Ecuadorians' reflections on Canada

Oil Sands

2012-02-20T16:18:00.000-08:00

Canada's economy is healthy, the healthiest amongst the G20. Many developed countries look up at Canada and how, for instance, the country closest neighbor to the USA, dodged the home financial crisis, how the loss of jobs was not as critical as it was in their own countries.
So far, so good.
But the Canadian finances are not perfect. There's an unbalanced budget, cutbacks need to be applied, there's too much spending, public servers carry the lead here. The country needs to tight the belt and get more income at the same time spending is reduced.
The conservative Government announced that Canada will step out of the Kyoto Protocol to reduce Greenhouse gas emissions because the goals cannot be met and from the very birth of the Protocol, they were unattainable. Canada decided to walk away from paying billions of dollars for not reaching the goals, and its emissions have increased, but they do not get any closer to those of The USA and China, the world's largest.
Canada stated that a new treaty without both the USA and China agreeing to reduce their emissions would not be successful and fail, so Canada will not sign anything that would ask them to reduce emissions i.e. not exploiting the Oil Sands.
Canada's oil in Alberta, in the Oil Sands area, up north, offers a way to get more money and balance the budget. Canada was confident that the oil coming out of the Alberta Oil Sands will be delivered to the World's number one consumer: The USA. A pipeline that would travel from the north of Alberta all the way south to Texas was proposed. President Obama first decided to wait for a decision till 2013, after the elections. Then after much pressure he passed. The pipeline will not be. Canadians could not believe it, their cousins turned them down.
Now what? Well, who's the world's number 2 oil consumer? China!
The Prime Ministre just came back from China and signed many agreements, and of course offered Canadian oil, so much needed in China's growing economy. Americans, republicans, are angry at Obama's move. Now China, their commercial rival, will get the oil.
Canada makes a strong point on not signing a treaty that does not bind The USA and China, but they always knew these two would not, so it was more showing support to these countries, clients.
Nicely done by the Conservatives.

Winter time

2012-02-20T15:45:00.000-08:00

A new year has started.
Winter is here.
Our first winter ever.
I was looking forward to it, I wanted to know what the big fuss was all about. It is cold. Really cold. But I expected snow day and night, not everyday of course, but so far 3 big storms, 4 freezing rain warnings, and that is it.
We put on warm and thick clothes and go out to work. Some coworkers say that I need to give it a a couple of years and I'll start hating it. As of today, I feel OK. I asked people what kind of winter this one was, not over yet though. People have told me that it's not been so bad or so good, it was an OK winter. The worst part is already gone and temperatures will continue dropping, maybe some more snowfalls, but not as much as the ones we'd already had.
As of today, I feel happy. I saw the news about the winter in Europe, that is something, here in Ottawa, not so bad, pretty cold, but we can deal with it.
If you look into the fun side, you'll feel even better. My kids made it evenmore fun for me, going out with them, tobogganing, the Winterlude festival, feeling the snow, I just can say I like it. I had fun. Maybe the next one will be harsher.

The power of Thy name!

2012-01-02T15:31:00.000-08:00

Christmas is gone, so is New Year's.
My biggest worries, concerns, and worst fears have passed.
In Ecuador, before coming here, I always pictured our first night in Ottawa, in the apartment we already rented: an empty place, sleeping on the floor, with some sheets we packed from Ecuador, wondering what and where to get the next morning. I was sure it would take me a couple of months to get a 'menial' job, doing dishes, cleaning, collecting garbage; anything that helped us get through and find our break.
I imagined my kids getting on the school bus on their first day. I wondered how they might feel, lonely amidst strangers, not able to speak the language, not one familiar face. Tears came to my eyes, even though it was still far from reality.
I wondered how long it would take Aura to get a job with her limited English. How long would it take her to learn enough to start hunting for a job? What was enough? Who could take care of our kids when she finally got a job?
I used to see ourselves at Christmas, even though we're no longer Christians and I didn't feel well celebrating it the way most people do, I felt it was empty and meaningless. The only thing I really liked was to share with my family. Anyway, I pictured the 4 of us, alone crying and wishing to be with our loved ones, New Year's feeling sad and lonely...
All these concerns and fears were so real and gave me second thoughts, but I could not turn around, and God seemed to guide our path. That's what I like to think, at least.
Today, looking back, Hans and Arianita seem to fit in, they are still in the process of acquiring and learning the languages, yes plural: French and English. They have friends, specially Arianita. It's like she's always lived here, she has found friends who love, and care for her. These friends also care for Hans, who has been struggling, but he's coming around. My two kids are extraordinary, their future is brilliant. Of course they need to improve, there's always room for improvement. The main reason for us to be here is working out just fine; a better future, more options for them to grow and develop their skills, knowledge and spirits.
Christmas and New Year's were tough, but we didn't cry, we had a good time as a family. We are stronger.
In less than a week, it took me just 2 interviews, I got a job; a 'menial' job. It was hard, it still is, but I am learning and shining. Everywhere I look there's the possibility to learn and grow. I have come a long way; sweeping, mopping, collecting garbage, frying fries, and so on. Hard work!
It took Aura almost 8 months to get her first job. The manager was worried about her ability to communicate, so he gave her just 3 hours for 4 days. But from day one she showed determination and willingness to do her best. That very same day, the manager asked her to come earlier i.e. more hours. she started cleaning and doing garbage, dishes, fries and now making sandwiches, in less than two months.
It's like everything has fallen into place. God works in mysterious ways. I love this.
He knows what we need and He alone decides when, how, why and who comes in our path.
The first night here in Ottawa we slept in beds, we had dishes, food, table, radio, pillows, sheets, almost everything to start. It could not have been possible without the Baha'i Faith, the Baha'i Community, the Baha'i friends. God brought us here for a reason, we prayed and begged Him to make our dream come true. He did it. It took us 5 years, but He knew when it had to happen. We were not Baha'is when we started the process and for almost 3 years we had no news. In the third year of waiting I met the Baha'i faith and embraced it. Two years later, when I felt happy, hopeful and encouraged to work to build the Kingdom of God on earth, when I was so sure we'd stay in Ecuador, it happened: Canada was open. I didn't feel like it was the right thing to do. But something kept telling me, 'Let's see how it goes, we have worked so hard, sacrificed a lot. Let's see if it is what God wants for us.'
Starting from scratch is hard, tough. It makes you revisit humility, and hope. But if you work hard, and honestly, every little step forward feels like a victory, you feel like the strongest human in the universe. You look back and you feel it was worth it, you know that God is with you.
If you feel what you are doing is the right thing, and you pray and beg God, He will give you what you need.
And just keep in mind that:
Armed with the power of His name, nothing can ever hurt you, and with His love in your heart all the world's afflictions can in no wise alarm you.

