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VOICES FROM AROUND THE WORLD

2010

Stories of Vanier Students

Voices From Around The world

2010

Stories of Vanier Students

Edited and Designed by

Marya Grant

Sara Tawil

All Rights Reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever

without permission from the authors.

Vanier College, 821 Ste. Croix Avenue, Montreal, Quebec, Canada H4L 3X9

www.vaniercollege.qc.ca

Vanier College Press, 2010

ISBN 978-2-921024-96-9

http://www.vaniercollege.qc.ca/

Voices From Around The World 2010

Table of Contents

Aldhi Wijaya Farewell ……………………………………….. 1

Alessia Clemente Peru 2008 ……………………………………… 2

Alexei Byelov Two Is Better Than One ………………………. 3

Alizada Shahiaq My First Day at Vanier College ………………. 4

Brenda Barrera What’s Your Favorite Scary Story? ................... 5

Damla Ozkaya That Moment of the Year ……………………... 6

Edouard Moïse Plantin My First Real Experience ……………………... 7

Emmanuel Pacifique Nsengiyaremye Playing in front of Hundreds of People ……….. 8

Ingrid Rosales Rodas My First Job Experience ………………………. 9

Jonah Xu Sleepy Games …………………………………. 10

Khan Hammad The Moment of Glory ………………………… 11

Lio Junwei New City ……………………………………… 13

Lu Lu Memories at the End of the Road …………….. 14

Mariam Jabri Going to a New Life ………………………….. 16

Salomon Ederhy The Worst Possible Ending Ever! ...................... 18

Sarah-Michelle Leger 8count Dance Complex ……………………….. 19

Sergine Philosca The Right Field ……………………………….. 20

Shiela Mae Rafal Sky Pub Club …………………………………. 21

Shirley Lee Pay Attention …………………………………. 23

Sun He Li Just for Laughs Festival ………………………. 24

Vanessa Angelone My First Time Home Alone ………………….. 25

Vincent Milette On board for a foreign country ……………….. 26


Walid Chenine The Sacrifice ………………………………….. 27

Cai Xue Si My Passion for Music ………………………… 28

Xue Yang The Day I Left for Canada ……………………. 30

Ying-Di Liu My First Dissection …………………………… 31


Preface

Over the years, Vanier College has welcomed students from all over the world. With over forty

languages spoken and eighty countries represented, one would only have to walk down Vanier’s

hallways to become aware of its diversity. This very diversity is a treasure that The Learning

Centre wishes to share through Voices From Around the World. This is a collection of stories

written by Vanier students, most of who either come from immigrant families or are newly

arrived immigrants themselves. Their voices portray the multicultural diversity at Vanier

College. This year, like every other, the authors of Voices From Around the World 2010 have

written quite frankly about their feelings and their past experiences. We thank them for sharing

their life stories with us.

While this publication couldn’t have taken place without the invaluable contributions of the

students, it is the teachers of the summer intensive English course, Vanessa Vandergrift and

Jessica Murphy, who did a wonderful job at integrating the writing of these narratives into their

classes. They guided their students through the writing process and encouraged them to submit

their work for publication.

This project is sponsored by the Ministère de l’Éducation, du Loisir et du Sport (MELS) du

Québec as well as L’intégration des communautés culturelles et à l’éducation interculturelle au

collégial. Many thanks to Judy Macdonald (Coordinator of the Learning Enrichment & Support

Services for Programs) for her support. Thanks as well to the staff members who contributed to

the publication of this book: Marya Grant, Kim Muncey, Carrie Clough, Joanne Ellis, Melanie

Tam, and Didier Brûlé-Champagne.

We hope that you enjoy reading this publication and that you learn from our authors’ life

experiences as much as we have learned in putting this book together.

Sara Tawil

The Learning Centre

Vanier College

1 | Voices From Around The World 2010

Farewell By Aldhi Wijaya

Unexpected things come at unexpected moments. I had just arrived home from a long day of

school when my mom received a call from my dad saying that we were going to move to

Canada. It really caught me off guard because it was my last semester of middle school. I felt sad

that I had to leave all of my friends behind but also ecstatic to live in a new country.

The next morning, I went to school to tell the principal that I was going to leave the country. I

left right after without telling my friends because I didn‟t know what to say to them. I went home

to try to figure it out, but nothing came to my mind. At about 3:30 P.M. that day, I went back to

school. The second I stepped on the school ground, my friends jumped on me, so to speak, and

they asked me if it was true. I knew what they were talking about, but I had no idea how they

found out about it. Apparently, the principal had been talking to the teachers, and they told their

students about it, so the whole school already knew by the time I got there. I told them the whole

story, and some of them actually cried. I did not know that they cared that much. I was really

touched.

For the rest of the days I had left in Indonesia, I just went out and hung out with my best friends.

It was a lot of fun, but time passed really quickly. It was already time for my departure. My

friends and family went to the airport with me. Every one of them had been a big part of my life,

and I was going to leave them just like that. I never really realized it until it was actually

happening. It was a very emotional moment. Tears were shed, and there were a lot of hugs.

Nevertheless, I was so thrilled to get on that airplane, and start a whole new journey. My friends

handed me this black box filled with stuff that each of them gave personally. Inside the box,

there was an album of the pictures that we took in a studio just a few days before. My friends

also wrote a couple of last words in that album, which was really moving. I had no clue that I

made such an impact on their lives. However, the one person I cared for the most couldn‟t make

it, so the whole time I was in the airport, I spent it on the phone with her. My other friends also

texted and tried to call me, but I couldn‟t hang up the phone until the last minute, when I was

already sitting on the plane with my seat belt buckled up. She was the one person who made it

really hard for me to leave, and when she started crying, I felt crushed. I did not know that she

cared that much for me. I really wanted to tell her the three words I have always wanted to say,

but I couldn‟t. She was already hurting, and I didn‟t want to make it worse.

After the flight attendant told me, for the third time, to hang up and turn off my cell phone, I

finally did. It was tough, but I had to do it. A couple of minutes later, the plane took off. I was

looking down from the window, hoping to see my friends again, but I couldn‟t. That was

definitely the most memorable and unforgettable moment of my life. Who would have thought

that I would find out how my best friend really felt about me right before I had to leave the

country?

Aldhi Wijaya is going into Exploration 6 to get his prerequisites for Health Science. He hopes to

be a surgeon in the future.

Voices From Around The World 2010 | 2

Peru 2008 By Alessia Clemente

On the 23

rd of June 2008, fifteen school friends and I packed our bag packs and left for a three-

week humanitarian trip to Peru. I was so excited to go on my first real trip on my own. I did not

know what to expect nor did I know how the Peruvians would accept us.

After one entire day of traveling, we finally arrived to Peru. We were all extremely tired. We

then took a taxi to a little town called Tacna. Eight people were crammed in the car. I remember

thinking the cab driver was crazy because he was driving extremely fast and was not following

the road signs.

We then arrived to the parish in Tacna. The parishioners welcomed us with open arms. They

made us a poster with „‟Bienvenido Canada‟‟ handwritten on it. At this point, I wasn‟t tired

anymore; all I wanted to do was to immediately befriend everyone who was awaiting our arrival.

The next day, we got to meet the families we would be staying with during our trip. My Peruvian

family was very nice. It was a little complicated to communicate with them because I was

definitely not very good at Spanish. I sometimes felt as if we would mostly talk in sign language

rather than in actual words.

I loved helping out in the church. One of my favorite parts of this trip was definitely playing with

the less fortunate kids who would come to the parish after school. We would mostly play soccer.

I must admit, the little 7 year olds were much better than us. It was quite embarrassing, however

I sill enjoyed myself.

During this humanitarian trip, I did many new things that some people never get to experience in

their lives. I am very thankful and appreciative of all the good and bad situations that we had to

go through. I have learned and grown as a person because of this adventure. I will never forget it.

