Year Two

Having completed the first half of my five-year plan, I’m emerging from the haze of the last two years, living in Canada as an international student.

Two post-graduate programs under my belt, seeing tangible results from all the hard work I’ve put in, with a Program Achievement Award to cap off my student journey.

The Convocation ceremony was quite the event. It signified that I finally reached the finish line in fulfilling my goals on academic upgrading.

I had mixed emotions as I crossed the ceremonial stage with accolades, attended by family and newfound friends who became my support system in Canada. It was both bittersweet and exhilarating.

I’m currently back in the workforce full-time, immersed in the corporate world once again, with the US-based company that I used to work for before I moved to Canada. 

An interesting turn of events, the company’s acquisition by a conglomerate last year, made it possible for my conversion into a Canadian-based employee. It is remote work, with the same job duties as before, but it now counts towards my Canadian work experience.

The pay is better since I’m no longer an offshore contractor, and I have additional responsibilities working concurrently with two business units under the same healthcare portfolio. Our former CEO, who is also my previous boss and made all of these positive changes possible, is the group leader under the new structure.

It felt like time flowed once again. Things momentarily ‘paused’ life for me in 2020 due to my late husband’s passing, becoming the precursor of my desire for a change in landscape and building a new life in Canada. Here I am now, picking up where I left off.

I finished two Post-Graduate programs within 16 months. I started in September 2022, with a 4-month school break from May to August just enough to take a breather. I attended classes full-time while maintaining an office job in a local church for 20-22/hrs per week, alongside my corporate remote job for 20-25/hrs per week.

The first program in 2022-23 was administered fully online due to the covid restrictions still in place, making it easier to manage two jobs and coursework.

The second program in 2023-24 was hybrid, with 90% of the classes held on campus. It was a real struggle to keep up with the commute added in, but time management and self-discipline were the keys to succeeding in such an ordeal.

That, and being on top of the responsibilities as a full-time single parent to a growing teenager. I kept a roof over our heads, in a decent unit that is private and not shared with other renters. I made sure we were not lacking in essential needs and had enough to enjoy luxuries once in a while.

I kept a strict eye on my finances, saved up for my tuition and ensured we were covered for emergencies, keeping in mind that financial help is hard to come by in a foreign country with no immediate family or connections to rely on.

I acquainted myself with the Canadian banking, taxation, and benefits system, which was a great help as I managed my finances. The healthcare system wait times require extra patience, and dental services are costly out of pocket if you don’t have dental insurance.

Why is it important to recount all this?

As an immigrant and temporary resident whose entry to Canada was as an international student, there were fewer positive outcomes for others than mine turned out to be. Especially those who didn’t plan well before they got here.

Some left their children and/or spouses behind to test the waters first with what Canada can provide. It had a heavy emotional toll beyond homesickness, along with the rude awakening from culture shock and the challenges of finding decent work. Keeping up with the demands of full-time studies requiring focus on coursework is not easy for adults going back to school in their late 30s or 40s.

Some brought their children and spouses, with relatives or friends in Canada who offered them some form of support for their settlement, yet horror stories abound on how these familial relationships eventually soured or were abused.

Worse is the ‘crab’ mentality of some early immigrants wherein they normalize the hardships the newcomers experience as they once had, even when it could be alleviated with better support and resources that weren’t available in the past.

But even worse are those whose marriages broke down due to the pressures that surrounded them. The journey that was the dream of two became a path of separated individuals. To me, this is the most heartbreaking of all.

I was fortunate being firm with my resolve in not leaving my son behind when I decided to move to Canada. It was all or nothing. I was fortunate having enough means to do so, with the support of my sister-in-law who had my back as I progressed in this journey.

The company I worked for remained supportive and kept me employed regardless of where I am in the world. More so was the local church I worked for. They not only gave me the opportunity to do meaningful work and adjusted my work hours around my class schedule, but also became a second family to me and my son.

I don’t simply attribute this to ‘good fortune’. It was my faith and unwavering belief in God that led me here. All the people we’ve met who lent us a hand in our journey, all the things that came to pass the moment I decided to come here and even until now, were all in God’s timing and provision.

I believe it is also the same for others, those who made it through in the first half of the immigrant journey like me because we planned, prayed, and persevered.

We prepared ourselves to be ready when the opportunity came to grab it. We didn’t merely sit and wait. We worked on ourselves with what we could. Our faith in God in giving us what we need, when we truly need it, is the true testament of His grace and providence as He fulfilled it, in His time.

The second half of my immigrant journey begins, that is, the goal of gaining status as a Canadian permanent resident. An arduous task, for sure.

What does that look like, you ask? Come along and see.