2 CLBS tasks to consider:
1. Decline an invitation to a
social event. Apologize and
give a reason for declining.
2. Call to make an appointment
with a professor or dentist.


Version 2

1. http://chirb.it/n8Nx3K

2 CLBS tasks to consider:
1. Decline an invitation to a
social event. Apologize and
give a reason for declining.
2. Call to make an appointment
with a professor or dentist.

1. Version 1

http://chirb.it/FbmbFJ

2.Version 1

http://chirb.it/f7BHJ6

CLB6RRead and follow instructions 
and warnings on a label for a 
common chemical product 
(such as cleaning products, 
paint thinner) used at home 
or at work. 

Leave a short but adequate voicemail about the Precautions and First Aid procedures related to this product. Place the link from Audioboo or AudioPal on your blog.

Version 2

http://chirb.it/y5J0zL

R Read and follow instructions 
and warnings on a label for a 
common chemical product 
(such as cleaning products, 
paint thinner) used at home 
or at work. 

Leave a short but adequate voicemail about the Precautions and First Aid procedures related to this product. Place the link from Audioboo or AudioPal on your blog.


Version 1

http://chirb.it/Ah7dpd

                                Imperial and Metric Measurement System in Canada

                                  (Draft 3^rd, probably final, after 2^nd correction)

 

I would tell one confusing story which happened to me recently.

One day my husband and I were going to the nearest town for groceries when our neighbour asked to buy for him “two quarts of half and half cream”. As my husband and I came from Europe, where we both used metric measurement system (he is from Germany and I am from Ukraine), we guessed that one quart is 250ml, or ¼ litre. So we bought two 237ml packs of half and half cream. But what a surprise when we came back home and our neighbour came to pick up his goods. According to the imperial measurement system one quart is 0.9463 litres which is more than ¼ (one quarter) litre in the metric system. It is not hard to guess that our calculations were wrong and instead of two quarts we bought two quarter-litres.

After this strange situation, I asked myself why it happened, why there was a misunderstanding. So I went to my “best friend”, the internet, and found the answer to my questions. According to my search, only three countries in the world, namely USA, Liberia, and Burma, still officially use the archaic imperial system of weights and measures. But what about Canada? Canada adopted and has officially used the metric system since 1970s, but imperial measurements are often used as well. Also Wikipedia says: “The use of metric or imperial measurement varies by age and region. Older Canadians are sometimes more familiar with the imperial measurement, whereas younger Canadians are more familiar with metric. And many provinces and territories in Canada include the imperial system of measurement as a part of their school education.”

I am sure many immigrants have often had similar confusing situations to mine, in grocery stores, hardware stores, clothing shops, medical clinics, etc. In my opinion a better way to avoid similar situations as this is for the government to make a strict policy to have just one measurement system in Canada. Why should we make our lives more difficult if we can make them easier!

 

                                     Imperial and Metric Measurement System in Canada

                                                                CORRECTION 2nd

                               Imperial and Metric Measurement Systems in Canada

                                                       (Draft 2^nd after 1^st correction)

I would tell one confusing story which happened to me recently.

One day my husband and I were going to the nearest town for groceries when our neighbour asked to buy for him “two quarts of half and half cream”. As my husband and I came from Europe, where we both used metric measurement system (he is from Germany and I am from Ukraine), we guessed that one quart is 250ml, or ¼ litre. So we bought two 237ml packs of half and half cream. But what a surprise when we came back home and our neighbour came to pick up his goods. According to the imperial measurement system one quart is 0.9463 litres which is more than ¼ (one quarter) litre in the metric system. It is not hard to guess that our calculations were wrong and instead of two quarts we bought two quarter-litres.

After this strange situation, I asked myself why it happened, why there was a misunderstanding. So I went to my “best friend”, the internet, and found the answer to my questions. According to my search, only three countries in the world, namely USA, Liberia, and Burma, still officially use the archaic imperial system of weights and measures. But what about Canada? Canada adopted and has officially used the metric system since 1970s, but imperial measurements are often used as well. The use of metric or imperial measurement varies by age and region. Older Canadians are sometimes more familiar with the imperial measurement, whereas younger Canadians are more familiar with metric. And it seems many provinces and territories in Canada include the imperial system of measurement as a part of their school education.

I’m sure, many immigrants have often had similar confusing situations which I had: in grocery stores, hardware stores, clothing shops, medical clinics, and etc. In my opinion the better way to avoid the similar situations with this not official double measurement system is: the government should make strict decision of which one of the measurement system in Canada people have to use. Why we should make our life more difficult if we can make our life easier!

