Md Abu Salehin
We landed on our dreamland on July 04, 2018 at 9.30 am morning. All formalities at Toronto Pearson Airport went smoothly. When I stepped out of the airport, I was feeling like I was daydreaming. I couldn’t believe that I was in Canada. The feeling was valid because I had to face a lot of struggles to get PR to this beautiful land. My school friend Mridul came to pick us. It was a summer day so I felt I was in Bangladesh but the roads and houses suggested otherwise.
We rented a temporary basement beforehand from Bangladesh with Mridul’s help. When we got in that house, we were so amazed that the house was very nice and fully furnished and we had everything we would need. Mridul brought many food items for us. Surprisingly another friend, Ziaul Bhai suddenly came to our place with bowls of dishes for our lunch. Those tasty dishes were cooked by Pinak Bhabi ans she is a popular cook. I also got some curries from my landlord on that day. So it was a good stock for 2-3 days and we did not have to cook for 2-3 days.
After coming out from jetlag in 3-4 days we started to meet people and visit places including the Woodbine Beach, Bluffers Park, Nathan Philip Square, the famous Niagara Falls and many more. Alongside I was searching for an apartment in a convenient place. But this was the first challenge I had to face in this country because it is hard to get an apartment in an affordable rent nowadays in Toronto. It forced me to make a lot of effort. But with God’s grace, I found a nice semi-walkout basement within a month with the help of my college teacher Nirmal Sarker Sir. It was really so much relieving.
So far my observations about this country are:
1. This is a beautiful country with lots of opportunities.
2. There are many challenges but at the same time there are rewards.
3. With right kind of networking, we can get our problem solved. I am now searching for a job. Keep me in your prayers. Keep well.
Maidul Islam
I along with my wife came to Canada with hope, expectation as well as anxiety. We arrived on March 2018 in Canada, the last phase of chilly winter. We were missing Bangladesh, my home and parents; however, we started attending workshops on the job market here and searching for jobs at the same time. New location, new culture, new lifestyle and definitely new weather – we had some tough time in the beginning. Understanding transportation routes and recognizing areas were among some initial challenges. There was also a dilemma: which one to target first – Canadian education or Canadian work experience. But to tell the truth, after spending some months and finding jobs (survival or desk job), Canada becomes different to the newcomers. A newcomer only needs to be confident, focused, and flexible to adjust with Canadian culture. Lifestyle here is a lot easier and I have not found people regretting for their decision of coming here. Canadians are gentle, amicable and very welcoming. Within a very short period of time, Canada has become a home away from home to me.
Shafiul Sadee
It has been 4 months 22 days me and my wife landed in Canada. It has been 4 months 22 days since we last saw our beloved ones we left in Bangladesh.
I have never expressed how I felt about it before. I still don’t have the courage to open that floodgate of emotions yet, maybe I never will. But I certainly know that this is how the story started for thousands of immigrants before me and for thousands more after me.
Since our landing in Canada, we have been going through a roller coaster ride of experiences and events. Some of them are happy, some are not. Now we know what home making means. It means being from a janitor to a cook, getting a stable job, setting future goals, pursuing the goals, getting accustomed to the cultural differences, discovering each other at a whole new level & most importantly, doing all these together. A lot to take in, a lot to go through. It seems really hard sometimes. We miss our families during good & bad times, miss being around friends, family and relatives, worry about the people we left back home and subconsciously compare what we have against what we had. But we never regret taking the decision coming to Canada.
We have a goal to reach; we have our responsibilities to fulfill. If we can think that all the things which we have to go through are just the steps towards our dream, it would be a lot easier to set home in a new country. It has been 4 months 22 days we are writing the latest chapter of our lives together. Our inspirations behind our drive? Our families and the one way tickets to Canada.
Fahd-uz-Zaman Chowdhury I never thought I would ever migrate and come to Canada just 2 years ago. My life was going smooth – I had a decent job, my wife was working in a bank and we were blessed with a lovely daughter who was only 1 year old back in that time. I saw few of my very close friends and cousins were migrating to Canada and I thought why wouldn’t I give it a try. So on a fine day we applied for Canadian immigration and it took us around 12 months to complete the process – starting from doing Educational Credential Assessment to landing at Toronto. As a family, me and my wife both are very adventure loving. So we have been to some very amazing places like Elora Quarry and Southview Cottages Resort in Peterborough within first 2 months of our arrival. Somehow I managed a basic job to live my life by this time and hoping to cope up with the very first winter which we heard will be very challenging. So from my point of view three things are essential for a successful Canadian life. Firstly you have to believe in yourself and be very hard working in whatever you do. Secondly you need to develop the networking skills as most of the jobs are happening mostly through networking. Finally you need to have a driving license to survive in Canada. So in brief, gradually you need to become psychologically strong to cross all the hurdles, have an open mind to challenge yourself every single day and a smile at the end of the day. I believe all the Bangladesh families are pretty much following the same formula when they land in Canada and start living their Canadian dream and you too will not be an exception. Everything is ready here so you just need to go and earn it for yourself – So welcome to Canada!
