The countries I have lived in

I would like to give a brief tribute to the five countries I have lived in so far: India, England, Jamaica, Indonesia and Canada. I have visited other countries such as the USA but I have lived only in the aforementioned countries.

I was born in India and lived there for three years before my family moved to England. I have very few memories of my first three years but I do recall a few glimpses of the house I lived in when we were in Naini Tal. I remember it would be cold there and rainy. It is a very beautiful town. My grandparents lived in Lucknow so we would visit there quite often. It was always fun to go to Lucknow because my grandparents and relatives lived there. I remember a few sights and sounds of the colony in which my grandparents lived. I recall the hot weather and the traffic.

We lived in England for a year after my early years. In England we lived in Sheffield. Sheffield was a very beautiful city. Our house was very nice and so was our neighbourhood. We had good neighbours. I remember going on bus rides with my family. We also went to London a few times from Sheffield. I liked London a lot. I used to like the weather in England. I found the people there to be warm and friendly. I had started my schooling there and used to like my school very much.

After a year in England we went to Jamaica. My dad would change jobs so in my years as a child we moved quite a bit. We lived in Jamaica for nearly four years. We lived in Kingston there. It was a nice city. We lived in four houses during our time there. I remember each one was different and it was a good experience living in all of them. I used to like my school a lot in Kingston. Every few months my family would drive to Montego Bay or Ocho Rios. It was great spending time on those two beautiful beaches. I loved the weather of Jamaica. In Kingston I was introduced to Jamaican patties and it was my favourite treat.

After nearly four years we moved to Indonesia. We were in Indonesia for a year. My dad had a great job in Indonesia. We lived in the beautiful city of Jakarta. Our house was very nice. We had a swimming pool. I used to love swimming in the pool and would spend some time in it nearly every day. I loved my school in Jakarta. It was the best school I have been to. It was an international school and there were students from many countries who attended it. I do not remember the names of the places but we would visit different landmarks and tourist attractions in Jakarta. It was a lot of fun whenever we would explore the city on weekends.

After a year in Indonesia we returned to India and lived there for more than nine years. I lived in Lucknow for five years. Lucknow is my favourite city and I made new friends there and adjusted to a new school system for me. Afterwards we moved to Dehra Dun for four years. Dehra Dun is a very beautiful city. It is full of greenery. Our house and colony there was very good. I liked the weather of Dehra Dun very much. Sometimes my relatives from Lucknow would come to visit us in Dehra Dun and it was nice to spend time with them there. Every six months or so we would go for a trip to Mussoorie or Haridwar and it was nice to go on those trips.

Finally, after spending nine years in India we immigrated to Canada. We have been living in Canada for more than 25 years. We live in the very beautiful city of Ottawa. Ottawa has to be one of the most beautiful cities in the world. The people here are so friendly. I like my house and the neighbourhood we live in. I love going for evening walks here. I am not a big fan of winters here but over the years I have gotten used to them. Nearly every year we drive to Toronto to spend some time with our relatives. I look forward to these trips and the drive from Ottawa to Toronto is very beautiful and scenic. I have been to some beautiful cities in Canada such as Montreal, Quebec City, Vancouver and Halifax. I hope to see more of this beautiful country in the next few years.

I am fortunate that I have lived in these wonderful countries over the years. I had a great time living in all of them.