A child says, WHEE!

[Upbeat music plays, giggling]

Text reads, “TVOkids.” “Apartment Eleven Productions.” “Original.”

[Upbeat music plays]

A girl wears a white and gold dress. Her long dark brown hair is pulled away from her face. She smiles, revealing a missing top front tooth.

A narrator says, MEET LEAH.
SHE'S A BUBBLY GIRL FROM OTTAWA…

[Leah giggles, slide whistle]

The narrator says, A PROUD ERITREAN…

Leah says, MMMMM.

The narrator says, AND SHE KNOWS
A THING OR TWO ABOUT SCIENCE.

[Screech]

The narrator says, WAIT UNTIL WHO
HAS A SPECIAL MESSAGE FOR HER.

Leah says, WOW.

The narrator says, LOOKS LIKE
WE'RE READY. ARE YOU?
WELL, LET'S GO.

Leah winks.

An animated sun waves. Photographs of children appear on a colourful brick wall. Text above the waving sun reads, “TVOkids presents.” Text beneath the waving sun reads, “Sunny’s Quest.”

[Upbeat theme song plays, needle scratching on record]

Dark blue text reads, “Selam.” Light green text reads, “Hi.” Orange text beneath Leah reads, “Leah.” She sits on a sofa with her family. To left sits a woman with shoulder-length brown hair. To Leah’s right sits a small boy with curly black hair. Beside him sits a slender woman who wears her long black hair bulled away from her face. Beside the woman, a man with short curly black hair and a short beard and moustache holds an infant on his lap.

[Upbeat music plays, beeping]

Leah says, SALAM EVERYONE.
SELAM MEANS HI IN TIGRINYA,
WHICH IS A LANGUAGE IN ERITREA.

Leah says, MY NAME IS LEAH, I AM
EIGHT YEARS OLD, AND I LIVE IN
OTTAWA WITH MY FAMILY,
MEET MY MOM, MY DAD, MY TWO
LITTLE BROTHERS AND MY GRANDMA.

Green text over the slender woman reads, “Mom.” Blue text over the man reads, “Dad.” Green text reads, “Little Brothers.” Blue text over the woman with brown hair reads, “Grandma.” Pink text reads, “Eritrean.” Green text reads, “Canadian.”

[Beeping]

Leah says, WE ARE VERY PROUD
ERITREAN CANADIANS.

Leah holds a glove. An animated map shows the location of Ottawa in the province of Ontario in Canada. Blue text reads, “Ottawa.” A red dotted line leads to Eritrea in Africa. Red text reads, “Eritrea.” Light blue text reads, “Horn of Africa.”

[Chimes, beeping, upbeat music plays]

Leah says, SO HERE IS WHERE WE LIVE.

OTTAWA, THE CAPITAL OF CANADA,
WHICH IS VERY FAR FROM ERETRIA,
ALL THE WAY OVER HERE
IN NORTHERN EAST AFRICA.

IT'S PART OF WHAT
WE CALL THE HORN OF AFRICA,
BECAUSE THE SHAPE OF THE
CONTINENT LOOKS LIKE A HORN, SEE.

Leah’s baby brother touches the globe.

[Laughter, Leah’s father cheers]

Leah says, THIS IS THE ERITREAN FLAG.

The Eritrean flag appears beside Leah. It features three triangles—green, red, and blue. On the middle red triangle, golden leaves intertwine.

Leah says, ERITREA'S NATIONAL FLAG
IS COMPOSED OF FOUR COLORS.

THE RED STANDS
FOR THE BLOOD OF OUR PEOPLE
WHO FOUGHT FOR OUR COUNTRY
TO BE INDEPENDENT.

GREEN STANDS FOR AGRICULTURAL
WEALTH, AND THE BLUE STANDS
FOR EVERY RESOURCE WE GET FROM
THE SEA, SUCH AS FISH YUM YUM.

EACH LEAF REPRESENTS ONE YEAR
OF THE WAR FOR INDEPENDENCE.
THERE ARE THIRTY OF THEM IN TOTAL.

Soon, Leah stands by shelves displaying books in her bedroom.

Leah says, SO LET'S CHECK
OUT MY ROOM.

HERE IS MY BOOK COLLECTION.
COOL, RIGHT?