I would go back to Tacna any day.

Alessia Clemente, a 17 year old student who just graduated from high school, will be walking the

halls of Vanier College in the fall of 2010. She has hopes of becoming a nutritionist.


Two Is Better Than One By Alexei Byelov

Everything is dark and silent. Suddenly, music starts playing. Then, light appears in a shape of a

circle on the hard and cold ice, lighting up the doors that players use to get on the hockey ice! In

the dark, the whole crowd starts yelling and cheering while the players come on the ice called

one by one by the announcer of the arena. The lights are turned on; players warm themselves up

a last time on the ice by stretching and shooting the puck to be fully ready for the big game. The

buzzer resounds in the whole arena ending the warm up time. Players skate to their benches; the

ref blows his whistle and drops the puck for the beginning of the final game of the tournament!

Having a chance to play in this type of game is the dream of all hockey players and that dream

came true for me!

2005 was a year that I will remember for a long time. Indeed, that year, I was playing for a

Dollard-des-Ormeaux pee-wee hockey team. Imagine a team of little monsters with an average

age of eleven. You might first think that those kids are innocent. But when they‟re on the ice,

it‟s a whole different story! The name of our awesome team was “The Civics of Dollard-des-

Ormeaux.” Maybe our team‟s name didn‟t sound as evil as we were. We did what some players

can‟t achieve during their whole life. We got to the finals of a regional tournament. But we

repeated this twice in one year! Two times we went out there and fought with everything we

had. No, we didn‟t fight like gladiators in arenas, but more like lions defending their territories

from any other predator. Of course, there wasn‟t any hand to hand fighting with blood and

medical assistance. But all the battles for the puck were hard. Each goal that my team scored

was a big release from our shoulders, as if someone removed tons of pressure from us. On the

other hand, each goal scored against us was a hit as strong as a punch in our faces! The parents

were cheering so hard that we had trouble hearing each other on the bench. Unfortunately, we

lost both of the final games by one goal with a couple of minutes remaining on the clock to the

end of the game. Imagine the looks on our faces when we saw the puck crossing the line in our

net. I was really disappointed, even though we finished second in two tournaments in one year!

We lost two games, but we got two silver medals, two trophies and two banners saying that we

were finalists. I saw it as a reward for our hard and sweaty work out there!

Years later, in 2010, I had another type of a final for a battle between the second and the third

place. Fortunately we won and we received a silver medal. That was a third one for me. Only at

that moment, I understood that receiving a silver medal means a lot. Even though I didn‟t win

the gold anywhere, the second place is a very good position since I worked my way up to a

single final game. I might consider myself a lucky person, because as my coach told us in 2005,

“Some people never reach the finals in their whole life. You guys did it twice. No matter what

happens, go out there and be proud of what you did!” I was proud, and I am till this day and will

be in the future because our past is our history which can‟t be forgotten!

Alexei Byelov, a Ukrainian guy NOT Russian, will be a Commerce, International Business

Major, student from this fall till 2012.


My First Day at Vanier College By Alizada Shahiaq

Monday the 27

th of June 2010 was exactly a day before I was supposed to start college.

Everything was going perfectly. I had been waiting for this day for the past four years. I wasn‟t

able to stop myself from asking questions... I asked myself, how is college going to be? How are

people going to be? How am I going to talk with my English classmates and English teacher?

How am I going to find my classroom? Every kind of thought was coming to my mind over and

over again until I fell asleep. The next morning, I prepared myself for college. I was going to

start my car when suddenly my cell phone rang. It was my reminder and it was saying that I had

an exam at 9:00 o‟clock, that same day and the day after, at my high school. Everything changed

in one moment: my plan, my goal and my mood. I was not expecting a similar situation on that

day…

I passed two days like this. Finally, I started college on Wednesday. First of all, I faced a lot of

problems just finding my classroom. I don‟t know why but I was feeling so weird in my new

school. Maybe it was because my new school is ten times bigger than my old one or maybe

because everybody speaks English. After a 15 minute search, I finished by finding my teacher

and my classroom. I was totally discouraged. I thought she was not going to let me into her class

because I missed two days, but she let me in and I turned happy. After getting into the class, I

found out that I had missed a lot and I promised myself to work hard until I pass my course!

Alizada Shahiaq is 19 years old and wants to finish the Accounting and Technical Management

program at Vanier College.


What’s Your Favorite Scary Story? By Brenda Barrera

When I was eight years old, I got to spend Halloween for the first time with my older sister and

her friends. I was with my cousin, who is a year older than I am, and we were joined by three of

my sister‟s friends. When the trick or treating was done, we needed to go to my sister‟s friend‟s

house to trade candies; this was a tradition in my sister‟s group. The friend lived further away

from where we were, so we thought it would be easier if we took a shortcut. We found a little

space between some bushes; it was the perfect way to get to the other side. Once we went

through, we realized that we landed in the cemetery. My cousin and I were scared.

We had a fear that zombies were going to come out of the ground, grab our feet and take us

down with them. We were paying extra attention not to step on the graves. My sister thought it

would be funny if she told us scary stories on the way. I wanted to run away, but I didn‟t know

where we were. It seemed like a never-ending cemetery. Suddenly, we stopped. They made a

circle around my cousin and me. We were confused, until I heard “She‟s following us”. We then

took a few more steps, yet the eerie figure was still following. I could tell my sister and her

friends were terrified. I tried to find a gap between them to see who this mysterious lady was and

I saw her. She was this tall woman dressed all in white.

We quickly ran, trying to find a sign of freedom. As we were going out, one of the older kids

turned around to verify if she was still there. They then realized that the white woman was the

statue of the Virgin Mary. Still, to this day, I am frightened of visiting a cemetery on Halloween

night. I‟m scared of reliving that moment; I‟m positive that the statue was actually moving. My

sister learned her lesson though; she shouldn‟t scare younger kids because she‟ll end up scaring

herself too.

Brenda Barrera is 17 years old. She has been a Vanier College student since summer 2010. She

will be studying Social Science in the fall of 2010. She wishes to complete her college years with

great memories. She also hopes to succeed and become an elementary school teacher some day.


That Moment of the Year By Damla Ozkaya

As my alarm went on that morning, I could already feel the heat under my feet and the butterflies

in my stomach. To tell you the truth, I had never felt this way before. I was anxious and stressed

on my way down to the main floor to meet my mother standing there. Her smile lit up the

kitchen. My dad gave me a big hug. It was so vast that I could barely feel myself breath. This is

when I knew my parents were proud of me. This is it. This is when we know we have completed

our high school. The 21st of June was the day I knew I would have to say goodbye to each and

every classmate I had. Of course it wasn‟t forever as they say, but at least until the diploma

ceremony which will be taking place in September.

As we sat down for a quick breakfast, my phone rang. As always, I was full of joy to see my

boyfriend‟s name on the caller ID. He wanted to give me a good morning call and let me know

when he would get there. My dad surprised me for the second time on that same day in less than

30 minutes. He brought me a dozen of blue roses, my favourite. After getting dressed, I was

ready to face the big day. I kissed my parents so loud that you could hear the smooches in the

empty room. Afterwards, I took a deep breath and walked outside the door, with my right foot of

course.

As my boyfriend says, it is always good luck to step in or out the house with the right food. It is a

cultural thing. Like every other girl, everything had to be perfect on that day and so I made sure

to take my step with the right foot. Just in case, you know. As I was on my way to my friend‟s

house, I called her to make sure she was ready. She picked up the phone with a loud scream. She

said to me; “I can‟t believe this is it. This is our day, Damla, we‟ve made it!” I said the same to

her with a joyful tone of voice. My smile was from ear to ear. Everything was going as planned.

