Student Voice
A writing voice is the distinct personality, style, or point of view of a piece of writing. Here is where students of EESE share their writing voices.
The Way of Doing Business in China and in Canada, written by Yan Chen (June 2017)
It is very interesting to find out that there are three differences when you do business in China and in Canada. The first difference is in who plays the key role in the meeting. In China, the person who has the highest position is the most important person in the meeting. Usually, this person makes the final decision. However, in Canada, responsibility is shared, and the person responsible for the situation usually makes the final decision. The second difference is when the main point is discussed. In China, the most important issue is discussed last. But in Canada, people discuss the key points at the beginning of the meeting. The final difference is what is done after the meeting. In China, the business partners will be invited to have dinner together, and it will last more than two hours. After that, the business partners will be invited to continue the evening and participate in some other programs. In Canada, on the contrary, the business partners will not be invited for dinner. There may be nothing after the meeting. In brief, there are significant dissimilarities in the way how business is done in China and in Canada.
A Memorable Event in My Life, written by Olga Stolashchuk (January 2017)
When we are young, healthy and have close ones, we never think that some day happy things could be over. However, life is created in this way, when a white stripe is changed by a black one. First of all, I grew up in a small loving family. My parents were very kind to me and to my older brother. My Mom was always an excellent housewife and a good cook, and my Dad was always a hard worker and a good friend to us, his children. My Dad read a lot and tried to involve us in reading. He often told us that only knowledge gives us confidence, freedom, and a well-deserved life. He was a wise, competent man. Later, when I graduated from school, I was of two minds about what to do for the future, what speciality was more interesting for me. My father advised me to take time and to try to work somewhere in order to understand what I wanted to do or to study. Soon, I was hired in a local hospital as a housekeeper. I was surprised to meet so many graduates there who didn’t pass into a Medical school. Meanwhile, I was surrounded by not only peers but also professional staff. My work time flew so fast that I didn’t notice how the months passed, so I fell in love with a medical profession. After a while, the time came to enter a college or university, and by that time I knew for sure what I wanted to study and to do for the future. Before beginning the study, I found a tutor to prepare for entering a medical school. I laid out all my life in that moment, and I had a goal, and I was ready to move mountains in order to reach my goal. In that time, my father took a vacation and went to his home village to visit all his brothers and sisters. He didn’t feel very well, and probably it was not a suitable time for a trip, but his desire to visit all his relatives was unstoppable. I believe that he felt his end was near. Later, when he was away from home for a while and we expected him to come back home, I got a call from my dad. His voice was soft and tired, and he told me that he missed me so much and hoped to see me soon. It was his farewell call. Five hours later, his brother called us and told us that he had had a heart attack and a physician couldn’t help him. In a month, I passed the entrance exams and was enrolled in medical school. I felt that my father must have been proud of me in that he wanted to see me as a physician. Overall, there were hard times, but we always have balance in our life. “Give and take” is a common expression. I lost the close one who was my father and friend at the same time, but I got to know a sense of life, a value of life; moreover, I got new friends, new emotions, new feelings, and new impressions. Generally, our life is built from white and black stripes; and we should be ready for both of them to accept life’s new experiences and gifts.
Niagara Falls, written by Cyril Maqsood (December 2016)
I dreamt of seeing Niagara Falls. In 1980, one of my friends visited the USA and went to Niagara Falls. He took a number of pictures of Niagara Falls. After coming back to Pakistan, he showed us those pictures and shared some moments of his visit. I asked him many questions about his visit. He told me many things about Niagara Falls. For example, the height of the falls, the colour of the water, the quantity of the water, the sound of the falling water, and about his many other memories.
On that day, I decided that someday my dream would come true. After a few years, when I planned to migrate to Canada, I thought that my dream was going to come true.
I migrated to Canada last year. This year in the month of August, 2016, I visited Niagara Falls. When I boarded the airplane from Winnipeg to Toronto, it was really very exciting for me that I was going to see my dream. On the same day, when I put my eyes on Niagara Falls, I prayed to God and my tears came. It was a very sentimental moment for me. I became emotional. It was really unbelievable. I asked myself if it was possible that, if you dreamed something, it could be true or fulfilled. But it was really true for me. I observed every moment. I was there. I perceived the sound of the water falling with my sense of hearing. I felt the mist of the water wetting my face and hair. I felt the temperature of the water by touching it. I saw the height of the water fall by going down to board the tour boat. I saw the power of the water by the foaming of the water. The quantity of the water shocked me. With all of the above, I felt and saw the beauty of nature and how nature works.
