Moment of Truth

Chapter 1: Her

I can feel my heart in my ears. It's beating so loud. I can't believe where I am right now. I left the tropical, rainy islands of the Philippines to the cloudy, cold city of Toronto, Canada. Nothing could have prepared me for this drastic change, but it had to be done. I was about to start a brand new life.

My parents wanted a better life for my siblings and I, so they moved us to Canada. Moving our whole lives to a new country wasn't easy by any means. We knew we would have to work to afford the move and work to be accepted into Canada. My siblings and I had the choice of either the United States of America or Canada. Both places are very welcoming to the Filipino people, or so we have been told, so we all chose Canada. We all agreed it would be the best place to start over. The vote was all unanimous.

Though it is a long way from the Philippines, this is where we will call home for as long as we want. I don't know anything about Canada, but this will be my biggest adventure yet. Everything in the Philippines felt the same and monotonous. I was ready for the change only a brand new country and city could bring. I was ready to make my life what I wanted it to be.

I am Marie Mai Vincenté. I am 22 years old. I was born in Cavite, Calabarzon, Philippines. I stand at 5 feet tall with hair reaching down to my mid-back. My eyes and hair are both a deep, dark shade of brown. I am the middle child between an older sister and a younger brother. My mother and father are both nurses. We lived fine in our providence, but my parents wanted more. We all wanted more. We all wanted something beyond the Philippines. So here I am in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

Back home, I went to school for communication and linguistics so I could become a translator. I wanted to learn new languages and use them to help people. I'm still learning more and more languages as I am continuing my education in Toronto, but I already have three under my belt. So far: Tagalog, English, and Japanese. I've already signed up to learn Spanish and French. I can't wait to learn even more languages and, hopefully, put them to good use.

I can't wait to see what Toronto brings to me. I can't wait for the people I'll get to meet and the things I'll be able to do. I will miss back home, but I'm ready to make a new place home. I'm ready to see where the world takes me. I'm ready to be someone.