Immigrant Stories

Abstract

The migrant experience is above all a humbling one. There is often a wrong perception amongst those who live in places where migrants tend to go that the resilience we carry is due to some negative experiences we had where we came from; and that this justifies the hardships we endure in the places we choose to call home. The story is frequently very different. We move full of hopes and dreams, and many would not take the leap if conscious of all the barriers we are sure to face. The stories of migration are as diverse as the number of stars in the sky. And for that reason, the idea of migrants as a single group goes against any kind of reality if examined for more than a second. Although in Canada there are established categories of immigrants, such as economic migrants and refugees (and several others), within these categories are human journeys that are specific to each individual. Even inside a family we find different reasons for taking the leap. While one can choose to move away to have better professional opportunities, others might only be looking to get away from the mess their families are tangled in. To distance oneself from one’s birthplace can encompass the understanding that one’s comfort zone lies in a distant place, far away from social pressures – a chance to reinvent yourself as an individual.