My dress was a custom design. It was my graduation gift from my grandparents back in my

hometown Istanbul, Turkey. It was unique and chic at the same time. The beautiful grey satin

and all the detailed sparkles made the dress stand out even more. I had already bought the shoes

and the clutch to go with it.

After getting my hair and makeup done, I was on my way back home to get dressed and take a

last look at myself before I headed to the graduation party situated at downtown Montreal.

We took some quick shots in my warm and lovely backyard where I spend most of my summer

enjoying the weather with people that make life worth living. After our vast white vehicle

arrived, my boyfriend and I were ready to leave. As we gathered everyone together, we all

enjoyed our way to the biggest event of our lives. I enjoyed every single moment of my

graduation and so did my close friends. I appreciate what people have done for me on that

special unforgettable day. If I would have the chance, I would go back anytime with the same

people along my side and enjoy the party twice as hard.

Damla Ozkaya, a future lawyer who might defend you at some point in life.


My First Real Experience By Edouard Moïse Plantin

When I was fourteen, I used to listen to a lot of music from different bands, but Metallica was

my favorite one. I adored everything about them: their songs, their attitude and especially their

concerts. This made me feel like I could do the same thing they were doing, especially playing

the guitar.

For some reason, I was attracted to the guitar. If I saw one at school or at the mall, I would try to

play a song that my friends had taught me or songs that I already knew. I remember asking my

mom almost every day to get me one so that I could learn how to play.

When Christmas came, my mom bought me the gift that changed my life. She finally bought me

the guitar that I had wanted for so long. I was so happy to get the guitar out of the box. I

remember picking it up, it was as light as a feather, the paint job was black and it had a white

pick-guard with plastic on it so that dust wouldn‟t get in it.

My first experience with my guitar was awesome. I easily learned a few riffs from songs by

Metallica and some other bands. Since I was on Christmas and New Year‟s vacations, I didn‟t

have to worry about school or anything. I could play from morning till late at night even though

my parents wouldn‟t like it. However, when school restarted, I waited for the end of classes to go

home and play.

From that Christmas up to today, three and a half years later, I am still playing and enjoying it.

After a few lessons, part of this dream has come true. I am now in a band with my friends and

also at Vanier‟s music program, but it‟s not over yet. It‟s just the beginning; I still have a lot to

do!

Edouard Moïse Plantin is 18 years old. He is a guitarist going to Vanier's music program next

fall. Besides playing the electric guitar, his hobbies include skateboarding with his friends.


Playing in front of Hundreds of People By Emmanuel Pacifique Nsengiyaremye

This is the moment. It‟s Saturday, I‟m well clothed. Today is a great day. I‟m 10 years old and

I‟ve just played piano in my church. Well, I should say that I played the piano this day instead of

the regular player. Believe me; it‟s not as simple as it might appear.

That morning, when I woke up, I felt a pain in my stomach, a big one. I moaned and rushed to

the bathroom. Fifteen minutes later, the pain was still there, less strong but there. I went to the

kitchen, after washing my hands of course, to eat. Anybody could tell I wasn‟t feeling great. My

father laughed because he knew that I wasn‟t really sick. In fact, knowing that I was going to be

the one to play for the whole church was a great stress. I had been receiving piano lessons for

only one year; how could I possibly handle this responsibility when piano players had more than

two years of practice. I was feeling like Tom Cruise in “Mission: Impossible”, yet the only

difference was that I was shivering in my chair out of fear.

Two hours later with hundreds of people in the church, it was time to start. Usually, the pianist

has to play a solo to tell the members that worship is about to start and that they should be ready.

On the other hand, what happens when it‟s the pianist who isn‟t ready?? We were about to know,

to my great displeasure. I started playing until I got to the last note. I made a mistake, a pretty

huge one. Right after, I could see that everybody was looking at me with a strange look in their

eyes. There were those smiles on their mouths, waiting for the perfect moment to laugh; at least

they were polite. It was a disaster, but to preserve my pride, I went on and continued to play the

others songs with all my soul.

At the end of the day, I was destroyed and I didn‟t know what to do. I was pretty sure that my

parents were going to comfort me because of the mistake I had done in my first piece and the

other ones after, seven exactly. Then came the shock; nobody could understand what I was

talking about when I asked them. I guess that I was stressing too much about this and it pretty

much drove me crazy. Now, I know that stressing excessively about something is useless and

quite painful as Terri Guillemets says: “Give your stress wings and let it fly away.”

Emmanuel Nsengiyaremye will be studying at Vanier College in the computer science and

mathematics program. Emmanuel really likes the computer science field and the music one too.

He plays several instruments in his spare time; he lives for music.


My First Job Experience By Ingrid Rosales Rodas

Last summer, I applied to a program called Valorisation Jeunesse. One day, someone emailed

me and they told me that my new job would be to work on a project to save the environment; in

other words, I would be working outside, in the forest. They told me that, in this job, I was going

to cut invasive trees that are called European buckthorns and then replace them with other kinds

of plants or trees. So I finally accepted to work on that project.

On my first day, I got lost because I had never been in that place before. It was located in Henri

Bourassa, in Montreal North, whereas I live in the West Island. I was on the right street and I

turned to the right side. While I was walking, I was searching for the park where I was going to

work, but I was seeing only apartments and houses. So I asked someone to tell me the directions

of that location and that person told me to go straight ahead on the left side. And then I realized

that, all along, I was walking in the opposite direction. When I entered the cabin, there were

only teenagers. I thought there was going to be only workers older than I. At first, my supervisor

explained how to cut a tree with the new tools like saws and clippers. I thought we were going to

cut the trees with electric saws, but it was all manual. Then, they were teaching us first-aid. I

thought that day was going to be boring, but, in fact, it was really interesting and I really enjoyed

what I learned that day. During my whole summer, what I did was cutting, cutting and cutting

trees with the sun burning my face. It was hard work depending on the weather. When the

weather was hot or when it was raining outside, it was really difficult to work. But when the

temperature was around twenty degrees, it was comfortable to work. The European buckthorns

are shrubs or small trees reaching twenty to twenty five feet in height and maximum ten inches

in diameter. Their bark is gray or brown. The upper leaf surface is shiny; the lower surface can

be hairy or smooth. The leaves are thin, egg-shaped and glossy. They are invasive because

they‟re abundant and they prevent other trees or shrubs from growing. On my last week of work,

our goal was to plant approximately eight hundred trees and shrubs.

On my last day, we planted one thousand trees. My companions and I celebrated the great work

with good food and by playing cards. It was joyful! I really enjoyed working there because I

made new friends, I learned how to take the public bus and the metro, I learned many things

about the flora and I went on a lot of amusing fieldtrips. After saying goodbye to everyone, I said

to myself: “For my first job, I had a wonderful experience this summer and I will never forget

the image of invasive trees!”

Ingrid Rosales will be an architecture student at Vanier this fall. She likes playing soccer and

watching the Simpsons while she's eating Doritos.


Sleepy Games By Jonah Xu

I‟m a basketball player who plays for a Chinese team in Montreal. A couple of weeks ago, we

went to Toronto for a big tournament where there were over eighty teams from around North

America. It was the first time that a Montreal team would appear in that tournament. We didn‟t

want to seem weaker than the other teams, so we trained hard. We thought that we would be able

to handle the other teams. But, after arriving there, it was another story. I don‟t mean to say that

we didn‟t play well, but just not as well as we wanted. We weren‟t able to reach our full strength

all because of our tiredness.

What really happened is that we didn‟t sleep enough. The first night, we planned to sleep at 11

o‟clock so the next morning we would be in good shape for the two games. It didn't work out as

we wanted. We tried to sleep, but it was impossible. There were lights coming from the hallway

because there were windows next to the door. We were all over-excited for the following day.

