Journey to Canada

Journey to Canada

Understanding the Struggles and Triumphs of an Immigrant 

In a phone interview with Ruth, a woman originally from East Africa, I gained valuable insights into the challenges faced by East African immigrants. Her story reflects the struggles that many immigrants encounter, particularly the isolation experienced in various ways, regardless of background or stage of life. Despite her challenges, Ruth embodies resilience and a kindred spirit, serving as an inspiration to others. 

Ruth’s Story: From East Africa to Canada 

Ruth’s native country in East Africa was marked by conflicts and wars characterized by border disputes, resulting in significant loss of life and displacement. The financial and emotional toll of the conflicts profoundly affected Ruth, prompting her to seek a better life elsewhere. After relocating to Northern Africa for four years, Ruth immigrated to Canada in 2011. 

Upon her arrival in Canada, Ruth experienced a stark contrast to her previous circumstances. She found the freedom to express herself and participate in civic life, enjoying a quality of life that significantly improved upon her past life in East and North Africa. Although her children were born and raised in Canada, her husband had to return and remain in East Africa for professional reasons, qualifying Ruth’s family as a single-parent household in Canada. This exemplifies the complex family dynamics that many immigrant families experience, notably separation. 

Ruth values the traditions of her homeland, where community bonds are strong. Most commonly, African people often share meals, support each other, and maintain close relationships with neighbours, maintaining close ties within their social circle. She misses this sense of closeness in Canada and expresses concern about her children lacking similar connections. They struggle to learn their mother tongue, and form their cultural identities, which adds to their feelings of isolation. 

Overall, Ruth is grateful for the peaceful life she enjoys in Canada, yet she faces challenges, particularly social isolation stemming from alienation from her community and barriers related to language and accent. 

To combat her feelings of isolation, Ruth joined a local Catholic church, where she actively participates and finds support. 

Ruth’s Contribution to Canadian Society: Empowering the Next Generation 

As a school counsellor, Ruth shares her concerns about the next generation of children in Canada: “I worry about the children,” she acknowledges. “Kids are innocent, and it’s our responsibility to be good role models for them”. Ruth aspires to continue her work as a school counsellor, nurturing the next generation while actively engaging in her church and community initiatives.

The Impact of Community Events: Celebrating Heritage & Fostering Connectedness 

Thanks to the generous support of United Way Community Hubs, Calgary Foundation, the Sunalta Community Association and Women Owned Narratives (WON), a special event to celebrate East African traditions while bringing together people from diverse cultures to connect was celebrated on November 21st, 2024. These events provides a space for people to come together, foster social connections and actively reduce social isolation.

Conclusion 

My interview with Ruth over the phone posed some technical difficulties as many non verbal and visual aspects of communication were absent. Despite these technical hurdles, Ruth eagerly shared her story, opening up about her experiences during the war and the hardships she faced before coming to Canada. Her narrative resonated with me, as I have also experienced civil conflicts in my lifetime. 

I appreciated Ruth’s openness in discussing her experiences with immigration, social isolation—stemming from cultural differences, and language barriers. 

Ruth also shared her experience of internal discrimination from individuals within her own community. While I don’t fully understand the reasons behind this alienation, I concluded that it may stem from historical and political conflicts between ethnic groups, an unfortunate yet common situation many countries experience. 

Overall, Ruth’s story sheds light on the societal issue of social isolation in Canada. By sharing her journey, I hope to bridge the gap between Canadians and immigrants, as many of us encounter social isolation in one form or another. Furthermore, Ruth’s success is defined by her contributions to Canadian society. To her, success means investing in her community by instilling kindness and responsibility in youth. By fostering these values, she hopes that her children and others will contribute positively to Canadian society. Like Ruth, may we all use our strengths to benefit not only ourselves, but especially our families, and our communities for wellbeing of future generations. 

From our conversation, we learn three important facts: 

Loneliness is common among older adults in Canada. 

Loneliness is more prevalent among newcomers to Canada. 

Loneliness is more common in older newcomer women. 

Case Study Article By Ornela Thieba, November 21st, 2024 

Remarks:  Ruth is a pseudonym used to protect the identity of the woman interviewed. 

References: Lu, M., Bronskill, S.E., Strauss, R. et al. (2023). Factors associated with loneliness in immigrant and Canadian-born older adults in Ontario

Canada: a population-based study. *BMC Geriatrics, 23,* 380.