I walked all along the river bank from the Peace Bridge to the Horseshoe Falls. The water flows about 500 meters down the river bank. The greenish blue colour of the water attracted my attention to its beauty.
Now, I believe that Niagara Falls is really one of the wonders of the world.
Having a Picnic, written by Bee Tan (November 2016)
Having a picnic at the park has always brought about happy and pleasant moments in my life. I love this activity because it is economical, communicative, relaxing and exploratory. The picnic food is easy to prepare, right from your home-made sandwiches, salad and cake to fast food meals. It is the best time for most family members and friends to get together or meet new friends at the park. In addition, it is also a chance for us to go back to nature, learn how trees have survived from harsh weather, appreciate the fresh air, and let our bodies and souls unwind. It short, picnicking has been a wonderful experience for me. I would highly recommend one to do so in their free time.
The Banana Plants, written by Francoise (April 2016)
When I was a child, I lived in a place that had a wonderful view. I do not remember anything about the place except the banana plants. They were very tall and productive and made our place very nice looking for us and for others. In the evening, when it was dark, they looked scary and I could not go out alone after 7:00 pm because I was scared. From the bottom to the top, it seemed like they were making stairs because of their different heights. In the center of the banana plant farm, we lived in a four bedroom house with two entrances. On the left of the house, we had the plants which produced short bananas for dessert. They were naturally sweet and became yellow when they were ready to eat. On the right, we had another kind of banana which produced the long bananas for dessert or for making banana wine. They were the tallest, and we were the only ones who had this kind of banana plant in the area. In front of the house, there were banana plants that were used to make banana wine. They were very productive, and my family produced banana wine every two weeks. The wine was like by everyone and was easy to sell. Later, we left the place because of the civil war, and I did not have an opportunity to go back there to see how the banana plants were doing. Now, I hear that the banana plants are not there anymore because there is no one to take care of them. The wonderful view of the banana plants is an unforgettable memory from my childhood.
Jovi’s Distraction, written by Jovi Huang (March 2016)
It has been a year! I am trying to do my homework in the Millennium Library, looking out of the window − cars are driving by, pedestrians are walking by. Everything seems the same as last year. It seems not one thing has changed, not a single one.
In this moment, my mind is lost. It is just like a sailor sailing in the centre of an ocean without a compass. I keep asking myself:” Where am I? Where should I go? Where is my destination?” Is this also my stage - sitting in the same spot, solving problems and problems, and doing it year by year?
I take a deep breath, drink a bit of coffee. In the meanwhile, I have realized something - something that has changed. The size of my coffee cup has increased from medium to large. I have become a coffee addict during the last year because I have studied so hard. I need coffee to get me through every single day.
I am not a sailor! I am more like a turtle, climbing slowly toward my goal. There is no shortcut to a place that is worth going to. I just never stop moving forward. Raindrops gather to be an ocean. Rocks pile up to form a mountain. I will achieve my goal as long as I stick with it.
A little girl just stumbled and fell down on the ground. She cried, and then she stood up and kept walking with her family. Life never stops.
Frightening Experience, written by Julieta Menor (December 2015)
Fifteen years ago, I experienced something which was frightening and I still can’t forget even now. It was late at night in October 2000 in the Philippines. I was alone and on night shift when it happened. I was downstairs in our house preparing for work when suddenly I saw a big fire on the second floor of our house and it was about to cover half of the second floor. At first, I was frightened and didn’t know what to do. At that time, I was panicking, running back and forth inside the house and couldn’t think what should be the first thing to do. Then, I found that I was on the floor with the blood on my head. Immediately, I got up, ran outside and shouted for help. A lot of my neighbors in the Philippines came and helped me extinguish the fire. Each of them brought a pail and a basin full of water. After an hour, the fire was controlled. One of my female neighbors treated the small cut on my head. After that, I thanked all of them for the concern and help they had given. Soon after they left, I started to cry and didn’t stop until my family came back from a wedding. When my father found out what happened, he consoled me and he said, everything was going to be fine. He also said that he didn’t blame me for what happened and it was an accident. Right away he hugged me and comforted me, for the reason that I was still in shock and couldn’t stop crying. After I recovered from that incident, I told my family that I thought I would die that day and would never see them again. Since then, every time I see a fire, I feel scared and am reminded of that frightening experience.
