IMMIGRATION
- the feel of it!
Have you ever tried to change your room or tried to change your bed or maybe your pillow??? The sleep feels very different, right? We are talking about changing the world around you… the living and the non-living… and forever… This is called immigration.
It’s not easy but it soon becomes the way of your life and you start loving your new home. Life is not about winning everything. Sometimes, you have to lose a few things to win the more important things in your life. That’s how I explain the journey of an immigrant.
I was born and then lived for 29 years of my life in Ludhiana, Punjab — northern part of India. I have the best of the childhood memories with my grandparents, parents and siblings in the same place. I also got the best education available in the same state which makes me a capable individual today. I also got my first job as a Professor in the same place. So, I created the most impactful and memorable moments of my life in the same city. I immigrated to Canada when I was 29. To me, immigration was not only about leaving that happy place, but it also involved leaving behind all those people who were a part of those happy memories including my parents and siblings. It was an emotional journey.
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I had the smoothest immigration journey (paperwork) anyone can imagine — so fast and hassle free. I started my new life as an immigrant in Brampton, Ontario. I landed in November and was welcomed by the coolest breeze in my face, I had ever felt. I witnessed the first snow (flurry) of my life after 3 days of landing, it was “out of the world” experience for me. The city looked so clean and beautiful, air smelled so fresh, the skyscrapers in Toronto amazed me, people were friendly and helpful, life was faster, and the “new” things looked very attractive. But still, for the first couple of months, the house did not feel like home. Every evening, as it started getting darker, I felt like going back to “my” home. I used to feel the same in India when I was away from my home.
I started my first job as a customer service representative. It was a great place to work and people were friendly but I had to overcome some hurdles which I never faced in India. It was a new “job role” and a different “culture”. Have you ever felt that need to “fit-into” a place? That is how I felt initially. It was not about the work, it was more about how things work in general in an entirely different country — weather, attire, non-verbal communication, consumer behaviour and so much more. For example: I would not know how to order the perfect coffee for myself at Tim Hortons. Thanks to my wonderful colleagues, they were so welcoming and helpful. I adapted slowly. However, I still missed being home every day, every festival, being with my family in ups and downs, enjoying a mom-cooked meal after a long day of work, hugging my mom and dad on a bad day, the treats my dad would buy me even when I was a full grown adult and so much more.
Travel was another issue initially. I did not have driver’s license for a year after landing whereas I had a lot of experience driving in India (though the steering wheel was on the opposite side there). In my initial days, I felt like I cannot move. Slowly, life moved on and things started getting better. I found my perfect coffee at Tims, found vegetarian eating options, learnt how to dress appropriately for winters so that I stay warm, do not slip on black ice and do not get frost bites, got a driver’s license and a car, learnt how to manage work and home simultaneously, started enjoying evening walks and walking on the snow and in general started appreciating the Canadian way of life.
I also got my dream job in less than a year and moved to Kitchener, Ontario. I used to teach at a college in India and loved it. Somehow, I wanted to do the same and I got it. It made a big difference in my life when I reached where I wanted to, professionally. Everything started to fall in place after that — like a falling row of dominoes. I started enjoying the Canadian lifestyle and missed my past life a little less every day.
Here I stand today, an “old immigrant” now. I am a Canadian citizen already. I love my life, Canadian lifestyle, work, work culture and most importantly, I am happy. It has been a long journey but certainly rewarding. When I look back at my life after landing here, I certainly got something to be proud of. It is not easy to land here with two bags and then build your life bottom-up in a place where you do not know a single person, you speak english but you do not speak their language, and most importantly you just cannot give up because you got too much at stake.
If you are an immigrant, pat yourself on the back and give yourself the due credit for gracefully going through all the ups and downs of life without quitting. No one but you know the sacrifices you made and the life you have lived to reach where you are today. It takes a big heart to be the first generation of immigrants.
Sometimes your heart takes the decision and your brain has to support it. And sometimes your brain takes the decision and your heart has to follow. Immigration is the one to be taken with all your brains because the heart may not agree!! ❤
