Personal Development Timeline

Personal Development Timeline

Back to the start..

SEPTEMBER 22nd, 1998

Immigrating to Canada

October 31th, 2000

Name: Feng Chen

Location: Longhai, Fujian, China

Time: around 8 in the morning

Weight: 8.9 pounds

Length: unknown

Back to China..

2004

When I was two, my parents and I migrated to Canada in hopes to find a better life. We arrived in Canada on Halloween day with little to no English! My parents left behind their childhood and all their family. They knew it was a risky move but they didn't see a future for them in the small city of Longhai. To this day, my parents, my brother and I are the only members of our immediate family that resides in Canada. (emotional)

When I was 6, I was sent back to China for a year to study and live with my grandmother. This was essential for me to learn about my past, my heritage and most importantly, Mandarin. This year long stay helped me realize the sacrifices my parents made and how I should be grateful for everything I was given in Canada. (intellectual)

The Gift.

2015

A close family friend had just recently purchased a new car so he was trying to pass his old car to someone deserving. He chose to give it to me as he knows I will take very good care of the car and will get the most out of having a car, regardless of its poor condition and need of tuning. (emotional)

When you meet the one..

2015

In the summer of 2015, I met a wonderful guy who I am compatible with in every way. Even though we are not boyfriend/girlfriend, we enjoy our time together. He supports me in school and helps keep me anchored down. I am thankful to have him in my life and I hope he feels the same for me.

The Hotpot Accident

2003

Birth of the Devil Child

March 28, 2005

fin

When I was 5, the entire right side of my body was burnt by boiling soup. I was fooling around at the dinner table when suddenly the chair I sat on fell back. The cords of the hotpot was tangled onto my arm so it came crashing down onto me. From my ear to my feet, I suffered terrible burns from the scalding soup. I was rushed into Sick Kids where I was monitored for 9 days until most of my skin healed up. To this day, I still have large patches of burn marks that will never be healed. (physical growth)

On the sorrowful day, my brother Edward was born. He was born 1 month and a half premature at 5.4 pounds. He was born in Canada to avoid the "One Child Policy" penalty in China. I was not there at the time of his birth nor did I witness my mom's pregnancy. I think this may be why I think of my brother as an intruder to our family, not an addition. (emotional)

Dumpling & me!

November 12, 2013

VROOM VROOM!

On this mournful day, my dad surrendered my dog to a local shelter while I was at school. A part of me was lost that day after Dumpling was gone. I never felt so disappointed in my life. Dumpling was my only friend for a long time and he kept me company and kept me sane. All I can wish now is for him to be safe, happy and loved by a very lucky family. (emotional)

November 1, 2014

I finally got my g1 on this day. This marks my journey to get my g2 and g. I believe getting your driver license is a rite of passage for teens as it symbolizes gaining our freedom to drive and getting your first piece of ID. I felt more liberated and relieved when I successfully passed my tests. (intellectual)

Goodbye childhood..

2012

After grade 8, my parents wanted to move to Richmond Hill. The neighborhood we lived in at North York was very dangerous and the schools very old. I was afraid of leaving all my friends behind to start at Bayview Secondary. I only knew a handful of students that were going to Bayview. In the summer of 2012, we packed up a decades worth of belongings and moved to a small, quiet neighborhood in Richmond Hill. (emotional)

Remaking friends in ESL

2005

After my year of studying abroad, I finally returned to Canada to start grade 2 (since I completed grade 1 in China). At this point, I have forgotten my English completely and was put into the ESL program for almost 3 years. I made a lot of friends in ESL class and I started to like talking and socializing with others. This helped me regain the English language faster and soon enough, I improved the most in the class. (social)

by Feng Chen