Some Spanish

2011-12-09T15:25:00.001-08:00

Casi nueve meses en Canadá

Hans, el que más sufrió su llegada, me demuestra cada vez más que su proceso de adaptación y aprendizaje del idioma, perdón los idiomas, van bien. Arainita ni se acuerda de su vida en Ecuador, está muy bien y su clase de ballet tiene un recital este domingo.
Aura Alexandra Valenzuela Correa ya tiene trabajo, hace más de dos semanas, conmigo en Wendy's, ha causado una buenisima impresión, de empezar con 12 horas a la semana hoy completó 23, y el manager la aprecia más y ahora a hacer sanduches.
El lunes matriculé mi carro para los próximos 2 años, sin problemas, pagué me dieron mi sticker en menos de 5 minutos. Me eligieron el empleado del mes de octubre, significa que de recompensa me dan $50.
Me informaron de un trabajo con el Gobierno Federal, enseñando español a los oficiales de las embajadas en Latinoamérica, el centro comunitario quiere ayudarme a conseguirlo, el lunes tengo una entrevista a ver que pasos me recomiendan. El manager de Wendy's me confía la tienda cuando él tiene que irse, el lunes me da su numero de telefono privado para que o llame en caso de urgencia, eso es un cumplido y simbolo de confianza.
La fe Baha'i acá está en campaña de enseñanza, debo visitar a alguien y hacer amistad, debo estudiar la unidad 2 del libro 2. Además, debo terminar el libro 7. Tenemos una devocional el domingo.
Estamos dónde Dios nos quiere, bajo su cuidado, trabajando fuerte, aprendiendo y orando. Es duro empezar de cero, pero los exitos, tan mínimos para algunos, son muy satisfactorios, inmensamente satisfactorios. Dios nos da lo que necesitamos, cuando lo necesitamos.

Boards

2011-11-19T18:11:00.001-08:00

Here in Ottawa, there are four school boards. For those who don't know this yet; here it is:
There are Public and Catholic boards. Then we have the Francophone Catholic board, the English Catholic board. And also the Francophone public and the English public boards. Why so many? Well, Ottawa is the Capital city of the country, it's located at the border where English and French speaking Canadians meet. Being the capital it has to be bilingual.
Each board receives funds from the local, provincial or federal governments. Each board has its own regulations, bylaws. They decide how schools are managed and who studies in them, provided that they respect the law.
People here in Ottawa speaks wonders of the Catholic boards, both French and English. The best behaved students are there, the best schools, the best teachers, more funds. They are a majority here.
Being an immigrant, sorry a Newcomer, to Canada with two school-aged children, one of my first objectives was to get my children in school. I asked people, read blogs. The process is quite simple, at least for us it was like that.
Newcomers have to go to the board, any one you like, not the school. I went to the Ottawa Carleton Public School Board, English. They have a welcome centre. You call them, arrange an appointment. They ask you for proof that the new students have been studying, the grade and the subjects they were studying. In my case, we are from Ecuador. We presented the Libreta de Calificaciones, something like the report cards from the previous school year, proof of legal status in Canada, proof of address, and finally they evaluate your child in Mathematics, Science, reading and writing, of course English is also included. They have an interpretor to help your kids. These tests are used to verify if the kids really have the knowledge the school reports we show them claim to have.
Finally, a counsellor explains the decision they have to make. In our case, our kids continued in the same grades they were in Ecuador; 3 and 5, we were getting closer to the end of the Canadian school year, and this would be good for the kids to get adapted to the new country and system of education, then they would continue to the next grades.
He also explained that our kids would need some shots, we would have to get them before a school was assigned, probably one pretty close to our apartment. We went for the shots, these people gave us the shots and sent the results via fax. We would have to call the Board a few days later and get the school assigned. Some friends told us the most likely school to be assigned was not that good, and suggested we go to other boards.
I decided to try the Catholic boards, French and English. Both answered the same way:
The kids or at least one of the parents has to be Catholic and present proof of that. I had the kids' baptism certificate. But I have a different faith. They said my kids would have to wait for a decision based on space availability. I was never asked if my kids were good students, well behaved. Simply put aside due to their religion, not even theirs. They are baha'is because we, the parents, are baha'is. How can they win over more hearts for their faith if they keep them away?
Anyway, my last option was the French Public board, CEPEO. I called the board and they said that I had to go to a school and ask them if they had space and f the kids would be accepted under their regulations. I called and arrange an appointment. The principal talked to us, and said that her school would take the kids, she accepted all the documents we presented at the English public board, and we would have to wait till she contacted the board and they would make a final decision.
The decision was take the kids. The school is called 'Le Trillium'. A couple of friends know the school and told us it was a good school. Now the challenge for everybody, specially fo the kids, was that it was a French school, everything is taught in French.
The kids went to classes in April and finished in June. My son, who was 10 then, had some adjustments trouble, it was expected. My daughter, 8, was doing fine. Now they are in 4 and 6 grades, they like their school and are learning French, they need more time, but are doing fine.
At this school, they have met Muslims and Christians, people from all over the world. They are baha'is and now have a great opportunity to learn about other cultures and religions.
I felt really sad when the Catholic board turned down, I felt guilty, but now looking back I am convinced it was part of God's path for us. Education at Le Trillium is great. My son always shares something new from school. My daughter loves her classmates, and both are appreciating the lots of good things they now have here.
They can be anything they want, and with the spiritual education from our faith, they will be excellent human beings.
As of today, no regrets.

Offers of religion

2011-11-02T19:36:00.000-07:00

Way before I set foot on Canadian soil as an immigrant I read in a very popular blog, popular amongst Latino immigrants, one post that stated that immigrants, not only did they come here looking for a new and better life, but also amongst other things, called them dreams, hopes, illusions, they also end up looking for God.

I read in astonishment that here in Canada the variety of religion is huge. People looking for one would have to choose the one which suits them. The author of the post acknowledged that his relationship with God was OK, but his relationship with his church i.e. his religion was pretty distant. He looked and keeps looking for a religion that might be good for him, but he's not really desperate to go and start shopping around. He has nothing against any religion, and he understands why people, some immigrants, try to connect or reconnect their hearts with God, and that maybe their previous faith was not that good in their old country and they want to try something new.

I think that that connection or reconnection takes place because once the excitement, the adrenaline, or whatever you want to call it after you landed in Canada is gone, you have to start building from scratch a new routine, a new life. The vast and even overwhelming task before you hits you, and more often than not, with no relatives or friends around you to turn to. The loneliness and distance start looming in the horizon. You now have to find that feeling that helps you feel stronger, and most importantly feel loved.

Every religion, that I know of, teaches that God is love and that He is everywhere, all the time. He knows it all, every little thing we do. Those moments of loneliness and sadness make us turn to God, to search for comprehension, understanding, reassurance. We do not want to feel alone and abandoned, and in my case, I look for signs in every thing I see or do. I want to know whether God is guiding my steps. That feeling comes even for those immigrants who believe there's a God, but still have doubts.

Warming up to the idea that God is there and that needs to get closer to Him, the landed immigrant becomes a searcher, and starts wondering: Where can I find people who feels the way I do? Where can I feel that reassurance? The quest is on: Which religion can fit in my life?

In my personal case, I was member of a religion. I was born in it, I was raised in it. When I was 15 or maybe a bit older, many questions came to mind, questions related to religion, not God. I never tried looking for a new religion. I grew older and I firmly believed in God, I felt OK and my relationship with Him was nice, with the ups and downs of course. I decided I would go to church whenever my heart asked for it, other than that I didn't need to go to church.

Years later, a new friend came in my path. He talked to me about a new faith, amazingly that new (to me) faith answered all the questions I had when I was a teenager, and the new ones I was finding as time passed by. It was exciting and blew my mind.

