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It was June when I arrived at the Moncton Airport. It was enough for me to be confused. It was too cold. For my life time it should be hot in June, but it wasn’t. Wherever I went after landing, I experienced a lot of different things. Sometimes they looked like strange. For example, the ways of shopping, driving a car, making new friends, language, life style and so on, were absolutely different from those of Korea. And getting a job was hard as a newcomer as well. Everything I felt in Canada for the first month made me feel that the restarting my life in Canada is a kind of struggle.
One day I stayed at my apartment that summer, suddenly I was curious about the inside of the wall. When I knocked on the wall, I could hear the empty sound. I had never heard the sound in Korea. The wall of Korean house was made of concrete. It didn’t make a sound. I wanted to know what made it different. I started studying the building system of Canada. It was absolutely different from that of Korea. And I found out I did not need any certificate or license to be a builder if I had the knowledge of Canada building code. I was so excited.
When I was in Korea, I majored in literature and language and I used to be the manager and teacher of a private institute. I had a lot of interest in construction and drawing plans, however, it was almost impossible to be a builder unless I majored the architecture. I could not be a builder.
I learned how to build houses in Canada from a retired builder. After that, I built my house by myself. I framed my house with lumber, put insulation into the wall and in the attic, painted on the wall, installed hardwood flooring and tile, made the stairs, installed the fire place and finish molding. The progress of building houses, the way of installation and materials are absolutely different form Korea. In Korea, they used concrete, metal, bricks to build houses. I got confidence with building my house to start my business in the field of construction. I have built more than ten houses since I started my business in 2010. I feel happy whenever I build houses. It is interesting to make a vacant land to a nice house. I think it is a creative job.
I would like to tell the newcomers like me that you don’t have to worry about your new life in Canada even though it is absolutely the different life from that of your home country. Just enjoy your new life!