 

 

                                              CORRECTION 1 st

                                   Imperial and Metric Measurement Systems in Canada

                                                                             (draft 1st)

I would tell one confusing story which happened to me recently.

One day my husband and I were going to the nearest town for groceries while our neighbour was sending us a message and asked to buy for him “two quarts of half@ half creamo”.  As my husband and I came to Canada from Europe, where we both used metric measurement system (he is from Germany and I am from Ukraine), so we decided that one quart is 250ml which means ¼ litre. So we bought two packs by 237ml of half@half creamo. But how much we all were surprised when we came back home and our neighbour came to pick up his good. According to the imperial measurement system one quart is 0.9463 litres which is more than ¼ (one quarter) litre in the metric system. It is not hard to guess that our calculations were wrong and instead of two quarts we bought two quarter.

After this strange situation I asked me self why it happened, why there was misunderstanding? So I went to my “best friend”, internet, and found the answer to my questions. According to my search, only three countries in the world such as USA, Liberia, and Burma still use officially the archaic Imperial system of weights and measures. But what about Canada? Canada adopted and officially uses the metric system since 1970s, but imperial measurements are often used as well. The use of metric or imperial measurement varies by age and region. Older Canadians are sometimes more familiar with the imperial measurements, whereas younger Canadians are more familiar with metric. And it seems many provinces and territories in Canada include the imperial system of measurement as a part of their school education.

 I am sure, many immigrants have often had similar confusing situations which I had: in grocery stores, hardware stores, clothing shops, medical clinics, and etc. In my opinion the better way to avoid the similar situations with this not official double measuring system is: the government should make strict decision which one of the measurement systems in Canada people have to use. Why we should make our life more difficult if we can make our life easier!

                 

                                                        (VERSION 2^ND, FINAL)

                                         Another Life, Different Challenges

I came to Canada on the family class programme in September of 2015. Despite my husband’s describing to me many times our future home in Canada, it was difficult to imagine where I have to live, when I was still in my country of origin (Ukraine).

Here, in Canada, my husband and I live in a small village in a remote area without any developed infrastructure around. The closet big city with good infrastructure is located 30km away. The most difficult aspect of adjusting to life in Canada for me is language. My level of language is still not good enough to find a job or interact with people.

I have encountered with some barriers since coming here. For instance, huge distances are a big problem for me because I cannot drive and there is no public transport in our area. Also, we have a chance to go to town for shopping only once a week, on weekends, when my husband is off. So I always have to buy all our groceries one week ahead. We don’t have a lot of people around in our area who could be a potential “local teacher” to improve my language skills. We have neighbours who live anywhere from 100m to 60km away. Our nearest neighbours live their own lives and are not much motivated to contact us.

It was one funny story when my husband and I were invited to our other neighbours for lunch. I was surprised when we had to drive almost one hour to get there. Yes, it sounds strange, but they are our neighbours.

My adjustment to life here still continues. It is not going fast and easy. I cannot to get used to some aspects of living here. But I know it will come, sooner or later. Just keep going step by step and never give up!

                                                       CORRECTION 1st and FINAL

            

                                               OTHER LIFE, OTHERS CHALLENGES

                                                                 (draft 1)

I came to Canada by family class programme in September of 2015. Despite my husband described for me many times the future place of living in Canada, it was difficult to imagine where I have to live, when I was still in my country origin (Ukraine).

Here, in Canada, my husband and I live in a small village in remote area and there is not any developed infrastructure here. The closest bigger city with good developed infrastructure is located 30km away. The most difficult aspect of adjusting to life in Canada for me is language. My level of language is still not good enough on finding some job or interacting with people.

I have encountered with some barriers since coming here. For instance, huge distances which cause a big problem for me because I cannot drive and there is not a public transport in our area. Also, we have a chance to go to town for shopping only once a week, on weekends, when my husband is off. So I have to buy all our groceries for one week ahead. We don’t have a lot of people around in our area who could be a potential “local teacher” for me on improving my language skills. We have the nearest neighbours who live 100, 150,200 metres far, but they live their lives and not much motivated to contact with us.

It was one funny story when my husband and I were invited to our neighbours for lunch. How much I was surprised when we had to drive almost one hour to get there. Yes, it sounds strange, but they are neighbours.

My adjusting to life here still continues. It is not going fast and easy. I cannot to get used to some aspects of living here. But I know it will come, sooner or later. Just step by step and never give up!

 

                      

                                                  My First Impression of Canada

                                             (version 6, final, after 5-th correction)

I am still not familiar with too many aspects of life in Canada, but I would like to share my first impression about Canada.

