“WELCOME TO CANADA: THE LAND OF OPPORTUNITIES”

Hello Canadian Desi friends,
I just saw the article very well written by Chandresh, titled “Is Canada the right place for you?”

I have been living here in Toronto for almost three years now (35 months) and during my stay here I came across hundreds of people who came to Canada as immigrants under the ‘skilled worker’ category. My experiences are also kind of same what most of the immigrants have had or might have had and in a way I agree with what Chandresh has mentioned. I moved here with my wife in February 2001 after leaving my job as Marketing Manager – Product Development with one of the leading telecom companies in India. Before coming to Canada, I was advised by some of our ‘guides’ that in Canada, initially you do not get a job related to your field but its only a matter of time, may be 4-6 months or maximum one year and after that you will have so many choices. So initially one has to work hard. Okay, we prepared ourselves mentally to that extent that even if we have to do cleaning job or porter job or any other to sustain, we will do that. So finally, we landed here.

Now the question arises: why do most of ‘well settled (back home)’people migrate to Canada?

Again, it is a debatable issue. Many would say: of course for better living, for better future of our kids, for better growth opportunities, for social security blah..blah...blah… For all those immigrants (including my self), I have a question: If you are making approx Rs. 30000 to 40000 a month (house hold income), Can’t you maintain the similar kind of life style in India also? Can’t you afford a good car? Can’t you afford an A/C in your house? Can’t you afford a 27” flat screen TV with satellite dish? Can’t you afford putting your kids in best of the schools (might not be in Doon / Welham but still….)?
We will have different answers with different arguments but I think the majority would say (not loudly though): YES. Then why come to Canada? Kids’ future, better opportunities, life style etc..etc…could be just words used to hide the original thinking! How many of us consider ‘another factor’ as a determining factor for immigration which is CURRENCY EXCHANGE! Didn’t we see 1=30 before applying immigration? Didn’t we think that whatever hard work I am doing here (back home), if I do the same in Canada, I may get paid 30 times better and MOREOVER THE QUALITY OF LIFE WILL BE BETTER IN CANADA (PLEASE NOTICE: QUALITY OF LIFE IS A FRINGE BENEFIT OR ADDED ADVANTAGE AND NOT THE PRIMARY CAUSE)!!

If someone says No..No..No.., this is all crap, I would say: Be honest my dear, not with the world but at least with yourself! For those who come here in Canada after spending years and years in Middle East or Africa or other countries, I can understand their argument for ‘BETTER QUALITY OF LIFE’ but again that comes second, because they save lot of money ($$$$$$$) before coming to Canada. But at the first place what made them to go to Middle East, live in extreme hot weather conditions (50 degrees) and sacrifice their social life? Once they achieve the target of ‘PHYSIOLOGICAL (MATERIALISTIC) STATUS, they get hungry for QUALITY OF LIFE. Then they start moving to ‘SELF ESTEEM’.

I am not ashamed of admitting the fact that 1=30 was the primary factor for moving to Canada. Everyone comes here to make money, accept it or not!! In addition, even if one does not come with that thinking, they start thinking on those terms very soon.

THIS IS WHAT CANADA IS! THIS IS WHAT THE CULTURE IS! AFTER COMING HERE WE SAY THAT THE FAMILY VALUES ARE ZERO.
DIDN’T WE KNOW THAT BEFORE COMING HERE?
EVERYONE HAS TV IN HIS HOME, EVERYONE HAS INTERNET AND EVERYONE IS EXPOSED TO THE WORLD. EVERYONE KNEW THAT GIRLS BECOME MOTHERS WHILE THEY ARE DOING HIGH SCHOOL AND YET THEY DON’T KNOW WHO THE FATHER OF THAT BABY IS.
EVERYONE KNEW THAT PARENTS ARE NOT ALLOWED TO PUNISH THEIR KIDS FOR THEIR MISCHIEVES, 911 IS JUST A CALL AWAY……………………….THE LIST GOES ON!!!

My dear friends, lets be realistic. We come here as ‘skilled workers’. Canada needs skilled workers and NOT SKILLED MANAGERS or SKILLED PROFESSIONALS. So forget about all those KOOCHY KOOCHY things, Lets get down to the real thing.
When we were new to Canada, we were told that you can not lie here. It is very truthful country. They respect your honesty and truthfulness! Okay, we started applying for the jobs and mentioned all qualifications and experiences in the Resume. We would apply for all kinds of jobs let it be cashier at the McDonald’s or Wendy’s or Future Shop or a call center job…….they would look at the resume and advise you: You know you have wonderful profile, your qualification and experience is ‘AWSOME’ but may be this job is not suitable for you. We would say: No..No.. We can do any kind of job. We don’t have any hang ups. We are ready to do anything do gain Canadian Experience…………still employer would say: SORRY. THIS JOB IS NOT FOR YOU. WHY DON’T YOU TRY SOMEWHERE ELSE?
Then we met some ‘Canadians’. They advised us not to mention real qualifications and experience, make 10-12 different types of Resumes (supposed to be Tailor Made Resumes as per Job Requirements) and then apply again in those companies after some time. The trick worked!!!!!!! We got our first job in the same companies where we had applied about couple of months ago. No body rejected us. WELCOME TO CANADA, THE LAND OF OPPORTUNITIES!!!
MORAL: “DO NOT LIE BUT DO NOT ALSO DISCLOSE ALL YOUR QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE IF YOU WANT A JOB”
Now we go further. One of our friends went to Bank to open an account. He asked for the unsecured credit card. They straight away refused because he was not on the job for 1 year continuously. Then someone introduced him with some ‘broker’. He got him an unsecured Credit Card from the same bank, off course, he charged some fee for that.

