skied in my life, I was
extremely proud of how quickly I was able
to pick up this sport and the fact that I did
not hurt myself.

4. This photo also illustrated a milestone as I completed my first presentation in English. I was
extremely nervous as I stood in front of a room full of my peers. Having to present for 15 minutes
in a language that I was just beginning to grasp sapped myself of confidence. By the end of my
presentation, I was surprised by how much my language has improved.

5. Over the years, I found myself slowly
adapting to Canadian culture which is vastly
different to the Chinese culture I was
accustomed to. Using what I’ve learned in
school and the resources that I have, I was
able to look for and attend my first job
workshop. It was ran by a Chinese
association which taught in English for the
natives and had Chinese subtitles for those
who couldn’t understand Chinese. I am
proud of the fact that no only was I able to
find this opportunity myself but that I did
not need the subtitles to understand.