I moved to Canada from Ukraine in September of 2015 so I am still a new settler in the country. Here, in Canada, I live in a small village, Burns Lake, in beautiful British Columbia with a population of over 2,000. Our city is located between two bigger cities, Prince George in the East and Prince Rupert in the West. My husband and I drove through this village from West to East and from East to West many times, so all my impressions are based on what I saw, heard, read, or was dealing with at that place.

Let me start!

I was impressed by the huge distances! Travelling 200-300 km for the local people is like going around the corner. So a car here is a vehicle and not a luxury, whereas in Ukraine it is still a luxury. Also, I was impressed by the multiculturalism here and the huge number of people of different nationalities who live peacefully. The people are polite, friendly, and tolerant, so no one criticizes anyone for their appearance: piercings, tattoos, green hair, etc. Nobody cares!

Here, there is a well-developed infrastructure for people with disabilities- from reserved wheelchairs to specially equipped busses.  Also, there is very strong financial support for the community. The different companies, firm, and private people donate money to their local community. Volunteering is something that has existed for a long time in Canada, and many people are involved and do it with a pleasure, whereas in Ukraine this is at an early phase. Here, all important documents such as PR Card, driver’s license, insurance card, etc., can be sent by mail, which is convenient and saves time. I can get any information without leaving the house or wasting any time with just a phone call or online transaction. Many times while the hardware store was closed but the fertilizer and ice melt were sitting outside the store, nobody stole them. I felt safe.

Canada has the imperial system of measurement while in Ukraine there is the metric system. So when someone asks me how tall I am in feet, I say “I don’t know”. When I buy potatoes, for example a 10 lb bag, I have to convert it to kilograms, or when I bake I use the conversion table from Celsius to Fahrenheit. The sales tax on most of goods and services which are not included in the price confuses me. Sales taxes in British Columbia comprise 7% PST (Provincial Sales Tax) and 5% GST (Good and Services Tax) which totals 12%. In my opinion it is a confusing situation, when I want to buy a dress listed at $100, but in total I would have to pay 12% more because of taxes. For example, in Ukraine all taxes (20%) are already included in the price, and everybody knows how much to pay, because the posted price is final. Here, it is easy to return any unsuitable or defective thing at customer service within 14 to 90 days of purchase whit the original receipt. In Ukraine this is almost impossible. To return a product I have to fill a form, to explain the reason of returning, and attach a copy of my passport. Then, after due consideration, if I am lucky, they will return the money in three months.

 In Canada I can buy alcohol only in the provincially licensed shops. In Ukraine I can buy alcohol in any shop. For me it was strange to know, that I don’t have to include any information about my age, marital status, or a photo in my resume. In Ukraine the situation is the opposite. The photo, age, and marital status are required; -otherwise, the resume is not acceptable. As I know, in Canada, the employment history is written in the resume, while in Ukraine it is a very important document filled in by one’s employers.

It seems Halloween is as popular an event here as New Year or Easter in Ukraine, and people spend a lot of money during this time. For example, in Ukraine nobody celebrates Halloween because it is associated with monsters. I have seen a lot of Christian denominations in Canada unlike in Ukraine, where the Ukrainian orthodox church dominates. Even our small village with 2,000 people has approximately 15 churches. It seems the traditional Canadian maple syrup is in every house like a sushi in Japan or pasta in Italy. Even I have it!  According my observations all Canadians drink a lot of coffee! And as soon as the break begins, most people go to Tim Horton’s to pick up a cup of coffee. I was disappointed when I couldn’t find any Ukrainian food, which I miss so much: natural ray bread, roasted brown buckwheat, different kinds of salted fish, halva, cottage cheese, and whey. Or it seemed that the name of food was the same, but the quality here is lower. There are a lot of fat people, especially the young generation. The weather changes three to four times a day, so very often I can see people in shorts and flip-flops in the middle of the winter. I feel embarrassed when strangers ask me, “How are you?” whereas in my country it is not good manners to ask a stranger that question. Canadians love their little brothers, I mean, their dogs and cats. And I have never seen any homeless or stray animals.

 One thing that cannot be compared with Canada is its unique nature: endless forests, mighty mountains, fascinating lakes, and wonderful wildlife.

These were my first impressions about Canada, its people, and its situations. Some of them are funny, some are interesting, and some are sad. But despite this, my main goal here is accept that, take the best of it, and become a part of Canadian society.

 

 

 

                                 


                                         CORRECTION 5, FINAL

            

                                           My First Impression of Canada

                                             (draft 5 after 4-th correction)

 

I am not still familiar with too many aspects of life in Canada, but I would like to share my first impression about Canada.

