As a European citizen, I had the opportunity to come to Toronto in 2014, when I visited my brother after the summer season in Boston, Massachusetts. From the beginning, I couldn’t shake the impression to compare this city with the different cities in the USA and Europe, where I used to live. After two weeks’ stay, I could confirm that this city is unique and attractive at the same time. I was determined to come back one day.
That happened in September 2015. I returned to Toronto with a work permit in hand. At that time, I was ready to live independently as a European citizen.
That was a great way to start my real life in the Northern part of America, an excellent opportunity to build my life from scratch.
Toronto is Canada’s business and finance capital. A growing economic hub in North America, in the top ten global financial centers. That was a good sign for the beginning and a significant challenge for me.
Let me tell you my story.
As I mentioned, I arrived in Toronto in September 2015. I found accommodation with a Canadian family to better adapt to the local environment. My advantage was my lifestyle; before, I lived in many places in the USA like New York, Boston, Washington DC, Richmond, and Virginia Beach. That was giving me the confidence to succeed in a new country. I worked for several companies in the business and gradually gained experience as a coach–observer. It was a challenging time for me, starting in Canada without my friends and family. My main goal was to stay in Canada. I had to finish my two years of work experience in the country, accredit my engineering degree, which I obtained in Europe, and went through the British English IELTS tests. Sending my documents to the government of Canada through a lawyer was the longest part. At that moment, I realized how we could move in our lives if we pursue our goals.
Welcome to Toronto
Don’t expect a busy metropolis. Skyscrapers alternate with low brick houses, the atmosphere of the city is peaceful. It blends many cultures’ influences, making Toronto look like a varied jigsaw puzzle. Each piece represents a distinctive neighborhood, unique to every inch.
I got my residency status in July 2018 after almost three years of stay. I am glad I can be a Torontonian and be part of this city. Toronto as a city is beautiful. This place itself is a cosmopolitan and cultural phenomenon, with residents from around the globe. Here you’ve got it all, the numbers of different languages, authentic cuisine, various cultures, their habits, and celebrations. And this is what makes a city great.
The whole world mixes in ONE city called York or the 6.
First Nations people inhabited the site of Toronto’s present location and the surrounding region for thousands of years before European colonization started in the 17th century. The city name most likely comes from the Mohawk word tkaronto – “where trees are standing in the water.” From the native reference, it is a meaning for pole and net system for catching fish. It took Europeans less than 300 years to change a way of life that had been going on for at least 20,000 years.
A place where people live great? Definitely Toronto.
Work experience
When you start to live out of your comfort zone daily, you realize that you have only one life to live. And that is what I learned when I left my family and childhood friends behind. I realized that there is only me and my life. And that’s what many people realize when they live on their own.
I worked for several companies. The most, I was influenced by the technology company in Brampton, where I learned business. During my travels, I met many different people and personalities. I take the good qualities from each person I have met, or I had the opportunity to work with. Mainly to learn to be beneficial for others in their journey through their life.
Canada has changed my life.
Canada is a diverse and fascinating country, different than Europe and the USA. There are more newcomers in Canada than in other countries I have visited. I haven’t seen such a free country, in comparison with Czechia, USA, United Kingdom, Portugal, so places where I used to live before. In my opinion, Canada as a nation is connected to nature.
With such an ample land of 9.9 million square kilometres, the longest coastline, and land border with the United States with nearly 9,000 kilometres is the world’s longest border. Canada is the second-largest country around the globe. This country is impressive, including vast mountains and more than 2 million lakes with 1 million square kilometres of freshwater. Most of the land unfit for human habitation and ninety percent of the population lives within 100 miles of border with the USA. Population density one of the lowest in the world, 3.5 people per km square.
All this above makes me think differently. And Canada has helped me to find out who I am. It reminded me of a human connection with the land and the responsibility to care for each other, regardless of cultural background.
This world is filled with distracting noise that makes it hard to hear the inner voice. The voice that intuitively knows the right path.
