Settlement

Hi, my name is Oksana. I am Ukrainian and I moved to Canada from Ukraine in 2018.

Moving abroad and starting life in a new country is one of the most terrible, but exciting adventures. The life I knew before moving all changed. There were many surprises in the new country. The weather, culture, medical system, taxes, houses and language are different in my country. Moreover, I faced a difficult problem because I did not speak English. It is very difficult to move to a country without knowing the language. This problem causes other difficulties, such as not being able to go to the store, not being able to find a job, and so on.

As for the language problem, the Language Instruction for Newcomers to Canada (LINC) helps me with that. LINC is a free program for beginners that helped me start speaking, reading, writing, listening to English, interacting with other people, learning about the history and culture of the new country. I will recommend this program to my friends, because the teachers who work there are wonderful teachers, polite, kind, and always help with questions that arise during my studies. I am very glad that I was given the opportunity to study in this program. I am very grateful to the people who developed this program and to the teachers who teach us. I would like to say, "Thank you to everyone!"

My husband and I live in the town of Gull Lake, SK. Gull Lake is a small town in Saskatchewan, situated at the junction of the Trans-Canada Highway 1 and Highway 37, west of Swift Current. It is identified by the wind turbines that can be seen in the distance while driving along the Trans-Canada Highway. The population of Gull Lake is 1,046 people. There is a kindergarten, school, library, a gym with a good simulator, as well as an outdoor pool, medical clinic, hospital, pharmacy, restaurants, movie theatre, stores, and a small park. We have everything we need. We love living in a small town.

At first, we rented a house for two years, and then we decided to buy our own house because we have jobs here, friends, and we like living here. I work on the same farm as my husband. I help with the household and in the seeding and harvesting season I work in the kitchen. I prepare food and deliver it to each employee to the field. The farm we work on grows crops such as wheat, canola, and lentils. I like working on a farm because it's not boring and every day is different. Even more, I like to work there because it is close to my home and my employer and his family are very good and friendly.

Canada is a large, beautiful country. Canada has kind, friendly people who are always ready to help you. And I had the honor to meet the best people. In addition, moving and living in a foreign country is one of those things that everyone should try at least once. Views on life will change, you will start to think differently, perceive certain things differently, and you will start to do as the locals do.