A Global Villager

When you are rounding the fifties and have spent most of them (or all of them) in your home country it is really challenging to get a new country to live, especially if that country speaks a different language,

has a different culture, has the full 4 seasons, and so on.

It happened to me in 2007. I was 47 years old, my entire life in Colombia, (my home country) I did not speak English and even I had no idea about how a minus 30 degrees winter in my life is.

I had to leave Colombia due security issues, two little children and my wife around were counting on me to be settled in our new home. No money in the pocket, no able to communicate in English language and then, no able to get a job according to my skills. So… I was ready to go back to Colombia in my second week after arriving to Canada.

But we do not have option and the only way we had was to get settled in this new scenario. Despite my children were so young they were a key factor to surpass that challenging stage in our lives. We got together to decide about our future, and we made decisions. For my wife and for me it was imperative to learn English and then we started going to the English school. Personally, I dedicated more than 16 hours per day in that purpose combining different strategies: School, radio, tv, videos, reading books, participating in English conversation circles, being an active church member, and writing everything in English language. Email, FB, and all the social media I used was in English language.

The second step was to update my academic background under a Canadian University. I went to Fanshawe to take two post graduate certificates, and then I began looking for a job.

But is a mechanical part, what is complicated is getting settled into the community, assimilating a new culture, and accepting my new emigrant status. It has been a difficult and progressive process, but I have gone step by step.

Today 14 years later, I have to say I am not any more a small village community member. Today I feel to be a Global Villager, with a global understanding of the world issues, accepting the diversity, getting engaged in a multicultural society and respecting each other as part essential of one peaceful country.

Authored by: Juan A. Carrera

Business Development Director