Settlement

I am going to share my funny story about settling in Canada, and I will share some of the events, which surprised me the most. I will also share challenges I have had so far and how I have overcome them. Finally, I will give some suggestions to newcomers on how to settle down in their new country.

Firstly, I would like to tell my funny story about when I was settling in Canada. Two weeks after I had moved to Canada, while I was doing shopping in a store, I saw prices on shelves, and I was really surprised because the prices seemed cheap. Moreover, I was really convinced to do shopping and I was very excited because I hoped that I would save more money than I ever imagined. Afterwards, when I finished doing my shopping, I went to the checkout and with an enormous smile I waited for my receipt. Unfortunately for me, it was an unexpected situation and right out of the blue, I had to spend over $200 for my shopping although according to my calculations, it would be only $125. When I realized it, I understood that I had forgotten the most important thing, which is called "tax" (HST – Harmonized Sales Tax).

On the other hand, I had many positive situations which surprised me. The biggest surprise for me in Canada was summertime. Before I came to Canada, I had heard for many years that the country was a very cold place to live. When I arrived in Canada, it was a big shock. The reason of my shock was the hot weather and beautiful nature. Another thing which surprised me were the highways in Canada. They are really massive and thanks to them, Canadian citizens can move really fast and they are really convenient to all kinds of drivers, for example bus drivers, truck drivers and also car drivers. The last thing which surprised me was the price of gas. Compared to Poland, gas in Canada is really cheap and gas stations are almost everywhere.

In addition, I have had challenges and obstacles as well. Before I received my Permanent Residency in Canada, I had to work really hard at a Polish store, and it was not easy for me. I had to work 12 hours per day from Monday to Saturday. Another obstacle for me was the distance between one store and another and other facilities. I had a big problem with this issue because I had to walk long distances to get to a final destination. The final challenge for me was the public transport. Unfortunately, public transport especially buses work slowly. In my opinion, the Canadian government should start investing more money on public transport.

Finally, I would like to give some suggestions to newcomers. The biggest suggestion for me is not to give up. I know from experience how hard the beginning in a new country can be, and I know what I had to go through to be at the place where I am now. Everyone has to be brave and have courage until the end. We can't give up in our life because everyday we get closer to achieving certain targets in our life.

Overall, if someone wants to live in Canada, my suggestion is to read and learn more about the country before arrival. I have seen many people who have come to Canada and some of those are really dissatisfied and disappointed. Canada is not for everybody and before making any decisions and choices, people should think many times before they take any action.