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.