I came from Russia about 17 years ago. Everything was a surprise to me. How many people not working and on welfare, and the drug deals close to where we lived. When I start working then I notice all different cultures. I see how much they stick together – East Indian, Polish, Philippine people – and help each other a lot. But not so much Russians.
When our apartment building hired a caretaker, two people applied. One was Russian. Even though many people in our building Russian – we hire someone else. So I notice maybe we don’t stick together all the same way.
Canada is an immigrant country. If you go to Europe, you will always be an immigrant, and your children will also be immigrants. Not here. But sometimes, it is easier to have relationships with people from other cultures who come to Canada than people who are “Canadian.”
Irena in Vancouver