Being Asian in Canada

My name is Taishi Zoshima. I am half Chinese and half Japanese. My family and I immigrated to Canada in 2010 when I was just 5 years old. When I came into the country, I did not speak any English.I remember learning my English from watching television and from my friends. I went to elementary school in downtown Vancouver. I was able to learn English in three months because I was surrounded by English speakers.

Cultural differences:

Moving to Canada at such a young age, I never really felt a culture change, but there definitely is a large difference.One of the big differences is in the food that you eat. The Canadian food was much more salty and lacked in flavor but there are many Asian restaurants all around the city so it is not hard to get a taste from home. There is also a very different culture in education. In western cultures they work on more creative thinking rather than traditional education. For example in Canada students write more essays and personal projects rather than traditional tests.

Racial differences

In schools there was also a clear cultural divide once we all entered grade 4, where half of the cafeteria was Asian and the other white. To my 10 year old self this was never a big issue though. There is also a standard that Asians are held to in school. When an Asian performs average on a test they are considered “dumb Asians’’. This standard can cause lots of stress within students. But now in the current climate with the coronavirus, racial tensions towards Asians have increased. For myself, people constantly turn their backs to me when they come across me on the sidewalks and some others shooed me away and told me to keep distance.

Things I have learned

I know that I might have said some things that sound super scary but living in a western country is for the most part extremely fun and educational. You get to learn about people from all different cultures and backgrounds. I also want to state the obvious of how learning english is an extremely valuable skill in the current world that we live in. In conclusion adjusting to life in a western country might be tough for the first few months but you can walk away with very important skills and friendships.

Author: Taishi Zoshima, Peddie School '23

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