Settlement

On October 29, 2015 we arrived in Kitchener. We came from Ethiopia. In this short essay I am going to tell you about our family’s first impression of Canada.

We arrived in the winter and we had never seen snow before. One day I walked 30 minutes from work to the bus terminal and it was -15°C. My hands were shaking and my face hurt even though I was wearing gloves and a hat. My kids played in the snow and liked it very much. I took pictures of us in the snow. It was funny! I also drove for the first time in the snow and one day I applied the brakes and slid one foot. Luckily I was going slow so I didn’t have an accident. I hope next winter we will be more prepared and enjoy it more.

I didn’t work in Eritrea. I was a student and when I finished high school, I served in the Military. It was mandatory. I served 10 years. I worked in an office and did the activity reports and scheduling. When I came to Canada I found my new job through an agency. I make boxes in a factory. Most of the boxes are for food but some are for other products. Work is different from back home. The time schedule is different. In Eritrea, we don’t have 12 hour shifts. Here I work 12 hour shifts, 2 weeks on days and 2 weeks on nights. The work discipline is serious. It is much more serious here than back home. It is good because it is more productive. Also, the company cares about their employees here in Canada. If you are hurt, they will give you easier work. They also give benefits. Usually I work in the flat pack (hand packing) department but I like the case making department because it is easy. I don’t like the rotation schedule because it is hard to change your sleep routine. Another difference that surprised me is that we get a heat break. When the temperature is over 30C we get to take a 7 minute heat break every hour.

In Ethiopia, I used buses and taxis. The buses there are cheaper and much more crowded. When I first came to Canada, I used the bus but now I got my G2 and I drive. In Canada, we need car seats for children. We didn’t have this in Ethiopia. In Ethiopia, it is difficult to drive because no-one follows the rules. But, In Ethiopia they don’t have snow and ice. In Canada, I need to get winter tires before winter comes.

As you can see, things are different here in Canada. We have to enjoy ourselves and adjust to our new environment.