Canada

Canada has been a dream country for me since childhood because during the holidays my father sent us to our grandmother to spend the holidays. It is from there that there are Canadian volunteers who came to the village during the program of exchange between young Beninese and young Canadians. And when they come they don’t stay in downtown but rather in the villages. They organize activities for children, and tell us the history of Canada and many wonderful things and since that time I started wanting to come to Canada.

When I grew up when I started to work, I started by doing research on Canada and I watched documentaries and read the newspaper of radio Canada. And that allowed me to have information on immigration procedures and to apply for move to Canada.

In 2015, I got my visa and I came to the airport in September. Everything was beautiful, the customs officers were very welcoming and very smiling. The next day, I went to register at a community center that works with helping newcomers to integrate. I met several people from different countries and different cultures.

But in Canada to find work in relation to your experience and in your field it is very difficult because you need Canadian experience or you are lucky enough to find where to do training. Right after this training it's easier to find a good job and when I did, I got a good job in my old province of Quebec where I lived for 5 years.

I have noticed over the years that the other provinces of Canada, such as Ontario, have something special because many would no longer come to Quebec because they said so much about Ontario and that there are more opportunities if you are bilingual. I always wanted my children to be bilingual and myself to find a good job and a good salary to fully support myself and my family.

Coming to Ontario was a challenge that I took up because several times I hesitated and now I am happier because people are more open to help you and I feel good in my new city Hamilton. Also, there is less snow and my son already speaks English. So, Canada is a country in which there are many cultural diversities, where there are several peoples of the world, where human rights are respected. There is equity, women are not marginalized and the government of Canada supports children because they represent the future of Canada. In Canada, there are several provinces in which you can feel comfortable if you organize yourself. And in summer there are music festivals and lots of activities, the parks are open and the children are happy.

This is a summary of my general assessment of Canada.