The Immigrant Dream – A Harsh Reality

This is a story of a 17-year-old girl – wide-eyed, full of dreams, and ready to conquer the world. She wanted to be an engineer, captivated by science and its wonders. This is the story of an immigrant. This is my story.

Hi Everyone,

I am Moonchild. I came to Canada 5 years ago as a student. Let’s start with little background. I have always been someone who thrives on excellence – top of the class, great scorer, sharp in sports, creative to the core. Life felt like a win streak that no one could break. I made it look easy. Being different wasn’t just natural, it was my fuel.

Then, after the High School, my parents decided that I should move abroad. They saw an immigrant dream for me. Unaware of the realities and truth of this rabbit hole, I packed my bags. I couldn’t get to engineering due to being late and seats being filled. No problem, I was sent for a Computer Science course.

“That’s it! This is where it all starts. This is where life begins.” With this is mind and a lot of hope in my heart, this stranger country became my new home. However, it didn’t take long to realize the truth, the harsh reality and the shattered dreams.

If you are looking for excellence and the rewards of it, this is not a place for you. If you want to be acknowledged for being a great human, this is not a place for you and if you don’t like being judged based on the number of boxes you tick, this is definitely not a place for you.

You could have built a rocket in your diploma but the only thing you completed was a diploma. That’s the box you tick. You could have worked day and night for a year or done 7 hours a day, 5 days a week, all you have is a year worth of experience. You could have achieved 5 medals by 23 or just finished university, you are just 23. And this is how this country is going to decide if you are good enough or not. This applies to literally everything here. The concept of quality is missing. You are just like a product being judged on what all you can do, not how well you can do it.

Now, the question is what did all this do to me?

Well, it gave me stress, anxiety and a feeling of frustration. I was an average and 5 years later, I am still average. I am a part of herd. I am not heard, seen or felt. Over five years, I slowly lost my zeal, my hunger to grow and succeed, and in the process myself. I lost my will to win because winning does not get you anything different, you will still be treated like everyone else.

If you are looking for value, this place is not for you. If you want mental peace, this place is not for you.

So, think hard before you chase the immigrant dream. If you are someone who values excellence, who longs to be seen beyond numbers, this place might not be for you.