The Road Part 1

         In the novel I am currently reading, The Road by Cormac McCarthy, the main character is the nameless man simply named The Man. The Man is accompanied by his nameless son named The Boy, as they journey across the United States in the post-apocalyptic land to the east coast. The purpose of this journey is to find resources after the world has been destroyed by an unknown disaster that wiped out most of the living beings. All they have is each other and a cart full of basic survival needs. My first impression of the main character, The Man, is that he is a caring person that takes care of and protects his son, and is determined to reach the east coast no matter what the circumstances are. The man is a relatable character as he is related to a lot the the parents or single parents in the world. In the book, despite all the limited resources such as food and shelter, The Man still prioritize his son's needs and wants before he can tend his own. For example, when The Man found a can of Coke that he hasn't seen for years, he gave it to his son instead of keeping it to himself. He even refused to drink some when his son offered to let him have some. The Man wants his son to enjoy it since it he knows it could be the last time they will ever see another can of Coke.  As the story progresses, the bond between The Man and The Boy will grow stronger as they take care and tend each other's needs since they will be all alone in the world without each other.  Also, on their journey to the east coast, they will face a lot of challenges such as scarce amount of food, shelter, and the cold weather that they must overcome in order to reach the east coast. But they have the unconditional love and support from each other that will keep them motivated to reach their goal.

Lifestyle Changes

           The rural lifestyle is not the same as the urban lifestyle. Everyday there will people moving from a lifestyle in the isolated and quiet rural country, to a more up tempo and fast paced urban city, or vice versa. Those people often experience cultural shock because of the different values and environment. I was raised in a small rural city of Trail, BC, living there for most of my childhood. But I was born in Vancouver, BC. When I moved to Richmond, BC, I didn't experience abundant of cultural shock, but I had to adapt to the different values and environment.
            I was born in Vancouver, BC, in the Grace Memorial Hospital. Not long after my family moved up north of about fifteen hours to a small community of Fraser Lake. I was around two years old around that time. I was always shy around other and speak very little English. My parents spoke Cantonese to me when I was young. At school from what I remembered, I was always afraid to talk to my fellow classmates due to my shy personality. "Hi", "Bye", "Yes", "No", and "Thanks" were the only words I was able to mumble out from my mouth. At home, I often sheltered myself in my room, feeling pleasure as I play with my toy action figures and cars, or watch television in the living room. Those toys of mine were my only friend during that time. Taking the cars apart and putting them together were my favorite past times. Other times I would be playing castles or war with my action figures, soldiers killing another soldier, or and army taking down a castle. My time in Fraser Lake was short lived, after living there for two years, my family moved down south to a small city called Trail.
            In Trail, its the place where i spent most of my childhood in, living there for seven years. Trail is a small city as I said before, it is in a valley surrounded by luscious evergreen trees, stars that twinkles at night time, and snow that pile as high as our chest level. Sports is mostly focused in Trail, followed by being in the great outdoors. Despite sports being heavily favoured, the education in Trail is highly prioritized and is equally important as sports. The teachers and students are highly dedicated to their learning and studies. Living in Trail evolved me from a shy quiet boy that hide in his room, into a more active and outgoing person.
           I have been involved in a lot of sports teams in my childhood; such as soccer, basketball, track and field, volleyball, and hockey. I was never the best player on any of the teams since I not really skilled, but i was athletic enough to stay on a team. Despite being more athletic then skilled, I have been selected for several all star teams for soccer, basketball, and hockey. Since the coaches loves my enthusiasm, dedication, hard work, and athletic abilities more then my skills. Besides playing a lot of sports, I also learned to love the outdoors, hiking in my backyard, camping with my friends, and also climbing up trees and relaxing on the branches. Whenever I'm with my friends we would usually be outside playing sports or biking down a dirt path. Like most children these days, I do love watching television, playing on the computer, and playing video games. I owned a Playstation 2, Xbox, and Gamecube and fifty games in totally from the three consoles. Despite being heavily involved in sports, I also do well in school, completing all my homework and studying were my main priorities before anything. After about seven years, my family decided to move to the big city, because its more beneficial for me to learn more and involved in more activities other then sports.
            I came to Richmond about four years ago, it was a lot different then Trail. When I first arrived, the song "City of Blinding Lights" by U2 came in my mind. The city looks beautiful at night with the city's lights creating a luminous landscape. The values were different then Trail, to the city slickers education was more prioritized then playing sports. The environment is different too, less trees and more buildings, more cars then bikes and skateboards, and a lot higher population of people. At first I felt like I don't belong here with all the differences and changes. I began to doubt myself and constantly thinking: "I won't survive here, I won't survive here". I never liked changes that much, especially coming from a quiet relaxed place of Trail to a high paced city of Richmond. But it changed when school began, I met new friends and new people and they made my adapting process more comfortable and fun. I also got used to the urban environment as I constantly go to different places around the city; such as downtown, parks, and beaches. Now jumping to the present, I am now well adapted to the urban lifestyles and is happy about it. I now have friends, involved in the school and community by volunteering in special events and joining clubs, also I occasionally play sports with my friends.
        The rural and urban lifestyle has a lot of differences. I experienced it during my transition from rural to urban lifestyle. A lot of people in the world would find it difficult to adapt to the new environment, because it is different then what they are used to. Often they would feel shock, depress, and scared because of the changes they have to make. From my experience it can be difficult or overwhelming at times, but it can also be a wonderful learning experience if you are willing to change. Now that I am adapted to the urban lifestyle, deep inside I am still the little rural boy that loves the great outdoors and playing sports. Therefore, it makes me a well rounded person because I accept to change, try new things and have fun in the new lifestyle. Anyone can do this, they just have to accept changes and try new things.