Long before 1971, when Canada established its
multicultural policy, the reality was there. From the very beginning, Canada
was settled and populated by immigrants – some just earlier than others. The First
Nations came across a land bridge that connected Siberia to Alaska; the French
settled on the banks of the St. Lawrence; English loyalists streamed into Upper
Canada from the Thirteen Colonies; Irish emigrated during the potato famine; and my neighbors from Sri
Lanka arrived two months ago. We can’t generalize the immigrant experience, but
we can learn to appreciate the uniqueness of each story. I want to share
another “first day” experience from one of my students at Seneca College. This
is Hazel’s story:
I still remember the very first day that I arrived in
Canada. It was the first week of January, 2008. The airbus plane of Air Canada
arrived at Vancouver International Airport. At that moment, I was a little bit
scared and nervous. I got up from my seat and followed my fellow passengers to
exit from the plane. I went to the crowded areas where immigration officer was
checking the documents. I had a strange feeling that I was half a world away
from my family. I think that is what they call “homesick.” After the
documentation process, I still had a connecting flight going to Toronto. As I
was sitting inside the plane from Vancouver to Toronto, I looked out the window
to see if there was snow, but nothing was on the ground. I was silent and went
to sleep because I was exhausted from the long flight.
I arrived at Toronto International Airport around eight
in the evening. The sky was dark, and the weather was cold. I got up from my
seat and exited the plane feeling tired. I walked through the baggage section
to claim my luggage. As I looked around, people were so busy. I saw different
cultures of people and I was one of them coming in Canada to work and live.
As I stepped through the exit door, someone called my
name. I looked around and Ronnie was there with Derek. I was so happy to see
them because I was thinking “what it nobody will pick me up in the airport?”
Ronnie hugged me and Derek shook my hand. Derek was my sponsor here in Canada
and Ronnie was a Filipino. They really gave me a warm welcome.
We stepped into the car and we talked. As soon as we
left, Derek told me that we were driving two hours to London, Ontario. As I was
sitting, I was amazed by all the cars and buildings that surrounded the city,
but I was still looking for snow. We drove on a long road and the weather was
so cold for me. We stopped at McDonald’s as I was hungry. And then we drove
back again on the road.
London, Ontario is a small town west of Toronto. It is
the place where I was going to stay and work. It is a very quiet town. There
are no tall buildings like Toronto. We arrived at Derek’s home at around 11:00
in the evening. I took my luggage from the car and met his wife. Ronnie helped
me move all the things in the house and I went to lie down on the bed. Then, I
didn’t even realize that I was sleeping.
The next morning I got up, opened the door, and went
downstairs. I looked out the window and the snow was falling. It was the most
amazing thing I’ve ever seen in my whole life. Well, I lived in a tropical
country and hadn’t experienced anything like that.
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| The Thames River, London |
Photo courtesy of Giles Whitaker, http://gwhitakerphoto.wordpress.com/
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