Welcome to my new series, Ten Immigrants, Ten Interview.
You guys all know my story by now, and you have a pretty good idea of what my life in Canada looks like. I thought it was time to let other immigrants and new Canadians speak. I contacted ten of them, who each have their own story, their own reasons to come to Canada, their own point of view on how life is up North in the igloos. They all answered ten questions, bringing a new perspective on immigration.
A new post will be published every Saturday.
Guillermo Ziegler came with his family to Canada in 2005, looking for a better life as he saw Argentina, his home country, plunging into an economic and social crisis. He currently lives in Ottawa with his family and they will all become Canadian citizens very soon.
Guillermo writes chronicles of his Canadian life in the very popular Spanish-speaking blog Los Ziegler En Canada. He is also the author of a highly recommended ebook for prospective immigrants to Canada: Buscar Empleo en Canadá Contado por Inmigrantes.
What brought you to Canada?
I think the best way to answer your question would be answering what kicked me out of my country. Canada was just the aftermath of a decision based on that and, to be honest; it was Canada as it could have been Australia. Yep. Sorry if I hurt any feelings here!
By the end of 1999, beginning of 2000 my professional career was virtually stopped. The economical catastrophe that was approaching Argentina at that time (the beginning of a furious recession period that ended with the default in late 2001) put an end in the ascending career I was having since 1990. After that, everything started going down and I was never able to recover: not my career, not my way of living. Same happened to my wife.
At that time, we could have migrated to Australia or Canada, we had the money to do it… but not the guts. By late 2003, we decided to put an end to all that. We just said enough and started the paperwork with Quebec, that at the time was the most viable option for us.
By mid-May 2005 we were landing in Canada: my wife, our two kids and me. It will be 5 years soon, it’s hard to believe how fast the time passed… So fast, that we are becoming citizens in a few more days!
Did you find the immigration process difficult?
The bureaucratic process itself is not difficult at all. Paperwork is simple and you can find plenty of help in the Internet. The most difficult part of all this is your preparation and fighting with your own anxiety… there are more challenges at the emotional level than at any other if you think about it. How do you tell your parents you are living ten thousand kilometres away from home? And even worst… how do you tell them you are taking the grandsons with you? How do you deal with the sorrow and pain of leaving 30 years of your history behind just to arrive to a place where you are no one and no one knows you? That is the most difficult part.
How long did it take you to find a job that you liked in Canada?
Almost a year. Nine months to be exactly… but I have to be honest. After that time I found the job I was looking for… and that is not always the one you like! I still don’t know what job I like… One day I was on the phone with a Canadian I used to know, I was telling him how challenging was to find a decent job and was asking for his help (some people call that “networking”) But suddenly he asked me “Guillermo, what is your dreamed job?” I muted. I’m still not sure about the answer.
Where did you learn French/ English? What was your second language level when you first came to Canada?
I started learning English when I was 6 years old. One day I arrived home from school with a very bad, low mark in English from my teacher at Elementary school in Argentina. My mom got so, so angry that she started sending me to English classes. I studied English until the age of 18 and since then I always had a job where I used it.
French was a complete different story. I started learning French in 2003 when we sent the papers to the Quebec Office in Buenos Aires. After that I went to the French classes that Quebec has for immigrants and when I moved to Waterloo I forgot about French for a while. Nowadays, back in the National Capital Region, I must admit I have some difficulties with French but still can have a basic a conversation with someone if I have to.
What was your biggest culture shock?
Let’s see… It’d be the Canadian protocol for salutation if I have to put a name to the problem. When do they say “Hi!”? Under what circumstances you can say “Hello” and be sure it will be returned? Why they don’s say “good morning” when they arrive to the office (most of the times)? Why does a stranger say “Hi!” when you are taking a walk around the pond in your neighborhood even when you have not see that person ever in your life? What can I talk about with a Canadian being sure I’m not crossing a forbidden line? How do I make friends with these guys?
I’m still struggling with all this.
What haven’t you gotten used to yet in Canada?
Besides what I said above? I’m still having some troubles to accommodate my life in order to find more room for social activities. But it’s all related I think… Other than that, living in this country seems to be easy… as far as you follow the rules, everything will be OK.
