“On Becoming Canadian” by Susan Chamberlain

 

Worn out with the effort of speaking English all day, Jurgen trudged along the main street of Belleville looking for a hotel. The sweat was dripping off his forehead on that hot and humid August evening as he yanked his heavy suitcase with the broken wheels along the sidewalk. It had been a long journey from Albania ending with this tedious bus ride from Toronto. He was looking forward anxiously to starting the Survey Technician program at Loyalist College, having finally secured a student visa.

The first hotel he tried was rowdy, now just a bar. The only other possibilities looked even more run down than the first.

He stopped a man on the street who was out walking his dog and in his halting English asked where another hotel might be.

“Yeah, most of our downtown hotels are just bars now. The only hotels we have are up near the 401, several kilometres from here.”

 His heart sank. The stranger must have sensed his dismay: “No idea if it’s still open,” he said, “but I know of a bed and breakfast not far from here.”

 Hoping the handle of his now bedraggled suitcase would make it a bit further, he plodded on to address he’d been given. After knocking persistently, a tired looking lady answered with her husband hovering close behind. Stepping politely back from the porch and summoning his best English, he explained his plight. She listened attentively, said sorry, but they were completely full. Seeing his disappointment, she took pity on him and said they did have an air mattress he could use.

“What is air mattress?” he asked dumbfounded, but happy to try it as the next step was to spend the night in the bus station.

Tara welcomed him in and hinted maybe he could take a shower while she and her husband, Wayne, got things arranged. After a refreshing shower, they offered him a simple meal which he devoured with zeal. Overwhelmed with his good fortune, he promised them that one day he would repay their kindness.

“Oh no need to do that, but in the future, just do the same for someone else,” said Wayne.

 After dinner, Tara showed him to a room with a lovely big bed. Too exhausted to ask further questions about the air mattress he collapsed into that comfortable bed and fell instantly asleep. The waves of loneliness that had been washing over him ever since he’d arrived, abated just a little.

He stayed with this family for a few days until his student accommodation became available. Upon leaving, they invited him to return for Thanksgiving.

Jurgen Ismaili celebrating his
Permanent Residency with his supervisor,
Ontario Land Surveyor, Leslie Higginson

“What is Thanksgiving?” he asked, thrilled to be invited, no matter what. And for every holiday since his arrival in Canada he has celebrated with this welcoming family. 

“Their kindness, huge for me. This Canada is good place to live,” he mused.

 The following Easter when he was once again with them, Tara told him about some renovations they had recently completed. Upstairs they went to look at their lovely new ensuite which led off their master bedroom. 

“But this is the room where I sleep that first night! Where you sleep that night?”

“I slept on the couch,” she said.

“And your husband?”

“He slept on the air mattress,” she said and smiled.

Bowled over with their quiet, selfless generosity, he reached over and gave Tara a big hug.

Knowing he had people who cared about him was wonderful but still life wasn’t easy. While studying at Loyalist College he had to work two part-time jobs. Being a small town, Belleville’s transit system was limited, and he had to walk home from his job at Walmart which ended after the busses quit running. One night he slogged home the six kilometres in a wicked snowstorm. Welcome to Canada indeed!

Money was always a problem. International tuition fees of $17,000 had wiped out his savings. At the end of first term with Christmas holidays approaching he had exactly $3.68 left till next pay cheque on January 2. At Walmart he was able to buy the leftover food for a cheap price. A bag of day-old buns and some cheese spread for $1.50 helped the first night. Thankfully on Christmas and Boxing Day he celebrated and feasted with his adopted Canadian family. Plus, Walmart had given all employees a McDonald’s gift card and Jurgen got an extra one from a vegetarian staffer who wasn’t into Big Macs. Often, it’s the little things that make the difference.

After two years he graduated from the Survey Technician course with honours and began working on his certification as an Ontario Land Surveyor which involved completing several university-level courses and formal training with a survey firm. English was gradually getting easier, but the courses were getting a lot more challenging and even more expensive. Another hurdle was getting credit for his previous education in Albania where he had already achieved an Engineering Degree. Here again he was graced by the kindness of administrators as he painstakingly worked through this process.

As it turned out, that summer he had a chance repay the kindness he had received as a newcomer. He was thrilled to get a summer job in a survey company in Newmarket and found a place to live without too much trouble. Another international student had also been hired there that summer, and as they chatted, Jurgen found out he was sleeping in his car as he could not find anywhere affordable to live. Remembering Wayne’s words about paying it back when he could, he did not hesitate to offer the couch in his apartment.

After five years he had completed all his exams, his formal training and was ready to graduate. I’d tutored him in English while he was articling at my husband’s firm and was thrilled to be invited to his convocation. At the ceremony, his heart soared as the whole audience rose and clapped in time as the graduates funnelled into the hall. When his name was called, he stood proudly as the MC read his short bio and he was officially inducted into the profession of Ontario Land Surveyors.

Immigrating to Canada is no cakewalk and most people have no idea of the hurdles that must be overcome for the successful transition to a new country. Jurgen is now a full-time employee in my husband’s firm and is looking forward to applying for Canadian citizenship next year.

“Then I can truly call myself a Canadian in law as well as in spirit,” he said with a grin.

***

Susan Chamberlain is a retired college professor and former social worker. Since retirement she has pursued writing courses and workshops and is thoroughly enjoying writing short essays and memoirs. Some of her stories have been published in the Vista Magazine, affiliated with the Seniors Association Kingston Region. She and her husband live in Kingston and are enjoying their new job of grandparenting.

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