Page 11 - Rosedale Lifestyle March 2021

Immigrating to Canada Just 2 Years Ago
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the longest seconds of my life to load the content. But it was true, after 2-1⁄2 years we were approved as immigrants to Canada !
Yet, we needed to deal with one last step, a complete and meticulous medical checkup, and only 3 physicians were able to do it in all of Sao Paulo. After the thumbs up for the medical check up, we were just a step away from our dream - finding the right city in Canada. At first it was hard. Our entire life we had been living in a big city, so our preference was to find a small town with easy access to Toronto. Then, after seeing just a few pictures we fell in love with Oakville, one of the most beautiful cities in Canada.
Now we were in a hurry. We only had one year to get ready to leave, and, living in a tropical country we knew we couldn't arrive during the winter. We planned our arrival to be during the summer so we could adapt to the new climate over the fall season.
We packed our things, 7 bags with our most important possessions to start our new life. We left Brazil at night, and after 12 hours I remember the sun waking us up while we were flying over the ocean, travelling at 575 mph, the Caribbean Islands seemed to not move on the horizon. Finally we touched down in Toronto, excited and nervous. It was all surreal. I don't even remember my steps out of the airplane, but I do remember one phrase : May I have two double-doubles and two Boston creams please ?
Acouple of hours after landing, our life had already started to take off again. After several days in an Airbnb, the owners practically adopted us as family. We found a permanent place to live in 2 weeks and an excellent job in a couple of months. We’ve also been blessed with many new Canadian friends. After almost one year here, we’ve traveled the entire GTA and to
many other parts of southern Ontario, absorbing all the culture and history in every corner. As a true immigrant, we chose Canada, and this culture to be part of our life.
We are so grateful because since we arrived here, the country has embraced us in the same proportion as we have embraced our new way of life. ere is no language or cultural barrier for an open heart. Maybe I can’t have all the tartan shirts I want, but we have a wonderful country, with amazing people, maple trees and maple syrup, safety and freedom - and this is more than enough for us !
Thanks for letting me share our story And glad to be part of the True North Strong and Free
Anderson and wife Milena braving their first Canadian winter after immigratin from Brazil just 2 Years ago
ROSEDALE Lifestyle MARCH 2021 Page 11