Did immigrating to Canada match your expectations?
Living in this country was everything I thought it was going to be. But there we also a lot of other things I did not know that were going to be. Those are the things that sometimes make you think if you made the right decision. But I cannot complain. There are good days and bad days everywhere.
Do you find life expensive in Canada compared to your home country?
Yes, life in Canada IS expensive. And life in Argentina is expensive also. What is the difference? How much access to credit you have! That can be good but can be very bad also… You just have to be careful because you can get into financial troubles very fast in Canada!
If you are not a Canadian citizen yet, are you planning to apply for Canadian citizenship when you will meet the requirements? If you are already a Canadian citizen, why did you apply for citizenship?
I will be taking my citizenship oath soon. Being part of the first world club is an advantage you cannot let go… and after 5 Canadian winters I think I deserve to be part of it, right?
What advice would you give to someone interested in immigrating to Canada?
Research, research and more research! Learn about others experiences! Learn the language! Don’t give anything for granted! Don’t believe this is El Dorado! Dream… but have realistic expectations! This is a nice place to be as far as you understand the meaning of “effort”
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That is an interesting idea to interview 10 immigrants… look forward to read the other stories!
This is a good idea. Too bad I’m not in Canada anymore. hehehe.
Ten immigrants, ten interviews..wow! It would be interesting to read different perspectives.
your interview guillermo is interesting. for instance, i did no realize it was so difficult to greet another person. i say ‘hi’ to people i don’t know *all* the time. or i nod or i smile at them. i do it without a second thought. saying hello is not a formal greeting.
i assume it is the same in canada as it is in california.
because everybody knows canadians are just like americans.
leaving family is indeed difficult. we made the decision to move from idaho to california, leaving my family 1200 miles away. i can relate to guillermo’s anxiety. instead of family, now we have best friends. it isn’t the same- but at least you can *choose* the friends you want to have.
good luck guillermo, and best wishes.
oh, and guillermo: *Hi!*
.-= Seraphine´s last blog ..Guardian Angels =-.
Interesting. I am happy he’s happy.
.-= Agnes´s last blog ..Blog like no one’s reading =-.
Very interesting! As someone who hopes to immigrate in the future, it’s interesting for me to hear what other people’s hurdles are.
.-= Lizz´s last blog ..A Series of Unfortunate Events (A.K.A. reasons for my week-long hiatus from the Blogosphere) =-.
Oh yes, Australia is a very popular choice among the Brits!
Each year there are some 50,000 people (was so I remembered…) people from here going Down Under!
Australia is big, the population is small, the sun, sea, cute animals, etc…
Ha ha… Warmer than UK and of course, Canada!
People there also speak English.
Global Cities / 全球城市 / Bandar Raya Global / 世界都市
What a shame! I have never been to America…
I would like to see Brazil though.
.-= London Caller´s last blog ..Lost cow in the City / 迷失在市内的牛 / Lembu yang tersesat di Bandar / 都市に迷った牛 =-.
LOL, ‘after 5 Canadian winters I think I deserve to be part of it, right?’
I’m loving Guillermo’s attitude overall 🙂
.-= Nigel Babu´s last blog ..Ubuntu User Day =-.
@Seraphine… Hi Seraphine! What’s up? 😉
@Agnes… Sometimes I am, Sometimes I’m not… I have to be honest. But it happens to everyone, right?
@Nigel Babu… Attitude is everything!
Thanks for your comments guys!
Nice story. It’s always interesting to read tales from immigrants. Oh btw, I’d love to visit your ancestral land, Argentina! Seems so faraway from where I am.
.-= kyh´s last blog ..Bunaken’s blue, blue seas =-.
