Category: Confessions of an Immigrant

Confessions of an Immigrant- 16

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“Happiness comes in the name of MOM”

MOM is a magical word that brings joy to your life. That’s what happened this year. I got a chance to call my mom to Canada. I really can’t tell how happy I was. When she came, I just embraced her in my arms. I felt I badly needed that hug from her. My heart was racing in excitement. I just couldn’t wait to show her my new life which I wanted her to be the part of. When we reached my place, I just couldn’t wait to talk to her. But I had to calm my nerves because she had traveled a long distance of God knows how many hours. When she reached home. She looked at my place and also I showed her my happy place, i.e. our Balcony where we can see CN Tower. She was elated to see the sight. She said this house has a lot of positive vibes. Also, she asked me if she could cook some food for me. I just couldn’t stop admiring her as she had just come from a tiring journey and all she wanted to do was feed her daughter. Mothers are like that, isn’t it? I told her that I have made dal, rice for her and also I have some ready-made rotis. She said she would eat that. When she ate the dal and she was like, “Dal achchi hai!” Let me tell you guys, she is the best cook, I have known till now and getting this remark from her is a big thing for me. She said, ” Now, I can say that my daughter won’t starve for food.”

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We both tried to sleep and my mind was dancing with excitement and I just couldn’t wait for her to get up. After 2 hours we got up all of sudden. I asked her if she was okay. She said I just can’t wait to hug you again and talk to you. We had 2 years of life-changing events to share. I just ran to her bed and hugged her and I didn’t stop hugging her. I asked her to pinch me as I couldn’t believe that she was there with me at Nanak House.

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The next day she was wide up, ready to take over the kitchen. Luckily, I had 4 day offs so I spent most of it with her. In that entire 1 and half months, I spent those missed 2 years which I had craved for her affection and care. I made sure that I take her to shop, ask my friends to pamper her, take her out and also many more cooking discussions.

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She came for my graduation and on that day, I saw her graduating. I couldn’t stop clicking pictures with her. I made her meet my friends, classmates and some Centennial colleagues. I could see her happy and proud of me. The fun part was, my friends thought that I got someone special in my life as they saw me so happy. I told them that my someone special is my mom, who brings the best out of me. Her presence makes me look beautiful and that glow is because of her.

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When anyone used to take her without me for more than a day, I so wanted her to stop her. I always had this feeling that she is here for me and she cannot go anywhere but in all this, I was becoming strong and strong. I cannot explain how I always wanted to come back home just to see her waiting for me. She made my apartment a home. My roommates became her friends. I used to get to know about them through her. Life became super easy because it was just her. I learned so many new things from her. This time she met me as my best friend, where we shared our heart to heart conversations, we hung around and did so many fun things together. I wanted to give the best to her. I cannot say if I made her proud or not but I tried the best I could and I never had to think twice before buying a single thing for her or anybody. I just thank God that he sent her to me when I could afford to give her happiness in all the forms.

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To add more to my happiness, came my niece Sanjana. I had never been so excited to see her. She is not my niece but I treat her like my own sister. She is the first child of Sareen khandaan afterol and she deserves all the love and pampering. It is believed that the first and the youngest child gets most of the love. I met her once but that meeting was worth remembering. I had never thought that the girl who is brought up in my hands is a grown-up, mature lady. I see myself in her, who has been treated like a princess. But here, I saw her chinned up, struggling, learning new things and adjusting to this stupid environment. This is how people grow up.

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I gave a lot of space to myself. I learned new things. I went on vacation and explored new places. I tried new things like volunteering for festivals like Ganesh Chaturthi, Garba. I saw different colors of festive. I met new people, made friends and life became worth living.

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For the first time in years, I got some special people who made my birthday remarkable. I had never expected that my roommates would throw a birthday party for me. I never thought I would organize a house party with somebody. It sounded like a fairytale to me, but it all happened.

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Coming to friends, if they leave you at some point, they do come back if it’s meant to be. I got some of my long lost friends back. One of them is Asha, who is back with her two cute cats  Skylar and Leo. I am in awe with them. I am not sure if I love her more or her cats. With all these additions, I made new friends and this added great connectivity in my life. These honorable additions are Harsha, Zarna, Sneha who are part of this newfound girls gang.

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Ganu bhaiya has always given me positive energy and the best of the vibes. Ganpati Bappa Morya !

In all these, I have got an elder sister in Hetal, elder brother in Ronak, Sagar. Above all, got a darling dolma Harshiv, who is my heartthrob. I am so blessed to have a new family in all these friends with whom I can share my happiness, sorrows and all the funtook fataak stuff. Though the year is going to an end, yet I have life lessons to share which I shall share in my next confession coming next month. I shall post soon. Stay tuned 🙂ed1d9b03-2967-42ec-9ae3-a205846ea588

 

Confessions of an Immigrant- 15

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Sometimes your mind and heart are so full of things that you cannot jot down anything and write about it. My mind has been hovering over all those myriad thoughts which I wanted to shout out but couldn’t. So many good things happened all of sudden that I always felt something was missing in my life. Whenever I try to mend the missing pieces, I always end up creating a new situation for myself. Some of them were weird cases for sure.

