Settlement

My aunt tried to sponsor my mother to go to Canada but my mother had kids so we were also included. My aunt sent my mother some application forms from the Government of Canada. While we were filling out the application forms it said that we needed to do some medical examinations and physical examinations. My family and I went to the specific hospital that was licensed to do those kind of tests. My family and I went for physical and medical examinations related to vision, dental, hearing test, checking the blood pressure and blood test. It was very stressful especially for my mother because it cost us a lot of money. After all the tests were done they found a piercing on my ear and they want to do another test for that that would cost us a bunch of money. After two weeks the hospital sent us an email about the results of our examinations and we found out that we were all clear. The hospital then sent our medical results to the Government of Canada, it took them nearly 8 months before they emailed us that they decided we can now could travel to Canada, but first we needed a visa and a plane ticket.

The step of getting a visa and plane ticket was very sudden and stressful for us because we were not even mentally ready yet to leave our country and we were not even financially prepared. We sold some our household things like a couch, television, dining table and kitchen appliances to meet our financial needs and we gave some of our clothes to our friends because we could not bring it all. It was very hard for me leaving my country because it was my first time traveling outside of my country. It was hard because I knew that this was not a vacation, it was for good and I didn’t know when I would return. It was hard because I needed to say goodbye to my relatives and close friends.

After getting a visa and plane ticket the rest was very easy, going through customs was even easier because we already had all the papers that we needed. My aunt then picked us up when we got to Halifax and we drove to PEI. We spent two days at my aunt’s place to rest and organize our things. My aunt was already prepared before we came in PEI. She already rented an apartment for us to live in and she also bought furniture for us. By the end of the third day we were already settled in our new home. After two months me, my sister and my mom all had jobs. At first I was uncomfortable because it was all new to me. I was shy and nervous with the people around me. I was scared of talking to the people because maybe I had a problem with communication, or a problem with language. It took me nearly 6 months before I felt comfortable here in Canada.

It’s been 3 years now since I moved to Canada and I am happy that I moved here because there is a lot of opportunity for me. In the last three years of staying in Canada I have felt very successful because I have a decent job, I can pay my own bills while saving up for going back to school, which I did not do in my country. After three years I have made friends that I did not have before. My English language is way better than when I first came to Canada and I no longer feel shy or nervous with people when I am talking to them. I have many goals and dreams and Canada is a place where I can pursue them.