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When people ask me about my immigration story, the first picture that comes into my mind is the snowstorm. It was January 2010, my first trip to New Brunswick — I had just finished my immigration interview in Fredericton when I learned my bus to Moncton was cancelled because of the snow. I needed to get to Moncton to fly back to China. Frustrated, I paid $200 for the cab.
When I arrived in Moncton, it was dark outside. The lights on the road seemed not as bright as in China. I came from a city where it never snows and I always had a car. That night, I walked on the street full of snow and ice. Honestly, I was scared. That 5 minutes walking from my hotel to the grocery store felt like five years. Guess what, I didn’t walk back to the hotel, I called a cab.
This was my first experience of Canada but I was determined to immigrate. Many of my friends in China still don’t understand my decision.
I was a business person in China, busy every day. I sent my son to a boarding school since grade one. Every Friday, when he came home, he had lots of homework for him and his parents. It seemed nobody had time to enjoy family life. One day, my son told me a story: a little boy kept asking for money from his parents. Then, he asked his dad, “How much do you make an hour?” He wanted to buy three hours from his dad, so he would play basketball with him. I was shocked when I heard the story. We worked hard, we wanted to make more money, but we forgot why we worked hard. What is the happiness we have been looking for? At that moment, I decided my life had to change.
I moved to Canada for my son. But for me, a single mother, starting life over in a new country, with no friends, no family, no maid, no driver, no any help, the beginning was not fun. I remember how silly I was, I even didn’t know how to fill the gas by my own. I remember how scared I felt when my car didn’t stop in front of the stop sign, when my car turned around on the ice, when I can’t open my door because the lock was frozen… I still remember how warm, how grateful, I felt when my car ran out of gas one day. I was stuck in front of the traffic light, but nobody honked the horn. Everyone drove by, asking me if I need help, a gentleman drove very far away to get the gas for me.
Life is a journey, life is beautiful. You never know what’s in front of you. I do appreciate all the things I learn from life in Canada. When I visit my parents in China, they can see I have changed, they never knew their daughter could be so good at cooking, that I could be handy and use all the tools. They didn`t think I would adapt so well in Canada. Now they believe.
Now, I have started a small business. Remembering the snowstorm I experienced, knowing how difficult the life would be for newcomers, I am offering landing service, helping other immigrants to settle down in Moncton. I really enjoy helping people. I enjoy the simple life here. This is my second hometown, a place I want to be.