Student Blog
My Great Canadian Experience: My host parents' wedding
by Iker from Spain
This very first month in Canada has been such a wonderful experience. It might sound like a mainstream opinion, but I am positive that this has been one of those life-changing periods that people usually talk about. It is impressive how life can really do a 180-degree turn in barely a month. From living in a big city to the lovely, peaceful small-town vibes of Fernie; I couldn’t be happier with how much my current life differs from my previous one.
Only two weeks after my arrival in this awesome place that I am glad to call home now, my host parents got married. I was really excited about this major event and, honestly, I admit that it was even better than expected. Attending a wedding next to the river, with such a breathtaking
landscape all around us, was something that I had never imagined. In a few words, I felt like I was inside a movie.
Soon, I started to notice the endless differences between this kind of ceremony here and back in my country. I realized that this wasn’t at all a run-of-the-mill wedding, even for Canada. Tears fell from my eyes as soon as everything started, and that was the moment I knew I had found a second family. “Gratitude”, that would be definitely the word that best describes such a moving moment.
Right after the ceremony, we all headed to the hotel where the dinner would take place. Mexican food was awaiting us, and I can’t say I didn’t enjoy it; it was truthfully delicious. Besides, the party that followed was somehow different to what I was used to but overall it was fun. I even had the chance to give a speech. I felt it was the best opportunity to let my host parents know how grateful and lucky I felt to be sharing that outstanding moment of their lives with them.
To sum up, never had I thought that I could live such a great Canadian experience and feel at home 8000 kilometres away from my actual one.
Photo and blog post submitted by Iker, a grade 11 student at Fernie Secondary School.