I moved to Canada from Ukraine in September of 2015 so I am still a new settler in the country. Here, in Canada, I live in a small village, Burns Lake, in beautiful British Columbia with a population of over 2,000. Our city is located between two bigger cities, Prince George in the East and Prince Rupert in the West. My husband and I drove through this village from West to East and from East to West many times, so all my impressions are based on what I saw, heard, read, or was dealing with at that place.

Let’s start!

I was impressed by the huge distances! Travelling 200-300 km for the local people is like going around the corner. So a car here is a vehicle and not a luxury, whereas in Ukraine it is still a luxury. Also, I was impressed by the multiculturalism here and the huge number of people of different nationalities who live peacefully. The people are polite, friendly, and tolerant, so no one criticizes anyone for their appearance: piercings, tattoos, green hair, etc. Nobody cares!

Here, there is a well-developed infrastructure for people with disabilities- from reserved wheelchairs to specially equipped busses.  Also, there is very strong financial support for the community. The different companies, firm, and private people donate money to their local community. Volunteering is something that has existed for a long time in Canada, and many people are involved and do it with a pleasure, whereas in Ukraine this is at an early phase. Here, all important documents such as PR Card, driver’s license, insurance card, etc., can be sent by mail, which is convenient and saves time. I can get any information without leaving the house or wasting any time with just a phone call or online transaction. Many times while the hardware store was closed but the fertilizer and ice melt were sitting outside the store, nobody stole them. I felt safe.

Canada has the imperial system of measurement while in Ukraine there is the metric system. So when someone asks me how tall I am in feet, I say “I don’t know”. When I buy potatoes, for example a 10 lb bag, I have to convert it to kilograms, or when I bake I use the conversion table from Celsius to Fahrenheit. The sales tax on most of goods and services which are not included in the price confuses me. Sales taxes in British Columbia comprise 7% PST (Provincial Sales Tax) and 5% GST (Good and Services Tax) which totals 12%. In my opinion it is a confusing situation, when I want to buy a dress listed at $100, but in total I would have to pay 12% more because of taxes. For example, in Ukraine all taxes (20%) are already included in the price, and everybody knows how much to pay, because the posted price is final. Here, it is easy to return any unsuitable or defective thing at customer service within 14 to 90 days of purchase whit the original receipt. In Ukraine this is almost impossible. To return a product I have to fill a form, to explain the reason of returning, and attach a copy of my passport. Then, after due consideration, if I am lucky, they will return the money in three months. In Canada I can buy alcohol only in the provincially licensed shops.  In Ukraine I can buy alcohol in any shop.  For me it was strange to know, that I don’t have to include any information about my age, marital status, or a photo in my resume. In Ukraine the situation is the opposite. The photo, age, and marital status are required; -otherwise, the resume is not acceptable. As I know, in Canada, the employment history is written in the resume, while in Ukraine it is a very important document filled in by one’s employers.

It seems that Halloween is a very popular event here as New Year or Ester in Ukraine and people spend a lot of money for that. For example, in Ukraine nobody celebrates Halloween, because it is associated with monsters. I saw a large number of orthodox churches of different streams. Even our small village with 2,000 people has approximately 15 churches of different streams. It seems that traditional Canadian Maple Syrup is in every house like a sushi in Japan or pasta in Italy. Even I have it!  According my observations all Canadians drink a coffee! And as soon as the break has begun the most of people go to Tim Hortons to pick up the coffee.  I was disappointed when I couldn’t find some food here which I had in Ukraine and I’m missing so much: bread, roasted brown buckwheat, different kind of salty fish, halva, cottage cheese, and whey. Or it seemed that the name of food was the same, but the quality here is lower.

There are a lot of fat people, especially the young generation. The weather changes three-four times a day, so very often I can see people in shorts and flip-flop in the middle of the winter. I feel embarrassed when person who see me first time ask me:” How are you”?, whereas in my country it is not good manner to ask a stranger that question.  Canadians like so much their smaller brothers, I mean dogs and cats. And I have never seen any homeless or stray animals.

 One thing that cannot be compared with Canada is its unique nature: endless forests, mighty mountains, fascinating lakes, and wonderful wildlife.

These were my first impressions about Canada, people, situations. Some of them are funny, some are interesting, some are sad. But despite that my main goal here is accept that, take the best of it and become a part of Canadian society.

 

 

 

 

                    


                                           CORRECTION 4

                                          


                                           

                                           My First Impression of Canada

                                             (draft 4 after 3-d correction)

 

I am not still familiar with too many aspects of life in Canada, but I would like to share my first impression about Canada.

