Sky feels lower, people are introverted — We asked immigrants what surprised them in Canada

The experience of having packed up and moved across the world is a common one in Canada. Almost a quarter of our population are immigrants. 

At a recent CBC Calgary town hall focused on the challenge of settling in Canada, we asked participants about that experience.  

We asked: What was the most challenging part of moving to Canada, and what struck them as the most strange or funny as they adjusted? 

Here are a few of their answers. 

'What does your name mean?' 

Tala Abuhayyaneh was 17 when she came from Jordan with her parents in 2015. 

"The most challenging thing was being the oldest child to immigrant parents. There's a lot of things that older children do to help their parents, especially if they're more fluent in English.

"Like, there's a lot of forms that people have to fill out. There's very little to no guidance on how to fill out these forms. That confuses a lot of people. A lot of people come from countries where systems like that do not exist. It was a big adjustment, for sure."

And what struck her as strange as she adjusted? For Abuhayyaneh, it was that people didn't know the meaning of their names.

"I would ask people like what does your name mean? Because I want to share what my name means with people and I would often get: Well, I don't know what my name means.

"People would just have this 'dilemma face' on them. So that was something that I found really funny. But it always sparked a good conversation."

"My name means small palm tree in Arabic."

'It's a beautiful day and it's cold out?'

Michael Embaie came from Eritrea through Sudan and landed at the airport in November 1983. The snow was melting, which surprised him because it looked so dirty.

But the strangest thing came a week later, when the sun was shining through his window. He put on shorts and was in for a brutal surprise. 

"It was like, –20 again. I came out in my shorts because I couldn't understand how it could be sunny and that cold. So I stepped from my building, and two steps and I was freezing.

"What the heck is this? It is a beautiful sunny day and it's cold out?"

As for the most challenging thing, that was networking.

"I was young. I came by myself. Fortunately, after 10 months or so, I went to the University of Calgary. I was a student, so I had my network, my classmates."

'Without driving a car it's really hard'

Alyona Galynych came from Ukraine after war broke out. She said it was stressful, especially because they had so little time to prepare. 

"We Ukrainians had to save our children and ourselves. We had to go and seek shelter. I'm very grateful to Canada and to every single person who helped us Ukrainians and is still helping in such a terrible time."

"Personally, the most challenging thing was just to settle down at the beginning, to find a job, find daycare for the kids, and to find a place to rent. However, when you take it step by step, things get really easier."

What was the biggest surprise?

There was so much driving, Galynych said. 

"I was shocked that without driving a car it's really hard to imagine your life in Canada. I would recommend for those people who think about immigration to start learning English and getting the driving licence."

'I have a lot of folks I can consider family' 

Nazir Haimoun was born in Syria but his parents worked in oil and gas, so he moved all over before settling in Lethbridge, Alta. What surprised him most was the difference in accent between the United States and here, especially with words like tag or bag.

But the hardest thing was to build a community, he said. 

"I came alone, and I'm somebody who is very social. I like to talk to people. But it was very challenging at the beginning to connect with folks because, even though everyone is super friendly, people here are very introverted. They weren't used to the random person who just shows up and says 'hi, let's go for coffee or for a drink,' especially in Lethbridge."

"Then I just realized I need to give it a bit more time. I went to school here and I started volunteering and making use of my linguistic and cultural background. 

And, you know, slowly I formed a lot of friendships, a lot of acquaintances. It just changed the dynamics. I can tell you I have — I still don't have any relatives in Calgary, but I have a lot of folks I can consider family."

'I'm still having trouble with a job'

Vinod Abbunasemi moved from Mauritius in 2009. He says he doesn't want to criticize, but it surprises him when the government focuses on issues that seems small, like banning plastic bags.

As for the challenge he faces, "when I came here, the only problem I started having was with a job. And I'm still having trouble with a job, even though I came as a federal skilled worker," he said.

"I'm an ex-soldier and a registered nurse. I did seven years in the paramilitary and eight years in the public hospital."

"I can't go back because it's worse, but going forward is difficult. I don't know what to do.… My country might disappear because of the warming of the world or a tsunami."

'Someday getting a job in my own field'

Diwa Latifza came from Afghanistan one year ago. 

The biggest challenge was to adjust for expectations for work. She had been working in human resources for international non-governmental organizations. But when she got here, she found most human resources jobs require Canadian experience.

After eight months of looking, she got a job as a case manager at a newcomer-serving non-profit instead.    

"I feel lucky that at least I got a job. I'm still looking forward to someday getting a job in my own field."

"Whenever I feel down, I just think of my visions, what visions I have for my future. Whenever I think about that, it boosts me, it boosts my energy. Then I get hopeful."

What was the strangest thing moving to Canada? For her it was the sky.

"The sky looks very down. I was thinking like the clouds are very near to me and I was feeling like I can feel this sun. 

"I never felt like that when I was back home. (In Afghanistan), it feels very high. Also, when I was in my home country, it's very dusty. But here it's very clean. So that's why I really love it."

Unsettling: Is the promise of immigration being met?

Is immigration to Canada living up to expectations?

11 months ago

Duration 9:14

CBC Calgary hosted a town hall at the Calgary Public Library titled, 'Unsettling: Are we fulfilling the promise of immigration?'

Read the five-part series by the CBC's Judy Aldous, Carla Turner and Boshika Gupta.