We played cards until 2 o‟clock in the morning. Then I had the brilliant idea of going to eat at

McDonald‟s since we were all hungry. We were there, but we weren‟t served since only the

drive through was open. We had to wait for every car to pass first and after thirty minutes, it was

finally our turn. We ordered our stuff and we ate there. We went back to the hotel at around 4 am

and went to bed. This time, we were tired, so we fell asleep quickly.

Our game was at 9 am, so we planned on waking up at 8 o‟clock so we would have 4 hours of

sleep and that would be enough. But no, our coach wanted to have a team meeting at 7o‟clock.

He came to our room and woke us up. He told us what the game play was. It only took him 10

minutes to tell us. At the end, we had only three hours of sleep.

When we played our first game, we were like zombies playing basketball. Even though we were

tired, we won. The second game was a little harder to handle. We did well for the first 30

minutes, but after that we didn't play well and we lost.

Jonah Xu is a Chinese born in Canada. He is going into the Computer Science program next fall.


The Moment of Glory By Khan Hammad

The 29

th of April 2010 was the big day of dreams coming true. The day my teammates of the

Juvenile soccer team and I had waited for impatiently. It was the finals of the double A indoor

soccer tournament of the region. The winner of the competition would have the chance to

participate in the provincial level tournament. Our team had ranked first place throughout the

season and we were against the runner up team from Lasalle High School.

In the dressing room, silence ruled. It was a silence that no one had ever experienced in the past,

a silence that the deaf experiences or a type of silence in which the noise of dripping water would

be equivalent to an explosion. Players were seated on the benches along the walls with their eyes

closed. I sat among them asking myself what they were possibly thinking about. Soon I began to

hear a funny noise coming from my left and later from my right. I slowly opened my eyes to

discover the origin of this mysterious sound. It was the sound of shaking legs and stressed

players. I realised that I had to do something because this much stress would jeopardise our

victory. Since it was my last year in high school, this victory was very important to me. It was

my ticket and my last chance to experience provincial soccer. I decided to get the team together

and raise the level of testosterone, their self-confidence and create strong feelings in them. We

all stood up in a circle with our hands joined in the middle and screamed out the team slogan,

“D.E.S D.E.S Victoire Express!” The screams ended but their sound was echoed for a certain

period of time and helped the players gain their confidence back. Then we left the dressing room

and walked in the direction of the field. As we entered the enormous gymnasium, where the

match was to take place, I gave a quick look to the public that was cheering with their loud

voices and noises. “Go Express Go!” Some fans were equipped with a goblet drum and added

their music to others‟ cheers.

Moments later, the match kicked off and our team was having difficulty playing like we had

during practice. The passes were not accurate and the shots were not on target. The opponents

took advantage of our mistakes and scored their first goal. All the players were traumatised and

their level of stress grew. I could see them starting to give up and lose hope for this victory. My

coach called a time-out and we gathered in the corner. He said, “This is not the time to lose hope

guys and certainly not the time to give up. We are the best and we can do this!” This speech was

all we needed to get back on track and start playing like we were taught to. Back in the game, I

took a shot that turned into a beautiful goal and the fans rose on their feet and began cheering

once again. This important goal gave us the opportunity to believe in ourselves and bring this

game in our favour. The other team was exhausted and was starting to make mistakes. This time

we took advantage of their errors and we scored two magnificent goals with the head. The score

was three to one for us but there was still time until the end of the game. I was wishing for the

time to fly away and to hear the last whistle of the referee and drop to the ground.

A few minutes later, the referee finally announced the end of the game. I jumped with joy and

then slid on the ground. Everybody jumped on me and we all celebrated this very much deserved

victory. People got off their chairs and joined us in our celebration. The organisers called me in

front as the representative, the captain of the team, to hand me the trophy of the champions. I

walked with my head high full of pride and honour to accept the award. I held high, above me,


the very beautiful, shining and decorated golden trophy. The surface of the award was so

reflective that I could see myself in it and see my dream come true. I brought the trophy to the

team and waited impatiently for the provincial tournament.

Khan Hammad will be a health science student at Vanier this fall. He is a soccer fanatic and he

is looking forward to achieve his life by pursuing in both of his interests: science and soccer.


New City By Lio Junwei

I grew up in Montreal, more precisely in Saint-Laurent. I had big attachments to that place. I

knew almost everything about that place: every restaurant, every street, every park, everything.

Of course, I also had many friends, childhood friends, whom I made plans with for the future.

Who knew that, one day, I would actually leave Saint-Laurent and leave my best friends behind;

I didn‟t want to move at all.

I moved to Laval city when I was half way through high school, all because of my parents. We

are a family of six people, so I can‟t blame my parents for wanting a bigger place. Everything

was different there. It was quiet all the time and you could only see houses no matter where you

looked; nothing like in Montreal. Convenience stores and grocery stores were twenty-five

minutes away by foot. There was no place to have fun at all, just at home in front of the

computer. I felt bored and empty inside. I hated there. The only thing that I was looking forward

to was going to school to meet new people and hoped to make new friends.

The first thing that I found surprising, as I went to school, was the transportation. In Montreal, I

was used to ride the public bus to school, but, in Laval, they had a yellow school bus to give me

a ride. It was fun. When I arrived at school, the first thing I did was to try to find people whom I

might know. Surprisingly, I found a lot. They were people whom I met when I was still in

elementary school. They showed me around school and talked to me every day. It was really fun

hanging out with them. We became good friends, and, since then, I stopped hating Laval as

much. In fact, I‟m really glad that I moved to Laval.

In the end, I decided to go to Vanier College when I finished high school because it‟s an English

school and because it‟s located in Saint-Laurent.

Lio Junwei was born in November 5, 1992. He likes to play basketball and video games. He is

currently in the Commerce program and hopes to become an accountant in the future.


Memories at the End of the Road By Lu Lu

Ever since I started high school, I have been looking forward to my graduation. I often counted

down the time left until I could finally graduate. However, time went by, and my graduation day

came. Despite all the excitements of being a college student, I am sad. I am sad for leaving the

school where I‟ve studied for five years; I am sad for saying goodbye to all the teachers who

always shouted at me for not having my uniform or for running in the corridor; I am sad for

abandoning the small classrooms and the blackboards ran over by the white chalk lines.

However, there is something much more unbearable other than the thoughts of leaving my

school: The fact that I am leaving some of my friends and that I might not see them again.

I can still remember all of them as if I had just known them yesterday. The whole story starts

with a miracle girl.

During the summer of 2008, I learned of a girl named CC who was being transferred to my

school. At that time she was just a friend of a friend to me. Although I hadn‟t had the chance to

meet her in person, I learned from my friend how sweet and kind a girl she was.

On the day of registration, when everybody was gathered in the auditorium, I noticed that there

was a girl who wasn‟t wearing a uniform. She had a rather short build. Her long black hair hung

loosely across her shoulders and her face just looked so innocent and lovely, the face of a child.

Strangely, she gave me a pure and warm feeling like a cup of hot chocolate in a cold rainy day. I

observed in silence for a moment. She must have noticed me, as she turned and smiled at me in a

naïve and affable way.

“This should be CC,”I thought. And I was right.

Slowly, we got to know each other and became close friends. At first I was surprised how fast

she became friends with everyone around her, people whom I went to school with for three years

and still didn‟t know that well. It seemed that there was something magical about her, about how

she can affect everyone around her. At every break, we had to walk around the school to get to

our next class. And if we were together, I would spend a lot more time than I usually would. This

wasn‟t because she walked as slow as a tortoise, but because she can meet somebody she knows

at almost every corner of the school, so she had to stop. Little by little, I realized that CC‟s

friends were not just a small group of people but were from everywhere in the world. Sometimes,

I saw her speaking English to one but the next second, she was speaking French to another.

