We are originally from India and after spending seven years we decided to move to Kenya for a better future. After spending seven years in Kenya we were forced to think of moving to a better place since our kids were growing up. Kenya is a great place to live. You can call it heaven. It has a few disadvantages. Growing security problem, medical facilities, and education is very expensive. My husband had a very nice job and we were leading a very comfortable life. God has given us more than we had asked for. The employers were very nice and every need of ours was taken care of. My husband too is a hard worker.

There is a lot of migration going on at present over there because of the above mentioned facts and we never would have thought of leaving Kenya. My son is 14 years and daughter 10 years old. As parents it is our responsibility to give the kids best of everything. We were given the same. We felt our son is not getting the education he needs and in order for him to study further we needed better schools, fees of which are very high which we cannot afford. I heard from my friends that they were migrating to Canada and they also told me I should think of the same. We couldn’t go back to India because we were well-established in Kenya. We did not want to split i.e. my husband stays back in Kenya and we moved to India.

So we decided that we should all stay together and apply for migration. My husband was very keen and I was unsure because it is difficult to make a new beginning. Moreover a lot of money was at stake. Money which we have always been very careful of spending. We sacrificed a lot to save all that money. There are a lot of formalities which have to be undergone like passing an English exam, getting police clearance certificates from places where you have lived etc. I wrote the English exam twice. My husband would patiently clear all the formalities. A lot of money is spent on all these things also. Medical tests are necessary which is also expensive. All this we are doing for a better future.

By God’s grace we went through the interviews and now we had to fly. We disposed most of the things and left all our friends who were like family to us, they have been with us through our good and bad times there. Also we were lucky to find a good friend who was there at the airport to receive us. We stayed along with them in their house. Then they moved to their new house and we rented their old house. It is so different here. It is a very big transition for all of us. The way of talking, dressing, etc.

Right from Kenya we had made up our minds that to start we will accept any job and slowly we will make our way up. First of all preparing a resume is different. After a week since we arrived we went to all the places near our house dropping our resumes and offering to work. We would walk so much. Many places would ask for Canadian experience. When we are new to the country how can we be experienced? It would be very depressing and frustrating at times. We were forced to think whether we made the right decision and was it really worth all the pain we went through to come here.

We are not given a job according to our qualification. They say we have to upgrade our skills. For that we have to spend money sending our degrees to another place. Every single expenditure is a burden on us. Right now we cannot think of spending a cent also. Tomorrow we never know what is going to happen. In this new country whom will we turn to for financial help? We have to settle down with part time jobs and odd hours job. I have a part time job because right now they say they cannot give me more hours. In that case I have to look for another job. My husband has also been forced to take up an odd-hour job because the pay is much better and moreover that was much easier and quicker to get.

We are constantly thinking of ways to improve our income because what we earn is not sufficient to take care of our basic needs. We are left with no other choice except to make compromises at each stage. Sometimes at workplaces our colleagues imitate us i.e. how we speak. It does hurt. After all we have come to a new country. Of course we can’t be like them since we are not born and brought up here. We will be different and we are proud of ourselves. We came to a different place trying to adapt to a new environment, culture, etc and work hard for a better future.

My husband is continuing his job whereas I have been most of the time at home after Christmas since the place where I work says they are not doing good business and cannot afford me. Again I have started looking for another job. We never feel settled this way. I’m also thinking of taking up a course and studying further if it’s not very expensive since in the long run a good job is necessary. Right now, yes we are stressed out, we are also not used to the extreme cold weather. I think it’s a heavy price we have to pay for a better future. Here also there are so many formalities before we plan to take up a course, like writing an English exam etc. It gets tiring sometimes.

The kids also have to change themselves in their new school, make new friends, get used to the new teachers. I’m not sure how long this period of struggle will continue. I pray to God to give my family all the courage to face all the difficulties. All new immigrants face the same problems. It’s a pity to see them. Is this what we came for? Was this our dream? We came for a better future. You are forced to think whether the hardships you go through here are really worth it. We all left such good things behind. After all for how long should we fight. People are forced to think of returning back. We still continue to strive and work hard with the hope of a better tomorrow. I hope that day comes.

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