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I am done with my studies and internship. Now I am doing Security Job at Reilly’s full time. The central locations are Metro Toronto Convention Centre and the University of Toronto.

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Sometimes I get other locations too when people don’t show up. I have all types of shifts starting from morning to afternoon to night shifts. When I had my first ever night shift, it was for 13 hours, and when I got home, I slept for 10 hours. Even after that, I was so dead. I tried to find out the reason why I was so exhausted after my night shifts whereas other people love to do night shifts. Thus, the mantra to do night shifts is, you should force yourself to sleep for 3-4 hours before you go for a shift. The time 1-3 at night is the time when everyone tends to doze off so if you had a nice sleep, you can utilize your energy during that time.

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Recently, we covered an event called Parliament of Religions. I met people from different countries and some amazing figures like Padmanji (Bharatnatyam Dancer), Juss Kaur (Painter), Uma Ji( Member of Chinmoy Community), Binny Sareen (Bhrama Kumari), Anita (Member of Religious Society) and there were many people whom I knew by faces but we shared some unsaid connections. After attending that event, I felt I have some purpose in life. I learned so many different things about Hinduism, Jainism, Buddhism, Sikhism, Christianity, Islam, and many others.

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I felt as if there was an amalgamation of religions. I saw a painting that had paintings of Guru Gobind Singh which was made from the word ‘Waheguru.’ I was sick on that day and coughing a lot. A lady came to me and asked me if she could pray for me. I said yes. She prayed for my speedy recovery. After that, I felt so lifted and confident that I cannot even explain.

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You are reading it right, I shifted to a new place again. So, it is a fantastic apartment which I am sharing with four more girls. This sounds messy but honestly speaking, I am in awe with the place as it is decorated, well maintained. I am sharing the room with one girl who is away or at work most of the times so in sharing I feel the ambiance of a private room. The next door room has three girls. They have ample space for storage, so my stuff easily got fitted there. It is not even a month, but I get positive vibes from the house. I am happy and content with my choice.

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Since its December and we all know Christmas and Boxing Day are the major affairs in Canada. I am one lazy person who hates shopping from the core of my soul, but my friend Hetal inculcated the seed of online shopping in me which has me completely cut off with the outside stores. I have shopped from Aldo, Walmart, Rickis, Cleo till now and I have loved the stuff so far. To add more, I came across apps like Instacart, Groupon, Shutterfly. Well, Instacart is for Walmart grocery shopping. Those who know me, they are well acquainted with the fact that I am super bad in grocery shopping. It took me precisely 15 minutes to order the stuff, and it was delivered to my place within 2 hours. If you are like me, then Instacart is the best choice. This Groupon is one cool app which helps you to find the best deals in restaurants, fun activities, travels, nightlife, leisure stuff. With this app, I got to know about some of the cool classes in the budget of course. Airbnb is similar to Groupon which you can try as well. And now coming to Shutterfly, this app helps you design and order customized mugs, books, t-shirts for your loved ones. If you are looking for fun stuff this Boxing Day or any other day, then do try these sites and applications for sure.

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I did get to know how this year ended. This year had been a roller coaster ride for me. From separation to meeting new people, from changing houses to changing work locations, experiencing good things to frustrated times, weddings to festivals, loneliness to family gatherings, sadness to fun, with not a single piece written to an incomplete Goodreads list, I had it all. I became mature, sensible and evolved as a human being.

I am looking forward to a better New Year with lots of new people in life, happiness, love and many unsaid wishes to be fulfilled.

Wishing you a very Happy New Year. Will see you in 2019 with new stories!

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Confessions of an Immigrant-14

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What goes round comes back 

I know I am writing after 2 months which is insane. Honestly speaking, I didn’t felt like writing anything during that time. I was so busy in inhaling the activities and events that took place in my life. All were good but time in Canada, I feel runs faster than anything.

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Till last time, I was in Brampton. I have moved again to Scarborough now and again back to the same place where I had come from. I got an internship in Centennial College and things got again busy and crazy with internship and my Security Guard job.

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The major event being my cousin Varun’s grand wedding. The wedding, my assignments were side by side. It was a roller coaster ride from college to attending functions, managing things. The events were amazing. I enjoyed the time. It was a nostalgic feeling. I was the only one representing paternal side and I was missing my parents there. Here are some of the pictures of the wedding functions.

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I have learnt cooking. I knew cooking but now with some enhanced tips and tricks. Thanks to my auntie who taught me those life skills. We learn so many things but life skills is something we learn from implementing and observing. I am glad that I got the chance to learn all that. I can say that now I am an expert in making Bhindi Masala, Veg Biryani, Butter Chicken, Poha, Paneer Butter Masala, Dals, Pasta (red and white), Rajma and many more. But I eat less spicy so my food will not be that spicy. No offense, thats my choice and I love it.

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My studies are almost over and internship is going amazing. This is my third week here and I am already learning so many things about social media. My position here is of a Social Media Intern. Working in an office is fantastic where you different set of people who appreciate your work and inspire you at every step.