Afterwards, I too knew a few friends of hers. Somehow, I recognized that as one day, I had to

stop a few times on my way to class, for I had seen one of my friends as well. As you might have

already noticed, I changed. From an inert and quiet girl, I had changed into a much more friendly

and passionate person. Eventually, my friends helped me a lot. Not only inside of school but also

outside of school. I went out with them everywhere on holidays instead of my usual habit of

staying at home. With them I learned more about Montreal, a city that I‟d lived in for three years,

but which I did not know much in other than Chinatown. I visited Mont Royal for the first time; I


went to the cabane à sucre for the first time; I tried poutine for the first time; I registered a

Facebook account for the first time; I also got home after 10 p.m. for the first time.

Our footprints, our laughs, our songs and our happy time together are memories that I could

never forget.

And now, it comes time to part. How can I bear it? How can I say goodbye to all those friends

that have given me those most unforgettable moments in my life?

Nevertheless, life is a road. Different people take on different paths. Sometimes our paths

intersect, sometimes we have to take on the same path, but saying goodbye is always inevitable.

Today, at this first great crossroad in our life, we are all in our black academic gown to celebrate

this moment that we have dreamed and waited for years and years. Don‟t be heartbroken because

saying goodbye is just to welcome another brand new day and a farewell is necessary to allow us

to meet on the next intersection.

Lulu is now a summer student at Vanier but will study in the Computer Science and Mathematics

Program in the fall semester. She wrote this narrative about her graduation because she told

herself that this is the last time that she can think of the past. She has to look forward and move

on in life.


Going to a New Life By Mariam Jabri

People usually know the date of their birth but not the date of their death. For me I knew the date

of my death. It was the fifth of September in 2007, do not be surprised. It was really the date of

my death; but it was not my physical death, it was my spiritual death. Now, I am going to tell

you about my story.

In 2007, I left my country with my family. I was obligated to do that because my country is Iraq

and you know about the political situation there. So we took this big decision to leave our

hometown. We started preparing our suitcases and stuff. It was a difficult moment when I was

preparing my suitcases; I could not believe that I was going to leave some of my clothes, my

stuff and my bedroom‟s furniture behind. I could not take all of them because we were only

allowed a limited amount of luggage on the airplane. It was really difficult to describe this

feeling .When the fifth of September came, the date of travelling; I felt that my death came with

it too. Maybe some of you are shocked, but for me, my country means my life; my country

means the memories of my childhood; my country means the place where I was born. We left

our home after a last look at it; we left our home with sad and broken hearts and big tears, but

what could we do? We did not have another choice. It was either that we move to a new country

or stay and get killed. We went to Syria. It is an Arabic country and we speak the same language,

but it stays a foreign country to me. In our first month there, I suffered a lot because I did not

have friends and I did not know anyone there. But one day while I was walking in the street I

saw my best friend by chance, her name is Zeina, and she told me that she lived in the same area.

This girl was my best friend from grade one to grade ten but she left Iraq because of the same

reason as mine. I felt happy when I found her because I felt that I found the person who could

listen to me and appreciate my forlorn feelings; she had the same feelings too. Finding my friend

changed many things in my life in Syria. I felt more comfortable, especially when she joined me

in the same class there. In our school in Syria, we sat at the same desk. It was an interesting thing

to me because back at our school in Baghdad, the capital of Iraq, we sat at the same desk too.

How nice it was to meet in a strange country and study in the same school. In spite of that, I had

another problem at school.

Now, I am going to tell you how I suffered at school there especially in the first months of the

academic year. It was a new school to me with new teachers, new classmates, a different style of

education and a new curriculum. Firstly, I could not adapt to the new situation at school but after

a few months, I forced myself to adapt because I had no choice. If I had not adapted, surely, I

would have failed. I challenged myself and studied hard so that my dream to be the best student

in class could come true. In 2009, I finished my high school there and got a high average that

qualified me to apply to study medicine and I was accepted in a famous university in Syria called

the Arabic European University. From my perspective, I consider that a big achievement, even

though I did not study at that University because we moved to Canada in October 2009. We

came here because of our relatives who have been here for more than twenty years. They told us

about the developed education system in Canada and about how job opportunities after

graduation here are better. Based on that we decided to come here and continue my education.

In Canada, I would like to pursue my dream to be a doctor in the future. I applied to health

science at Vanier College and got the final admission. After achieving my first dream, I would


like to attain my second dream which is to improve my English and speak this language as

perfectly as I speak my mother language, Arabic.

Mariam Jabri is a health science student at Vanier College. She likes walking but she hates

basketball and tennis.


The Worst Possible Ending Ever! By Salomon Ederhy

During the summer of 2009, my friends and I really wanted to go to New York. So, a Friday

night, we packed the car and we took off to go to New York for the weekend. During the ride,

everybody was sleeping except for Mike, of course. Six hours after leaving Montreal, Mike woke

us up and told us that we arrived.

During our time in New York, we went shopping in expensive shops, we ate at fancy restaurants

and we went to museums. Our Hotel was located in front of Central park, one of the biggest

parks in the world. We had a really good time in NYC. So Saturday at 3:30pm, we started to

pack the car and we took off to come back to Montreal. One hour after leaving NYC, Mike

realized that the car needed a refuel so we stopped at a gas station. Mike checked his wallet and

said to me: “Salomon, I don‟t have any money left, can you lend me some”. I said: “of course”

and I went to the car to get my wallet. When I opened my wallet, I realized that I had no more

money. So, I woke up my two other friends and I asked them if they had money; they told me:

“Yes, but you kept our wallets”. I asked myself: “were did I put the wallets?” I checked in the

car but I couldn‟t find them. Then I realized that I had forgotten them at the hotel. Hence, I went

to see Mike and I told him: “Mike, I forgot the wallets at the hotel, and you don‟t have any fuel

left, what should we do?” Mike told me to call my dad. I called my dad and he told me he will be

here in 6 hours. The only problem is that there were two wallets at the hotel with 200$ in each.

While waiting for my dad, I called the hotel and told them to keep our wallets until I would come

back; they said ok.

At the end, we ended up waiting in the car for about six hours before my dad came. It took us

one hour to go back to the hotel. Finally, at three in the morning, I was lying in my bed, dead

tired.

From experience, please spend your money wisely when you‟re on vacation and please double

check when you leave your hotel room.

Salomon Ederhy was accepted at Vanier College in computer science technology. He absolutely

loves Subway sandwiches.


8count Dance Complex By Sarah-Michelle Leger

I was born in a very entertaining family. My aunts and cousins are musicians. They play the

piano, one of them is a singer and we all love to dance! Starting at the age of three, dancing has

always been my passion. I‟ve gone through a lot of different dance studios but nothing like the

8count dance complex.

August 2009, my hands were starting to feel cold, my heart was knocking in my chest as if it

were trying to get out of it, that was how stressed I was to do my audition at 8count. My friend

recommended that I register to try making the team since they have varsity teams at the dance

complex. I never thought that it would be that hard and quick to learn choreography. We literally

had an hour to learn over five counts of a dance piece. At the end of my audition, I was

exhausted and the only thing I wanted was to make one of the 4 varsity teams. Two weeks later,

the studio called me for a “Call Back Audition”, so I went back and gave my all on the floor.

In early September, I was the new member of the original varsity team of 8count, called DV8. I

had practices twice a week, two hours each; it was intense dancing and body training. It was

really awesome. Not only that, two formal members of the studio went to So You Think You Can

Dance Canada and made it to the Top 20. What is more is the incredible job that the strongest

team of the dance complex, Blueprint Crew, did on the American TV show America’s Best

Dance Crew.

It was an extraordinary year I should say. I don‟t regret anything of my experience, as a matter of

fact, my way of interpreting dance has changed and it‟s all for the best.

Sarah-Michelle Leger is a passionate dancer. She loves playing soccer and she can’t wait to

start College. She wants to pursue her dream of becoming a famous entertainer by joining the

Communication Program at Vanier College.