Here's an extract from one of the conversations I had with him, as I remember it:

Me: What if I am wrong in accepting this new faith? What if I go to hell?

Friend: If God is 100% love, where would He find the hate to create 'hell'? There's no hell as you imagine it, or you have been told. Heaven or hell are here.

Me: And the doomsday? Final Judgement? What if that day I ...

Friend: Doomsday?! Right now, as we speak, you're going through your doomsday. Making this important decision...

My dear friend said what I could not. It was true. I was seriously considering a change of religion. I hadn't even realized I was looking for one. And the most amazing thing is that a few days later I had found it. One of the thing that amazes me the most is that I found it 3 years after I had started the process to migrate to Canada. I found it amongst my family and friends, at home.

When we finally had to take the step to land here in Canada, it was so hard to leave a lot of things behind. I felt guilt for not continuing to serve God there. But as I believe, God has a plan for each and every one of us. Maybe it is part of that plan to have moved to Canada. Some people ask me why I decided to change religions. I can only say that in my previous religion they never came and talked to me as a friend and answer my deep meaningful, distinctive questions. Or maybe I never went to them and gave them the opportunity to do so. I just needed to feel free in deciding, in finding something more connected to my reality, more meaningful.

Even as of today, almost 4 years later, that Faith motivates, challenges and inspires me to be a better human, to better my soul, to grow and try harder and harder to get closer to God. It has also opened my eyes to understand that God is love and we live heaven or hell here on Earth, this earthly world of God, according to our deeds. That our souls are indestructibles. That sacrifice is pain and joy.
Ever since I embraced this Faith, I feel I am part of a community that helps me to be better.
I felt the same back home, I feel the same here in our new home.
I feel homesick because I don't have my family, but I feel home because I have my Baha'i friends. And with them, I share the same goals and objectives; to invite others to join us and be home.
I can say today I have a spiritual mature relationship with God, not perfect on my behalf, but I'm working on it everyday. At the end of the day I am accountable to God only.

What ever immigrants do to connect or reconnect with God is good. Just keep in mind: God gave us a soul, and religion, I mean the community that share the same ideals, to help us develop spiritual qualities and get closer to Him wherever we are.
We worship the same God in different manners, here and there and everywhere. But we have to focus on how we serve Him, and this is the most important aspect to look for when searching for a religion. Serving God is serving His maximum creation: Humankind.

Why Low pick-up?

2011-10-11T15:03:00.000-07:00

O SON OF MAN! If adversity befall thee not in My path, how canst thou walk in the ways of them that are content with My pleasure? If trials afflict thee not in thy longing to meet Me, how wilt thou attain the light in thy love for My beauty?

Every morning, I have to start my working day at Wendy's with the low pick up. I clean the parking, wash the drive-thru path.
This gives me time to think about many things. The first one was:
I ended up at Wendy's when I was looking for a job at Tim Horton's. It took me just one interview to get the job. I keep wondering why I ended up here. I was pretty close to changing plans and staying in Toronto, but something inside made me follow my original plan: Ottawa.
I had no idea where to look for a job. I knew I had to aim low, but I needed to work. It's like God has a plan for each of us. JC, the general manager, was there at the right time and place.
He is a nice and fair guy, good teacher, although he prefers the term coach. He's always looking for a way to praise your job, your skills, and get the most out of them. He knows what he wants to do and he knows what it takes to get there. he values my skills and more than a couple of times he has told me he has plans for me, if I keep working for the company. He wants everybody to make progress and exceed the expectations. I expect to find out why I ended up here.
The crew are just nice. I wonder why the Tim Horton's manager didn't even ask me anything. He just stood there and smile. I wonder if now that he sees what I am doing at Wendy's, he feels he should have given me a chance. I have seen how things go in that place. I like Wendy's much better. There's structure and discipline, there's a leader who knows what he wants to achieve, there's crew who are hardworking and follow suit.
As I pick up pennies, I feel grateful and blessed. Sometimes, just sometimes, I feel sad that I am cleaning the parking lot, making minimum wage, and remember my family and friends, but most of times I just don't care. Many crew members want to get promoted and work hard for it. I don't know if I want to be a manager or not. I just think that the best for me now is to walk the path that God has set for me. He knows what is really good for me, and He will give it to me when the right is time.
I have to be patient and trust His knowledge and power. I know He has made this path for us for a reason. I just have to remain hopeful, perseverant, humble, proud and mostly grateful and feeling blessed by God.
Before landing here in Canada, there were a couple of times that I just gave up on it. But somehow we made it, it's not easy. It takes time for these feelings to sink in, and I guess it'll take much longer to figure out why we're here after all, why I'm sweeping a parking lot every morning, washing a drive-thru path, mopping floors and cleaning tables and windows.
Why.

Is that medium or large for your drink and fries?

2011-10-10T19:16:00.000-07:00

Well, from teaching and forming teachers I went to frying and 'flipping' patties, just like Spongebob. No, not in Bikini Bottom, but in Ottawa.This is the first battle for a newcomer: land a job, any job, so your savings that came with you won't dry up so fast. And my savings were not even close to decent, but could let our heads be out of the water.
Getting a job is fundamental, not only because money comes in. It is a sign that you could do it in your land, you can do it here, so you can do it almost anywhere. Your self-esteem does not go down. Your family, here, there and everywhere, feels good and secure.Now, you have to show your new boss what you got, what you're made of. Specially, when you have never done that kind of work before or it's been a long while the last you did it.
I went to Tim Horton's. A Canadian institution, I wanted to start off in a Canadian place. I talked to the manager. Surprise: an African immigrant. He took my résumé in his hands and that was it.
I saw application forms on the far wall. I filled one in and gave it to a tall white guy. I asked him a couple of questions and then I made some corrections. I went back to the guy and he took it and scan it for a few seconds. He said bye, I turned my back and started to walk away, my first résumé handing in Canada.
I heard my name, 'Carlos'. I turned around and it was the tall guy. He asked a couple of questions. I explained I just landed in Canada. He said, 'Welcome', and gave me an interview for the next day. Long story short, I got the job, but he showed me what I had to do, he made sure I was sure I could do the job, that I slept on it and gave him an answer after (after: Canadian speech). I would start with minimum wage: 10.25 an hour. From Monday to Saturday, from 11am till 3pm, no lunch break. I had to clean, mop, change garbage bags, fill the ice bins, learn how to fry the French fries.
I guess the General Manager of Wendy's restaurant in Train Yards shopping Centre, yep the guy who I talked to, really wanted to make sure I could do the job. I started Sunday, April 13, 2011. he wouldn't let me stay beyond that, he kindly asked me to go home punctually.
Today I had to get up at 5:30 to start my working day at 6am. On Mondays, I'm schedule to finish at 2pm, I usually stay till past 3pm. I decide when it's time to go home. The others day I work from 7:30am till 4pm. I set up the machines, collect payment, take and serve orders. I work more than J.C., the General Manager, schedules me for; 41 hours minus lunch time, that is 2.5 hours a week, so I get paid for 38.5 hours a week. On average I work 40 actual paid hours.
Tomorrow, I am turning 6 months working there, my performance evaluation is coming and my wage might go up, 5 cents. Still learning, aiming high, but looking for something better. I have made big progress at Wendy's restaurants of Canada. I just follow this quote:

"We have exalted your engagement in such work to the rank of worship of the one true God. Waste not your hours in idleness and sloth, but occupy yourselves with what will profit you and others."

