Mexican newcomer struggles to make a new life in Canada
Mexican newcomer struggles to make a new life in Canada
Cynthia R., Grade 6
March 9, 2020Embedded Files
Brampton, Canada—Mayra M. is an immigrant that arrived in Brampton, Canada with her husband. She has been in Canada for a long time now, about 13 years. Mayra could not speak too much English, just a few words, so she took English classes at LINC. A few months later, she took ESL.
Downtown Brampton in the Summer.
As I asked her all these questions, she remembered all the struggles she went through to come this far in life.
“It was worth it,” she said. Mayra now works as a receptionist at a very busy walk-in clinic in Mississauga.
A different community
A different community
“What was it like to be in a new country?” I asked Mayra.
“Canada was very different from my culture,” she stated. “It was very cold, and the culture was different. I did not know anyone except for my husband, and that is why I chose to settle with him and learn English.”
Mayra learned English, worked at a cookie factory, tried different cleaning jobs, then took classes for a medical office assistant for a year. Later, she got a job as a receptionist. She said that her work really paid off in the end.
Cold, cold and more cold
Cold, cold and more cold
“In winter, Canada was freezing. I have never been so cold in my entire life,” Mayra said when I asked her how Canada was different from her home country.
Winter in Canada
Winter in Canada
“It was so cold, that my hands were bleeding because of the eczema I had. I also had to push my two kids in the stroller through the rough snow, which took a lot of my force,” Mayra said. “The first time I saw snow I was fascinated, but now when I see snow I have no fascination for the coldness coming, although I have learned to adapt to it.”
No regrets
No regrets
Mayra says that when she first came to Canada, she was hesitant at first because she was not sure if she made the right decision. But now, she has no regrets. She says her children have a safe life with a good education.
Mayra now speaks fluent English and has many friends she made during her journey while trying to make a new life in Canada. She is thinking of trying out a new job.
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