Settlement

I can't change the direction of the wind, but I can adjust my sails to always reach my destination. - Jimmy Dean

When you have a lovely and supporting family, it is much harder to leave them and make a decision to immigrate to another country without them. To put it another way, when my husband and I decided to do it, it was obvious that it was one of the hardest decisions for us. We could barely discuss it with my parents; it was like walking on eggshells.

Being far away from my family was hard for me, changes and adventures weren’t my cup of tea.

However, as soon as we arrived here, it felt right. The sun was shining brightly, with clear skies. People were kind and friendly. In other words, Canada gave us an opportunity to enjoy spring, to calm down and to dream about the better future for us and our children.

Also, the feeling that we had made the right decision was getting stronger. However, I missed my family and friends deeply. Then again, I was sure that I wanted to live here, but I felt pretty lonely. To give an illustration of what I mean, when my friends were asking me when we are going to visit them, I felt that I was not really ready or felt that it was not a good time for visiting. Especially, when there were holidays or celebrations, I missed them even more.

Despite this feeling, I promised myself that I wanted to be happy, I just couldn't be sad. I couldn't show it to my kids or my parents, and then I found the way how I could fight this loneliness. First, despite my belief that it was almost impossible to make new friends at my age, the reality showed me that I was very wrong. I met a few people that became very close to us, we support each other, spend weekends together and help when it is needed. Second, I began to take pictures of the beauty of every season here in Canada and share with my family and friends that were far away. This helps us to feel much closer.

As plain as day, we learn to be close to each other even when we were far away. Above all, I realized that if you move to another place, just don’t be afraid of changes and have the time of your life! Don’t give up on your dreams!