I finally found my life

Transcribed story

"I finally found my life"
from Sri Lanka

I was born in the beautiful country of Sri Lanka. I never really wanted to leave my home country, but my husband insisted on moving to another country for the sake of our children.

We arrived in Canada in July 2001 holding temporary visiting visas. However, three months later, my husband expressed his desire to stay in Canada, and we ended up seeking refugee status. Our first priority was to find a school for our children. We decided to settle in Brampton, where we stayed in the basement of my husband's cousin's place, which they rented out to us. At that time, neither my husband nor I were fluent in English, and we struggled to navigate our new surroundings. Nobody helped.

Desperate to find a school for my kids, my husband and I ventured out to the nearest one we could find, which was difficult because we didn't have phones to aid us at that time. We asked people for directions and assistance until we eventually located the school. The principle there was really helpful and supportive; they provided us with much-needed guidance, helping us enrol our children in school. Finally, our kids were able to begin their education in Canada.

Financial struggles have always been a significant concern for my family. We didn't have enough money, so we applied for welfare assistance. Welfare representatives told us we needed to take English lessons since we didn't know how to speak or write well. My youngest daughter was only 2 1/2 years old. We had no one to take care of her while we attended English school during the evenings other than my two older kids.

8 years later, it was time for my son to enter university and he had chosen the University of Toronto. However, our refugee case was still processing many years later, and we didn't have permanent residence status yet. As a result, my son was classified as an international student, and we received a letter detailing the exorbitant tuition fees of twenty thousand dollars per year. We were overwhelmed and unsure how we could afford it. My husband and I decided to visit the university and explain our situation. We pleaded that we couldn't afford such steep fees. Thankfully, the university understood our predicament and granted us an exemption from paying international student fees. We both took on additional night shifts to save more money. With the money I had saved, we were able to cover my son's tuition fees, and he started his studies at the university. The following year, our eldest daughter faced a similar situation. Once again, we worked tirelessly, sacrificing sleep and putting in long hours to save enough money to pay for her education. Ten years later, we finally got permanent residence status. This meant that our youngest daughter could apply for student loans and financial aid. With this newfound support, she too was able to pursue her dreams and attend university.

Looking back, it was a challenging period for our family. We worked tirelessly, disregarding job titles or societal statuses, and took whatever work we could find. We often worked gruelling hours, sometimes doing two shifts in a row, just to make ends meet. However, seeing our children flourish and lead fulfilling lives today fills me with immense happiness and pride. Our determination paid off, I'm now a happy mom.