I HAVE MANY PASSIONS,
SUCH AS GYMNASTICS,
SOCCER AND SCOUTS.

[Popping]

Leah says, I'M PRETTY GOOD
BECAUSE I WON ALL THESE MEDALS.
CHECK THEM OUT.

WHEN I'M OLDER, I WANT TO BE AN
OLYMPIAN OR A SCIENCE TEACHER.
WE'LL TALK ABOUT THAT LATER.

[Slide whistle]

Leah says, I SMELL SOMETHING
DELICIOUS. OH, IT'S HIMBASHA.

Leah looks through an oven door. Text over a photograph of triangles of cake reads, “Himbasha.”

[Upbeat music plays]

Leah explains, YOU MAKE IT
FOR SPECIAL OCCASIONS.

SPEAKING OF SPECIAL OCCASIONS,
THIS IS MY FAMILY.


Eight adults sit on the sofa. Four children sit on a carpet in front of the adults.

Everyone waves and says, HI.

[Needle scratches record]

Leah says, HOLD ON.
WE NEED TO CHANGE FOR THIS.

Leah snaps her fingers and everyone changes their clothes. The women and girls wear white dresses with different patterns and colours accenting them. One woman wears a purple dress. The men wear white shirt and dress slacks.

[Chime, snap]

WOW. EVERYONE IS WEARING THE
TRADITIONAL ERITREAN CLOTHES.

THE BOYS AND MEN ARE WEARING
HABESHA KIDAN.

AND THE WOMEN AND GIRLS LIKE ME
WEAR THE ZURIA. IT'S SUPER GORGEOUS.

Pink text reads, “Habesha Kidan.” Green text reads, “Zuria.” Text reads “Leah Cam.”

Leah says, ON SPECIAL OCCASIONS,
WE GET TOGETHER, AND THIS IS HOW
WE HAVE COFFEE.

I'M HELPING MY GRANDMA MAKE
COFFEE. FIRST WE ROAST
THE BEANS

Leah’s grandmother shakes a small pot of coffee beans over a gas burner.

[Rattling, popping]

Leah says, SOUNDS LIKE POPCORN.
IT'S MAKING ME HUNGRY.

WHEN SHE IS DONE, WE CAN
PASS AROUND THE ROASTED BEANS.

THE POLITE THING TO DO IS USE
YOUR HANDS TO SMELL IT LIKE THIS
AND LET PEOPLE KNOW YOU LIKE IT.

Leah’s family wafts the scent of the beans towards their faces.

Leah says, MM. NOW COFFEE S
ALL GRINDED?

NEXT WE GRIND THE BEANS AND BOIL
THEM TO MAKE THE COFFEE.

IT LOOKS LIKE CHOCOLATE
FROM HERE.

[Burbling]

Leah says, AND WHEN THE COFFEE'S
READY, EVERYONE GETS TO ENJOY IT
EXCEPT KIDS.

FOR NOW, WE JUST GET MILK.

[Pop, slide whistle]

Leah says, I CAN'T WAIT TILL I'M OLDER
WHEN I CAN FULLY PARTICIPATE.

[Slide whistle]

Leah says, MY GRANDMA IS GOING
TO DO MY HAIR IN THE
TRADITIONAL HAIRSTYLE.

GRANDMA, WHAT HAIRSTYLE
ARE WE DOING AGAIN?

Leah’s grandmother says, WE CALL
IT THE GAMME.

HERE ARE THE FOUR HAIRSTYLES.

Text appears beneath faceless sketches of women. Green text reads, “Albasso.” Red text reads “Gilbich.” Purple text reads, “Rubbo.” Blue text over leah reads, “Gamme.”

Leah says, AND I AM WEARING
THE GAMME.

Leah’s grandmother says, YOU’RE FINSISHED.

Leah says, NOW THAT MY HAIR IS DONE,
I FEEL LIKE A REAL ERITREAN PRINCESS.

[Slide whistle]

A voice says, MM HMM.

Later, Leah stands in a room with bookcases full of test tubes and other science laboratory supplies. A slender girl with long blonde hair stands beside her.

Leah says, I LOVE DOING EXPERIMENTS
WITH MY FRIENDS.

THIS IS MY FRIEND, NORA.

Pink text beneath the blonde-haired girl reads, “Norah.”

Norah says, HI.