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Coming to job, I am doing Events Security which is an interesting job. Here you not only work but also get a chance to attend the events, though in your break. Previously, I got a chance to cover Taylor Swift’s, Ed Sheeran’s event which was breathtaking. I was mesmerised to see the star and the live event had always been in my bucket list. The locations are different so you don’t feel bored. I got a chance to visit University of Toronto, attend Canadian Fitness Pro Gala, Canadian National Exhibition, Pablo Alto Conference, Zac Brown Event. I met many different people while working and mostly all are different during shifts. Mostly, I work Friday, Saturday and Sundays. But at times, I do weekdays too after my internship. Life is super hectic and I hardly get time to write.

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But there are some shifts which are not that hectic where I grab chances to read books. So, far I read four books in this two weeks of my shifts. When you get your paycheck, the feeling is undescribable. You guys would relate to me as I have always updated about my job search, failed attempts, issues and now when things are finally falling to place, I feel contented, motivated. I feel proud that finally I am heading towards positivity and road to happiness.

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The happiest segment has been Saloni’s visit this Friendships Day. Though she came 2 days after the friendships day yet it was an amazing feeling. I feel she is a person of promises. Whenever she promise me something, maybe God does some magic that she actually keep thta promise and comes here. I feel Saloni and Surbhi are meant to be together forever. Lol. Sounds so Filmy.

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I so want to come back to India once I get a good job here. I just can’t wait to come back and meet everyone out there. I am a part of this country and I don’t want to be treated like a visitor in India. India is where I belong and Canada is where I am now, learning parts and parcel of life. Well, thats me: your Surbhi, signing off. Will be back soon with another amazing life update. See ya!

 

Confessions of an Immigrant- 13

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365 days Theory

I had thought before that I won’t be there at one place for a long time. I had a plan for 180 days theory just like Sachin Garg’s book. But all went in vain. I felt a strong ephemeral connection with the place I was living that whenever I plan to move out, I end up moving in again in that same place. This has happened thrice. And finally, I am leaving the place. Technically, it’s been 358 days since I have been living in this house.

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Now I have moved to Brampton, the Minnie India. The relocation is the toughest segment in a person’s life. I felt the same here when I was leaving India. The zeal of emotions overpowered me. A connection theory revolves around this. Whenever I used to plan to leave that place, I had always changed the decision but this time the decision turned into an action. I lived there for one year. The memories that hover over my mind are ethereal. The time spent with roommates, trying different restaurants, shopping, showing dresses to each other, sharing emotions and giving endless advice and at times fighting too. All these became parts and parcel of our life. The separation was difficult but still, it was never a goodbye, but always a reason to talk again and again.

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Brampton, the new phase sounded ecstatic but came out to be tough. The same thing, finding the routes were a roller coaster ride. I can’t believe that using Mr. Google can also make me lose my way. The reason being, Mr. Google never tells that the area I am going to have a ravine or a construction zone. Mr. Google will be Mr. Google, isn’t it?

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There are different modes of transport here. Zum Bus stops at Zum stops only, whereas for reaching other places or interiors of the area, you need Brampton Transit. If you want to travel Mississauga, then Mi-way or Zum comes to your rescue. Further, if you want to go to Toronto then Go Bus or Go Train is the best. These transits actually baffle my mind as in one day sometimes you have to take all the transits. My travel revolves around two cities: Brampton and Downtown henceforth, I take Brampton Transit, Go Train, Subway and TTC Bus. If I make any passes, then they come out to be a wastage of money, so I use Presto which can be used in all the four places. Now I have connected my Presto with student ID so I get 18% discount.

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Talking about the Brampton Transit, the frequencies are much lesser here. One bus comes after every 30-40 mins or even after an hour. If you miss your bus, then you are late. So, it is better to plan your journey one day ahead. Should I boost my reaching college half an hour before in spite being living almost 2 hours away! Most of my classes start at 8:30 so I get up at 5:15 and reach my bus stop at 6:10 where my bus comes at 6:19 and by 6:26 I reach the Go station. From there, I take 6:32 Go train and reach at 7:25. Then I take Southbound subway followed by another Eastbound Subway. I reach Pape station at 7:50 and then the final TTC I take. Mortimer Avenue is just 2 stops away. You can walk too but in mornings, you are sleepwalking, so I take that. I reach at 8:05 and I have my breakfast. This is my routine. The journey is tiresome, but I get some sleep in that time. I cannot believe myself that, I do all of this. I am not a morning person and here I am getting up early and managing everything. Sometimes, I like to give myself a thumbs up for being courageous to do that.

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Perks of traveling in Go train can be sleeping, reading and writing your thoughts while experiencing them. I met many amazing people while traveling and got to learn so many tricks.

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My uncle is my train buddy. I am almost flabbergasted by his tricks, but I feel they are perfect. He takes the third compartment while going and takes the first compartment while coming back. On being asked, he told me his theory of compartments. He says that the third last compartment opens at Bay Street from where he can take the Southbound Subway easily while coming back, the first compartment opens near the parking side. It sounded weird but when I tried it, made some sense to me. Mostly, students and working-class travel on Go train.