I moved to Canada from Ukraine in September of 2015 so I am still a new settler in the country. Here, in Canada, I live in a small village, Burns Lake, in beautiful British Columbia with a population of over 2,000. Our city is located between two bigger cities, Prince George in the East and Prince Rupert in the West. My husband and I drove through this village from West to East and from East to West many times, so all my impressions are based on what I saw, heard, read, or was dealing with at that place.

Let’s start!

I was impressed by the huge distances! Travelling 200-300 km for the local people is like going around the corner. So a car here is a vehicle and not a luxury, whereas in Ukraine it is still a luxury. Also, I was impressed by the multiculturalism here and the huge number of people of different nationalities who live peacefully. The people are polite, friendly, and tolerant, so no one criticizes anyone for their appearance: piercings, tattoos, green hair, etc. Nobody cares!

Here, there is a well-developed infrastructure for people with disabilities- from reserved wheelchairs to specially equipped busses.  Also, there is very strong financial support for the community. The different companies, firm, and private people donate money to their local community. Volunteering is something that has existed for a long time in Canada, and many people are involved and do it with a pleasure, whereas in Ukraine this is at an early phase. Here, all important documents such as PR Card, driver’s license, insurance card, etc., can be sent by mail, which is convenient and saves time. I can get any information without leaving the house or wasting any time with just a phone call or online transaction. Many times while the hardware store was closed but the fertilizer and ice melt were sitting outside the store, nobody stole them. I felt safe.

Canada has the imperial system of measurement while in Ukraine there is the metric system. So when someone asks me how tall I am in feet, I say “I don’t know”. When I buy potatoes, for example a 10 lb bag, I have to convert it to kilograms, or when I bake I use the conversion table from Celsius to Fahrenheit. The sales tax on most of goods and services which are not included in the price confuses me. Sales taxes in British Columbia comprise 7% PST (Provincial Sales Tax) and 5% GST (Good and Services Tax) which totals 12%. In my opinion it is a confusing situation, when I want to buy a dress listed at $100, but in total I would have to pay 12% more because of taxes. For example, in Ukraine all taxes (20%) are already included in the price, and everybody knows how much to pay, because the posted price is final. Here, it is easy to return any unsuitable or defective thing at customer service within 14 to 90 days of purchase whit the original receipt. In Ukraine this is almost impossible. To return a product I have to write an application addressed to the main manager, explain the reason of returning, and attach a copy of the passport. Then, after the conclusion of expertise, if I am lucky, they will return money in three months. Any alcohol in Canada I can buy only in the specialized shops which controlled by the state. In Ukraine I can buy an alcohol in any shop.  For me was strange to know, that I don’t have to include in resume any information about my age, marital status, photo. In Ukraine a situation is opposite. The photo, age, and marital status are required, otherwise the resume is not acceptable. As I know here is not the employment history, while in Ukraine it is very important document.

It seems Halloween is a very popular event here as New Year or Ester in Ukraine and people spend a lot of money for that. For example, in Ukraine nobody celebrates Halloween, because it is associated with monsters. I saw a large number of orthodox churches of different streams. Even our small village with 2,000 people has approximately 15 churches.

 It seems the traditional Canadian Maple Syrup is in every house like a sushi in Japan or pasta in Italy. Even I have it!  According my observations all Canadians drink a coffee! And as soon as the break has begun the most of people go to Tim Hortons to pick up the coffee.  I was disappointed when I couldn’t find some food here which I had in Ukraine and I’m missing so much: bread, roasted brown buckwheat, different kind of salty fish, halva, cottage cheese, and whey. Or it seemed that the name of food was the same, but the quality here is lower.

There are a lot of fat people, especially the young generation. The weather changes three-four times a day, so very often I can see people in shorts and flip-flop in the middle of the winter. I feel embarrassed when person who see me first time ask me:” How are you”? whereas in my country it is not good manner to ask a  stranger that question.  Canadians like so much their smaller brothers, I mean dogs and cats. And I have never seen any homeless or stray animals.

 One thing that cannot be compared with Canada is its unique nature: endless forests, mighty mountains, fascinating lakes, and wonderful wildlife.

These were my first impressions about Canada, people, situations. Some of them are funny, some are interesting, some are sad. But despite that my main goal here is accept that, take the best of it and become a part of Canadian society.

 

 

 

 

                                


                                   CORRECTION 3

                                        

                                                        My First Impression of Canada

                                                         (draft 3 after 2-d correction)

I am not still familiar with too many aspects of life in Canada, but I would like to share my first impression about Canada.