Me parecio muy buena la entrevista.Esta plagada de verdades.Argentina fue,un gran pais .En los comienzos del siglo 20 mis abuelos (uno de Suiza y otro de España)desembarcaron en estas playas y tuvieron importantes desempeños laborales al compas del crecimiento economico y social de este pais que lo iene todo,menos algunas cosas que seria largo enumerar pero no puedo evitar citar a la dirigencia politica como una de las causas de la decadencia.Ello incide definitivamene en la preparacion escolar,media y universitaria que declina desde los 60 hacia estos dias y prodce una poblacion que en las grandes masas,espera que el estado le acerque su manutencion. Clientelismo politico que se ha dado en llamar.En fin un tema muy largo para explayarlo en este sencillo comentario,que no pretende ser mas que eso y que\justifica la emigracion de sus hijos bie formados que no encuentran sguridad social.Claro que aqui queda un vacio inmenso…Gracias .
Hey Zhu,
Excellent interview: it was simple, straight to the point, it answered all the questions that pop into our mind and in a simple language (thus reaching the highest number of people around the world)!
Is this a hidden talent of yours, Zhu Zhu ;D?
Guillermo has charisma!
Well done, darling :D! God it is good to be back!!!
Cheers
.-= Max Coutinho´s last blog ..No Stress… =-.
@Max… Thanks for the charisma thing.
@Hector… Gracias papá. (hector is my dad… what can you do? You try to run away from them but they manage to chase you in the cyberspace)
.-= Guillermo´s last blog ..Juliette, diez preguntas y yo =-.
I’m with Guillermo on contacts and making friends. Even after 11 years in Canada I didn’t manage to make friends among the Canadians (Quebecers, to be precise) ans I have honestly tried! Yes, they are always very friendly but I seem not to able to pass behind those ‘maple syrup’ smiles. Social isolation is the worst thing that can happen to you when living in foreign country.
@Yasmine You got the point…
.-= Guillermo´s last blog ..Laurel Idiomas: Clases de inglés y francés a domicilio =-.
@Sidney – It should be fun! Every time I read their answers, I’m amazed at the different stories and paths of life.
@Bluefish – Sorry! Maybe you should start to interview other expats in Denmark?
@Celine – I know, I’m so curious too!
@Seraphine – I agree with Guillermo, the greeting thing confused me a lot too. And I didn’t understand at first why people would say “eh guys” to two girls, for instance. We aren’t “guys”, are we?! 😆
@Agnes – He is pretty smart, he deserves to be happy 😉
@Lizz – I’m glad you liked the interview!
@London Caller – You are so right about OZ, when I was there it seemed like half of the country was English backpackers or new immigrants!
@Nigel Babu – And I felt about the time when I took my oath. I mean, whoever survives a few winter just deserve to be Canadian!
@kyh – Argentina is a great place to visit. relatively cheap (now) friendly, easy to travel, warm, interesting… I loved it!
@Max Coutinho – He indeed has a lot of charisma, plus he is a good writer in both Spanish and English. No wonder I thought of him for interview first! 😆
(I actually go a Zhu Zhu pet for Xmas as a joke :lol:)
@Hector – Hola Héctor, sé que usted es padre de Guillermo 😉
Creo que Argentina es un poco como Francia. Un país bueno en general pero tiene problemas políticos y económicos. Me gusta Argentina. La gente era amable y hay mucho que ver, desde Buenos Aires a Ushuaia. Pero he visto los problemas y entiendo Guillerno decisión de emigrar a Canadá. Yo estaba en Argentina en febrero de 2001 y que siempre recordaré la desesperación de la gente…
@Yasmine – For some reason, I find it harder to make friend with Quebecers than with people in Ontario. It was strange to me because of my French background. I agree with you, social relationships are very different here.
@Guillermo – Thank you for answering the interview!
sounds great! I love to hear people’s experiences!
Hola, Please let me know if you would be interested in having a meeting with me. I would like to ask you some questions.
.-= Andy Rodriguez´s last blog ..Maddy Rodriguez =-.
hola guilermo sabes yo estoy subcrito en esta pagina de los Ziegler en canada pero cuando escrivo un comentario no lo veo o no lo ingrezan me podes ayudar por favor atentamente un amigo
javier
I would also like to visit Canada someday. They say that people in Canada are really kind. It would be a nice vacation for me visiting such kind people. I am planning also to stay there for good.
Me and my wife want apply to immigrate to Canada. We have different professions. She is nurse and I carpenter. Which profession of these is better to apply with?
I don’t know! Check the one that gives you the most points?