Struggles of immigrants - 2

The weather is not playing straight. We had sunny days for a couple of weeks with temperatures going as high as 8 degrees in the afternoon. As we packed our snow jacket, boots and gloves, the snow flurries returned with high-speed winds. With temperatures hovering around zero degrees, we unpacked our snow gear in the spring!

Sunrise at Port Credit.

During sunny days, my runs are a regular fixture. I usually start running from my block and end up at the Lake Shore. If I am able to drag myself out of the bed before dawn, I witness a glorious sunrise spreading orange hues on the horizon. If day is cloudy, I do a lap around the harbour, hear seagulls singing, get a dose of morning caffeine from a nearby Starbucks and take a bus home. Simple pleasures of life to indulge in.

As a freelancer, I have meetings to attend. Most of these meetings are in Toronto. A Go train leaves for Union Station at regular intervals from a station near to my place and it is my preferred mode of transport. During these train journeys in the morning, it is common to see sleepy faces all around which can use few cups of coffee to look fresh. 

During one such trip, I started chatting with one guy sitting beside me. And he turned out to be an immigrant from India who landed in Canada almost 9 months back.

"I moved to Canada about 9 months back and life’s nothing but a struggle since then. I had an experience of nearly 8 years and I was handling an international project before I decided to leave everything and move to Canada. I got a job within one month of landing but it was an entry-level position in sales. Salary from that job was not enough to cover my monthly household expenses. My wife is expecting our first kid, so she’s not in a position to work. I am pushed to the corner because of our grim financial situation. To get out of this hole, I took a second job which I usually do in evenings and night. 

Last week I almost experienced hell. I finished my day job five in the evening and reported at my part-time job. My shift got extended due to some unforeseen circumstances. I eventually finished it during the wee hours and went home to sleep. Usually, I get up at 5:30 in the morning to get to my office on time. But that day, I decided to sleep for extra ten minutes. And those ten minutes had a cascading effect. I reached subway station ten minutes late and I could not find a parking spot. I drove in circles for fifteen minutes and kept hoping for an empty parking space. When I got one, I parked and made a mad dash towards the platform. By the time I reached my office, I was late by thirty minutes and missed an important appointment with a client. Ten minutes of extra sleep never caused me so much pain in my life. I know it was my fault but I was completely exhausted by this 15-16 hours shift and I did not have any energy left to get out of the bed. In fact, whenever I am awake I feel I am burned out. There’s hardly a day goes by when my wife does not suggest of going back and regain our old life. But then I tell her that we should give at least 2-3 years before taking such an extreme decision.”

Everyone wants to move to Canada thinking it’s a paradise but such stories are a reminder that life here is full of struggle like anywhere else in the world. You have to believe in old-fashioned slog and take as many chances as you can. Life is fast here and you hardly have an option to sit on the sidelines, wondering what is going on. You jump right in and start with the grind. It is not pleasant but it is the only way to succeed here.
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Adesh Sidhu has recently moved to Canada and is spending time to explore it through its people and places. He blogs on North And Windy. And sends a weekly newsletter about Canada - cool and interesting links - to its subscribers. He’s also a Digital Marketer helping small businesses to increase their digital footprint.

 

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