Immigrating to Canada: A Descriptive Narrative of My Personal Experience

Immigration is a word that sometimes evokes controversy among certain groups of people or some countries. This controversy is usually due the political nature of the discussion the immigration subject brings forth. Some say immigration takes away jobs from native-born individuals, others say immigration boosts up the crime rate of the country while some even say immigrants don't pay taxes but considering this matter without understanding first the historical/economical background data available will lead you to a false conclusion.

Canada is the second largest country in the world only losing the first place to Russia. United States follows right after and has a very close area to Canada but a much higher population density. The population density of Canada is 4 people per square kilometer while in United States in 33. If we could give a piece of Canadian land to every single person living in Canada, each person could have 61 acres just for themselves. That is how big Canada is comparing to its low population numbers and that plays a huge part of why immigration is fundamental for Canadian economy. After all, who's gonna pay for retirement pension plans of an aging and decreasingly low population?

When I became a permanent resident of Canada in 2018, I looked back to the past and tried to rationalize this whole journey. For a split second I caught myself asking: "Was all this work actually worth it?" Right after that I faced myself with the fear of having to deal with regret and quickly shook the thought away from my mind, feeling courageous and proud of myself for having endured the several problems and sacrifices required by the act of immigrating to a new country.

I started my immigration plans two years before actually leaving the country. I spent countless hours doing online research about Canada, emailing people that could answer my questions and even calling them. I didn't mind being seen as inconvenient because I was getting the answers I needed. I wanted to reach my goals no matter what.

I arrived in Canada on August 2014. It was the beginning of fall but I remember being cold as soon as I walked out through the doors of Toronto Pearson airport to catch a TTC bus downtown. I remember the weather was unusual for the season. That day I learned a common knowledge among Torontonians: no matter what season, the weather here is always unpredictable. Coming from Brazil, having lived most part of my life in a city right under the equator, I was shocked how you can sunbathe in the morning and wear a skullcap same day later in the evening.

Another barrier I faced was culture. Coming from South America, I was shocked of how weird I was being seem by my friends in school for trying to hug them when saying hi, attempting a hand shake when saying bye or touching on the shoulder when talking to them about an excited subject. I quickly learned that touching others is something considered rude or strange among Canadians which is very different from Brazilian culture. In Brazil is very common touching, hugging, or even kissing on the cheek depending of your level of friendship with the person. Among family that's rule: when greeting your mom, dad, siblings, or even more distant relatives like cousins and aunts, you have to greet them in the most warm or hearty way possible. Brazilians are indeed very passionate about everything.

The culture shocks were interesting at first. As everything new, there is an excitement of learning new things every day in the beginning. After some time you just want what you are used to either for being homesick or for being easier to deal with that particular day. I was lucky Toronto is a very multicultural city and I wasn't very distant from Brazilian restaurants, clubs, and bars where I could meet people from there. It's funny how someone you never met becomes like a close friend much faster and easier (even for Brazilian standards) when everyone is an immigrant.

Immigration is hard. Having to say goodbye to your dearest people and to the country in which the culture built your character and personality for all these years is not easy. It could tear you apart if you don't have the right mind set or determination. I had to quickly adapt to situations I had never faced before. I had to share rooms, living with people I have never seen before for the purpose of saving money. I was several times confronted by the fear of being defeated in this journey when I had worked and given so much to make it work but knowing some choices are out of your reach.

I am frequently asked by people about the reasons that made me choose leaving Brazil and it took me quite a while to formulate a good answer. At first, I left Brazil trying to escape from the country's many social/economical problems like street violence, political destabilization, unfair tax charges, and cultural prejudice against sexual orientation and gender. Only being asked the same question several times I came up with the idea that, in reality, my decision of immigrating to Canada came from the desire of being an adventurer. I realized what I really wanted was an exciting life, facing new challenges, testing myself everyday and knowing my limits... and how I learned! How I changed! I spiritually grew stronger, acquiring a fine maturation on my personality I would never had if still living under the roof of my parents.

I can't stress enough how good my decision of immigrating to Canada was. This is a rich and wonderful country, safe, classy and full of the most polite and helpful there is in the world. Besides, immigration has made me a better person in a sense of perfecting my skills and upgrading my knowledge about the world. I can say that there is no such thing as a perfect place to live but there is always a better place to live. The will and the determination to find and pursue that better place relies only in yourself, you just have to grab it and use it.