A memory of the high school life

Grades 2016 magazine

JINHAN MEI 2016.5.21

WHO AM I? There is a question that I asked myself again and again, that who the hell am I? and I always felt lost as I question myself from time to time. Personally, I regard myself as a student, a dreamer, a good son of my parents, a soccer player, and the one who dare to risk himself.

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Jinhan, the ordinary one, the unique one, the special one, and the happy one.

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Selfie with the NDP leader Tom Mulcair while doing volunteers for the party.

“I do not want to be recognized as the smart one, but the hard-working one.”

-THE QUOTE JINHAN USED TO INSPIRE HIMSELF

Mei Jinhan, A international student from China, who is looking to finish his study in Canada for a brighter future. Jinhan is now 17 years old and have a wide range of interest. He is a good soccer player, being the captain of the north vancouver gold soccer club, and carried his team to the final of the U17 final game. Besides, he is also a good traditional Chinese flute player, which he has been played for 12 years since he was only 5 years old. Besides, Jinhan is also a student that has a great passion on challenging himself and exploring the world. He chose to take the IB certificate with three higher level courses in Math, Chemistry, and Biology, which shows his ambition of accomplishing the high school with a higher standard, and the ambition of being a scientist for doing researches on brains.

I was born in a sweet family in Beijing. Not only is the family raising him up, the small family is always being the supporter of him. It is obvious and definitely that he would never achieve his current level without his support of the hole family, and the love from all

the members.

Due to the ”one child policy”, I am the only child of his family, so that he become the one carrying gall the hope and expectation of the hole family. However, different than most of traditional families in China teaching their child directly without asking about their interest, my parents spent most of their time on teaching me to take some more time and try more things that may benefit for me in the future.

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Family and parents influences

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Their philosophy of learning, which is “trying more and more things until you find the field that

you like and a talent on it, then master it” this philosophy has influenced on me from time to time. This view of studying has helped me find the field that I am interested and good at, and

also give a great memory of childhood, a mixture of study, play, and happiness.

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China, the motherland of me, is not only the place that I have spent the most of time, but also the place that I have the strongest emotional connection. Being the few communist country in the world, and one of the only two countries that Facebook and google is not available, but the second largest economy system in the world, and one of the most powerful countries in the world, the word “China” has been controversy, a mixture of past and future, limited of rights and freedom.

Something about my homeland: China, the country where I born and raised me up

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Not mention about any of the politics, I am tired with having a debate such as whether the government of China is evil or not. There is one thing that is truly remarkable in China that 2016 is only the

38th years for China to change its way and started it own industrial revolution. The peace of developing in the past 40 years is impressive, and even become another miracle of the world. Even this remarkable speed has brought thousands of benefits to this old country, but a lot of problems such as pollutions as well.

Once again, I would never willing to discuss about the politics here in this magazine, but I do regards myself as the special one to this country, a miniature of this old land. Embracing the whole world here in Canada, I hope I can learn something that I can use to pay back on the old land that on the other side of the earth, I hope I can make some changes there, or at least try my best to make it beautiful, a better place for every other Chinese to live. This is my dream, and I do believe that I can make it come to true one day.

It is the second year that I have been here in Canada, which is only a start for the new life. To be honest, it is one of the most amazing decisions that I have ever made in my life. Here, I have a chance to look into the hole world in a new perspective, a view that can get by only standing on the shoulders of a giant.

Here, I have a chance to appreciate the freedom of citizens; I have a chance to embrace the other cultures in the rest of the world, and knowing that there is not only one answers to each questions, but a really diversity in the solutions. Even some solutions may not the “absolutely correct” or doesn’t even make sense some times, these solutions still make the world a interesting place for everyone.

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Canada: A new life and new vision of world

Canada is the place that teaches me that people should take their own responsibility to their society. Changes can be made by ourselves, and we are never too small to make the real change happens. The attitude Canadians towards to garbage is the first thing shocks me as I arrived in here. It is the first time that I realize the three “R”s are something that is reachable that everyone can make the it true. A simple step of just putting different kinds of garbages in to different bins can make a change and bring the treatment of the garbages into a new level. In fact, garbages in China are not classified, or it is not well classified as here in Vancouver. As a result, different kinds of garbages are treated different as they goes to the waste disposal center, which is totally different than just burry them under the ground or burn them in high temperature in China. I have never think about a simple act or a short hesitate of which bin is the right one that the waste should go can make a difference, to contribute our power on to make the earth a better place.

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In addition, volunteers here is another thing that impresses me. As my own understanding, volunteering is not a event that for graduating, but a thing that pay back to the society, a thing that trying ones’ best to contribute to the society and make it better. I have done a volunteers in different fields. In Ambleside youth center, I made a lot of my friends who speaks different languages, and even become teammates as I joined in the soccer team in North Vancouver. I have been volunteering for NDP and Liberal parties as well, I opened my eyes and seen how the elections goes, and how the parties serve for the people. I have been volunteering for Multicultural club at school as well, from there, I learnt how to work in a team, and become a good team leader. In the second year, I become the leader of this club and holding one of the most successful Asian New Year celebrations, and food fair events in our school this year.

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Nevertheless, I have also achieve high in the academy as well. Being a IB certificate student, I challenge myself on school work, and learn much more than in regular curriculum. With all the hard working and passion, I received my dream school offer in March, and will start my new life in University of Toronto next year.

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