A Year Later...

Hi again everyone,


So it has been a year since I’ve moved to Canada, and a whole lot as changed. I’m glad to report that I now have a job working in a construction company, and I’m making enough money that I can probably bring my family over to Canada in a year or two. After taking my courses, I found that I could have conversations with people, read, and write in English much more easily, and I really appreciated the structure of the courses that I took. It was tough being motivated enough to complete my assignments sometimes since there are no deadlines, but thinking about how hard I need to work to make sure I can provide for myself and my family kept me on track. However, there were times when I put things off for longer than I should have. On
the other hand, I could read things at my own pace, use an online translator and dictionary when I wanted to, and it worked well with my terrible work schedule.


Outside of the classroom, my interactions with my coworkers also helped my English skills as well. Not only were they willing to practice with me, they also gave me lots of tips about things such as slang words, and interview skills to make sure that I would have as few bumps in the road as possible when talking to people. One thing I might’ve done differently is that I would’ve appreciated a job where I got to talk to more people. Working as a dishwasher and in a gas station doesn’t allow for very many conversations. But if I had worked in a retail setting or something, I would’ve been forced to speak with more customers, which would probably have helped me learn English a lot faster. Also, since MOOCs are all online, I didn’t get a chance to talk to classmates that were probably in similar situations as me, and I would’ve appreciated both the educational and emotional support I could’ve gotten from them.


But as of right now, my English skills are good enough that I can understand 90% of what people are saying to me, and I can have proper conversations without much difficulty. I’m definitely going to continue doing more MOOCs on my own time, but probably at a slower pace now that my skills are not in desperate need of improving. Luckily, there are also Portuguese speakers in my group of coworkers who help me learn more English when we work together, so I am able to continue my education in a much less formal setting at work. Overall, I feel that my decision to move to Canada has paid off so far, and I think that my first year here has definitely been a success although there were obstacles to overcome, but I am ready to continue growing and learning!


- Antonio

Success and Challenges - One Year Later

I have now been in Vancouver for a year. I have been taking intensive English classes at a private college for the past 6 months. At first, the school put me in an intermediate-level class for business professionals. The other students in the class came from all over the world and were around my age, all of whom worked in professional fields in their home countries. I felt that most of these students came from a similar background as me, so I felt comfortable with this group. Unfortunately, the lessons focused on business related topics, such as negotiations and presentations, and the students in these classes were very focused as their main objective for taking the class was to further their careers, so they didn’t seem too interested in socializing outside of class time. Also, I did not find to be relevant for my day-to-day life, so I moved to a general English class. Many of the other students in this class seem to be very young and are here to prepare for university studies, but I feel this course would be a better option for learning English to use in my daily life. Once I complete the advanced level, I may try the business program again. In case we do stay permanently, I would like to be able to continue with my career in real estate. I am confident that after a complete these programs, I will be able to meet the English-language proficiency requirements, which is one the steps towards becoming a licensed realtor in BC and will be more comfortable completing the required coursework that follows, which is only offered in English at UBC.

My children are in an English-speaking program at school and have been picking up English very quickly. I have been encouraging them to speak English at home, which has also helped me to learn the language. I have been lucky to find Le Centre Culturel Francophone in Vancouver, an association that promotes education in the French language and culture. They hold many events where I have met many people who have been eager to practice their French with me and at the same time, have allowed me to practice my English with them. It has been an adjustment for sure moving to Canada, but this was not unexpected. However, the people who I have met so far have been very nice. While most people in Vancouver don’t speak French fluently, everyone seems to be happy to practice their grade 10 French with me to help when I am stuck in a conversation, which has made the transition has been much better than expected.

One Year Later...

Hi everyone,

It has been a year since I have moved to Canada. The goals that I have placed for myself have yet to happen. I unfortunately still work at the retail store but as a manager, and I have not been able to gain work experience in an architecture firm here. Also, I am still unable to take classes from MOSAIC as my long workday prevents me from being able to fully commit to classes. I tried it for a few weeks, but I found myself falling behind due to stressing about my finances. I feel that I have improved my English a little, as talking to people on a regular basis as made me more confident. However, I would like to have the chance to attend English classes in the near future. I feel that it is not too late to learn and I would love to work with fellow architects, as architecture is my passion, not retail.