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Then I had an encounter with an HR Professional who always takes the fourth compartment from the last. I happened to sit there so I met her. She cleared so many notions about the HR field. My previous course was Human Resource Management, so I was curious about this field and her work culture. She told me that this field involves writing too and I was unaware of this fact. Meeting with her came out to be knowledgeable.

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Also, I met this Pakistani lady who told me about her experiences in this country. She told me that she had been in Canada for 45 years and I was wondering how she can live here for so many years. She told me about her family and about her languages. She speaks such an amazing Hindi and Urdu. Despite being 75 years old, she likes to travel. She had come to Brampton to meet her daughter and she was going back to her son. She talked about the people of Canada and how beautifully this country accepted her and her family. The Go train experiences had been fabulous, and I feel that my other write-ups would include Subway and train journeys as my most of the time is spent here.

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Talking about the bus drivers, they are helpful. I happened to take Zum bus once where I asked about the stop from the driver. I told him that I was new. He welcomed me and told me about the Zum stops and the helpline numbers where can I call if I lost my way. There was another bus driver who helped me a lot. I was running late for my work in Mississauga. I had to catch another bus and I had missed it in front of my eyes. The driver had no passengers to drop, so he helped me catch the bus. He took me from another side and I could catch the bus.

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Brampton city has been friendly, helpful and amazing for me. I never felt so positive and lively after coming here. I feel that my decision of coming here, despite the distance has been fruitful. I hope things go positive this way.

Confessions of an Immigrant- 12

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This rant is dedicated to Indo- Canadians who did every possible thing to let me down. When I was leaving India, my dad told me,” Beta! Be with your own people as they will help their own community.” I was pretty sure that his advise will be worthy for me in this new land. But when I entered the doors of Canada, my uncle told me something which was entirely opposite of what my dad had told. The very next day he took me to a bank where I was supposed to open my account. He took me to an Indian lady and asked her to help us in this context. To my surprise, she said that they were closing in 45 mins so they wont be able to attend us. My chachu was upset with this thing. He took me to another branch where he complained about that lady. He is very particular about these things and he knows how to get things done. Then we were entertained by the manager who guided me with all the things related to bank. He was satisfied with his services and appreciated him. After all this, he told me,” See Beta! You are in Canada and learn one thing that in Canada, your own people will let you down and with this instance what he said sounded correct.” I was in a dilemma and had so many thoughts that were fiddling over my mind. I thought not all people are like that. I was full of faith and positivity during my initial days in Canada.

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But thanx to these so called Indo- Canadians who badly proved me wrong with every step I took. Now I am almost an year old in this country. I help all those people who are planning to come to Canada. I dont give them false hopes but a reality check about these great people. In this one year, I realised that such people will never let you rise. So, who are these people? They are those people who are now Canadians but cannot change their so called contaminated minds. They reward you with their taunts, discourage you with their high status, crush you with their own praise and mock you at your Nationality when they themselves belong to that clan.

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When I was getting out of TTC bus, I was almost about to slip because of snow, when an Indo- Canadian remarked as a ‘Stupid Indian.’ That was the first attack on my Nationality by my own people. I just gave a staunch stare and went out.

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The next instance was an EPIC! I overheard a group of ladies talking to each other. They were saying that these days every other person is coming to Canada. They are making our Canada a village, so called Villagers who just want to get PR. Wow! What a remark, right? I was wondering that these women were calling our India a village, then who are they? Are they not villagers, who came much before us and now have a PR, so that they can give their own Nation this remark? Hats off to their sensibility.

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I have met great people in Canada who left no stone unturned to let me down. Be it at work place, college or any other place. I would like to thank those cheaters, rascals,morons who have not only let me down but also their own community down. When other people gave their introductions in college, they said they were Brazilians, Chinese, Vietnamese, Canadian but when people of our Nation gave, they said we are from Mumbai, Delhi, Punjab, Gujarat, South but very rare said that they were from India. The only similarity between India and Canada is that they are multi-cultural countries and respect everyone. Then why in Canada we cannot come as a whole and say we are from India? Afterol, it is our Nationality. Here we are representing our country, not a particular cult or community. Learn to respect each other for God’s sake.

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Coming to Racism, forget others, lets talk about our own people. My Tamilian friend was beaten by a group of Punjabi students because he had won a certain game. Two Punjabi guys gave a racist comment on my friend who had a darker complexion, thinking that she is a Negro and doesn’t understand Hindi. I was refused a job because I am a Punjabi and have a fairer skin. A Chinese girl was beaten brutally infront of a gas station by some Indians because she was a Chinese. A Gujarati guy made racist comment on two Punjabi girls. My resume was thrown in a garbage by an Indo Canadian Restaurant owner because I am an Indian. Punjabi owners hate to keep Punjabi students at their basements. Superb!

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To add more, I have some splendid personalities with super judgemental powers. They judge on stupidest things. They think that you have befriended them because you want to go in their car. Moreover, such people think that you are using them to get their things done but in reality you are just looking for a friend. Salute to their mentalities!

