We first met Mika about five years ago when she arrived at our hostel in Toronto speaking almost no English but determined to learn!
Mika had always dreamed of getting a job that would allow her to travel to all the exotic places she had read about as a child in her native Japan.
But she knew that her dream would be impossible since she only spoke Japanese.
So her first step was to come to Canada with a working/holiday visa to learn. She didn’t know how long it would take her but she was determined to do whatever it took to develop a facility with the English language.
As she had suspected, it wouldn’t be easy, it took two years of effort and dedication! But she is now fluent in the English language (albeit with a pretty cute accent!)
Mika became the longest term resident at our hostel having lived here for for the entire duration of her stay in Toronto.
We arranged for a limo to take her to the airport when it was time for her to return to Japan. The driver reported that she had a tearful trip to catch her flight.
Mika now works on cruise ships as a Japanese/English translator. She has achieved her goal of work/travel and has cruised the Inland Passage to Alaska and the Panama Canal to the Carribean.
She has also returned to Toronto twice to visit us and we are always happy to see her.
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Mika with a new friend in the Carribean.
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Mika had a penchant for catching a nap just about anywhere!