Starting over

For four months now, the young family has lived on Decarie Boulevard and has integrated quietly into life in Quebec. The instability of their home country, provoked by political and economic crises, is what motivated the couple to come to a safer, more secure place where they could raise their child in peace. They did an Internet search for potential new cities of residence and soon hit on Montreal, because of its multicultural and French-speaking traits, which guaranteed a smoother transition.

Long administrative delays and one baby later, the young family found themselves in Canada more than two years after beginning their quest. Upon recommendations from friends already in Montreal, the couple decided to settle down in St. Laurent.

"We only heard good things about St. Laurent, and we found a place to live near the metro and stores that sell food we eat back home," Fatima said.

"I have accounting training, but we didn't use the same software as they do here and I have to learn the programs. I would have done the training in Ivory Coast before we moved, if I'd known," Fatima said. In addition, many employers require Canadian experience and perfect bilingualism.

"That surprised me to learn that you had to be almost perfectly bilingual to work here, because it's not one of the requirements to immigrate to Quebec. That also, I would have learned before I moved."

While the couple started to worry about finances, Fatima was getting down having to spend her days at home. A friend told her about the Centre d'encadrement pour jeunes filles immigrantes (CEJFI), a non-profit organization that helps recent immigrant women, aged 12 to 35, find work and integrate into Quebec society. They educate the women on social and cultural integration, civics and their rights.

After a few weeks, Fatima began participating in job-skills workshops, in Quebec culture, nutrition, radio journalism and photography. She also attends journalism classes given by Saint-Laurent News, so that she’ll learn how to write news articles.

All the same, the 27-year-old is not sure if she'll be able to finish CEJFI's six-month shadowing program. "I really love the project, but my husband is going back to school in September and I haven't found a day care for my son yet," she said.

Even though the boy has been on a waiting list for a $7-a-day daycare space for 10 months, no places are yet available.

Despite those difficulties, the family is happy with their decision to move here.

"People here are very courteous. They'll come and help you even if you didn't ask for it, especially with the baby's stroller," Fatima explained.

She is also worming to Quebec culture. The family recently attended the St. Jean Baptiste Day celebrations at Maisonneuve Park, but in the grand scheme of things, the only thing that matters is the family's safety.

"I think we are in a good place to raise a family and I'm confident that we'll integrate well," Fatima said.

(Translated by Marc Lalonde)