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Why we Indians hate each other in Canada? This is because there are people among us who have painted this picture. After meeting such people, even now I hate such double faced cheap people. They die if you rise. They will burn to ashed if they get to know, you have a job or you have some money to support yourself. It is a shame on these people who have let me down. They thought that they will break me but sorry to you folks! You have made me stronger. With every taunt you gave me, with every betrayal you gifted me, with every demotivation you bestowed over me, has made me a survivor. Today after an year, after all those endless sufferings, struggles I have realised that these bad things were meant to happen. This is because God wanted me to show the other side of the coin. My notion, that this world is full of beautiful and good people finally breathed its last breath. I know that this world has some good and more of bad people. It is either right or either wrong.

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Moving forward, I met some wonderful people here who added positivity in my life. They are my extended family in Canada. They were always there to support me, provide me links, give me reality checks, guide me and their struggle stories made me realise that they also went through these trials and tribulations, so I am no indifferent from them. It is parts and parcel of life. This is the reason when I meet a new Immigrant, I tell them the harsh realities so that they are prepared for the worst. Canada goes with no trusting anyone, no showering favors on anyone policy. Stay away from such double faced, insensitive Indo- Canadians.

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My one year of frustration is gone. I have thrown  away negativity,stress out of my system and now I am ready for the new challenges. So dear troubles, please do come my way so that I can kick your ass off and move forward as a stronger entity.

 

Confessions of an Immigrant- 11

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Hello beautiful people,

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I hope you all are doing amazing in your lives and many of you might be missing my updates on Confessions of an Immigrant. Well, past few months have been super busy with assignments, final exams and with this, I have successfully completed my semester as well as the course. So, now I can say a Very Happy New Year to you all. You might want to know how my New Year was. Isnt it?

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Well, for the first time I was alone on 31st December, 2017. I spent the last few minutes alone at my place and cut the cake. I wished my family and talked to people just to get over my loneliness. Coming to resolutions, I have not made any till now. Winters have taken a hault in my life. Earlier I was dying to see the snow, feel the first touch of it but all went in vain when I got terribly sick for a week or so. I couldn’t enjoy the snow and trust me guys, living in -20 temperature is terrible. I was wondering that my friends in India cry over 17 degree, what will happen to them if they have to witness this period. Now, I badly want this stupid snow to end. One more thing I learnt here that diseases, flu in Canada are way too different as compared to India so if you are in Canada and in this weather then you better take a flu shot when you are perfectly fine. It is free of cost and anyone can take it from Shoppers Drug Mart.

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Winters are depressing to be frank and this cold climate makes you really lathargic and you tend to miss your classes but we couldn’t even do that as we had those stupid in class assignments which were a matter of life and death for all of us. Thanks to these in class that actually passed all of us.

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These past few months have been hectic and many new bombs were exploded on us. I got to know about people, their true colours and what not. It was terrible knowing the fact that the people you felt were close to you, came out to be stupid morons or rather say back bitchers. I have met new people as well who were gem of a person. Not only this, I realised that our teachers can be good and worst at the same time. We praised and cursed at the same time.

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I just went to Stratford for a quick vacation where I learnt playing Bukaro game which was as hilarious and brainy. I played it with my other set of family and we almost spent 4 hours playing that.

Not only this, my friends have named me Miss Accident Prone as I have fallen on snow almost 4-5 times. It sounds hilarious but the after pain is excruciating. All thanx to my fear to walk on snow. Thankfully my bones are not broken. Lol.

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I have developed connection with writing poetry on Yourquote which is my solace these days. Homesickness is not that much these days as I feel more attached and connected to my family. When I do video chats with my friends, relatives and others, I feel so better and charged. You all are my support system and I feel healed.

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My search to find the best place for eating Butter Chicken is still going on. I tried four restaurants which turned out to be extremely stupid and they surely turned my mood off.

Motivation comes in all ways. So, there was a training session where my team had to teach the whole class how to make Chinese Paper Lamp and I wished everyone Happy New Year in Chinese. The training session was fun and I learnt that I am a confident person and handle a session very well. The team work and spirit taught me many things. I got close to my team and learnt alot from their ideas and skills.

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One more thing happened was my old connections. I am reviving my old friendships, connections and meeting my old friends who are coming to Canada and who have been there already so that makes me more happy these days. Time spent with them has been amazing and would love to do that all over again and again. Cheers to old friends and their friendships.

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This year I am surely planning to visit Niagara Falls. I hope this happens soon but will definitely go in summers as in winters they are frozen.

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That is all I have to convey, will be back with another story and discussion issue.

Confessions of an Immigrant-10

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Hello Lovelies,

I hope you guys are having a great time in your life and you might be waiting for my confession so I thought before I get busy with my life I should update you about the vacations. Well, vacations in Canada are short and we had just two weeks break. Apart from my job search mission I went to Stratford to meet my other set of relatives.

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I have so many relatives that I always get confused where to go and when to go. So, I went to Union Station from where my relative picked me up and then we went to CNE Exhibition for picnic. Those who are not familiar with CNE, let me update you with some information. Every year there is an exhibition near CN tower hence its known as CNE exhibition. The place has so many rides which is made keeping in mind the kids, youngsters and the older people. Due to this exhibition many people get a job. There is a special area for the food court where you will find foods from Indian to Chinese to Thai to Italian and many more brands.

