Chinwe Obi; Volunteer with Build ON
Hi Readers! In this post we will be providing a firsthand account of a newcomer’s experience. Today I sat down with Chinwe, Chinwe is a newcomer to Canada and she provided insight about her experience and answered questions we often receive from clients.
Kepreye: Tell us about yourself and briefly tell us about what your move to Canada was like
Chinwe: I am currently a volunteer with Build ON, which to me is priceless! Prior to moving to Canada, I worked as a Monitoring and Evaluation Advisor with Johns Hopkins Center for Communications Programs. I have a bachelor’s degree in Community Development, and I am about to complete a master’s program at the University of Ottawa.
Kepreye: What were some of the most confusing things you found through your migration process?
Chinwe: There were so many of them. One major thing I found confusing was the chilly weather! The proper public transportation system was also foreign to me and confusing. The buses have identical numbers, but different routes and I got on the wrong bus a couple of times. At first, I did not know that I was supposed to ring for my stop before getting off the bus. Another one was figuring out that I have to go to different grocery stores for different things as different stores may have cheaper options.
Kepreye: What challenges have you found with finding ways to stay in touch with your culture?
Chinwe: The first one that comes to mind is food and having access to my native delicacies. It was not easy finding an International grocery store where I could buy ingredients to prepare my local dishes. Another one is not being able to wear my usual cultural or light clothes because of the cold weather.
Kepreye: What are your thoughts on Canadian winters?
Chinwe: I started dreading winter from the first day I arrived in the spring of 2019. The extreme weather that welcomed me as I stepped out of the aircraft was so dumbfounding, so I thought that winter would be unbearable if spring could be so severe. With that in mind, I started to prepare early by getting flu shots with my children and buying appropriate clothing. One of the most difficult parts of winter is waiting for the bus in the freezing cold and being so cold you feel the hair on your nose and your eyeballs freezing. I think the most difficult part is that I cannot enjoy an outdoor life for half of the year.
Kepreye: What was the process of enrolling your children into school like?
Chinwe: Enrolling my children in school was an easy process because of the detailed information available online. I contacted the local school board to make an appointment for their assessment once I arrived however; I had to wait until we moved to a permanent address before starting the enrolment process since we stayed at a temporary Airbnb apartment for the first couple of weeks. To enroll your children for the first time, the school or school board will assess them and decide what level they should be placed at and whether they need free support such as English or French language classes. There are also settlement workers in many schools who can help. You need to provide some documents like: Proof of your child's age - a birth certificate or passport, Proof of address - a copy of a bank statement, telephone or electrical bill or apartment lease with your name and address, Proof that your child has been immunized - Immunization record as well as your landing papers
Kepreye: What major differences have you found between the education system in Canada and that of your home country?
Chinwe: I have found that the approach to education in Canada is play-based, academic, Montessori, Waldorf, Reggio Emilia, cooperative, or religious including Christian, Catholic, Jewish, and Islamic. In my children’s school for example, field trips are constantly organized by the schools to places such as museums, workplaces, cultural institutions, and city neighborhoods. This was not exactly the case in my home country. Here in Canada, the schools tend to focus on promoting children’s development and enhancing their creative and analytical thinking skills as opposed to making them cram theoretical concepts. I also found that university education in Canada is focused a lot on research and students get to engage in intriguing group experiments and projects, meant to provide them a complete study experience, based on innovation and forward thinking. The typical classroom atmosphere in a Canadian university is incredibly open and friendly, where professors are merely the guides that help students become independent learners.
Kepreye: Why did you choose to volunteer and what benefit has volunteering been for you?
Chinwe: One big take-away I got from the Build ON online webinars I attended before arriving to Canada is the emphasis on the benefits of volunteering for newcomers. Fortunately for me, Build ON had an opening for a volunteer position, which I quickly applied for and was so lucky to get in. Volunteering with Build ON has been the best thing that happened to me since my arrival because it has helped me in incredible ways such as giving me a sense of belonging in a very closely knit like-minded team, seamlessly integrating me into the Canadian culture, improving my technical and soft skills while gaining Canadian work experience. Volunteering also helped with my mental health and has been a great opportunity to expand my professional network and work with diverse groups.
Kepreye: What is an odd challenge that you have come across through your journey?
Chinwe: One odd challenge I have found is how expensive it is to make my hair here in Canada, which is about an eighty percent markup compared to what I had to pay back home. Another one is not being able to afford a nanny or help which was more readily accessible in my home country.
Kepreye: What is your recommendation for people who are immigrating to Canada?
Chinwe: Moving to a new country is one of the most complex transitions you can face in a lifetime, but the truth is that everyone will have different experiences depending on how you choose to respond to it. If you are familiar with possible difficulties and reactions, you will be better equipped to deal with them appropriately. My advice would be to keep a flexible and open mind, practice mindfulness and deep breathing to stay centered and things will fall into place slowly but surely. It is very important to become part of the community, volunteer and make connections, attend a local faith institution, or take a language class, visit your community center and ask questions, they offer a lot of support to newcomers.
Thank you for sharing your experience Chinwe. Please reach out to the Build ON team at [email protected] if you would like to share your experience.