I moved to Canada from Ukraine in September of 2015 so I am still a new settler in the country. Here, in Canada, I live in a small village, Burns Lake, in beautiful British Columbia with a population of over 2,000. Our city is located between two bigger cities, Prince George in the East and Prince Rupert in the West. My husband and I drove through this village from West to East and from East to West many times, so all my impressions are based on what I saw, heard, read, or was dealing with at that place.

Let’s start!

I was impressed by the huge distances! Travelling 200-300 km for the local people is like going around the corner. So a car here is a vehicle and not a luxury, whereas in Ukraine it is still a luxury. Also, I was impressed by the multiculturalism here and the huge number of people of different nationalities who live peacefully. The people are polite, friendly, and tolerant, so no one criticizes anyone for their appearance: piercings, tattoos, green hair, etc. Nobody cares!

Here, there is a well-developed infrastructure for people with disabilities- from reserved wheelchairs to specially equipped busses.  Also, there is very strong financial support for the community. The different companies, firm, and private people donate money to their local community. Volunteering is something that has existed for a long time in Canada, and many people are involved and do it with a pleasure, whereas in Ukraine this is at an early phase. Here, all important documents such as PR Card, driver’s license, insurance card, etc., can be sent by mail, which is convenient and saves time. I can get any information without leaving the house or wasting any time with just a phone call or online transaction. Many times while the hardware store was closed but the fertilizer and ice melt were sitting outside the store, nobody stole them. I felt safe.

Canada has the imperial system of measurement while in Ukraine there is the metric system. So when someone does ask me how is my height on feet I say “I don’t know”. If I have to buy potatoes, for example 10 LB bag, I have to converse to kilograms, or when I bake I use the conversion table from Celsius to Fahrenheit.  The sales taxes on most goods and services which are not included in prices make me confused. By the way, sales taxes in British Columbia are 7% PST (Provincial Sales Tax) and 5% GST (Good and Services Tax) what in total is 12%. In my opinion it is confusing situation, when I liked a dress by posted price $100, but in total I would pay 12% more because of taxes. For example, in Ukraine all taxes (20%) already are included in price and everybody knows how much has to pay without confusion, because the posted price is final. Here is easy I can return any unsuitable or defective thing during two minutes without any problem within 14, 30 days or three months of purchase with original receipt, while in Ukraine it is almost impossible.  For returning I have to write an application addressed to the main manager, explain the reason of returning, and attach a copy of the passport. Then, after the conclusion of expertise, if I am lucky, they will return money in three months. Any alcohol in Canada I can buy only in the specialized shops which controlled by the state. In Ukraine I can buy an alcohol in any shop.  For me was strange to know, that I don’t have to include in resume any information about my age, marital status, photo. In Ukraine a situation is opposite. The photo, age, and marital status are required, otherwise the resume is not acceptable. As I know here is not the employment history, while in Ukraine it is very important document.

It seems Halloween is a very popular event here as New Year or Ester in Ukraine and people spend a lot of money for that. For example, in Ukraine nobody celebrates Halloween, because it is associated with monsters. I saw a large number of orthodox churches of different streams. Even our small village with 2,000 people has approximately 15 churches.

 It seems the traditional Canadian Maple Syrup is in every house like a sushi in Japan or pasta in Italy. Even I have it!  According my observations all Canadians drink a coffee! And as soon as the break has begun the most of people go to Tim Hortons to pick up the coffee.  I was disappointed when I couldn’t find some food here which I had in Ukraine and I’missing so much: bread, roasted brown buckwheat, different kind of salty fish, halva, cottage cheese, and whey. Or it seemed that the name of food was the same, but the quality here is lower.

There are a lot of fat people, especially the young generation. The weather changes three-four times a day, so very often I can see people in shorts and flip-flop in the middle of the winter. I feel embarrassed when person who see me first time ask me:” How are you”?  whereas in my country it is not good manner to ask a  stranger that question.  Canadians like so much their smaller brothers, I mean dogs and cats. And I have never seen any homeless or stray animals.

 One thing that cannot be compared with Canada is its nature: endless forests, mighty mountains, fascinating lakes, and wonderful wildlife.

These were my first impressions about Canada, people, situations. Some of them are funny, some are interesting, some are sad. But despite that my main goal here is accept that, take the best of it and become a part of Canadian society.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                

                                                     CORRECTION 2

    

My First Impression about Canada

                                                                  (draft 2 after 1st correction)

 

I am still not familiar with too many aspects of life in Canada, but I would like to share my first impressions about Canada.

