How it all started

Overcoming Barriers

Moving out from Venezuela and getting a new life in Canada has come with some obstacles in my way to success in this new environment. I moved to Canada when I was 15 years old, along with my 12 years old brother. Our parents decided to send us to study abroad because of the opportunities that would bring studying in another language, to gain independence, and be prepared for life. Another reason our parents found was that studying abroad will bring a bright future to us, plus the everyday-life in Venezuela is not safe nowadays because of political and economical problems in the country. I was excited about this idea, but then realized it was not going to be easy to overcome some obstacles for my success in Canada.

We entered into Columbia International College, a school located in Hamilton, ON. What is unique about this school is that classes are taught using simple English, and those who have trouble with the language are helped to overcome this problem. In my case, I was only taking ESL English classes during four months. But later, I began academic classes. Having my new academic classes helped me a lot understanding the language and got used to speak it even in my inside thoughts.

The language was not the only barrier I had destroyed during my journey. Another obstacle I found that kept me from fully adapting to Canada was the weather. In Venezuela, I live in an island called Margarita Island. There, it is usually above 30C all year long. I had to learn how to dress for every type of weather: rain, snow, and wind. I learned what to wear for different temperatures and also how to be prepared for it. But the must difficult obstacle to overcome was to get used to the cold weather, something I had never been through before.

Another obstacle that made my process of adaptation in my new life was that I used to be really quiet. Plus, the fact I did not speak English well made me feel ashamed, or really dumb when listening to others. Getting to know people from other countries took me a while. Then, my parents moved both my brother and I to another school. This new school is called Ridley College and is located in St. Catherines, ON. There, my level of English is now very good and I am confident about meeting new people, so having friends is not a hard task for me anymore. I finally learned how to get out of my shell and not to be ashamed of what others would think of me as an international student.

Moving to another country is not an easy step. To be successful you must adapt to your new setting. I became accustomed to a new weather, learn a new language, and get used to a new life style and to be outgoing to get to know people.