National Adult Literacy Database

February 14, 2000

This week, we are launching 8 stories from Prince George, BC and as a special event you can read their stories as well as hear them. The learners are from two programs in Prince George : the Native Friendship Centre as well as College and Career Preparation at the College of New Caledonia.

Nori Nozawa graduated from the Japanese University in Economics in 1997. After graduation, he came to Canada to take a Sports and Marketing course, but he has to improve his English first. Nori is now taking an Adult Basic Education course. He has been in Canada almost two years now.

 

 

Play an audio version of this story

My Embarrassing Experience

by Nori Nozawa

Whenever I see Hoagy buns, I am reminded of my embarassing experience. When I came to Canada, I could not speak and understand English very well. One day, my host mother asked me to buy Sandwich buns. She said she would make sandwiches for supper, so she needed seven Hoagy buns. After school, I went to Overwaitea and looked for Hoagy buns. They had so many kinds of buns, and I was quite confused because I did not go shopping very often. Of course I could not identify the hoagy buns, so I asked an overwaitea staff and he showed me. But then I had another problem. They sold five hoagy buns in one bag and they were bound together. I wondered which should I buy; seven bags of hoagy buns or seven pieces of Hoagy buns? I decided to buy seven bags of Hoagy buns because I thought many families have a couple of fridges, so they could save the Hoagy buns for another time. Eventually, I bought thirty five Hoagy buns and went back home. My host mother was waiting for me, and she held three dollars in her hand. After she saw thirty five Hoagy buns, she shrieked and laughed. Of course, we ate many sandwiches during the next couple of days. It is the worst embarrassing experience in my life, and I will never forget it