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The mains being Harveys, Tim Hortons, McDonalds, Pizza Pizza, etc… We had three families with us and kids to accompany us. Trust me it is difficult to be with kids and especially when they are toddlers. We spent almost 10 hours there and it didn’t feel like we spent so much of time. We reached Stratford around 9:30 at night. Stratford trip has been amazing. I got the chance to taste homemade food prepared by my relatives and dishes were Lemon bars, roasted chicken, lemon chicken, pizza, zuccini, Mutter Paneer, White Chana, eggs etc. Stratford is a peaceful place and it has a town named Shakespeare where every other shop starts with the name of Shakespeare. I need to mention something special about the working style here. The people here are hardworking. They go to different places to set up their markets and it is not anyone’s cup of tea. They get up at around 4 O’ clock to start up their work and it takes almost 2 hours to set up their market.

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The last day of my vacation was super amazing as I went to Eaten Centre with my another folks. We watched a hindi movie, sorry I am bad with remembering names of the movie. But it is the latest movie by Ayushmann Khurana and the girl who was in Zor lagake Haisha. You guys can make your guesses. We had ice- cream and some food. We even went to buy some winter clothes and I really loved the ambience their. It was a perfect ending to my vacation. I also got 3 books in an amazing deal of 10$. Since my birthday is coming so my relatives thought to give those books in a present.

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Now its been a week since my college started. Things are changed now. Earlier we were enthusiastic as we knew nobody but now we know everyone so there is nothing new to discover and just the teachers. The teachers are pretty cool and I am looking forward to something new.

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I was in Brampton, yet another weekend with the family. My cousin told me that they were waiting for my confession and reading them is a ritual in the family. Things have been in settling mode. I am still learning new things.

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I met two of my old friends here and it was fun catching up with them. There was a time when I was looking for my ways and now I was the one guiding them what to do and what not.

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Everyone who comes here, get to know the reality of life. The first reaction is where I have ended upto. Second is the never ending homesickness. Third is, you miss the good and bad times. I miss my butterfly and Krishna’s growing up times. I wish I could see her new developments and Krishna’s new discoveries. I miss being with my friends when they are going through hard times and all you can do is just message them or call them. Next is, you miss your favourite places which used to give you peace. Here I couldn’t find a single place they can give some solace to my heart. my search is going on. I hope I get something.

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This segment I am writing after a month. The previous part I wrote before and now I am combining the two sets of emotions. The good part is I have got a job finally. Things are coming on a track. The new semester is a roller coaster ride for all of us. The new SAP programming has taken away my mind. The assignments only make me realize how easy it is and I learnt about snipping tool for a change. Not only this, last week we gave a small team presentation which gave me loads of confidence and I realized I can speak in front of 30 people. It was a good experience. I am liking the new semester though it is crazy. These days I am in love with the subways and TTC buses. I am completely used to the day to day travelling here. Now summer is gone and winters are knocking the door which is the toughest time. Now this calls for Winter Shopping.

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I recently volunteered for the Job Fair and made many friends. it was an amazing experience and I can say that I made lifelong friends in one go. Even the teacher Sevana was nice with all of us. We got lunch and even got a special chance to interact with companies like Walmart, Costco, Tim Hortons, The Body Shop, TD Bank, Hudson bay, McDonalds etc. The people who were with me were understanding and very accommodating.

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In all this how can I forget about Karan and Riya. they have been the pillars of my life recently. Karan and Riya recently came from India. One is a junior and other is a class buddy. I can’t believe that destiny had planned all this. I have been trying to meet Karan from a long time and we ended up meeting in Canada at Tim Hortons. When these two came to my life, I made sure I guide them so that they don’t end up making any sort of mistakes and I am glad to see them happy. We guys can easily co relate to each other and I feel strong and positive when I am around them.

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The major segment that went by was my BIRTHDAY. I was sad as I was missing my majors. But life has to go on and my roommates made my day so things were pretty cool. I had a sudden realization, Festivals, Seasons are passing by and I am in this country all alone missing my loved ones. With every passing day, my urge to meet my family keeps on growing. I wish these years quickly pass by. Then again I ponder over, I am missing those moments in my life which were mine before. I am missing my dad’s growing age, my mom’s never ending hope, my dadi’s wrinkled face, butterfly’s naive age, Krishna’s study moments, Saloni, Alpa and Tanya’s never ending talks. Above all, my Honors Gang, the all time blabbers and what not. Okay, so before I end on a teary note, I will wish you guys Happy Diwali in advance as I will be having my exams at that time. Stay tuned for my next updates and forgive me for being so late in updating this. I love you guys a lot and you know it.

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Author’s Note: I will be back with brand episode..till then Smile and keep Hoping for the Best!

Confessions of an Immigrant- 9

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It took me 5 months to realise that writing confessions on my blog gives some sort of peace to me. My tired mind gets relaxed while writing it. The past two months have been a roller coaster ride. I hardly knew what the hell was I doing and where I was going. The non stop assignments, tests made me so busy that I didn’t even get a single minute to think like what the hell was I doing with my life.