I moved to Canada from Ukraine in September of 2015 so I am still new settler in the country. Here, in Canada, I live in a small village Burns Lake in beautiful British Columbia with a population of over 2,000 people. Our city is located between two bigger cities Prince George in the East and Prince Rupert in the West. My husband and I drove through this village from West to East and from East to West many times, so all my impression are based on what I saw, heard, read, or was dealing with at that place.

Let’s start!

I was impressed by the huge distances! Travelling 200-300 km for the local people is like going around the corner. So a car here is a vehicle and not a luxury, whereas in Ukraine it is still luxury. Also I was impressed by multiculturalism here and huge number of people of different nationalities which live peacefully. People are polite, friendly, and tolerant, so no one criticizes anyone for appearance: piercing, tattoo, green hair…. Nobody cares!

Here there is a well-developed infrastructure for people with disabilities- from reserved wheelchairs to specially equipped buses. Also here is a very strong financial support of own community. The different companies, firms, private people donate money for their local community. Volunteering is something that exists long time in Canada and many people are involved on that and do this job with a pleasure, whereas in Ukraine this is at a primary stage. Here all important documents such as PR Card, driver license, insurance card and etc. I can receive by mail, what is conveniently and save our time.  I can get any information not leaving the house and not wasting my time just with a phone call or using official sites of companies, firms or government departments by internet. I saw many times as a Hardware store was closed but the fertilizer for flowers, the soil, the melting salt was seating outside next to the store and nobody was stealing this.  And I thought, probably, there is not the crime in this area.

 Canada has the imperial system of measurement while in Ukraine there is the metric system. So when someone does ask me how is my height on feet I say “I don’t know”. If I have to buy potatoes, for example 10 LB bag, I have to converse to kilograms, or when I bake I use the conversion table from Celsius to Fahrenheit.  The sales taxes on most goods and services which are not included in prices make me confused. By the way, sales taxes in British Columbia are 7% PST (Provincial Sales Tax) and 5% GST (Good and Services Tax) what in total is 12%. In my opinion it is confusing situation, when I liked a dress by posted price $100, but in total I would pay 12% more because of taxes. For example, in Ukraine all taxes (20%) already are included in price and everybody knows how much has to pay without confusion, because the posted price is final. Here is easy I can return any unsuitable or defective thing during two minutes without any problem within 14, 30 days or three months of purchase with original receipt. While in Ukraine it is almost impossible.  For returning I have to write an application addressed to the main manager, explain the reason of returning, and attach a copy of the passport. Then, after the conclusion of expertise, if I am lucky, they will return money in three months. Any alcohol in Canada I can buy only in the specialized shops which controlled by the state. In Ukraine I can buy an alcohol in any shop.  For me was strange to know, that I don’t have to include in resume any information about my age, marital status, photo. In Ukraine a situation is opposite. The photo, age, and marital status are required, otherwise the resume is not acceptable. As I know here is not the employment history, while in Ukraine it is very important document.

  It seems Halloween is a very popular event here as New Year or Ester in Ukraine and people spend a lot of money for that. For example, in Ukraine nobody celebrates Halloween, because it is associated with monsters. I saw a large number of orthodox churches of different streams. Even our small village with 2,000 people has approximately 15 churches.

 It seems the traditional Canadian Maple Syrup is in every house like a sushi in Japan or pasta in Italy. Even I have it!  According my observations all Canadians drink a coffee! And as soon as the break has begun the most of people go to Tim Hortons to pick up the coffee.  I was disappointed when I couldn’t find some food here which I had in Ukraine and I miss so much: bread, roasted brown buckwheat, different kind of salty fish, halva, cottage cheese, and whey. Or it seemed that the name of food was the same, but the quality here is lower.

There are a lot of fat people, especially the young generation. The weather changes three-four times a day, so very often I can see people in shorts and flip-flop in the middle of the winter. I feel embarrassed when person who see me first time ask me:” How are you”?  whereas in my country it is not good manner to ask a  stranger that question.  Canadians like so much their smaller brothers, I mean dogs and cats. And I have never seen any homeless or stray animals.

 One thing that cannot be compared with Canada is its nature: endless forests, mighty mountains, fascinating lakes, and wonderful wildlife.

These were my first impressions about Canada, people, situations. Some of them are funny, some are interesting, some are sad. But despite this my main goal here is accept that, take the best of it and become a part of Canadian society.

 

 

 

 

                                              CORRECTION 1

               

                                            My First Impression about Canada

                                                             (draft 1)

I am still not familiar with too many sides and aspects of life in Canada, but I would like to share my first impressions about Canada.

