Towards the end of my freshman year I went to Toronto with my International Affairs Scholars group. This picture he shows the city of Toronto, and for me looks like what our average day looked like. I went on this trip with IA to better understand Canadian culture and immigration. Though Canada is right next door to the U.S., their culture is different in a lot of ways. Canada prides itself on multiculturalism and bringing in a wide array of citizens through immigration. Understanding how they value immigration, why, its value, how it helps Canada, and the mindset of Canadians on immigration, helps me to understand the value of living in a more inclusive and cultural society. I wanted to understand what a culture was like that was more welcoming of immigration, especially since the U.S. seems more hesitant to immigrants than in the past.
I selected this picture because it taught me a lot about how different other areas of the world can be and what we can learn from them. Canada is one of our closest neighbors, yet hardly anyone in the U.S. can tell you anything about them except they have a maple leaf on their flag. In learning about Canada I began to understand the economic value immigration can bring, and how a mindset of multiculturalism works. I began to understand the difference in approach Canada takes with its culture than the U.S. does with its. Because of how insightful this experience is, it has also become one of my favorite college experiences.