Baha'u'llah: The Kitab-i-Aqdas, Page: 30

Changes

2011-10-10T17:45:00.000-07:00

I have decided to change the writing style of my blog.Once we're here in Ottawa, and after 6 months of living the dream, I have been able to reflect and really think about the impact this big move. Changes have come and gone. Changes are good, specially when you have a goal and objective.Ottawa's welcomed us and embraced us in a way we didn't expect.The Baha'i Community of Ottawa reached out beyond our wildest dreams. We never expected them to worry and care for us the way they did.Our friends and family's, whom we left behind, prayers have made an impact. God gives us what we need when he knows it's the right time.

Ottawa

2011-09-23T18:06:00.001-07:00

We were so close to staying in Toronto. The love we felt just made us want to stay. But we had already made plans. We said bye and got on the bus, Greyhound, to Ottawa. Seven hours traveling, experiencing the Canadian highway.We carried our suitcases full of illusions and hope. We were worried, we knew people we had contacted via FB or email would welcome us, but we had never seen those faces. We were expected at the bus station.We finally made it. We arrived at around 5pm.We got off the bus, and there they were: Mike Peralta and his friend. And another person, a Baha'i friend.They hugged us, made us feel welcome They drove us to the apartment on 225 Presland Road. We talked to our Baha'i friend, asked him questions about the Faith, life in Ottawa, job opportunities until we finally stopped and arrived.. home.It's amazing, before landing in Canada I imagined an empty apartment, the four of us sleeping on the floor, but in less than 20 minutes, the Baha'i friends started showing up; bringing, chairs, pots, blankets, beds, pillows, books, hugs, kisses, welcomes, words of hope. Mike Peralta, the friend of a Baha'i friend who met a Baha'i friend living in Ecuador, who got the apartment and welcomed us. he bought us pizza, yeah pizza-pizza, and also some milk and bread. The baha'i friends, like Nassim Smith, Phil Allard took us to buy some groceries. After a few hours, everyone left. We were alone. We were happy, safe and amazed. We now had beds, mattresses and blankets. We had a place to sleep and start off on the right foot. Ottawa opened its doors and embraced us warmly.

Toronto

2011-06-25T09:36:00.000-07:00

We landed in Toronto. We were welcomed by Baha'i friends. That's like family.
Shana and her friend drove us to eat something. We have met Shana once before in Ecuador. We went to McDonalds Canada. Here there's this pride of being Canadian.
toronto is big, very big. Rostam

Rostam welcomed us in his home. He took great care of us, like a Baha'i from Persia. We ate and shared his companion. We didn't see much of Toronto, just the most important parts from the car.
We were supposed to stay for the weekend, but ended up staying for 2 more days.
We bought a phone calling card and called home and let them know we were safe. Then we went around, we saw snow. that's something I wanted to see. My kids saw and touched snow for the first time. It was cold, but not as cold as in January.
We didn't want to leave Toronto, we felt safe in Rostam's houe, but Ottawa was in the plans.
Tusday morning was the big day: onto Ottawa.

Touch down!

2011-04-09T08:42:00.001-07:00

We walked off the plane. Some time before, as the plane taxied, I had prepped all the documents we needed to go through the landing process: passports with visas, IMM forms, proof of funds and any extra docs like birth certificates, marriage certificates, local home address, and photos.
It was a long walk to the first immigration officer. he asked us for the passports and he asked a question and then sent us to the CBSA, i.e. Canada Border Services Agency, they would complete the landing process. We walked down another long corridor. Many people was walking with us, but none of them looked or sounded like a newcomer. They seemed like canadians coming back home. After a little while we came to the end of the corridor, a T bifurcation: one to the right and the other to the left. We showed an officer our passports and without even looking at it she sent us to the right. We walked a few steps and enter a big hall with lots of windows. There was a woman standing in line, we stood behind her. Before I asked her anything, an officer called her up and she went. Then we heard a voice calling 12. We couldn’t see who it was. The voice again: 12! We guessed it was for us to go to window 12. So, we went there and a young blond woman with a nice relaxing smile greeted us and asked us for our passports and forms. I had everything at hand and handed them to her. She asked us our names and our relationship, how much money I had, and then very kindly asked to wait sitting and when she was done filling in the forms.
The big hall was then empty. Aura and the kids went to the washrooms (yeah washrooms, not bathrooms) and I was there waiting, thinking that up till then it had been smooth. Another officer came to me and asked me whether I had gotten all the documents for newcomers, and if we needed help, I explain to him that an officer was doing the paper work and asked us to wait there. He said he would have to talk to that officer, she was supposed to give us some books. He was smiling and went to our officer’s window, I guessed he was kidding. He came back, handed me a booklet and asked me to read it any time soon and explained the newcomers’ welcoming office was unmanned and we wouldn’t be able to get all the information we were supposed to get. Then he left.
After a while, Aura and the kids came back and just when I started telling them what had just happened our officer called on us. We hurried over there, she explained a couple of things and told us not to lose or damage the copy of our IMM forms since they would be necessary for the rest of our life in Canada even if we become citizens. Then she told us to walk down where we could claim our luggage, the ally just outside the big hall, and then go through customs. She smiled and said, “Welcome’.
We walked out of there and went to the last line: customs. There were some people, some officers asked people to open their suitcases and they searched them. Finally our turn had come. An Asian-Canadian officer called us and asked me how much money I had. I answered the amount of 22 thousand. She asked how I had brought that money. I said, “Cash and cheques and..’
She interrupted and asked me how many cheques and asked me to show her the cheque with the highest amount. I did and she filled out a form and after 6 or 7 minutes, maybe less, she said, ‘OK, you can go on.’
I took all my papers and put them back in my folder and told Aura and the kids, ‘Let’s get out of here now’. We took our 5 suitcases and stepped out there as fast as we could. We came to this door and we opened it and there it was: Arrivals waiting room. We stood there for a while. We explore the room and saw a big glass door across from where we were standing. We had made it. This was Canada.

Flying

2011-04-09T08:41:00.001-07:00

Our plane, the long awaited plane, took off at about 12:15PM. The service was good. There was not a movie, though. They served us a meal almost immediately. I was so happy and confirmed that we went through this all together. I could see my two beautiful little souls enjoy their first time flying, having a meal in a flying plane. They were just so excited. Our first leg of the trip took us to San Salvador, where we waited for like 30 minutes before embarking on the final plane to Toronto Canada.
The last leg, San Salvador-Toronto, took around 7 hours. we watched a movie on board and had a nice snack and a hot meal. Hans got bored after 4 hours. He wanted to get off the plane, but we were very high up in the skies. We finally saw Canadian soil at night. I was a little uneasy about the immigration process. I was thinking thy could turn us around and send us back, but Aura kept telling, ‘we’re not doing anything wrong, why would they send us back?’
Her words would make me feel secure and indeed, we’re doing everything the right way. We had put our hearts to this and had gone through lots of hard times, had decided to drop it, but somehow we overcame these hardships and made it.
The captain’s voice broke my train of thought when he announced that we were landing in Toronto International airport 10 minutes earlier than expected. He asked us to remain calmed and sitting until the plane came to a complete stop. Finally the plane touched down, taxied and people started getting off.
We took our carry-on luggage and tried to arranged our clothes to look good and were ready to set foot on Canadian soil. It was 9:30PM, local time. The moment we had been waiting for finally came. The hope for a better and new life was just a few steps away from us. The long waiting, 5 years, have finally come to an end. I only thought: Let’s do this right and let God take us in the path He alone knows is what we need. Ya-Bahá’u’ll- Abhá!