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The days in Canadian lifestyle have never been good for an immigrant. At times it is the never ending homesickness, the grief of losing your loved ones, the situations, managing finances, trusting wrong people and to add more, the jobless times. There are times when you feel homeless inspite of living in an apartment. Sometimes you are so alone in your class. You have a company of 39 more classmates still it feels lonely. Only at the time of in class you realise you have classmates as thats the time you talk to them.

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In this one semester I guess I have lived those segments which I have never went through in my past 21 years. I ended up meeting wrong people at wrong time and made mistakes which could have avoided. I won’t say I am sad, upset or depressed. In fact a feeling of aggression hover over mind where I badly want to do soemthing but I can’t. I try to mend the broken pieces of my life but always end up breaking new pieces. Every time the struggles are doubled or tripled. When we were in school we were taught two things, “HELP OTHERS!” ” BE A TRUE FRIEND TO SOMEONE WHO IS IN NEED!” Well, thankyou my dear teachers for these two things but unfortunately in Canada the situation is reverse. Canada goes with three rules, “THINK ABOUT YOURSELF!” “NEVER HELP OTHERS!” “NEVER TRUST OTHERS, NOT EVEN YOUR CLOSED ONES!”

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After going through a major down phase I realised this thing. Sometimes you learn by falling down. But what you learn from that downfall makes you. It is your life and you make the best out of it. The exam phase taught me one thing about teachers. They are generous in giving marks and adjusting the scores. These assignments actually saved us. Even in Canada bad things happen to Teachers. They are misjudged. Here also, our teacher was accused of something which for which she was not at fault. She was hurt and left the college. She performed the duty of a true teacher by conducting the exams. She could have left the job immediately. But she never did. When she hugged me and cried, that was the moment I realised, how dedicated she was. The whole semester she was telling us about the major assignment and she gave us extensions for that. After all that struggle and hardwork we got our grades but what she got? An accusation! I have never seen such a behavior and ached my soul. This incident actually made me respect her even more. Before going she told me, Surbhi, now you have a story to tell to your readers and here I am writing about her. I can only say, I will miss you Mila.

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Today I was in my most bad spirits when all of sudden out of the blew my friend called me. She knew I was not in a good mood. And to make the mood light she asked me to tell everything what was going on my mind as she has gone through all those things in these 3 years so she can imagine my situation. I felt light after telling her my thoughts and made it lighter by telling her about her situations and how she found a way out. She made me realise that there is a way out to everything. Its just you need to figure them out and sort it in the best possible way. At times you have to put a major cut down on things you want to have and at times you need to sacrifice your sleep to earn something. Hard work pays off. She cited those girly examples which actually cor- related to the things. I felt a bit sorted in my mind while talking to her. So immigrants, if you ever feel in that situation, talk to a friend, listen to a song. For me its talking to a friend who has gone through so much and writing my thoughts out so that I can be at peace.

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Parents are always with you. Sometimes you end up making mistakes but its parents who will listen to you, love you and give you the right direction. Your parents are your family and trust me, nobody will come to rescue you or help you when you will be in need. At times, you can manage on your own but then their are cases where everything can’t be managed on your own. Maybe its best to talk to them and tell them how you feel about them. Since you are away and busy, you can’t tell them how much you care about them, you can’t express your true emotions. At times you need to tell them the best things that has happened to you but back home its night and you have to wait for the morning. Now in morning you are late and you are unable to call them and tell them the news. Then the news become a casual story. And here comes the misunderstandings. Love is on both side but this stupid moron distance and time gap acts like an evil. Same goes with friends and relatives. The best taunts you ever hear is “You have gone so busy or you have forgotten us.” Nobody has ever forgotten you, you will always be there in the heart, its just the time and priorities which have changed.

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I have cleared my semester1 and now one more to go. Things can be harsh and harsher but you should know that you are a fighter and you have to fight every battle alone and inspire yourself all the time because your parents, friends and relatives will never be there with you all the time. It is you and you only who has to work hard, make them proud and bleed till you succeed.

Confessions of an Immigrant- 8

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Hello lovelies,

Its been a while since I updated anything because I was going through major writer’s block. It was a phase when I decided that I would never write but then came some circumstances and situations where I realised I need to vent out my thoughts as it will dance in my head. We all know life is full of ups and downs. There are many things which I came to know during this phase.

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So, finally I made my bus pass and I could travel anywhere using TTC bus pass. I went to Brampton for a reception of my cousin sister. I learnt one more thing that 102 A stops at Centennial College whereas 102 B stops at Markham Road while 102 D stops just before Progress Campus. I learnt it after taking some wrong buses. Guys trust me, travelling in a bus has been the biggest challenge for me. For two months I avoided bus because I had a phobia that I might get lost but when I boarded the bus, my notions were proved wrong. The system is great here. There is a button to stop the bus when you reach your destination, there is no conductor, you can either put the coins in the box or just use your presto or TTC bus pass. Moreover, TTC pass can be used in TTC subway too. You can get to know about the buses from Transit. So, from Scarborough to Brampton you have to change 5 buses. In Brampton, TTC doesn’t work, infact it is Zum 502 which is faster. But changing buses is not at all hectic. Everything goes in time but you need to be on time for everything else you have to wait for 15 mins or sometimes half an hour maximum.

