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James
Kenji Harada
΄cWFCX‘@(½ς)
Vancouver, British
Columbia, Canada
My hometown is Vancouver, British Columbia,
Canada. It is the 3rd largest city in Canada and it is located on the west coast. Vancouver was established in 1867 and was named after the explorer George Vancouver.
It is one of the youngest cities in Canada. It has
grown into one of the largest ports and commercial areas in Canada and will be hosting the next 2010 Winter Olympics. It is best known
for its cosmopolitan population and culture, beautiful scenery, winter
sports, tourist attractions, and one of the more temperate but rainy climates
in Canada. I was raised in the northeastern area of Vancouver called North
Vancouver and as an adult lived and worked in the
downtown area.
When I was a child, most of my friends were of many different races.
One of my best friends was Italian, another was half German and French-Canadian,
and a third was half Japanese and Scottish. (All of us, including Japanese-Canadian
me, are Canadian though.) It is always fun to go to friendsf houses
for dinner because you never knew exactly what you would eat. The
most exotic food I remember eating was probably Persian (Iranian); it was
similar to Greek food but with slightly different flavoring. I really
liked it. I also heard many different languages and learned some
things about each familyfs culture. If you ever go there, you may
be surprised at the varied hair, eye, and skin colors of the people around
you.
I am not the most outdoorsy person in the
world, but I did enjoy living in Vancouver because of its natural beauty. Vancouver is located near both the Pacific Ocean and the Coastal Mountains. There are 3 ski areas within 40 minutes from the downtown area
and there are beaches all over Vancouver. I used to go to English
Bay for walks and watch the sunset which helped me relieve stress. I
also would go to Cypress Mountain and look at the spectacular view of downtown
Vancouver. If you are a skier, you can go to Whistler Blackcomb ski resort
which is the location of the ski events for the Olympics and is about 1
hour and a half outside Vancouver.
Not everything about Vancouver is good though. It has problems like all larger cities in the world.
It is expensive to live there because of its popularity. The crime
rate is slightly higher than Japan, so you do have to be a little more careful in certain areas. It
rains a lot because of its location near the ocean and mountains.
But if you keep aware of those things then living there is very good.
I feel very lucky to have been born and raised in Vancouver because it prepared
me for living in Japan. It gave me an appreciation for other cultures and gave me the skills
to deal with unusual situations. I miss many things about Vancouver, but I think I would also miss living in Kamisu if I ever left.
I have learned there are good and bad things about living in anyplace.
If you ever go there, please go with open eyes and an open mind and maybe
you will understand what I mean.
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