Kindhearted Canada
There are plenty of attitudes I can’t stand in North America, but this is the Canada I’m proud of—kind, welcoming, helpful and understanding.
Browsing: Life As An Immigrant
7 Questions People Ask Canadians Abroad
If I out myself as a Canadian, I know I’m about to be quizzed.People have comments about France, but they sure have a lot of questions about Canada.
20 Things Most Immigrants Must Have Experienced
Please, tell me I’m not the only one!
4 Mistakes I Made When I Came to Canada (Avoid Making Them!)
I made many mistakes over the years, especially when I first came to Canada. Maybe these “lessons learn” can help you?
We’re Not Strangers, After All
The couple, a man and a woman, were sidewalk experts. That alone was noteworthy. But then, something strange happened.
5 Learning Experiences All Newcomers Should Embrace
What did you learn as a traveller or as an immigrant? What learning experience was the the most useful to you?
The Lonely Neighbour
“Please, don’t call the police!”
This is the first thing she ever said to me when, one evening, I passed her on the pathway leading up to Madison Park, one of the neighbourhood’s playgrounds.
I Have an Accent—Do You?
I have an accent. Scratch that—I have accents, one in every language I speak.
The Art of Asking (The Right Person, The Right Way)
I’m not selfish, uncharitable or useless. Also, if you call me names, you’re an ass and if you make it to Canada, I hope the hockey team you may end up supporting loses for five seasons in a row—alternatively, I hope you lose a glove on a very cold day.
“Will My Life Be Better in Canada?”
Every day, I receive two of three emails or comments from strangers asking me to map out their destiny.
Sick of Doctors
This is how my last visit to my family doctor went.
Leaving Isn’t Such a Trivial Act, After All
Leaving, travelling, immigrating to Canada—these were all my choices. Choices I’m proud of because they were mine but also choices that affected those around me, and I have to live with this.
“Wide, Open Spaces” and “Opportunities” – The Canadian Dream in France
Maybe Canada is your dream too. Just make sure you know what you really want.
Trip Status: “It’s Complicated”
It’s not just a trip, it’s an existential journey because I’m Feng’s wife, Mark’s mother, because I’m also a sister, a grand-daughter, a niece, and because deep down I’m still a little girl who wants to make her parents happy and proud.
The Special, Awkward and Funny Side of Interracial Unions
We aren’t a stereotypical family. It’s cool. I can deal with a pause, a curious look, some assumptions.
Pre-Arrival Program for Newcomers Coming to Canada—Settlement Online Pre-Arrival (SOPA)
SOPA is funded by the Government of Canada: it is free to join and access the services offered to permanent resident about to land in Canada.
An Immigrant’s Dream
He was walking fast, hands in pockets, hood on and head down to shield his face from a strong Northern wind that was brining the day’s frigid temperatures to the minus twenties.
Yet, In Canada, I Was Happy To…
There are some aspects of Canadian life I’m rediscovering with pleasure. No, not snow.
Beyond Weather Considerations – What I Miss After Coming Back to Canada
“You know what I’ll miss the most?” I told Feng as the taxi was driving through São Paulo’s endless urban maze. “Strangers doing things together.”
Unpacking
I pause at the doorstep. It’s a bit overwhelming, really. Do we really live here? Do we really have a shower, a microwave, a TV, Internet access?
Sprinkles of Christmas Magic (Cough, Cough)
Despite a tough December, Christmas Day delivered the magic we needed.
9 Tips to Beat the Holiday Homesick Blues
For many expats and immigrants, seasonal small talk can bring mixed emotions. Indeed, many of us don’t celebrate major holidays at “home.”
5 Good Decisions that Made My Life in Canada Easier
As I was drafting the “5 Mistakes I Made in Canada”, I realized that I did make good decisions along the way. May they inspire you!
5 Mistakes I Made in Canada
Moving to a new country is one of these big decisions where your life can get awesomely better, awfully worst or more realistically, waver between these two extreme case scenarios.