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Coming to the reception, it was amazing. The theme was white and gold. It was much different than any other wedding in India. It was the amalgamation of Punjabi and Gujarati families which was showcased beautifully. I liked the way the tables were set and the way the families were introduced. And the bridal party was fantastic along with the bride. In India, we don’t have speeches but here there were speeches from the close members of the bride and the groom. They were straight from the heart and reached the soul. Then there was couple dance, father- daughter dance, belly dance and cabre sort of performance. The most beautiful and pure segment was the father daughter dance. It was nostalgic, heart warming and I could feel the essence of love. In India, we don’t have this and I wish at that time I could dance with my dad.

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A new interesting thing happened in my Canadian life. It was playing the role of an HR Manager and as a Lawyer. No, I am not switching professions, it was part of my assignments. For the first time, I wore western dress and dressed up like a professional. It was an amazing feeling. Plus, during arbitration, it was just like some discussion and I enjoyed this new phase of my life.

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There was an event in college named Rangla Punjab where everyone was dressed up in a suit. The students danced for us, they had small quiz about punjab and many amazing posters were there about Punjabi Culture. Further, they applied Henna on some of the volunteers and I did too. The food was sumptuous as it was none other than Makki KI Roti with Sarson Da Saag along with authentic Lassi. I have a friend named Anjali who performed at this event. I feel so connected to Punjab and on that day I felt at home.

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Now semester is coming to an end, things have been different here. The people I met 3 months ago are different now. Either they are disconnected and some of them are attached. People are unpredicatable here. Either they will be your closest friends when they need you and then slowly they will alienate you from their lives as if you never existed. The other side is, those who think wont be with you, they will do anything to help you and make you feel special. I came across these two set of people which has made me completely philanthrophobic. I can say people are like chameleon that change its color all the time.

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Canada is a mystery and I am still in process of solving it. I realised today, your parents are your true well wishers and can be your best friends too. I miss everyone back home be it my friends, familia or the friends. These assignments have taken away everything. My inner peace is lost and I don’t even get time to introspect myself. I am around so many people but still I feel so alone and this feeling will never go away. I always feel that something is missing and maybe once I get to know what is missing, I can fill that missed part of the puzzle called LIFE. I just know one thing, I am strong and I know what is being weak.

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I will be back with another new episode soon. Stay tuned and keep following me 🙂

 

Confessions of an Immigrant-7

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Hello lovelies,

I am back with yet another confession and I know many of you were waiting for my update but I was stuck with a Canadian Dynamite called Mid- Term. Finally its over and my Reading Week too. So, now tomorrow I will go back to my college and again back to that studies. But many new interesting things happened in this course of time.

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The latest event being my Cousin’s Ladies Sangeet. This weekend was more than fun, excitement and a roller coaster ride. I really loved the decoration. It was combination of Punjabi and Gujarati culture which I was looking forward to. There was a stall where mehandi keeps, parandi, bangles and some other sweets were there. Everything was from home, starting from scented candles, with stands, hukkas, cushions, colourful curtains, umbrellas. Now umbrella had something different in it. They were stitched with phulkari dupattas which made them look more ethnic. Further, I met my relatives which was an amazing catchup with cousins and family. We danced alot and some of the dance was choreographed.

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Bride’s Mom

Coming to the bridal shower which I had missed was also a great show and I just have a picture of it. I wish I could attend the bridal shower. But there were some props too like ‘Bride to be’, ‘Bride’s friends’ or some ‘bridemates’ etc.

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Sisterly Love

Mid Terms didnt seem like mid terms. We had no holidays and they were taken place in the given periods only and in given time. So, it was not like our Indian system that the exams and datesheets were given, then we used to give exams and go back. We practically had no datesheets. For 2 subjects we had mid term quiz which we had in the class and it was objective. All the papers were objective except the two. But I couldn’t feel like that I was giving any exam. We have to answer in the question paper only so we are not given the question papers back.

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first time gulab Jamun in Canada 🙂

The assignments were interesting but hectic. My group gave our best and we could score well in that. For the first time, I got a chance to compile the work and then only I realised how tough it is to be mechanical and go in a sync when it comes to compiling the work of different people into one. Some experiences are always different, yet it teaches us a new lesson.

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The next best segment was the live concert. I still don’t know who the singers were and my apologies for being so naive. There was a restaurant opening and the customers were given free food and some discounts for the other food if we order. The music just relieved my nerves and I wore a gown.

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with dadi and bua

Life has become fast paced and how time flies, you just never come to know. But slowly things are getting better and I am understanding the lifestyle here. I am still a learner and will surely learn new things everyday.

carolburnett1

Author’s Advice: Life is easy but it is on us, how we handle it, either by complicating it or by just facing the reality and moving on with a positive spirit.