I'm kind of curious if Vitomanolo16 has a different start-up experience compared with most landed immigrants here in Canada. I can see in his profile that he's been here since April 17, 2012. I hope everything went well with him.
The reason for my concern is, I can still remember my excitement a couple of months before my family migrated here. I thought I was completely ready for all the challenges. Unlike Vitomanolo16, I was willing to listen to the feedback of others, whether good or bad. I knew then that any information is useful so that I would not be surprised.
When we boarded the plane, I left my ego in my native land, decided to forget that I was at the peak of my career, focused on my priority - to give my children better opportunities and a brighter future. I reminded myself that I prayed for this and that the Lord granted this desire of my heart. Surely He will take care of us and sustain us.
But even then, despite the spiritual and psychological preparation, the stark reality that it is really difficult to start a new life in another country will still hit you. You cannot dodge it, you cannot ignore it, you have to live it.
I don't know about the others but as for me, I felt like I was completely stripped off of my self-confidence after a number of rejections from applying for starting clerical positions. Although I promised to forget what I had back home, I was not able to stop myself. I was asking myself what I'm doing here. I was already managing a branch of a government bank back home. It might not be much compared to what others have, but for me, it was already an achievement. Here I am applying for a billing clerk position and I can't even get it. I decided to apply at Fortino's and Walmart for anything. Still, got nothing. It was beginning to scare me because I'm a solo parent with three kids, no family or relatives here in Canada but just a family friend from back home who were very helpful in finding us a basement apartment to rent.
In a way, something good came out of it. It was a humbling experience and character-building in itself. It made me rely more on God and helped me grow in my faith. I could have gone back home because I haven't completely burned my bridges. I just filed for a 6-month vacation from my work and the VP of my company was still expecting me to go back. But I know that I did this sacrifice for my children and stood firm.
After 6 weeks of continuous job-hunting, the Lord blessed my efforts and finally got a billing clerk position in a trucking and logistics company. After almost two years, a door opened for me in another company with a better position and compensation package.
It's been four years since my family came to Canada. I just wrote my citizenship test on May 1st and waiting for the notice for oath-taking. In a nutshell, yes, life can be difficult in Canada but if you will not forget why you came here in the first place, you can keep the course and stand firm. Life is a series of trade-offs. For me, just looking at how adjusted and happy my kids are here keeps me going.
And God is faithful. If you honor Him, He will surely let you bloom where you're planted.
He made Canada my promised land.
So to everyone who's new here in Canada, wherever you are right now and whatever challenges you are facing, stand firm. Don't forget why you came here. Be encouraged and count your blessings everyday. Don't lose the excitement and expectancy. Canada is not perfect but I still believe it's a blessed country. Along the way, let's never allow disappointments and regrets to keep hold of us as this will all lead to bitterness and negativity.
Life is beautiful!!!
