Coming to Canada offered me the opportunity to become successful in my personal life in many different ways. For one, I was able to improve my English and also discovered multicultural groups in a way I’ve never experienced before. I would like to share with you these opportunities and challenges I faced living in this new society.
As an immigrant, I am acquiring a fluent second language in total immersion in a way I never thought I could get before. I knew English was a popular and useful language; it is also the universal language used to communicate with people from different parts of the world. I never thought I’d be able to communicate very well and even crack jokes! Immigration in Canada taught me so much: especially how to live together in this land without prejudice and racism.
Immigration is accepted by all of us with time. You can’t expect everything all at once. You learn through experiences, meetings, opportunities, and with the passing of time. There is not really a real definition of it...live it and you’ll make your own version of immigration with its successes and regrets. I remember when I arrived I was not used to speaking English at all. I was shy and not comfortable and used my husband as a personal translating device. Before coming to Canada, I hadn’t practised this language in ten years. I was always stressed when I had to take the bus or buy something alone. I always thought everybody judged me and my accent.
Actually, the thing is it takes time to fit in a new country, even if you also come from a wealthy one. Immigration is a really hard process before you completely feel at home. I had to move forward. My integration came with time and I eventually completed most of the objectives on my 'to do list', yet the list still goes on. I feel more enriched than when I first arrived in Canada. Life is full of surprises! Nowadays, life is a lifelong learning process. I think my experience is not yet complete and is only the beginning of something much larger. My educational background and familiar support network helped me feel at home here. I’m sure it would have been more difficult to appreciate this time if I hadn’t had good communal support, a common language, or had to leave my country not necessarily because I wanted to. It would have been more difficult. As a result, your strong personality chooses you to become doom and gloom or not and to take advantage of this rich life’s experience. I wonder how many people were lucky enough to live my same experiences.