The Right Field By Sergine Philosca

I am now in the car looking out of the window; trees, restaurants and cars passing by, thinking,

what a wonderful law student I will be, knowing stories about other countries, knowing my laws,

knowing the most political things. My mom suddenly interrupts my thoughts, asking me, “Did

you finally decided who you‟d like to become after College and University?” I answered her,

“Mom, well, if I‟m accepted to Vanier, I will become a lawyer. It‟s very important for me to

know my law and to prove to people that I can, that I can be somebody. That I can go somewhere

and do something good for humanity... Something, something good, but for the moment I‟m

accepted at college LaSalle, for now I will be the biggest fashion designer and the best, everyone

would buy my clothes.”

My mom always taught me that if you want something, go for it but do it proudly and with

effort.

We are now arrived home. In the mail box, I see that today we‟ve received a lot of mail. I

noticed a white envelope with red writing, Vanier College. My heart starts to skip beats, I take a

big breath. I do want to open it but at the same time I don‟t want to. I grab my keys and open the

door; I hurry and put all the letters on the table. I open my letter from Vanier College. As I start

reading, I can‟t think, nor breathe. My future was based on this letter. I‟ve only read the first two

sentences and I am shocked, my eyes are wide open, “I‟ve been accepted”. Was it goodbye

fashion Designer and hello lawyer? Was I really about to throw my dream and passion in the

garbage? Maybe I was. I actually was about to throw it away and start down another avenue.

Fashion designer has always been my dream; I was asking myself, am I doing the right thing?

Am I going to regret my decision? I don‟t think so because law is very interesting and I will

always learn new things. That‟s what I like. I can make sure that justice is served. I‟ve made my

decision, I mean, Vanier made the decision easier for me. I am scared, thrilled and still

undecided about this. It‟s my future but I‟m sure I‟m going to rock at Vanier College and be the

best that I can be. This choice will give me a much better salary and good learning skills for my

education. All I have to do is believe in myself and what I can achieve. Work hard to be who I

want to be and it‟s to become a lawyer where I can and will show my knowledge. Fashion

designer is my plan B, my hobby. I will always create and design new clothes because it will be

impossible to completely put aside my dream. Vanier College is my present, my future and me.

Sergine Philosca is a prep school student and will be attending Vanier in the fall. She is 19 years

old and she loves shoes (She’s a shoe maniac) and to dance.


Sky Pub Club By Shiela Mae Rafal

We were all kids back then who didn‟t know anything. Twelve years had passed since the last

time we had met. My cousins had immigrated to California and two years ago, we immigrated

here to Canada which is not far from them. Now we are all grownups and finally we, cousins,

have met again. One of our cousins came here and spent four days with us. Finally, we had the

chance to spend time with each other and to talk about our childhood and our past. We also had

the chance to party ignoring our parents even though they would scold us.

I‟m going to tell you about when we went clubbing here in Montreal. It was my first time going

clubbing here. It was Saturday night at 10:30 and it was cloudy; it seemed like it was going to

rain. We decided to go clubbing and I was so excited, but, because I am the youngest of them,

my brother didn‟t want me to go. But I forcedly said “I will come whatever you say. I am 19

years old, so I can do whatever I want to do and I can decide for myself.” He called our mom

and he told her about it, but mom said yes, so my brother had no other choice.

That night, we took the bus because everyone would have a drink, so we all couldn‟t drive after.

But we forgot that we didn‟t have tickets for the bus and we didn‟t have a lot of change. My

brother opened his wallet and he searched for change, but he was missing 10 cents to have exact

bus fare. So, we started looking for change on the road and in the slot of a parking meter where

the change comes out, but sadly we didn‟t find any. Good thing that in front of the bus stop there

was a gasoline station that had a convenience store and I went there to ask for change. Finally,

we had change and we were ready to go, so we waited for the bus for a couple of minutes. While

we were on the bus, my brother kept on talking like he was the tour guide and I remained silent.

We got off at Guy Concordia metro station and we took the subway until Beaudry metro station.

While we were inside the subway, my cousin told me that we were going to a gay club, then I

was blank and I just smiled. I didn‟t say anything because I want to experience everything and

my brother asked me why I was smiling, but I said “nothing.” When we arrived at the station, we

walked along St. Catherine Street until we reached Sky Pub Club. The club was a three storey

building. The first thing that came up on my mind was “wow! There are a lot of good looking

gays here” and I told my cousin “Hey! I want to have a gay „boyfriend‟ now,” then my cousin

laughed. When we got there, we sat in front of the club. A couple of minutes later, one of the

servers came and asked for our orders and my cousin just ordered one pitcher of beer. We had

decided to drink a lot and get drunk before we go dancing inside the club. While we were

drinking, my brother started to turn red because he‟s not used to drinking alcohol. My cousin and

I told him to stop drinking, and then we asked the server to give us a glass of water for him to

sober up. We asked him if he was “ok” and if he wanted to go to the washroom, but he said he

was ok and he just wanted to stay there. So my cousin and I continued to drink and we finished

two pitchers. After that, we went inside the club and we started to dance. We were at the ground

level and because of curiosity; we went upstairs just to see what was in there. The second floor

was the same thing as the ground floor. On the third floor, I saw guy dancers on a stage with just

briefs on them and lastly, on the roof top was a nice view. We sat there just for us to sober up

and I ordered one cold cranberry juice. After drinking the juice, I went to the washroom. I was a

little bit tipsy then that I even forgot that I was in a gay bar and I was like a fool looking for a

ladies‟ washroom. I laughed at myself. So, I entered the only washroom on the rooftop just like


that. It was so convenient to use the same wash room as the guys. When I finished using the

washroom, I went straight to our table and started telling my brother and my cousin about the

washroom. Then, my cousin told me “Don‟t worry. They won‟t hurt you and they don‟t care

anyways.” I just smiled. After that, we went back to the second floor and started to dance again

until 1:30 am because we told our parents that we should be back home by 2:00 am. At exactly

1:30 am, we left the club and started walking along St. Catherine. My cousin kept on asking why

we were walking instead of taking a taxi. But I didn‟t know why we were walking either. It was

obvious that we were a little bit tipsy that time. When we got tired, we took the taxi and headed

home. My cousin said, “That was fun. Thanks guys!”

That night was fun and it was good that I experienced it. I will never forget that night. I want to

say thanks to my cousin for bringing me there.

Shiela Mae Rafal is going to study Health Science this upcoming semester. She’d love to be in

the Health Sector and wants to work in a hospital.


Pay Attention By Shirley Lee

Teachers say that there are always consequences if you don‟t follow in class. I didn‟t really

believe it before. This is what happened to me.

In the summer of 2009, near the end of the semester, it was a normal day as usual. I woke up at

7am, I brushed my teeth, I took my white polo and my blue marine skirt and dressed, I ate my

breakfast and then I went outside to wait for the bus to arrive. The bus arrived as usual. As I

walked inside the bus, my eyes looked around to search for a place to sit. All seats were taken. I

waited for a while with my earphones in my ears and I finally sat in a seat near the window.

After a while, I left the bus and walked quietly to school. The bell rang and I quickly climbed the

stairs until I reached the sixth floor, almost losing my breath as I just ran nonstop for two

minutes.

