Read all about my canadian life experience!
Here is the link - http://womendiaries.com/94-2/#.UWbQFI5dWlJ
Cold country filled with warm hearts- CANADA – By: Smruti Das
Canada is the second largest country in the world by size.
It was in August of 2011 that I set my small foot in this country. Was I
nervous? Yes, of course! It had only been seven months since my wedding and I
was still trying to know my husband better. He was nice to me and was trying
his best to make me comfortable but the mere thought of being away from my home
country- India, missing all the loved ones and moving to a country that has six
months of winter was making me uncomfortable. Fear gripped me as I landed in
this unknown Country! How will I manage? I constantly probed myself! Life wasn’t
easy at the beginning. While my husband was getting familiar with his new job,
I had to cope up with this new place, new surrounding and the new ‘him’. I had
grown up in a very sheltered environment where my parents took most of the decisions
for me. And now, it was up to me and my husband to set up our new life here
from scratch. Starting from finalizing an apartment to deciding on the color of
our new car; from cooking dinner to making sure that the house was neat and
clean, I felt I had a lot of responsibilities. I needed guidance and help came
in the form of my husband’s friends. My husband has done his MBA from the Queen’s
University hence he had a lot of friends in the country. His friends made sure
that we did not feel alone. They guided us and very soon we had set up our new
place and even threw a house warming party when I cooked some Indian food that
got some nice reviews! My career too took a twist in Canada. I was under the
impression that it would be a cake-walk to land up on a good job here; but boy
I was so wrong! My Indian work experience wasn’t good enough. I took up a short
contract job at the Toronto International Film Festival as an on-site
assistant. It was fun and provided me the opportunity to meet and interact with
people from Hollywood. After my contract was over, my real job hunt began. I
sent my resumes to a number of places but faced continuous rejections. I felt depressed
but still kept trying hoping for the best. One fine day, I got an email from
the Editor of the largest South Asian Magazine of North America. She liked my
profile and gave me a break. With more than two dozen articles published online
and in the print, today, I feel proud and satisfied with what I do. I have also
joined a Toastmasters club here to improve my communication and leadership
skills. It has helped me immensely as I have become more organized in the way I
think, write and speak. It has also helped me make new friends and taught me
the importance of networking. At present, I am the Vice President Public
Relations of one of the oldest Toastmasters club at Toronto. Isn’t that cool
for someone who has been in this country for less than two years? The biggest
surprise for me was to cope up with the winter here. For the first few days, I got
very excited every time, it snowed. The white layers of ice covering the roads,
trees and houses made it a pretty sight. After a few months, it got tiring. I
longed for the warm summer when we could go out to the nearby park for a walk
without covering ourselves with winter jackets or play at the beach without
worrying about the freezing cold water. While I am still getting used to
Canada, the warmth of people here have made it a great experience for me. There
has been a big transition in me after my wedding and Canada has a role to play
in it. From a carefree girl who wouldn’t want to take any responsibilities, I
now feel that I am not scared to take risks and take ownership for the decisions
I make. I learnt how to grow up and deal with conflicts – it was not easy to
just pack up my bags and head to India every time I fought with my husband. (Pss:
tickets to India are so expensive! There are new surprises every other day for
my husband and me. Some days are fun and we absolutely love it and there are days
when we feel rejected and wished we were in India with our parents and loved
ones. Canada is a cold country but to be honest, I like it. The warm and
affectionate people here make us feel at home. A home away from home, we still
are making it work every single day and we still are smiling in all weather conditions!
http://womendiaries.com/94-2/#.UWbQFI5dWlJ