Anthony

I happened to come across this article. Interesting and encouraging story
for prospective immigrants. Thought I wanted to share.


http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/Con...=1072134611159

Happy ending to a story I covered five years ago
`Canada has so much to offer,' family finds


ALLAN THOMPSON

While on a reporting assignment for the Star in Moscow over the Christmas
holidays in 1998, I interviewed an immigrant family about to make the move
to Canada. Natalya Kotikova and her husband, Pyotr Syomin, were
university-educated computer engineers with a 7-year-old son, Sasha. "We are
optimists. I hope we'll find something in Toronto," Kotikova told me. I lost
track of the family until I received this e-mail from Natalya. (In the
process of trying to fit in in Canada, they have all changed their first
names. Natalya has become Natalie, Pyotr has become Peter and Sasha, now an
impetuous 12-year-old, insists on being called Alex because kids told him
Sasha was a girl's name.)

Dear Allan,

Five years ago, you showed up in my tiny apartment in a southwestern suburb
of Moscow with questions regarding our decision to immigrate to Canada. We
talked about our motives, the future, but little did we know about Canada
and even less did we expect.

When you published an article about our family, we were taken by surprise by
the phone calls we received. People called us offering help with settling
down upon our arrival.

Unfortunately, owing to a language barrier, we could not even thank all
these people, let alone use their help. The only real help came from the
Internet.

With a list of cheap motels in our hands and bracing ourselves for the
worst, we boarded a plane to Toronto.

That's how, on a cold evening in March, 1999, we found ourselves standing at
the exit of Pearson airport, carrying two suitcases and a backpack with our
7-year-old's toys.

It has been an amazing journey. Sharing an apartment downtown with people we
hardly knew, relying on a food bank, going to ESL classes every morning and
having a $40 weekly limit on groceries — these were realities of the first
six months. We were not unique. We saw many newcomers around us and the
majority were getting disillusioned because of not being able to "get in."
Yes, it was very hard to "get in," but to fit in was even harder. It was a
continuing challenge for many, and we experienced it first hand.

Were we happy during that time? Yes. Canada has so much to offer! We skated
at outdoor rinks, biked along the wiggling lakeshore trail, swam in (still
free) Toronto pools, explored parks and diligently followed the guide of
"what's up" in Toronto. Looking for work left us time to cook tasty homemade
meals and gather together as a family to discuss people we met and share
experiences we had. None of us ever regretted the decision to come here.

When I look back at the events of the past five years, I hardly believe how
much has happened. The first job, the first camping trip to the Bruce
Peninsula, the first award by my son for being a top student — everything
was "first" and happening so fast! Our first house, my first trip to the
U.S.A. to meet an important customer, the first Caribbean vacation.... And,
finally, the moment we have been waiting for — the citizenship ceremony.
Proudly Canadian!!! After four years of hard work, we are proud to be
Canadian. This means a lot to us. We cherish a great feeling of "belonging"
that comes from living in a beautiful country, surrounded by wonderful
people. To top it all off, I even work for Canadian Tire — the company that,
for me, symbolizes the true Canadian spirit.

Are we happy now? A busy work schedule does not leave much free time. We are
still getting outside as often as we can, squeezing all the activities into
weekends. We enjoy playing hockey and going to Tim Hortons afterwards. We
love our Saturday nights — Go Leafs Go! Camping, canoeing, travelling north
to explore "the real Canada" — we love it all.

We often compare our past and present. My husband is not too happy that TV
dinners replaced our homemade meals, and I miss going out on a garbage day
looking for discarded treasures. But there is nothing that can compare with
coming home after work in the welcome of your own house. We find that
cocooning is typical for many North Americans; therefore, I don't feel
guilty being obsessed with a never-ending renovation.

Yes, we are happy. We have been happy since our first day here and we are
looking forward to many more exciting days to come. We feel that Canada is
the country where dreams come true....

We chose to keep the positive attitude no matter what, and it paid off. We
are blessed with new friends and thank everybody who supported us all the
way through. Now it is our turn, and we are looking for ways to help others.

Contributing to the community, city, country — that's what makes Canada
unique in our eyes. We are reaching out to people who may be shy or lonely
or having other difficulties. That's one of the lessons we learned: If you
don't talk to people, you cannot expect them to talk to you. You may be a
wonderful person, but who knows about that? Go out and talk to people. The
majority are friendly and willing to help.

We came a long way. It has not been easy. We had, have and will have
difficulties of all kinds, but who does not? It is a matter of choice what
side to look at. Choose the bright one!

Sorry for such a long e-mail, but every time I read the Toronto Star I am
deeply touched by the stories you publish. I can agree or disagree with your
facts, but the stories always stir my emotions. I wish you all the best.

Take care, Natalie Kotikova.