When did you move to Canada? & why did you move to Canada? How was your life like in your country of origin before you moved to Canada?
I moved to Canada 10 years ago. I remember the exact date, September 1, 2017. I came to Canada with the aim of gaining a Western education in the hopes that I could use my education to improve the lives of those back home. The plan was to get a 4-year-degree, absorb as much knowledge as I could and head home. Ten years later, I am still here. This has made my parents very happy as they never thought returning home was a viable option. Although I had lived a fairly comfortable life, the economic situation in Zimbabwe meant that there were and still are, very few job opportunities. Zimbabwe currently has a 90% unemployment rate and part of the economy is reliant on Zimbabweans who live and work in other countries and send money back home to relatives and dependents. Returning home, I soon realized, was a dream that had to be deferred.
What was your first impression when you arrived in Canada?
The taxi ride from James Armstrong Richardson International Airport to was long and dark. The plane had landed at 19:00p.m. and most people had turned in for the evening. I remember thinking, as we zoomed down route 90 on the way to the University of Manitoba, that Winnipeg did not look too different from Harare, my home city. I was soon to learn that the people of Winnipeg were not too different from the people in my own home city. My arrival in Canada also coincided with my entry into University. As an international student, I had both the experience of a new school environment and a new country. I was blown away by the kindness of the people at met at University. This also sheltered me from the rest of the society which I entered after I completed my studies.
What were some of the challenges you faced when you moved here?
There are many challenges that come with being an immigrant. Most are related to integrating into a society, learning a new language or getting accustomed to phrases, idioms and maxims that are foreign to the ear. However, the challenge that has been the most difficult for me is coping with the death of loved ones while being so far away. I had experienced death when I was home, but I always had my family with whom to mourn. Death is a time that family comes together to remember those who are lost to us and through that coming together we heal. However, when you are far from home, you rarely get the chance to say goodbye and mourn with others.
The first experience I had with death from afar, happened in my first year in Canada. My grandmother passed away in March 2008, about 7 months after I had arrived in Canada. My father called me at 2:00 a.m. in the morning (around 10:00 a.m. in Zimbabwe). I snuck out of the room I shared with my Canadian roommate as I did not want to wake her and answered the call in the residence lounge. I wept in the lounge, quietly and alone. For the first time since arriving in Canada, I understood the distance between Winnipeg and Harare (2 to 3 days travel) and I truly felt alone. For various reasons, I was not able to go home for the funeral. I had no other family in Winnipeg and could only talk to my family back home in the early hours of the morning or late at night. I was frustrated and angry and above all else, I hated myself for having ever left home. I had not been home to say goodbye and was now unable to comfort my mother when she needed me most. In the ensuing weeks my friends were all very supportive and showed me great compassion. However, I could not shake the feeling of being alone and isolated. Since then, whenever my phone rings late at night or early in the morning, the first thing I say is “What happened?”.
Was there any support from the community to help you integrate? If yes, what were they? If not, how did you survive?
I was lucky in that when I moved her, I stayed on campus. A lot of the help I received came from other students who had experienced what I was now going through. One of the first friends I made was another international student from South Korea. She helped me and another friend to set up our bank accounts, showed us how to use the bus, where to buy calling cards (this was before WhatsApp and Wi-Fi was more easily accessible). She even helped me pick out my first winter coat. Without her, I genuinely do not know how I would have managed.
On my second day in Canada, I met family from Saskatchewan who were helping their son move into the university residence. I remember we had a short conversation in the elevator and by the time we had reached our destination, I had been invited to their home. I did not visit until 2016 but when I did, I was welcomed into their home with open arms. I have met so many others who have opened their homes and their hearts to me which has been very humbling.
I have connected with other members of the Zimbabwean community in Winnipeg. They have been a source of emotional support that has given me so much strength.
What do you miss most from your country of origin?
This is a difficult question to answer. I miss my family most of all but aside from them I miss the people. I miss the way Zimbabweans have gone through so much trauma but somehow, they are always happy. Always smiling and ready with a joke, regardless of the situation. During the recent “coup-non-coup”, I received a combination of serious messages and funny memes from family members and friends. Army tanks were rolling down the streets of Harare but Zimbabweans went along their daily business.
I miss spending Christmas in my rural village. It is absolutely the best time of year to be home and it truly is magical. Unlike children in Canada or those in the larger cities, children in the rural villages often receive new clothes as Christmas gifts. They put on their new clothes on December 25th and parade their new outfits to their friends. Some of the children also get some money to buy treats which they often share with their friends. I used to work in my parents little shop and had the pleasure of selling candy to some of these children on Christmas day. They were so happy and free. These children without cell phones, laptops or video games spend the day with each other just being children and it is beautiful to see.
Since coming to Canada, have you visited your country of origin? What was your first impression on going back? How did it feel?
I have been home several times since first coming to Canada. Going home is sometimes as foreign as my first entry into Canada. Upon arriving home, I have the odd feeling of being home while at the same time feeling like a foreigner in my own country. The motions are the same, the food is the same but I have changed and so have the people I left behind. My first week at home is spent being a tourist of sorts as I am shown around the new hot spots or markets.
I now notice things I did not notice before, certain things bother me that were never used to be an issue. The last time I was home, I had an argument with a relative regarding the income disparity and economic situation in Zimbabwe. I distinctly remember yelling, “How can you live in a country like this?”. As the words came out of my mouth, I realized that I had lived like that for most of my life and until I left, I had managed to live just fine.
How has your life changed since moving here?
Since coming to Canada, I have received a J.D. and I am currently working for a local charity. I have made a home for myself here in a way I originally had not thought possible. More importantly, I have also found a way to give back to my community without actually being back home. In 2016, I founded The Grace & Nelly Project, an non-profit organization dedicated to the empowerment of women and children through the implementation of sustainable initiatives at a grass roots level. We began with purchasing reusable pads for primary school aged girls in Mukombami (rural village in Zimbabwe). It is my hope to build a factory that will make reusable pads that we can donate to all the girls of school going age and sell to women at a discounted price. This will not only provide women and girls with a necessary commodity but will also provide a source of employment and income in the area.
What advice would you give to newcomers in Canada?
Do not isolate yourself. Reach out to other immigrants, even if they are from different countries. They are going through what you are going through or have gone through it before. Other immigrants can help you put things into perspective, can be a place to vent your frustrations and can guide you through the hurdles that you will encounter. I used to feel alone, even in a room of friends I knew loved me, I would still feel alone because my experiences had been so different. Since connecting with various members of the Zimbabwean community in Winnipeg, I feel more at home. I have found people who I have grown to see as sisters and de-facto parents. Sometimes it is as simple as having a home cooked meal from back home and talking in your own language. When I am in an environment I can interact with others based on my own traditions and customs, but with a Canadian twist, I find myself feeling more at home in my new home than I could have hoped.
What advice would you give to people back in your country?
We need to learn from the past. Zimbabwe is currently going through some changes and it may be that there is a new hope of us changing our situation for the better. I would tell my fellow countrymen that now is the time to work hard for a better Zimbabwe. That those living in the country and outside the country have an opportunity to work together to bring about the change we need. However, it will not come without hard work and it must be us to bring about that change.