Leah says, AND THIS IS ASHLEY
FROM STEAM PUNKS DISCOVERY LAB.

A woman wearing a white laboratory walks to Leah and stands behind her. The woman wears her brown hair in a ponytail and has eyeglasses. Green text reads, “Ashley.”

Leah says, WE'RE GONNA TEACH
YOU HOW TO MAKE A SNOW VOLCANO.

DON'T TRY THIS AT HOME
WITHOUT AN ADULT TO ASSIST YOU.
AND DON'T FORGET SAFETY FIRST.

FIRST, YOU HAVE TO GATHER THE NECESSARY
INGREDIENTS TO CREATE THE LAVA.

SOME DIET SODA, SOME MINT CANDIES.
FOOD COLORING, A POP TUBE AND A
PIECE OF PAPER.

Norah opens the plastic two-litre soda bottle.

[Rattling, hissing]

Leah says, OH, NICE.
PUT THE RED FOOD
COLORING IN THE SODA
SO IT LOOKS LIKE REAL LAVA.

TO BUILD THE VOLCANO,
YOU CAN USE SNOW.

YOU CAN EVEN MAKE IT OUTSIDE.
OH, IT'S COLD. AND IT'S GOING TO
BE AWESOME.

[Norah giggles]

Leah says, PUT THE MINT CANDIES
IN TUBE, THEN PLACE IT OVER THE
LID WITH THE PAPER IN BETWEEN.

Ashley says, ONE, TWO, THREE, GO.

Ashley pulls the tube away from the bottle and everyone backs away. Pink liquid shoots up from the bottle.

[Cheering]

Leah says, TA-DA!

THIS CREATES A CHEMICAL REACTION
TO PRODUCE GAS WHICH ESCAPES
AS BUBBLES.

[Bubbling, popping]

Leah and Norah say, WE LOVE SCIENCE.

An animated blue present box wiggles. The present opens and the animated sun rises and blows into a party horn. Yellow text reads, “Sunny’s Surprise!”

[Upbeat music plays, party horn blasts]

Leah’s mother says, BRAVO, LEAH.
YOU ALWAYS MAKE THE BEST VOLCANO.

Leah’s father says, WE ARE VERY
PROUD OF YOU, LEAH.

Leah smiles and gives two thumbs up. She picks up a tablet and looks at a man on the screen. His black hair is buzzed short and he has a thin moustache. Orange text beneath him reads, “Darren Hamilton. Twenty twenty-two winner of Musicounts. Teacher of the Year.”

Darren says, HI LEAH.

MY NAME IS DARREN HAMILTON,
AND I AM THE TWENTY TWENTY-TWO
JUNO AWARD RECIPIENT FOR MUSIC
TEACHER OF THE YEAR.

I HAVE BEEN TEACHING
FOR ABOUT FIFTEEN YEARS

NOW, AND I UNDERSTAND THAT
IT IS YOUR DREAM
AND YOUR ASPIRATION
TO BE A TEACHER AS WELL.

DO YOU KNOW THAT IF YOU DO FACE
ANY CHALLENGES OR OBSTACLES THAT
YOU ARE ABLE TO OVERCOME THEM
AND THAT YOU HAVE SOMETHING
VALUABLE TO OFFER THE WORLD?

AND I HOPE TO SEE YOU IN THE
CLASSROOM SOMEDAY IN THE FUTURE.

ALL THE BEST, LEAH.

Leah says, WOW.

Leah says, THANK YOU, DARREN,
FOR YOUR ENCOURAGING MESSAGE.

IT MAKES ME WANT TO BE A TEACHER
JUST LIKE YOU.

HOPE YOU HAD FUN WITH ME
LEARNING WHAT IT'S LIKE
TO BE CANADIAN ERITREAN.

Leah and her family wave and say, BYE!

End credits roll.

“Narrator: Sagine Sémajuste.

Producer: Sabine Daniel.
Written and Directed by Florence M. Rosalie.
Original Music: Eric Lemoyne.

Co-Executive Producer: Mindy Laxer.
Executive Producer: Jonathan Finkelstein.

An Apartment Eleven Production. Produced in association with TVOkids.”

A child says, WHEE!

Text reads, “TVOkids.” “Apartment Eleven Productions.” “Original.”

[Giggling, squeaking]