“I Cannot Believe That I Am Officially A Canadian Citizen”- Says Excited Lady As She Shares Her Experience Living In Canada

A young lady named Amy Sylla is excited at the moment as she recently became a Canadian citizen.

Amy who had several challenges has shared 8 lessons learnt living at Canada.

Read her post below as shared on LinkedIn:

I cannot believe that I am officially a Canadian citizen 🇨🇦! I took the oath to become a Canadian citizen yesterday, nine years and three days after moving to North America. Reflecting on this milestone today reminded me of this wild Canadian journey.

Moving to Canada wasn’t my initial plan; I came to Toronto 5,5 years ago on a tourist visa after being unable to extend my work visa in Boston. Indeed, within two weeks, I decided to listen to my friends’ recommendations, referring to Toronto as a multicultural city filled with opportunities for bilingual candidates.

Little did I know I would be experiencing a tumultuous journey. From not getting selected for a working holiday visa, to the company sponsoring me closing down causing me not to be allowed to work for months, to delay with my permanent residency application, to almost missing the deadline to pass my test; I got it all! In addition, despite my Master’s and many years of international experience, I ate “Nos” for breakfast when applying for 50+ companies, hearing the same answer repeatedly: “You don’t have the Canadian experience.”

It took me a lot of patience, flexibility, resilience, internal work, and skills development to get to where I am today. I must admit that at some points, I almost gave up and moved back to France, but my intuition knew that something better was coming.

So eight lessons I learned from these past nine years:
1) Some people won’t understand your choices, and it’s okay since they haven’t been through what you have. So show them grace in their ignorance.

2) Leave society’s expectations at the door and stay focused on your goals and who you are meant to be.

3) Don’t be too hard on yourself, and don’t compare yourself to North Americans and people who stayed in your country. Some achievements will take longer, but you are developing resilience and special skills they will never have.

4) Being a long-term expat is an emotional rollercoaster; invest in your mental health, therapy isn’t something to be ashamed of.

5) There is no such thing as “You don’t have the Canadian experience.” Know your worth, keep upgrading yourself by learning new skills and finding genuine mentors, and find the right doors to knock at.

6) Put your intuition to work, and magic will happen.

7) Everything happens for a reason; you are exactly where you are supposed to be.

8) What is meant for you won’t pass you by.

Thank you to all my mentors, leaders, coworkers, networking connections and friends who supported me throughout this wild journey. I genuinely appreciate all the tips, contacts, recommendations, interview preparations, pep talks and more. I am grateful to now work for an organization where I feel challenged, heard and valued.

To any expats reading this post, hang in there! The struggle you are in today is developing the strength you need for tomorrow.

Source: Amy Sylla | LinkedIn

Email: elora.akpotosevbe@yahoo.com