COR Stories: Marvelous’ Journey to Canada and COR

Marvelous was born and raised in Nigeria — a multinational state inhabited by more than 250 ethnic groups speaking 500 distinct languages, all identifying with a wide variety of cultures. Marvelous immigrated to Canada to pursue her tertiary education. She chose Canada as her destination because it offers a world-class education. Another reason why she chose Canada was because of the multiculturalism that exists in the country.

Part of settling down in a new country means going through the rigorous immigration process. Marvelous shared that the process for her study permit was fairly straight forward, but it demanded a lot of patience and also hoping for the best as many people who seek immigration to Canada get refused every year. According to information from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), 30 percent of all study permit applications to Canada are rejected.

Asked about the biggest culture shock Marvelous had to face upon her arrival to Canada, Marvelous replied that she didn’t really face cultural shock. “Personally, I had done lots of research before coming to Canada and it helped me in my journey as a student and as a professional.” But even with doing research, nobody is ever prepared for the harsh winter weather! Marvelous said that she easily adapted to the weather once she got used to it. She also shared that she would have liked to know about the tax system in Canada. The tax system differs from country to country and Canada remains one of the countries where people pay higher taxes. On a positive note, healthcare, education and paid leaves for new parents are what attracts people to come to Canada.

Even though it was not always easy to adapt, Marvelous shared that if she has to do it all over again, she would still choose Canada. “It’s a welcoming place to be in for all cultural diversity, and a place to further intellectual abilities” mentioned Marvelous.

If there is one thing Marvelous misses about her country, it’s the food! It’s difficult to get everything she is used to eating in Nigeria.

Asked about how she joined COR, Marvelous shared that she started her journey with COR as a job coach with the 4to40 Initiative and really like helping the people we support in such an important part of their lives. “The fact that I am able to fulfill my dream of supporting people and getting paid for it makes it easy to work at COR” shared Marvelous. “I love that the pillars of gentle teaching are embedded at the core of COR, it positively changes the face of caring and supporting people” shared Marvelous about our philosophy of gentleness.

For future goals, Marvelous hopes to fully settle down in Regina, get a degree and advance her career at COR. Marvelous aspires to become a leader at COR.

Thank you Marvelous for sharing your journey to Canada, we are grateful to have you as part of our team and we pride ourselves on knowing that you love what you do and that your purpose connects with our purpose at COR.

 

Written by Joana Valamootoo