Even though I was only able to take a few weeks worth of classes from MOSAIC, they were very intense and fast paced. I liked the speed of the environment, and wish I could have continued. Due to finances and time constraints as I have mentioned before, I was unable to complete classes there. I hope I will be able to pursue another path in terms of ESL classes, and I think I will try online classes, as they are free and perhaps may be less time consuming. I think I will try for this in a few months, after I get settled into my new managerial position.

I do not think I could have done anything differently, except for perhaps saving more money or researching barriers I might face coming to Canada, but I feel that I have grown as a person. Even though my ultimate goal was to create a better life for myself in Canada by pursuing my architecture degree, I feel I have improved my English to some extent. My vocabulary has expanded more and my grammatical errors have reduced. I feel proud for accomplishing something, even though it was not taken in a formal institute.

I am glad that I took the chance to come to Canada, even if I have not reached my initial goals. I have been able to interact with and meet so many people; I feel that I have become more confident in speaking English. I hope to pursue my education and take more classes in the future, perhaps maybe with another year down the road. I look forward to my journey here in Canada and hopefully reaching my goals of establishing myself as an architect!

-Sahar

ESL Experience

Hi everyone again,

Hope all of you are doing well with your English learning. It is already one year since I first came to Vancouver and wrote my very first blog post. I have learned English at Langara for one year and today, I want to share my experience as well as my thought about this ESL program with everyone.

I started LEAP program with the lowest level to the highest level, which is from level 3 to level 6. Each level takes seven weeks to finish. When I first started level 3, I had not get used to the way of learning here, so I felt very stressful. I was so afraid that I would fail the course. All of my LEAP courses are typical formal education. The classes take place in a classroom with a teacher teaches and students listen.

I found the way teachers in Canada teach English is different from Vietnam. In Vietnam, usually learning goes from one direction only, which is students learn from teachers. In Canada, learning occurs not only from teachers to students, but also from students to students. At Langara, teachers always ask students to discuss a topic or a question with their fellows, and then share their ideas with the whole class. However, in Vietnam, the teachers ask question and students raise their hands to answer the question. After all, I prefer the way of learning in Canada than in Vietnam because I can learn not only from the teachers, but also from my friends. Sometimes, they can let me see a problem from another perspective that I would never think of. It is also an opportunity for me to interact with my friends, and practice my communication skills.

Throughout all of my courses, I found out that my reading and writing skills are ok. However, I still need work on my listening and speaking skills. Thus, I want to improve my listening and speaking skills. I tried to speak to my friends and my teachers as much as possible when I was in classes. Outside of classes, I also want to practice my English skills, so I applied for some volunteer positions. I got two volunteer jobs. One is a cashier for a gift shop at St. Paul's hospital, and the other one is a personal shop assistant for elderly. Both volunteer jobs gave me a chance to talk to more people to help enhance my English skills. Now, I feel that I am getting better. I am much more confident in communicating with other people now compared to when I just came to Vancouver.

Overall, I think I made the right decision to study English before applying for university. It has prepared me all the English skills that I need in my future study and career as well. I got accepted into UBC. With an effort that I put into learning English in this one-year period, I am confident to say that I am ready for my next journey.

Cheers,

Winnie

Coming to Canada...

Hi everyone,


My name is Antonio and I am 25 years old. I come from a family of 5 living in Sao Paulo, Brazil where I used to work in construction for the city. While I am able to get constant work in Brazil, it doesn’t pay enough to support my family and I am the sole provider for my mom and four siblings. Through word of mouth, I’ve heard that the construction industry in Canada is quickly growing and that is why I made the decision to move here just a short while ago. Eventually I hope to make enough money and to have a home so that I can bring my family over, but that will have to be after I’ve figured out my work and living situation for myself first.


