Settlement

Before moving to Canada this year in February 2020, I was living in Burundi, the country where I was born and raised. Burundi is a country in East Africa with fantastic natural beauty, with many national parks and with lots of wildlife.

Before I landed in Canada, I had so many expectations but I had also two feelings. On the one hand, I was very excited to discover a new country; on the other hand, I was afraid of being disappointed. Today, I want to share my impressions of Canada.

I was lucky to be welcomed into a loving family. However, it took me a while to get used to the cold because where I come from, during the rainy season, the maximum cold temperature is +10°. I also experienced a storm and the temperature was between -10° and -20°.

Until the beginning of March, things were going normally, despite the cold. I liked the beauty of the landscape, trees, and houses which were all covered by snow. And I also liked the welcoming side of people, and the assistance when I was looking for administrative documents.

Suddenly, things quickly changed with the COVID-19 pandemic. Through an agency supporting immigrants, I participated in job search forums and I was hoping to find a job quickly. Unfortunately, everything did not go as I had hoped. We have been confined and the chances of finding a job were few. I practically spent more than three months without working while I was taking part in interviews. I was discouraged, but I did not stop the research.

In June, I finally got my first job in Canada. The first few days weren't so easy because of my level of English and the fear I had of expressing myself in English. But after some days, everything turned out to be fine. I also enjoyed spending such a good time in summer with friends and families. And Canada did not cease to impress me as after three months, I got another job and this time in my field of training.

Now after nine months of living in Canada, I feel blessed for having had to move here. It is a beautiful country and there are a lot of opportunities. The most important thing I learned is that we can do a lot with patience.