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Perhaps growing up in a military lifestyle gave me the courage to face new environments and an adventurous spirit to explore the world. And yet, never in my wildest dreams had I imagined that one day I would be travelling halfway across the world all on my own.
But as circumstances turned out, after going through a broken marriage and losing my parents, I had very little hope of ever having a good life in India as a single woman. So I decided to apply for immigration to Canada.
It was a very big step because I had led a very sheltered life and never ventured out alone. Here I was embarking on a totally new life in a strange country with nobody by my side. When I landed in Toronto, I had no job, no money, no friends or family. The only thing I was armed with was my education. But I soon realized that even that was of no worth unless it was tested to Canadian standards. It was a big struggle to survive in odd jobs and adapt to the cold weather - even walking and driving in the ice and snow was a challenge.
I got my education assessed at par with Canadian degrees, applied for jobs every day. Finally I got a break- a job in faraway Nova Scotia. Then I started to connect with people at work. I performed at the college International day and then the Tulip Festival, my picture came out in the local newspapers and many people came to know me. I met a very famous lady artist named Joy Laking at a party. She invited me home and showed me her gallery. Imagine - I’m a nobody, and they opened up their hearts and home to me.
That paved the way for other jobs as well but they were all temporary and I was constantly on the move. It gave me a chance to see & understand different parts of Canada but every time I moved I had to make friends all over again. Often I had to live in far-flung places with no immigrant for miles. When I walked in the mall in northern Ontario-I was the only brown face around and people used to stare at me. My friend at work introduced me to this old couple who called me to their home, when they knew that I didn’t have parents, they treated me like their daughter.
Each place I went, I mixed with the local population, volunteered for different causes…… and experienced totally new activities. Now that I have a stable job and a house of my own, I can look beyond and dream.