WELCOME TO CANADA, THE LAND OF OPPORTUNITIES!!!
MORAL: “EVERYTHING IS POSSIBLE IN THIS WORLD BUT NOTHING COMES FREE”

Above are some of the examples. Other than that, there are number of small / big things where one feels that the same was in India also. Corruption was there, corruption is here, no difference. The only difference is that back home people have guts to admit and they used to bribe and get bribed openly and here IT IS ALL UNDER THE TABLE. You want a job in a good company where your friend is also working….you go there directly, they might not even have a look on your resume but if you give your Resume to your friend and he submits it to HR Dept, chances are there at least they will call you for an interview and if you get hired, you get a job and your friend may get between $250 - $500 as the ‘referral bonus’. In India, we used to call it ‘SIFAARISH, HERE THEY CALL IT REFERRENCES THROUGH NETWORK’. Within these 35 months in Canada, I have come to the conclusion: CANADA IS A LAND OF OPPORTUNITES PROVIDED ONE SHOULD KNOW THE LOOPHOLES OF THE SYSTEM. “SACH KHOLO MAT, JHOOTH BOLO MAT”…..If you do like this, then Canada Govt. is pretty happy!!

Anyway, you came to Canada to earn dollars so concentrate on earning dollars. Do not shy away from doing jobs or businesses like Truck Driving or Taxi Driving or Basement Renovations or Electrician or Plumbers etc. I can challenge that all these above mentioned professions give you much more money than what you earn by doing shift jobs in a factory or working as a Salesman at Future Shop. Stop dreaming about your ‘own field’ job. Slog your ….for 3-4 years, work smart, save some dollars, go back home and start some small / medium scale business there in your own city / town / village and give employment to 2 more fellow Indians. Even if you do not want to go back then start a business here and employ 1 Desi and 1 Gora (please). After all they ruled our country for 100 years; it becomes our moral duty towards our motherland that we rule at least one Gora here. INKE HI WATAN MEIN AA KAR, INKE UPAR RAJ KARNE MEIN BAHUT MAZA AAYEGA…….BELIEVE ME.
At the end of the day what matters here in Canada is your financial strength.

If you can afford:-
a 2004 Infinity instead of a 1994 Chev Cavalier, a brand new house with no tenants in the basement instead of having a three bedroom house and two tenants in the basements, shopping around at the Eaton Centre instead of the Westwood Mall, buying a 32” flat screen TV on Diwali or Eid instead of waiting for the X-Mas day sale or Boxing Day deals, going out and having a-la carte dinner with your family at some Indian / Italian restaurant in Downtown Toronto instead of having an unlimited buffet in $6.99 in some ‘cheap and best’ Desi Mithai Shop, buy your wife / husband an original diamond studded Gucci watch instead of buying a so-called ‘beautiful and durable’ watch from Wal-Mart or Zellers with the argument ki ‘Sirf Time hi to dekhna hai’, buy your washroom accessories like soap holder from TUBS: The Ultimate Bath Store instead of Dollar Rama…………..the list goes on and on and on…..; only then you can say that you are successful in Canada.

Then no body would mind whether you are a truck driver or taxi driver or plumber etc…Everybody would give the argument: “THIS IS THE BEAUTY OF CANADA, DIGNITY OF LABOUR IS THERE”. Everyone will try to make FAMILY RELATIONS with you because they know that you are not illiterate, you are well qualified otherwise Canada would not accept you as immigrant, you know English that’s why you are reading this article and you are familiar with latest technology because you are going through CanadianDesi.com on the internet. Even your relatives/friends would ignore your profession here because you would be sending them money on regular basis and you will get them gifts every time you go back to visit them. THAT IS THE REALITY OF LIFE, MY DEAR FRIENDS. ACCEPT IT!!

So in this New Year 2004, let’s have a resolution that we are here in Canada to be successful and the success is directly connected with the financial back up. WE HAVE TO GROW TOGETHER AS A COMMUNITY. WE MUST HAVE THAT KIND OF COURAGE AND WILL POWER THAT WE ACCEPT THE FACTS. WE MUST DO ATLEAST ONE GOOD THING TO BRIGHTEN THE NAME OF OUR ‘MATRI-BHOOMI OR MADRE-ZAMEEN OR MOTHER LAND’. THESE PEOPLE HERE IN WETSERN WORLD MUST UNDERSTAND AND REALISE THAT OUR COUNTRY IS NOT A ‘BHOOKHA AND NANGA’ COUNTRY BUT IT IS FULL OF KNOWLEDAGBLE, HARD WORKING, SINCERE AND CULTURED PEOPLE WHO ALSO KNOW HOW TO EARN AND SAVE MONEY AND STRENGTHEN THE ECONOMY OF THE COUNTRY ALONG WITH THE HERITAGE. LET’S HAVE A VISION THAT AFTER 10 YEARS IT SHOULD NOT BE $1 = Rs 30 BUT IT SHOULD BE $ 30 = Re. 1. WE ARE INDEBTED TO OUR FREEDOM FIGHTERS WHO GAVE THEIR LIVES FOR US. LET’S MAKE THEIR DREAMS COME TRUE OF COMPLETE FREEDOM, EVERYBODY WITH FOOD AND SHELTER, EVERY VILLAGE WITH WATER AND ELECTRICTY SUPPLY….. AND START WORKING IN THAT DIRECTION ONLY.

P.S.: I apologize if I hurt somebody’s feelings.