A few hours passed and it was finally the last period. I took out my agenda and looked for my

next class. I saw “English” written on it. I walked to the classroom with heavy steps. I didn‟t

want to go to that course. I wanted to go home. The second bell rang and the teacher still hadn‟t

arrived. I heard footsteps approaching from far away and I knew that she was coming. She

entered the classroom and started to talk. I was already daydreaming. She talked and talked, but I

didn‟t hear what she was saying as if I were deaf. I couldn‟t concentrate at all and I abandoned

trying to listen to what she had to say. I turned my head ninety degrees and I faced the window

next to me. I looked at the people who were walking on the sidewalk. My eyes were following

them. I really envied them. They could do what they wanted to do. As I was still daydreaming,

my ears suddenly opened and I heard what the teacher was saying. She was talking about

adverbs. As I went back to daydreaming, I heard the teacher say “Shirley”. As she said that, I

jumped and stood up and apologized for being inattentive. Everyone turned their head and

looked at me with an interrogative face. My friend sitting in front of me said, “What are you

saying?!” The teacher then said that she wasn‟t calling me and that she was only saying “surely”.

Everybody opened their mouth and started to laugh. I felt that my whole body got hotter and

hotter. All flustered, I sat down with my tomato face.

After this event, I haven‟t daydreamt in class again. I also learned that not listening in class does

have consequences.

Shirley Lee was born in Canada in 1993. She has many hobbies including singing and listening

to music. She will be studying commerce at Vanier College.


Just for Laughs Festival By Sun He Li

I was lucky to land in Montreal at the end of June, the best time of a year, as I was able to catch

the Just for Laughs Festival. Not being able to appreciate English humour, it‟s difficult for me to

understand how people laugh only at silly jokes. What happened at the festival changed my way

of understanding humour.

Fair weather makes going on a trip more enjoyable. One of our friends invited us to the Just for

Laughs Festival. It seemed like a silly decision to meet each other at 6 o‟clock in the evening

since it would already be crowded. Despite this, my sisters enjoyed the festival a lot. Having not

participated in any activities gave me enough time to look around the festival. There were some

clowns playing around with little kids, sharing candies with them, and also there were amazing

shows which scared people. My family was doing Sudoku puzzles and my younger sister was

fishing in a tiny pool which had several toy fish in it. People danced to music and waved their

arms. The festival was not as interesting as I thought. It took hours for my family to participate in

all the activities. It was time to go to have dinner. As if they discussed it a little bit beforehand,

all of them wanted to go to the bathroom at the same time. Because there were only porta-potties,

we had to use our own Kleenex. I became the person who stood outside with the empty Kleenex

box. I couldn‟t even find a place to throw it away, so that caused a problem. An unbelievably

kind lady walked past me and put a loonie inside my box. She said,”Take care.” I was confused

at first, but soon I understood what had happened. "No, I'm not..." I said as soon as I could. "I

see, but like the name of our festival, just laugh and have fun," said the lady. Wow! I could feel

as if a door had just opened before me. I am in North America. I am a part of the world.

By the end of June, I had been here for almost one year. Life was kind of boring at first, but it's

all right for me now, because I know laughs are right beside you when you live life.

Sun He Li, a student in Pure & Applied Science of Vanier College, wants to learn Double E in

the future.


My First Time Home Alone By Vanessa Angelone

I woke up one morning to the bright sunshine coming in from my bedroom window. As I was

getting ready, my mother quickly came to speak to me. She explained that she and my father

were leaving for work and my siblings were already on their way to school. That meant I had to

spend the entire day by myself. I remember thinking: “I can‟t wait for the day to begin!”

That same morning, I played, sang and danced around the house, enjoying every moment. When

the clock stroke noon, I began to feel hungry and decided to make myself something to eat.

There I was eating and watching television when I heard a loud noise. I turned the volume down

and started to look around. I checked every door to see if there was anyone nearby, nobody. I

went to sit down when I heard it again. It sounded like a bang on the window that kept getting

louder and louder. I decided to look around one more time but still nothing. A few minutes later,

I heard another noise. This one sounded like a high-pitch screaming that just wouldn‟t stop.

There I was on my first day home alone, scared out of my mind.

Shortly after, I called my mother to tell her what was going on. She thought the whole story was

hilarious and refused to come home. I decided to make her hear the noise. She finally started to

take me seriously. She told me to look around one more time just to make sure. I did, but this

time, holding the phone so tight and ready to jump and fight “the bad guy”. I still couldn‟t find

out where the noise was coming from, so I panicked and ran outside.

About five minutes later, my mother came racing home like Super Woman. This time, she

checked the surroundings herself, only to find out that, this whole time, there was a bird in the

chimney banging and chirping to get out. I will definitely never forget my first day home alone.

Vanessa Angelone is a seventeen year old Vanier student who will be studying health science in

the fall. She hopes to be successful in the future.


On board for a foreign country By Vincent Milette

The story I am about to tell is not as extraordinary as landing on the moon, but, for a young guy

like me who hasn‟t experienced that many things in life, it is pretty funny. Last winter, I was

definitely motivated to do something different, so my classmates and I decided to go on a school

trip to offer our help to a little community called Canaan located in Costa Rica.

When I first arrived, I was totally confident and I thought that since Spanish sounds like French

and since they both are Latin languages, I wouldn‟t have any problem being understood by my

new neighbors. But it wasn‟t the case and I realized it fast. It happened to be my first real trip to

a country where I barely knew anything about the culture, the values or the language. In addition

to the fact that my way of communication looked prehistoric due to using sign language to

express myself, the first days were extremely hard because I had to get used to my new life for

two weeks. Not a single detail of their everyday life was the same as here in Canada. After a

couple of days there and after realizing that living at peace with the nature was the most amazing

journey I had ever lived, I started having fun and fully enjoying my trip.

Also, moments like when I played waving flag with my guitar around the fire while everyone

was singing , or when I wanted to say kitchen in Spanish ,but, in reality I said “lustful” and when

the family that took care of me were dying of laughter are unforgettable and priceless. There‟s

also the day when we suddenly stopped the whole traffic in downtown Costa Rica because the

cops had to help us get out of an underground parking lot in which we had stayed stuck because

our bus driver wasn‟t smart enough to notice that the height limit was way below the height of

the bus.

In the end, visiting this country, taking advantage of the wonderful landscapes and getting to

know a new culture while practicing my Spanish was an experience for which I doubted at first

but that will last forever in my mind.

Vincent Milette is going to study “International Studies” in the fall semester. He loves sports and

also plays the guitar in his spare time. He is really passionate about history, politics and

geography; this is why traveling is a really important part of his life.


The Sacrifice By Walid Chenine

The sun was up high, gazing with all of its might, leaving no trace of clouds in the sky, the

crickets were calling out to each other passionately in a cacophony of sounds, as the smell of

freshly cut grass in the air captivated us with its aroma. These are the only fragments of the

untainted memories of my youth and of that summer eight years ago.

The summer of 2002 is my most vivid memory and it is for a good reason. The story starts with

my friends and I playing soccer in the school‟s playground which was always left open during

the summer. We were having fun passing the ball to each other, kicking it, passing it around and

kicking it again with the skills of ten year olds until one of my friends made a bad move and sent

the ball over the fence. We had no choice but to get it back no matter what.

We all went to look for it, not knowing what lay ahead of us, nor what sacrifices we had to make.

We walked through bushes after bushes to finally arrive in a backyard of a house we knew

nothing about. But what we found laying around was worth all the trouble getting there. We

found dozens of balls. As trivial as it might sound to you, to a bunch of ten year olds it was like

Ali Baba‟s cave. Everyone started to take as much as there little arms could handle and I was no

exception. Everything was perfect up until a dog that came out of nowhere started running

towards us.

At that point, as we all ran for our lives, we all knew that it was every kid on his own. Now that I

think about it, I am thankful to God that I was the fastest boy at school because the slowest one

had to be sacrificed to the dog.

Walid will join the social sciences general profile in the fall semester but he plans on going into

the social sciences commerce profile in the winter semester. Walid already has his prerequisites

but he was too late to apply for the first semester.


My Passion for Music By Cai Xue Si

My mom has some talent for singing, so I got very familiar with Karaoke Clubs in my childhood.