Taking off

2011-04-09T08:40:00.001-07:00

We left Guayaquil on schedule: March 25. We got up at 5:30AM because Aura’s brother couldn’t go to the airport with us and he came to our home at that time to say bye before he goes to work. So he did.
One of our best friends, Navil Morocho, offer to drive us to the airport. So we had two cars: Aura’s father’s and Navil’s. In Navil’s, we put our luggage and myself. In Aura’s father’s car, Aura, her sister and the kids. At 8:30 we left what was our home for the last 11 months for the last piece of Ecuadorian we would step on for we don’t know how long. everything was going as planned.
At the airport we did everything quit quick were all set in less than an hour. We talked to our friend. A nice surprise was to see Moises, another Baha’i friend, who came to see us off too. My family; my mom, sister and nieces and nephews, came at about 10:30, just a few minutes before our time to go through immigration was announced over the PA system. We talked for like 30 minutes, we took photos and laughed.
Finally the time to say bye came. Laughter and smiles turned into tears and weeping. We walked into the immigration room, I think I didn’t look back. Hans, Arianita and Aura were crying a river and I just followed suit. We felt so sad and sorry we were leaving our family and friends. Aura said that it was easier for us, we were leaving but had a lot of things to see and experience. On the other hand, our friends and family had to stay and just go on with their life, without us. The long ride back home wondering whether we’d be fine and had made the right choice. That was the question we had decided to answer by getting on the plane at 11:50 AM that Friday.
The only thing I could tell for sure was that we would do our utmost effort to start from scratch and make our dreams come true. It does not look easy, but we have to write the lines of our own story.

Time to start saying bye

2011-03-22T06:35:00.000-07:00

It's amazing, stunning, if you will. A month ago, my wife and I talked about our future in Canada; place to live, children's school, her English learning, job-hunting. We had no answers to any of those questions. A common feeling for most newcomers to Canada, I guess, is the incertitude.
We got some contacts and they offered help at their capacities. They were looking and nothing for sure appeared. I started considering a hotel and seeing how our savings would drain. My wife said she was, is, praying. I did too.
Our prayers were heard and during the Fast, we as Bahais do, lots of good news started coming. We found a place to stay our first night in Toronto, Baha'i friends!
A friend of a friend rented an apartment for us in Ottawa. He'll pick us up from the train station once we get there. Lots of confirmations and blessings. My wife and I talked and think someone wants us in Canada. Why? We'll find that out once we're there.
Now, we're just 3 days away from the big move. I started saying good bye last week at work. I worked like usual and then shook hands, hugged and cheek-kissed closest co-workers, now friends. They were like family for 7 seven years. I do not feel sad to leave work, I wanted to leave long time ago. I wanted to do something new, challenging, exciting, unusual.
I feel sad I left friends, wonderful souls who influenced my life both professionally and personally. I learned a lot from them, a lot! My heart-beats got slower. I walked out of that place wondering whether I'd miss it. A good friend of mine told me in one of our conversations, 'I don't know if you'll miss it, but you will feel nostalgic.' As of today, I do not miss working there, I do miss seeing people. Nostalgia?
I cannot come back here. I got to this place and left feeling I have improved, I improved a lot. Now, I have to improve even more. I owe COPEI that. I owe it to myself. God is giving this opportunity, I can't let it go by. I have to seize it.
Last Sunday, we celebrated the Baha'i New Year; Naw-Ruz. After 19 days of Fast, we prayed, ate and celebrated together, Baha'i and Non-Baha'i friends. The last part was kind of sad for us; we had to say bye to some of our Soul brothers and sisters. Radiant and happy souls who showed us a new spirit: being and doing; making progress everyday, improving ourselves, getting out the best version of our divine qualities. I feel sad as I type in these words. Tears seem to be pushing to come out, but I want to feel happy and work to make their wishes come true.
As a dear friend of ours told us, 'You waited 5 years to get your Canadian visas. During that time, you embraced the Faith, you met people who helped you be better. You served God's Cause. You understood God's plan for Humanity. You have made progress. You were not going to Canada until you were prepared for this. It was His plan. Now, you are ready, God is guiding you.'
Beautiful words.
It's just a 'see-you-later.' :)

First place to be home

2011-03-15T06:21:00.001-07:00

Now we have a place to move in!
It's amazing! Three weeks ago, we were dreaming about going to Ottawa, but our dreams were almost dead. We started thinking about staying in Toronto and live there till we find a way to move to Ottawa. Toronto presented more job opportunities, education for the children. But we have already learned a lot about Ottawa.
People have told us that Ottawa is nice, it's a family city. Good for the children. Bilingual and peaceful.
So, we knew we couldn't get picky or choosy. We need a place to stay and Toronto seemed more accessible. So, we were looking for a place in Toronto.
As a last resort, I posted on my FB site a shout. Ottawa people, we look for a 2 bedroom. Someone listened to or read the post and in less than 7 days: You got a place in Ottawa.
One of the most difficult things to do once you land as a new immigrant in Canada has been checked off. Newcomers land in Canada and they rent a hotel room for their first two weeks and hunt for a place for a month the most. A friend of ours, who we have never met before, did it for us. And the landlady, another angel. An immigrant herself, she decided to give us a free hand and accept us. Part of God's plan? We want to think it is, there's no reason to look at it another way.
We just need to get there and start our new life. It's not expensive or cheap, but it's good enough to start off. The neighborhood is just perfect: a big mall in walking distance, schools, a baseball stadium, parks and lots of bus stops around, and a Canadian tire store. It's far form Ottawa downtown area.
We can't thank our friends enough. The rest is up to us and we'll do our best. We love the place, the neighbors and the neighborhood.
Thanks oh my God!

A month to go

2011-02-25T15:28:00.000-08:00

We're exactly a month away from embarking on our greatest adventure.
I read a blog, Los Ziegler in Canada, and the comments. This post really hit the nail in the head!
It's amazing how it fits into our reality. I don't think he wrote it for us, and the comments made by readers were just a good explanation why we're doing this.
lately, I've been feeling indifferent to the big move. I've been doing my things, my work load has been reduced; I'm not teaching anymore, I'm Assistant-supervising. I don't have to plan any classes, I just have to go to work and start walking into classes and observe how teachers do their job. This gives me lots of time to think about what I have to do before I land in Canada.
I sold my car, and now after over 4 years of driving it, I have to go back to the bus system and all of its experiences. I can now sleep and read because I have lots of time to think here, too.
So, thinking about the big move has not been there every minute, but time keeps ticking. I have been wondering why we're moving, what about our kids' future? Our families here? But i can't go back, can I?
Reading this post and the comments have really helped me pay attention to what it's about to come. Desperation, anguish, annoyance, sadness, worries, and the like. We are comfortable. we have an income, a place to live, food and a car. Why moving to the North?
We don't have a car anymore, so we have to take the bus again. On the bus riding with my family, we were able to see why we're moving. Poor people, badly educated, surviving, thinking about how to forget their problems: alcohol. People not respecting children, getting on the bus through the windows. It's just amazing.
Why are we leaving? I want to make sure my children have a better range of options, I can't guarantee they'll be successful or happy, but I have to make sure they have some options. I want to make them fit for the road. Our country is so beautiful, our people's spirit so free and kind and generous. But politicians have kept us on our knees. I can't just sit and see whether this might happen or not to my kids. I have to take actions and the make the best decision based on the information we got. The best info we have is this and we came to the conclusion that we need to take our kids out of this garden to another. The odds were all against us, no or little money, sacrifices to make, not enough money again, 3 times we gave it up, but we prevailed thanks to God the Almighty. Should God not want this for us, how have we come this far? God knows and gives us what we need. In the right time and place. We just have to wait and see what His knowledge teaches us.