Since this is my first time living outside of Brazil, I do have quite a few concerns. First and foremost, my mother tongue is Portuguese, and I only have a minimal amount of English skills. Unfortunately, I haven’t been able to find any construction jobs like I had planned to here in Canada yet, just because all the employers I had interviews with said that my English isn’t good enough for me to work with their company. Secondly, money is of great worry to me as well. I do have to send money back home every month, but I also need to pay for living and food expenses for myself while I live here as well. This leaves me very stressed and constantly worrying about whether I have made the right decision to move here or not.


My plans so far for my first year in Canada basically involve me working two jobs – dish washing and tending to a gas station. While this does allow me to make enough money to live in Canada and send money to Brazil for my family, it doesn’t give me very much time to improve my English skills, which is important for me to do in order to find a job in construction. Fortunately, I was informed that I could enroll in some MOOCs, which are Massive Open Online Courses that offer classes in just about any subject and you can learn and do assignments whenever you want, and take all the time you need. So far I’ve enrolled in English communications, reading, and writing classes, as well as a construction skills class to increase my skillset for my job in the future. I hope to be able to do my homework and learn between my jobs, and bring my English skills up to par.


- Antonio

First Impressions of Canada

My name is Marie. I am 33 years old and I come from Bordeaux, located in the southwest of France. I was born and raised in France. French is my native language; however, I know a little bit of English from watching American movies and television with subtitles. I am coming to Canada with my husband and two children, ages 5 and 7. My husband was transferred to Vancouver for his job. We plan to be in Vancouver for 3-5 years, but there is a chance that this move may be permanent.

In Bordeaux, I worked full-time as a real estate agent, but will not be able to work in this field while in Vancouver. To be licensed as a real estate agent in British Columbia, I would need to meet the English-language proficiency requirements, and I do not meet these requirements. My university degree is from the Université Montesquieu - Bordeaux IV, taught entirely in French, and I have never completed any coursework in English.

I am excited and nervous to live in a different country, as I have only ever lived in France. I will try to learn more English while I am here; however, it is comforting to know that French is also an official language for Canada. I’ve even found so far that all products that I can buy from the store are labelled in French and English, which is very helpful. I am doing my best to read only the English descriptions on the products and only looking at the French when I am stuck. I have learned a lot of new words this way and it also helps that a lot of words are the same in English and French!

My children are starting school right away, so I do worry that I will lonely and bored during the day, as this is the time that I would normally be working; however, my husband’s company is paying for my English-language training while I am here, so I will have my daily classes to keep me busy for at least half of the day. His company has recommended a program that they send all of their employees to who are transferring to their Vancouver office from offices in non-English speaking countries. I look forward to meeting the other students in the class and hopefully meeting some new people.

My First Impressions of Canada

Hi everyone,

My name is Sahar Jallad, 45 years old, and I come from Esfahan, Iran. I recently moved to Canada with my sister to create a better life, and leave all the corruption and war behind. My first few thoughts about Canada are that there are many cultures here, and many people from Iran. I feel a sense of community and home, as I do miss my friends and family in Iran. I hope that this community will help me feel less sad about leaving everything behind.

My English skills are okay, as I grew up speaking Farsi, and I came to Canada thinking that I would be able to work in an architecture firm. This is not the case. I find it very hard to get work because my degree is not taken seriously here, and companies are not impressed with my English skills. I am concerned that this will be very difficult to manage my finances, as I have to work almost 15 hours a day at both my jobs at a local restaurant and retail store to help pay for my bills. Also, I send money to my family back in Esfahan and I find it hard to go to work and pay for my bills. I do not even have the chance to save money to go back to school, and trying to find an English class to take for free that fits my schedule is tiresome. I would like to take online classes, but I am not motivated enough to complete the work. I feel that attending class will force me to do the work, but I do not have time because of my long workdays. I hope that I will find something soon that fits my schedule and will be free or at least cheap.

I plan to look for work experience in an architecture firm and improve my English skills by talking to locals and pushing myself to speak English. After I gain some experience, I hope that the firm will take me more seriously and allow me to work, at least part-time. I would like to attend English classes, as I have heard that MOSAIC is a good program for English learning. I hope to complete my goals by the end of the year.

-Sahar