Last night i had a dream again about Canada.
I have seen immigrants settle in lower-class neighborhoods, lived in tenement buildings, with barely enough money to survive. The father is out looking for a job and the mother is attending to the children.
Then i see some immigrants struggle to find happiness in a place they never desired to be. I see immigrants live through the struggles of everyday life and parents of children speak little English, work hard labor jobs for little money.
These children learn early to straddle between two worlds, the outer Canadian world they embrace in school and the inner world they experience at home.
They have parents who see a limited future for themselves past what they knew- hard labor. But despite all that, these children overcome their parent's history and their own childhood to achieve the Canadian Dream.
While the parents and the grandparents struggle to exist in a strange country, the children thrive on it.
The children settle into lives as Canadians, no longer immigrants, and have embraced the life their parents work so hard to achieve but never experienced for themselves
Now i see immigrants looking for wealth, security and happiness. They are also looking to retain, at least in part, their cultural heritage and family connections.
I see some immigrants return to the homeland but some establish citizenship and a new life in Canada, never returning to their birthplace.

Dream about Toronto....


As I walk along the streets of Toronto I see different faces, faces that identify a person ethnicity, religion, and sometimes personality. Canada is a country of immigrants either from Asia, Africa or Europe. People from all around the world have many ideas and concepts that associate with the words CANADA.
Some people think of it in positive sense, hence the freedom and opportunities; others think of it negatively such as high taxes and the possible target of a terrorist attack or losing ones job.
I see many people migrating to Canada in search for jobs and opportunities leaving their relatives and loved ones behind in search for a better tomorrow. Others people i see migrate to escape the wars happening in their countries. They search for peace and security. Opportunity, freedom, peace and security is what people these days long for. These are the Canadian dreams, but as we reflect upon these dreams, we must ponder and ask ourselves, Is Canada really the fulfillment of these dreams?
Poverty is one of the biggest problems of our world today. We often see people pushing carts on the streets and sleeping under bridges. These people pick garbage in search for food to eat and cans to trade for money. Canada is no exception. I see many homeless going through garbage bins especially outside fast food restaurants.
Indeed, Canada is a land of opportunity, yet recently i see Canada hasn't been that fulfilling in sustaining the basic needs of people especially the poor. Massive layoffs have been occurring over these past months leaving many people homeless and hungry. Having enough opportunities is a Canadian dream.
We all know that having a job is the main source of income for everybody, although, education is one of the requirements in order to have a decent source of living. Having the opportunity to acquire sufficient knowledge that could better prepare a person to face the demanding world is one of the reasons young men and women from all around the world migrate to Canada. Canada is known for having a high standard of education and free tuition for public school from elementary to high school. This privilege is very important especially to the parents who can't earn enough money to support their child needs. Surely free education and sufficient amount of job offers are a Canadian dream.
....and then i wake up and am happy to be in my own bed today. Tomorrow maybe another day with new ideas and aspirations.

Just a dream i had about an Exyzee family that migrated to Canada.

Did they feel isolated when they first came to Canada?
Well, yes and no. Isolation is a state of mind how they fitted into a new environment, and not only survived, but thrived. Then, with the number of Indian descent in Canada there was no longer that feeling of isolation. But if they were going to succeed in society, and in Canada, they had to know how to fit in; to make friends and be happy with their environment.

Coming to Canada was a shock for all of them especially the children in a public school compared to the school they were in India. They learnt to adjust to a foreign environment. Sometimes they felt they were discriminated against by others just because they were different, they looked different, and they came from a different culture.
The parents thought them how to handle a situation like that. To be confident in oneself and their abilities. If they believed, truly believed, that they are as good as the other person, no matter what they do or what they think, it is not going to affect the way they live or the way they work. 'Be confident' was what their parents always told them. 'You must always be proud of who you are, no matter what your background is'. 'You must know that there will always be those better off than you, and those with much less than you'. 'I believe everyone should be proud of their cultural background'. "The world is made up of many different races, and success and happiness in life does not depend on what color you are or what language you speak".
The world is a global village, the more you know, the better off you are, so why abandon what you already know.
You may not know the term "coconut" - brown on the outside and white on the inside. That is a name given to Indians who have abandoned their cultural heritage completely and tried to become whiter than white.
But the elders thought their children just because they were born in Canada doesn't mean they can't learn about India or the Indian language. They were thought to believe that if they disowned their own heritage, they cannot possibly have confidence in their self. If they try to be who they are not, they will have too much to hide. "Be proud of who you are". "If you don't like yourself, how can you like others and work well with them? What a waste it would be to abandon five thousand years of civilization. There is a lot that is good in Indian culture".

I trust most of you reading this are either Canadian citizens or landed immigrants. I can tell you from my heart that you have chosen to be a part of a wonderful country. Be proud of it, and make sure you are included in the life of this country. Being part of a society also means giving of yourself to that society. In other words, volunteering your time to your community and getting involved. No one is too young or too poor to do that. Remember, Confucius taught us benevolence, humanism, equality and harmony in society. This is as pertinent today as it was 2500 years ago. Be proud Canadians, and bring with you what is good in Indian culture that will help enrich your adopted country, Canada.

Okay.. I have heard the word "coconut" after a long time... ugot_mail and I must say, one reason why I have disassociated myself from all Desi gals here (born and brought up here) is cos of that term... I can be blamed for that, as its a sweeping generalization.. but alas !

However, I feel that one can contribute to the academic excellence of Canada by actively pursuing some form of research career here. As a student / researcher I guess that has been my major contribution towards Canada. I am also happy that with this knowledge I can call myself a global citizen, and this was partly due to my stay in Canada. This has been a benefit for me...
My status...
FOB-turned-PR-turned-Citizen(maybe / maybe not) -turned-Going back to India

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"Aur Vaise Bhi, Sharafat ki jab kapde utarti hai, sabse zyaada mazaa shareefon ko hi aati hai"....(From The Dirty Picture)

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Ugot_mail,

you are the ideal person for Canada......

Canada should change its points system to allow people like you who are ready to work really hard (we are too but we educated folks complain a lot).

IT should stick to its policy of having a good health Checkup and Criminal background check for prospective immigrants and forget about the Bullshit degree holder + years and years of experience thing.

Just my .0002 cents (thats all i have left)

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I once made a mistake, but I was wrong about it.

Thanks Mercury6. I agree with you. Sometimes it does not take brains to make it in life. One great example the Late Dhirubai Ambani. All it takes is hard work and i totally agree that the more educated you are the more one tends to complain. Canada wants to fill it's country with the creme la creme and then when they land there they just get disgusted and frustrated when they do not find a suitable job. Who is to blame for this?
If Canadian immigration opens up for people not qualified then it may turn to be a country of baboons ( excuse me for saying this). I just think they need to balance their immigration requirement and stop taking so many over qualified people. If they keep doing that, then it is going to be a country of depressed immigrants.

Hi Ugot_mail:

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Sometimes it does not take brains to make it in life. One great example the Late Dhirubai Ambani.
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I am sure many would disagree with that statement of yours.

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What goes around comes around...
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A CANADIAN INDIAN