Waiting is an art.

2011-02-07T08:37:00.000-08:00

We were waiting. For more than 4 months we heard nothing.
We waited and every once in a while we asked GNA if they had any news. The answer of course was:No, just be patient.
I was really worried because we didn't have any official Canadian document that certified we were in their immigration system. Nothing!
Finally like a year later, we got a letter confirming they had received our file and the process would start now. They asked us not to call, email or fax them for the next 6 months.
Well, we had to follow their instructions, but we were now more relaxed.
I found the CIC Web site and tried to get some kind of info, but nothing yet.
Now, officially we were asked to wait. We had been given a file number and Canadian bureaucrats had told us a little something.
We decided to continue with our life as usual, not making big plans, saving every penny we could and pray a lot.

Tic,..t..i...c, t.....a.....c, ....t.....i......c, .....t.........a.........c,......

2011-01-10T08:31:00.000-08:00

Well, we are on the game, the waiting game.
Documents turned in, nothing to be delivered later. Everything, every little stupid paper was sent in my file. Now we had to wait, if we heard nothing from them in 2 or 3 months, that'd be good!
But we had to pay the representative.
Just a side note. A personal experience, have no idea if this happened to anyone else:
Do you remember the London attacks back in 2005? These terrorists blasted some trains and buses. Well, this event changed some things in our process.
Every once in a while I visited the representative's office to ask for information about, and show them some papers: birth certificates, certificates from school etc.
Well, when I was close to getting all the docs, the only thing I had left to do was: getting those docs notarized and translated into English, and these translated docs notarized too. This process would have cost me, back then 2005, about US$200, half my monthly payment.
Well, I had already looked for a Public Notary and had to get an official translator, recognized by the Canadian Government. I applied through the Federal Skilled Worker programme.
So, I went to ask my rep for a translator address and who would be cheap. This was a few days after the London terrorist attacks. The secretary explained to me that the documents didn't need to be translated. I of course asked why.
She said that after the London attacks, the Government of Canada decided that for immigration processes they wouldn't ask for translation since some terrorists had forged documents and translations as well to enter in the UK. So, since CIC officials live in Colombia and they have to know Spanish they can read and verify these docs in Spanish.
I was so lucky! I had just saved like $200, and I found a Notary who would charged me like $25 for his stamp.
I ran to get the docs notarized and turned them in. I never felt happy for the attacks, but oddly enough it was something that helped me save some money and speed up the process.
Well, my process went smoothly and just had to wait. Our clock was ticking.

We're on the game!... waiting game.

2011-01-05T17:10:00.000-08:00

We got the points. We got the documents. We had saved some money and now we signed the contract.
We turned in our documents: birth certificates, passports, photos, diplomas, everything they asked us for. We had some problems getting a couple of documents, but we pulled through.
Now what?
A secretary explained the process, 'Well, we'll make sure your file is all set and then we'll send it to Toronto, to our headquarters. There, the president will check it out again and then he'll send it to the Canadian Embassy in Bogota.'
How long does this whole process take?
She answered, 'It depends on the courier. But about a month. Keep in mind we have a lot of files to be checked out before yours.'
OK, so what do we have to do? Is there anything we can do to speed up the process?
'Just wait till you get news from us. If you don't hear from us in two or three months, everything is perfect."
We decided to continue with our life, but not planning anything until we get the good news. We decided to save every penny and pay the company for their services and the taxes. It was 2004. We had made a payment plan and that was our only worry. We would do whatever we could to avoid screwing things up. We didn't want to blow it all out. We'd walk the path of patience and play the waiting game.
In the end, we were on the game!

Setting the score

2010-12-31T08:19:00.000-08:00

Finally the day came: IELTS exam.
I traveled to Quito the night before, I had to be there at 9:30AM on a Saturday. From Guayaquil, my hometown, it's usually an 8-hour ride by bus. I hit the road at about 10pm and got to the downtown station around 4:30am. The ride was very interesting, these bus drivers can really make the bus fly.
I'd never been to Quito before and I didn't know the city, but thanks to the Internet, I found everything I needed to know: directions.
My ears were ringing and the listening exam was not good. The oral exam was quite relaxing, but not perfect. Final scores will be received within a month's time.
After more than a month I received my IELTS results. 8.5 general average and only listening was 6.5 the others were 7 or 8.
For immigration Canada, what's this mean? The big Canadian man gave me the answer:
I got 14 out 20 possible points or something like that. I needed 4 more points in the French exam. 4!
That really relaxed me, and gave me more hope. Everything was nice and smooth, no bumps in the road!
I was taking French classes, I went to the library as often as I could, read, watch and did everything in my hands to learn French.
Finally, the day had come: Test d'Evaluation de Français.
I sat for the exam in the same classroom where I had taken the regular classes. Another younger man was there. He said he needed at least one point for the visa process. He had never studied French and was not interested in it. The teachers said nothing. I thought he was confused, he needed one point for the immigration process, so he needed to score more than basic in the TEF. It means he has to know basic French. He was lost!
I did the pen and paper part and then came the real deal: l'épreuve orale!
I knew I didn't do it well. But what really kept my hopes high was that I needed to score niveau intermediare (intermediate level).
I finished talking to two teachers and then went home. The results will be ready within two months max. Why? They told me the exams were checked in Paris and then send back with the results.
I had a good feeling.
Finally, the results were sent to me via email first, mine and the other guy's: I got intermediare!! I got more than expected!!
In total I had gotten 18 points out of 24 for the language criteria.
In total we had 69. We have overcome the minimum, 67. We were in the game!!!

Pondering?