White Socks, written by Shahla (April 2015)
I was standing in that big room. It was cold, and I was worried. The principal was writing something on a piece of paper. She was wearing a long loose dress under her chador (the black cloth in the shape of a semi-circle which some Muslim women wear to cover their hair and body). She seemed so small in that outfit behind that big desk. She did not look at me; she did not talk to me. I felt she was ignoring me deliberately. Something was wrong.
Things were not happening as I had planned. The revolutionary government had closed all universities to reconsider the curriculum in each scientific field. Therefore, university students all over the country went back to their homes. I was one of them, so my happiness at being accepted into the best university in the country had not lasted long. Nobody knew how long the universities would remain closed. Some of my friends quit school for good; some got married and started a new life. Others who had enough money had to flee to other countries as immigrants or refugees to continue their education. Most of the boys were not that lucky; they had to do their military service and they got killed in the war. At that time, Iran was at war with Iraq. As for me, I decided to find a job, and I tried my luck as a high school teacher. So, there I was standing in front of that big desk watching without really seeing anything - thinking about my life. There were so many unanswered questions in my head. How did I end up in that high school? What happened to my dreams? Would I ever be the biologist I planned to be? I don't remember how long I stood there, but I do remember my body was stiff, and I felt pain in my back. I was really losing my patience when finally the principal looked at me from head to toe and said, "You don't need to come again; we have terminated your employment." I did not understand what she said, so I asked, "Excuse me, could you repeat that please?" She said, "You are not eligible to work in this high school because you do not follow the Islamic ethics." I still did not understand what happened exactly. So, I gathered my courage and asked, "Please, could you tell me which part of the Islamic ethics you mean I did not follow?" She replied, "I don't need to explain it to you, but I will. I see you are wearing white socks. This is against the rules. If you do not obey the rules, how can we make our students obey them? You are not a good example." I was shocked. As a person living in an Islamic family, I had never heard of such a rule. I did not say anything; I just went home. One day, 20 years later, my sixteen year old daughter came home. She was sad and angry. She said, "Mom, I need some white socks for school; they lowered my grade for wearing the black ones."
Students, written by Thanh Do (February 2015)
Through a teacher’s eyes, classes may seem perfect and in line; in fact, students are secretly out of line with their “professional” skills. First of all, some always have their cell phones on. These kinds of students look like they are listening by placing their hands against their chins, and looking at the teachers only when necessary. However, they are secretly playing with their cell phones. They are masters at hiding their devices. For instance, they can hide them in their pen boxes, in their sleeves, or even between their thighs. The cell phone players always try to be invisible to their teacher’s eyes by sticking to the rules and rarely making mistakes, so the teachers will not pay attention to them. The next kind of student is the study-other-subjects-er. They look like perfect students who are hard-working, quiet and focused on the lesson. Still, they are actually studying other subjects such as next class’s homework and upcoming tests. Finally, a classroom always has the nod-off-ers. These kinds of students usually sit at the back. They place their hands against their foreheads; moreover, their bangs are pretty long so their “sleeping eyes” are hidden. Furthermore, the nod-off-ers have a next-seat-guard to let them know when the teachers are coming. To sum up, students can be divided into many kinds, but they all drive the teachers crazy.
Jean Beliveau, written by Shervin (January 2015)
His memorial tributes were full of stories about his courage, his sense of discipline and honour, his remarkable intelligence and magnificent team spirit, and the new prestige Beliveau gave to hockey.
But, away from the rink, his focus on family values became an outstanding aspect of his life, when he declined the offer to become Governor General of Canada so that he could stay close to his daughter and granddaughters who had lost their father.
His popularity was not limited to his hockey career, and after retiring from the game he devoted most of his energy to helping the less fortunate and promoting charitable causes.
It is now more understandable who Canada lost on December 2nd, 2014.
