My husband and I had been talking for years regarding immigration to Canada. But it was the presidential election of Taiwan that finally prompted us to make the move. After two years, we got the immigration approval and we landed at our first stop- Vancouver.
Our families, relatives and friends admired our courage and determination to move to Canada after they learnt about decision. They hardly had any idea as to why the two of us decided to move to a completely new country in our late 40s, especially considering the fact that we had a financially good life in Canada. Actually there seemed no reason to emigrate as we had decent jobs and almost all our families were in Taiwan.
To start with, we rented a floor of the house. After completing the schooling of children, I eagerly plunged myself into the job market due to lack financial security. This was due to the fact that the average standard of living here in Vancouver was higher than that in Taiwan and also the fact that there was an incredible shrinking of the assets of our family due to the currency exchange rate.
Looking back at my first year in Canada, I have to admit that it was very tough for every member of the family, especially me. In fact the first three months were so tough that I even felt like crying whenever I had a chance to speak to my family back in Taiwan, including my husband, who unfortunately wasn’t able to join us in the first year.
My job-searching journey started with a part-time job in which I had to make sandwiches in a café near the house I rented. I clearly remember that while reviewing my resume, the owner of the café said that I was over-qualified for the job. Though I got the job, I quit it after just two weeks realizing that I would not be able to handle it physically.
Three months after landing, I finally got a full-time job at a Chinese daily newspaper.
Ever since I landed in Canada, the most frustrating experience was however getting a driving license. In spite of the fact that I had an experience of driving more than eight years in my home town, I was not able to obtain the B.C. driver’s license after failing road tests five times, which cost me around $500.