2010-09-07T10:53:00.000-07:00

Yesterday (September 5th, 2010), I needed to get the oil changed in my car, so I went out and found a cheap place; it cost me like US$22, and then I decided to get my car washed too. The guys at the oil change place charge $5, so I decided to go to those informal places in the street. Very popular now in Guayaquil, you can see a lot of these car-wash places: a high-pressure pump, some hoses, a vacuum cleaner, some spray air-fresheners, some sponges and clothes and that's it! A car wash. They're cheap and are almost everywhere today. It's amazing, my home towners will not just drop dead, people will find a way to survive and make money.
Anyway, I went to one near my neighborhood and asked one of the two guys there for the price and he said $2,50. I said,'OK, wash it!'
They started washing my filthy car and I was standing there watching them and thinking to myself. I noticed they were getting water from a pipe in an unused house lot and the electricity from the street wires. They were working as fats as they could and doing their best. I started thinking about the things people do to make money. At least, these guys are doing something not criminal or endangering other people's lives.
I felt happy they had something to do and get money to eat. I felt happy I didn't and don't have to do this kind of jobs because I am a professional. Not that I could not do this job, it's just that I am making more money and my family feels safe. All of a sudden I thought I may have to do these in Canada. Could people do this in Canada? I mean, can you just go, connect your super pump in someone else's water pipe, hang some wires and get the electricity, and just start washing cars in the street and make a living out of it?
Will I end up doing this to provide for my family? How would my kids feel? One thing for sure is I won't let my loved ones just starve, I will do whatever necessary to feed them, anything provided it is legal, of course. I don't want to drift away from God.
I started to do math, these guys charge $2.50 for each car. Let's say they get to wash 6 cars a day, that adds up: $15 a day; seven days a week: $105 a week; or $420 a month. They don't have water, electricity, or any kind of bill, just buy food and soap, air fresheners. Where do they live? How many family members do they have to feed? Debts? Who knows? I know that would be enough money for the bare necessities. They have to be happy.
I felt sad because I realized that they were doing this at home, amongst their people. We know why they do it and don't freak out. I am planning on going kilometers away from home. I am planning on starting from scratch, with two young kids and a wife, who don't speak English, amidst unfamiliar people. Why are we doing this?
I guess or want to say, more like an excuse than a well thought answer, that the same reason these two car-washing guys do what they do: they decided to do it because they want their family to improve, to get them a better shot at life. I have reached a point in my life where there's no better reasons than giving my children better odds to deal with life.
Is it a good reason? Some people think and say we have a nice life, we are doing better than the car washers, we have Internet, cable, house and food. Why moving out of the country?
Again, I don't know why. I feel my kids may not have the same luck I had, I want them to know that what their parents did was the best they tried, so they won't suffer as much as we did. I know there's got to be suffering because God gives us what our souls, we need. sometimes God gives us pain because we need it. I may be wrong but sometimes I listened to these songs or people saying "I need to feel pain to know I am alive". I guess it's true. My kids will suffer, but my job as a parent is to make sure that suffering is minimum and that i will always be there for them, both physically and spiritually (ultimately).
So, we had a lot of things to overcome and for moments our Canadian dream was over, but somehow after asking God for an answer and trying hard to do the right thing, it came alive again and again. We suffer and cried when we thought it was over, but now we're happy and hopeful, just like the car washers. Wash away your tear and sufferings and keep washing them, just keep hopeful and pray you always have a chance to provide your family with the necessary things: love. I finished pondering and went home.

Meeting Mr. President

2010-09-02T08:40:00.000-07:00

Well, I had an opportunity to talk to the president of GNA. But first I had to listen to the usual talk in Spanish, you know Canada is big, beautiful, benefits here, this and that, etc.
Then the questions, the same ones time and again. I felt bored and just wanted to go. The meeting started at 7:15, it was set at 6:45 or something. It finished at about 7:45.
Finally the presenter announced and introduced the president/owner of the agency, Mr. David Weinshtein. He was tall, pretty fat and had a beard. He had this serious look and only spoke English. He talked for a little while and then he said that he'd be in Guayaquil for a few days, say for 4 or 5 days. If anyone wanted a personalized meeting, he'd be happy to have a conversation with any one who wanted to.
Then the meeting was dismissed. Everybody wanted to talk to him and then I had my chance. We shook hands and I managed to get an appointment with him the next day. I was so happy and went home. I told my wife and she said that I had to go by myself, because she didn't speak English.
The next day, I went to the office. They welcomed me and asked me how my papers were going and about my TEF. I said that I was collecting papers here and there. Finally, the big guy came in. He said hi, shook hands and sat. I asked him questions in English and started answering them.
I was impressed by his simple, and straight forward answers. He said he was just a middle man, who had been doing this work for 20 years and that his experience would help me, he said I could do the process on my own, but what if it went wrong? Then he asked me about my language test. I said that I was looking forward to it, but flet nervous. He said it was normal and that my English was pretty good and that I spoke Spanish, French shouldn't be a problem.
He presented the payment plan and explain a lot of things. He had my assessment doc and everything depended on the language tests. I asked him about my English skills and he explained that they gave me lower scores just in case. But that now with the IELTS and TEF results the real score would be higher or more realistic. He recommended that first I should do the IELTS because I feel more comfortable and it is very likely that I could get a higher score, so the French TEF would have less pressure. He informed me that the next IELTS exam was set for the next month, and asked me to do it and have more realistic data to assess my chances.
I thought about it and I couldn't believe it never crossed my mind. So I called the people in charge of the IELTS in my hometown. They said they don't give the exam, but preparation courses. I could go and take a placement test for the preparation courses.
I went and the preparation course was twice more expensive than the exam itself. And they wanted to charge me for the placement test. I said, 'no, thanks.' I went home and googled IELTS and found the Institution in charge of it, it was in Quito. They told me what to do and once I pay I'd receive a password to access the practice test on the official site. They also offered me a self preparation book.
I took it and paid for it. I had 25 days to prepare for the IELTS and had like 3 months for the TEF. I started collecting papers: birth certificates, police records, etc.

French

2010-09-02T08:05:00.000-07:00

A decision was made; I'd study French and I went to the Alliance Française.
I decided to take the placement test and it was amazing. I was placed in Intermediare 1 or something like that.
It was expensive, but I did it. I started studying and I really liked it. The classes were not very communicative and more like teacher centered. That's my assessment as a foreign language teacher. We spent two hours everyday sitting and just doing exercises and very little talk. The teacher, who was nice, spoke most of the time. I would have loved to practice more and made millions of mistakes. It didn't go that way, but it was OK.
Anyway, for 4 months I took two modules and passed, I passed with high scores, whatever that means. I also looked for information for the TEF and started preparing myself. Being a teacher definitely paid off. I decided to go for the TEF after I asked a couple of teachers and they told me that I couldn't get lower than intermediare. I set the date and paid for it. They lent me a preparation kit and got copies and did it at home. I was getting sharper everyday. I wanted to do that test.
In the meantime, I called GNA office and told them I had set a date for the TEF and they told me that the president/owner of GNA was coming and that I might have a chance to talk to him. I accepted their invitation, this time was free, and they'll set a meeting with him. I guess the fact that I told him about my TEF was a clue that I was working and getting the docs. Remember I hadn't signed anything yet, so I guess they were trying to get me.
I told my wife about it and the meeting was at night, so I'll go by myself after work.

Pass or fail?

