I went to Canada when I was 18 years old.
That was my first time of getting out of Japan.
I was so determined to become an English speaker,
and there was nothing to stop me from even thinking otherwise.
There I was...
I made it to Canada to live.
I was living in my first dream come true moment.
I would like to establish the ground where I was standing.
I mean how my English was when I first went to Canada.
Here is an episode which I can never forget.
Two weeks after I started living in Vancouver,
I watched a movie "Stand By Me" on TV.
I had seen the movie in a theater in Japan with Japanese subtitles.
I remembered vividly how much I enjoyed the movie
and I was excited about seeing and enjoying it again.
So I watched it.
And what happened??
was.....
I understood nothing from the words
which were spoken in the movie.
I felt..
A SHOCK!
I felt like I was left in a dark room not knowing how to get out.
It was terrifying.
I was terrified.
It really made me think the meaning of living in a foreign country,
and I really felt like being lost before I started taking even a step in the new life.
I can still remember the darkness I felt in that moment.
Of course...I did not stay in the darkness for long.
That's why I am here now.