However, at that time, my mom found out that although I inherited her passion for the music, I

didn‟t really inherit her talent. However, she probably didn‟t realize that the passion that I

inherited from her is much more important than the talent, which had been falling asleep during

my childhood.

During my primary school and the beginning of my high school, I kept loving music and singing

with a lot of passion but out of tune. One day, a well done French test, which seems irrelevant

with music, changed my life. It qualified me for an enriched class. However, to have access to

that class, I was obliged to take an instrumental course. I chose the clarinet, one of the most

accurate instruments in the wind orchestra. Little by little, my friends discovered and told me

that I sang well. I guess my clarinet helped me a lot on the accuracy of my notes.

Being in tune should be the easiest thing for anyone who knows singing, I agree. It took me

fifteen years to work that out. However, within less than two years, my singing skills improved

with an amazing speed. My potential talent came out from the fog day by day. I loved more and

more Karaoke clubs and met some friends there. Having much more confidence and being

recommended by friends, I signed up for a Singing Contest.

I met a lot of old friends in the audition and also made some new. Being not in great voice

condition, I picked a le ss intense song, more popular style, named „Don‟t say that you didn‟t

care about my tears‟. I wasn‟t stressed because I went there just for a trial. I wasn‟t shy because

no one would laugh at me as I was alone with the judges. To my surprise, one of the judges

really appreciated my performance. She said that she heard powerful emotions in my voice. The

next morning, she called me to confirm my qualification to the final contest.

I was very excited and began to prepare for the final day by day, hesitating between songs.

Finally, I chose a song that I loved a lot, named „The World is in My Heart‟, a Chinese song

from the 80s. Compared to the song that I had performed in the audition, this one is much more

intense and powerful. The final contest took place in the Chinese Culture Center. Spectators were

composed of friends, parents, and fans. Sponsors who have provided financial aid for the Singing

Contest were sitting in the front seats. At seven o‟clock, the contest raised its curtain with a

fashionable salutatory from the two hosts. I wasn't really stressed at the beginning because I

thought I would be as relaxed as I had been during the audition. However, my stress was

growing as my turn was approaching. I went to the restroom several times to try to calm down

alone and release my stress. I began to worry about a lot of things, such as how spectators would

judge me if I didn't do well, how my friends and parents would be disappointed if I was the worst

performer. I lost my confidence and felt that I would easily fail on stage even though I had

practiced a thousand times.

The moment I mounted on the stage, I was still in my nervous psychological state. I took the

prelude time to reflect; I told myself “I have qualified to the final because I am strong enough

and that is what I have believed so far.” At the right moment, my friends shouted out together the


slogan made with my nick name, “Little fatty, little fatty, we love you; little fatty, little fatty, you

are the best!” I suddenly understood that no matter what, my friends, and surely also my dear

parents, would always be there to encourage me. I took a deep breath and took up role right

away. For the first part of the song, I wasn't stressed anymore. I began to walk around on the

stage and make some gestures to show that I was devoted to the song. For the second part, I

completely enjoyed my performance. With the beautiful melody and powerful lyrics, emotions

came out naturally. Colourful stage lighting and spectators made me forget that I was in a

contest. I was at my own concert. Instead of showing my skills, I wanted spectators to enjoy my

performance. My intense song ended with a long high pitch note. With enthusiastic applause and

cheering from spectators, I felt that I‟ve successfully attracted many of them with my emotional

voice and probably also my singing skills. I made a deep bow to all my friends and my parents.

Without them, I could have never recovered my confidence.

After that success, I believe that I will be able to achieve my dream. Having full confidence, I

registered in a Double-Dec program to have a formal music education. Unfortunately, I did not

get acceptance and was deeply depressed. Shortly afterward, I said to myself that I will meet my

first failure one day or another, but no failure will stop me from keeping my passion, to carry on

my music life and to carry out my dream.

Cai Xue Si is a Marianopolis student and will be studying pure & applied science.


The Day I Left for Canada By Xue Yang

“Xiaoxue, it is time to get up, hurry up.”A familiar and normal voice went into my mind on the

morning of the day I was leaving my home for Canada. Actually, I had woken up a long time

before that. I woke up early by myself but I did not get up. I just looked around my room. The

beautiful and long curtains which were my favourite were still very new even though my mother

bought them for me two years ago. There were many pink and red flowers in big shapes on the

white curtains, as if I could have smelled the fragrance of the flowers in my room. In front of the

window, there was my orchid plant that my father gave me as a birthday present in the previous

year. I had been watering it every week during the whole year and it grew as well as I did.

“Breakfast is ready, come and have your meal, Xiaoxue.” My mother called me again. I went and

sat at the table. In general, my parents and I sit around the round table that made us feel

comfortable. My mother talked about the plans for that day, such as what we were going to do

after breakfast, when our relatives and friends were going to see me and have a big lunch with

us, when we were going to the airport…as I was having breakfast. However, my father was very

quiet at that time. He just ate his meal and looked at me now and then like a child looking at his

favourite toy he would lose.

After breakfast, at about ten o‟clock, my relatives and friends came one by one. We talked,

laughed and waited for the big meal; that was a traditional way for saying good-bye to someone

in China. Time passed quickly. After a while, it was lunch time—around 12 o‟clock; I was

leaving soon. During lunch, everyone was eating except my father, my mother and me. Although

the food would have been very delicious otherwise, it just seemed like an ordinary bowl of rice

to us. Suddenly, one of my cousins said, “I will miss you very much, you should call me often.” I

said, “I will, I promise.” even my father said in a low voice, “yes, you should call us often.” For

a long time, my father kept silent. Eventually, he spoke. At the same time, my mother turned her

head around in order to avoid being seen because she was weeping. I felt that a big stone was

being put on my heart. I could hardly breathe.

At the exact time according to the plans, we arrived at the airport. My father held my hand as we

were entering the airport. He used to hold my hand in many situations. He would hold my hand

as we crossed the street. He would hold my hand as I was in danger. He would hold my hand as I

was sad. He would hold my hand as I was happy. He was holding my hand as I was leaving

him… I was going to board the plane. Finally, my mother couldn‟t help weeping; she threw her

arms around me. Big tears streamed down her face. As a result, I also started to weep. I love

them as much as they love me.

Xue Yang will be attending the Accounting & Management program at Vanier College in the fall

semester.


My First Dissection By Ying-Di Liu

My first dissection was in Secondary 3. When the teacher told us we will do a dissection,

I was thrilled. I thought it would be fun. I wanted to know what it felt like to plunge a knife into

an eyeball or the feeling of holding a heart with my own hands. I was also excited because it was

a break from what we usually did which was writing and listening to the teacher.

My first dissection was a disappointment.

When we started the dissection, I was excited. Five minutes later, I didn‟t feel so excited. I was

disgusted by the horrible smell coming out of the thirty dead eyeballs, thirty dead hearts and

thirty dead kidneys. The smell was terrible. Cutting an eye was not as exciting as it sounds and

touching a heart was not fun. Since we were obligated to wear gloves, I didn‟t feel what I was

touching. I was also waiting for the others to finish so I could continue, because the teacher

wanted everyone to finish at the same time. At the end, the teacher dissected a dead baby pig in

front of us. I didn‟t like the experience. Why? Because there was nothing interesting about it,

there was no blood to scare anybody so I couldn‟t have a good laugh with my friends. My legs

were too tired from standing for two hours and the smell was too horrible. I was also waiting for

the bell to ring so I could go to my next class because I wanted to sit down.

It was the most horrible experience in my life. My first dissection was not amusing at all.

Ying-Di Liu was born in 1992 in Canada. He came from the College Français de Montreal High

School. He is going in Computer Science and Mathematics in fall.

821 Ste. Croix Avenue, Montreal, Quebec, Canada H4L 3X9

www.vaniercollege.qc.ca

http://www.vaniercollege.qc.ca/

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