I moved to Canada from Ukraine on September in 2015 so I am still new settler in the country. Here, in Canada, I live in a small village Burns Lake in the beautiful British Columbia with population over 2,000 people. Our city is located between two bigger cities such as Prince George in the East and Prince Rupert in the West. My husband and I drove through this destination from West to East and from East to West many times, so all my impressions are based on what I saw, heard, read, or was dealing with on that destination.

 Let’s start!

·         I was impressed of huge distances!!  200-300km for local people it’s like to go around the corner.

·         So a car here is a vehicle and not a luxury, whereas in Ukraine it is still a luxury.

·         Multiculturalism-a huge amount of people of different nationalities which live peacefully.

·         Politeness and friendless.

·         I cannot understand why the cashiers and sellers in a store who see me first time ask me: ”How are you”? Are they really interested to know how I am? Should I tell them about all my problems?

·         Tolerance-everyone is quietly waiting in a queue, no one is trying to slip first.

·         The weather changes three-four times a day, so very often I can see people in shorts and flip-flop in the middle of winter.

·         There is a very well developed infrastructure for people with disabilities- from reserved wheelchairs to specially equipped buses.

·         Celebrating of Halloween. It seems Halloween is very popular here as New Year or Ester in Ukraine and people spend a lot of money for that. For example, in Ukraine nobody celebrates Halloween, because it is associated with monsters.

·         Canada has the imperial system of measurement while in Ukraine there is the metric system. So when someone does ask me how is my height on feet I say “I don’t know”. If I have to buy potatoes, for example 10 LB bag, I have to converse to kilograms, or when I bake I use the conversion table from Celsius to Fahrenheit.

·         A large number of orthodox churches of different streams. Even our small village with 2,000 people has approximately 15 churches!

·         Volunteering is something that exists long time in Canada and many people are involved on that and do this job with a pleasure, whereas in Ukraine this is at a primary stage.

·         Canadians like so much their smaller brothers, I mean dogs and cats. And I have never seen any homeless or stray animals.

·         Here is a very strong financial support for own community. The different companies, firms, private people donate money for their local community.

·         Here is easy I can return any unsuitable or defective thing during two minutes without any problem within 14, 30 days or three months of purchase with original receipt. While in Ukraine it is almost impossible.  For returning I have to write an application addressed to the main manager, explain the reason of returning, and attach a copy of the passport. Then, after the conclusion of expertise, if I am lucky, they will return money in three months.

·         Any alcohol in Canada I can buy only in the specialized shops which controlled by the state. In Ukraine I can buy an alcohol in any shops.

·         The sales taxes on most goods and services which are not included in prices make me confused. By the way, sales taxes in British Columbia are 7% PST (Provincial Sales Tax) and 5% GST (Good and Services Tax) what in total is 12%. In my opinion it is confusing situation, when I liked a dress by posted price $100, but in total I would pay 12% more because of taxes. For example, in Ukraine all taxes (20%) already are included in price and everybody knows how much has to pay without confusion. The posted price is final.

·         Here no one criticizes anyone for appearance: piercing, tattoo, green hair…. Nobody cares!

·         There are a lot of fat people, especially the young generation.

·         According my observations all Canada drinks a coffee! And as soon as the break has begun the most of people go to Tim Horton to pick up the coffee.

·         It seems the traditional Canadian Maple Syrup is in every house like a sushi in Japan or pasta in Italy. Even I have  it!

·         For me was strange to know, that I don’t have to include in resume any information about my age, marital status, photo. In Ukraine a situation is opposite. The photo, age, and marital status are required, otherwise the resume is not acceptable.

·         As I know here is not the employment history, while in Ukraine it is very important document.

·         Here all important documents such as PR Card, driver license, insurance card and etc. I can receive by mail, what is conveniently and save our time.

·         I can get any information not leaving the house and not wasting my time just with a phone call or using official sites of companies, firms or government departments by internet.

·         I saw many times as a Hardware store was closed but the fertilizer for flowers, the soil, the melting salt was seating outside next to the store and nobody was stealing this.  And I thought, probably, there is not the crime in this area.

·         I was disappointed when I couldn’t find some food here which I had in Ukraine and I miss so much: bread, roasted brown buckwheat, different kind of salty fish, halva, cottage cheese, and whey. Or it seemed that the name of food was the same, but the quality here is lower.

·         One thing that cannot be compared with Canada is its nature: endless forests, mighty mountains, fascinating lakes, and wonderful wildlife.

These were my first impressions about Canada, people, situations. Some of them are funny, some are interesting, some are sad. But despite this my main goal here is accept that, take the best of it and become a part of Canadian society.