2010-07-10T19:30:00.000-07:00

The talking with the assessor was nice, he tried to sell us Canada, but we didn’t need that. We wanted to go, we just wanted to know how we could do it.
After the long advertising, he finally stopped and asked us if we had any questions.
I answered by asking: What are our real possibilities?
He opened my printed assessment doc and told us: ‘You have a university degree, your English skills seem pretty good, your wife and you are pretty young, you are healthy and there’s no record of cancer or HIV, or diabetes or hepatitis in your families. You have scored 62/100. You need 5 more points to get the visa. How do you feel about that?’
I said I don’t know. I knew all that before coming here. I needed to know how they would do it to help me the 5 missing points.
He said that we were closer than we thought and that we needed to aim for 6 or 7 points, just in case. Then he asked us if we liked learning languages, like French. I said that I love earning languages. He said, ‘Great! You need to learn French at least up to the intermediate level. That would do the trick. As you learn French, you continue working and get more time and points for the working experience.’
Then we talked about the docs and the payment, they offered us credit and we didn’t have to sign a contract until all the docs and the points were ready. We left the office and went back home. I had to work in the afternoon.
As we were driving home, we talked about the French classes and my possibilities to pass the language tests, both IELTS and TEF. I was pretty confident and I really love learning other languages. We called the Alliance Française in Guayaquil and asked about the costs and schedule. They had the option of a placement exam. I thought I could do well because I had some knowledge and I could save money and time by skipping some courses and get to the intermediate level and score as high as possible to get those missing points.
After a while, we decided that we would go for it. I’d study French. We’d do our best. We’d make sacrifices. All the points we already had were because of me, and now the final lap was on my shoulders too.
Our money, hopes and our children’s future were in my hands. The Canadian Dream wheels were in motion.

What should we do?

2010-06-28T20:09:00.000-07:00

I don’t remember how long it took, but one day I checked my email and there it was: GNA you online assessment.
I opened the message and there was an attached file. I opened and read it twice. It was in English. I understood I had great possibilites, but I need more points to reach the minimum: 67 out of 100 points.
They asked me to get in contact with their office in my hometown. I told my wife all about it. She was not really sure. We were wondering what was the trick? How would they make us give them money we didn’t have?
We called them and arranged a meeting. They told us that there was going to be a speech given by the President of the agency and that it cost $25 each person. I consulted with my wife and we decided that I would go by myself to save money.
During the talk these guys talked about Canada, the wonderful things, the benefits, etc. Finally we had a chance to ask questions. The answers for me were these:
They charged $3600, you need to speak either English or French, be a professional with a university degree, etc. They would sit and talk with each person individually and analyze the case at no extra charge. They would only sign if they considered there was a big chance to get the residence.
I went back home and told my wife the whole thing. We got a little sad because we didn’t have that kind of money. We also had to pay the fees for the process and documents and translations and more.
What should we do?
Life is about making decisions based on the information we can gather. Whether such decision is good or bad, only God has the answer in the time He considers we need to know.
My wife and I have never made an important decision at the heat of the moment, or in a rush. We ponder on it, the good or bad outcome, the worst scenario, etc. Now, we have 2 children’s future in our hands and we have become even much more careful.
For so long, we talked to each other about it. We did the math. I searched for more info on the Internet. I tried to look for people who would be in our shoes or had already gone through the process. We thought about it night and day. There was just one thought that kept hovering over my head: How can I know that I have a shot to get the minimum score?
I came to the conclusion that first we needed to know our real possibilities, and only after that we could make a final decision. I talked to my wife and we decided to go and talk to one agent of this agency: GNA. The four of us would go. One for all, and all for one.
The next day we got up early, had breakfast, got in our old beat car, and headed up to the other side of our city. My wife and I were talking about the questions we might ask and the way that they can give us information without paying a penny. We finally got there, an elegant modern building in the most exclusive area of Guayaquil. The World Trade Center.
We took the elevator and we were standing in front of the door. We rang the bell and after confirming our identities, they let us in. An assessor came to us in no time and started explaining what Canada was all about. I noticed there was a big sign: a kid with his father and the words: Canada awaits for you and your children.

Why?

2010-06-25T14:56:00.000-07:00

Five years ago, our life was different. We felt relieved and safe, financially at least, but we were nervous about my losing the job out of the blue again. We felt we didn’t have a fair shot at the future. The future looked gloomy.
Let me tell one of my brothers experience living in the States:
Marcos had left Ecuador in 1996. He had a quite interesting adventure in a big cargo ship for 7 days to arrive in Miami. He finally settled and life seemed to give him what he always had wanted. We always talked on the phone and he told us how wonderful things were: the organization, job opportunities. He even bought a car. I thought that’s the life I want. I was 21 years old then.
In 1998, I was single. My brother, Jorge, and I lived together in my parents’ house. He attended a workshop about immigrating to Canada. He paid some money and went there. This private agency gave him a folder with all the information. I took and read this folder. I had always been interested in seeing the world and living in another country. I wanted to learn a new language and study. I was in university.
Some years later, when I was married. I was surfing the Web and I saw a banner that advertised the ‘Canadian Dream’. I clicked on it and a new window opened. It had lost of information about Canada. I read the whole site. I couldn’t believe my eyes, the pictures and photos seemed so beautiful, so surrealistic, so dreamy, and untouchable for me. For short moments, I was daydreaming, seeing myself right there with my family.
I got home and told my wife what I had read on the site about Canada. She listened to me very carefully, and then I asked her: what if we moved to Canada? For good!
She started asking questions about the costs, and requirements. I had no clear idea at that moment, but I told her that I would find answers to our questions. I went to the closest cyber café and searched for information. I found a Web site and read it and there was a link for online assessment. I clicked on the button and filled out a form. The final message: your result will be sent directly to your email, thanks. We’ll be in touch with you.

Life changes in five years

2010-06-25T14:30:00.000-07:00

Today is June 25th, 2010.
I've decided to start this blog focused on our decision to try the ‘Canadian Dream.’
Six years ago, my wife and I had a completely different life, so much different from what it is today.
We lived with my parents in their house, and with one of my two sisters and her son.
My parents gave us a small room, but we shared the bathrooms, kitchen and everything else there was to share: food and meals, sadness, happiness, smiles, tears, anger, everything.
Three of my brothers had migrated to the USA illegally and they used to wire us some money to help us buy food and pay bills. They paid for a lot of things and then we had to pay for our own stuff.
Our first-born child, Hans, was 4 years and Arianita, our daughter, was just 5 or 6 months old.
I was working at a private school and made about $150 a month.
I never thought and never liked the idea of me being a teacher. I had already tried it and it was just a horrible experience for me. However, one of my brothers helped me finish my university degree as an English teacher. Thanks to that degree I was able to get more decent jobs. I worked at an unknown English teaching Institute and made about $250 a month. We decided to rent an apartment and move out. We lived there for a year.
In March 2004, completely out of the blue, I was unemployed. A wife, two children, I knew I had to do my best to provide them with the bare necessities. I found no job, and two months of rent due were a big sign. I had to go back to my parents’.
A couple of weeks after I moved back in with my parents, COPEI (another English Institute) called me for an interview. I had applied for a job there like 10 months before and they never called me. I was surprised that after such a long time they remembered me and called me. I went through the hiring process and got the job.
This new job paid me almost double I used to make and they told me this was just the beginning. I was so happy and grateful to God.
I paid off all my due bills as soon as I got my first paycheck and started saving money for my kids’ school. I have never trusted the ‘free’ public education in my country. The government were entitled to provide us with such service according to the Constitution, but it was anything but free or good or education at all.
There was a ray of hope, and we had our big break. At that moment our life seemed to be on the right track. Six years ago, we thought we got it all. But somehow we didn’t feel happy, just relieved.