₦airaland Forum

salford1:
This question always comes up in all travel threads on nairaland. Is there racism or have you experienced racism in Australia or Canada or the US or the UK?


Many incidents are unreported, however; good news is that racist or prejudice guys are greatly outnumbered by liberal minded folks. It is also important to note that to grow your career in this country or any advanced country in the world, try not to think of such things like racism.Try to get such thoughts out of your head. If you have your brain messed up with thoughts of racism/prejudice, you would seriously limit yourself and achieve nothing.
If you overcame tribalism in Nigeria, then you would overcome any racism or prejudice you might encounter in a developed country.

Gbam...word!!!

Our tribalism in naija has no "part 2" in any other country of the world ooo. True word that if you can whether the hydra headed tribalistic bias of a country like Nigeria, any racist card shown you in a developed country is child play.

Hahaaa, may God save Nigeria and the upcoming young generation (we re worse of the lot), The advent of the internet now made things totally messy! #ThingsFallApart

salford1:
There are professional jobs in saskatchewan. Not as much as bigger cities though, but lots of government jobs as most businesses here are handled by gov..mobile phone, car insurance, water, electricity e.t.c
It would be best to carry out a research on indeed to check job availability in your field.

Cost of a 2bedroom varies usually depending on how new the apartment is, if utilities are included or not and depending on location in the city for condos, budget $850 to $1200. Townhouse, $1200 to $1500. Basement, $750 to $950. These estimates are for saskatoon/regina. It is cheaper in other smaller cities. There are exceptions though in case the price of oil picks up, cost of renting would shoot up in small oil cities costing more than living in Regina or Saskatoon. Sask has the next largest oil reserve in Canada after Alberta. Agriculture is also big here, so the province weathered the oil glut better than Alberta

Your naija licence would last only 3 months i believe after which you have to get a sask license. It is easier to get license in sask and insurance is cheaper. Subsidized by gov. They also dont have a driving test to progress from basic license to advance.

It is easy to settle just as other province.

Thank you for the detailed response.

Did you buy your first car whilst holding your naija license? It is possible?
What's your experience with the dealership? Did the dealership ask for a Sask Driver license before concluding the car purchasing transaction with you?

Heard insurance cost is higher for the first time Sask Driver and also someone with an older year model used car? How true is this and what year model will you advice to go for with a decent budget of 4k to 5k?

Thanks for your time. Highly appreciated.

It will end in praise IJN!

GlitteringStar:
Yippee!!! At last!


ITA RECEIVED


Congratulations to all 80th draw ITA recipients.

May the Lord grant the heart’s desires of all IELTS hopefuls, ITA hopefuls and PPR hopefuls. Amen.


#BestChristmasGift
#MyNewDawnIsHere

The journey's first leg has ended in an ITA induced praise.

Most definitely BGG, the final leg (PPR) will speedily arrive and end in a glorious praise IJN!

Big congratulations!!!

Cc: @cochtrane, my good friend

salford1:
Driving through the ajegunle of Regina. Its -17 but with the wind, feels like -26. We have so far enjoyed a warm december until it started dropping low about 2days ago.

@Salford1, Nice to see Regina's "ajegunle" like our Burdillon....

Nice also to know you are around Regina, SK.

1. Can you kindly give your impression of availability of professional jobs in Saskatchewan generally (finance, if you re in the know) and average cost of apartments ) (2BDR) especially in Saskatoon (which is not far from Regina)?

2. How easy is the driver licensing process? (Can Naija driver license be used temporarily before applying for Sask license?)

3. How is easy is settling in the province generally?

Thanks bro.

It's surely ending in praise IJN!

maternal:
Maybe I should explain myself better. The gov't of Canada is bringing people (usually young) in for a reason. That is to get in the labor market which is seeing a massive influx of retirement. Furthermore, the taxes these new young immigrants are paying, will help pay the pension/benefits owned to these retirees. In short, immigrants are brought here to pay taxes and contribute to the economy, while if you're an immigrant from let say naija, you don't mind that since your quality of life and prosperity has improved significantly. It's a win/win situation for both parties. So my point is, the federal gov't does not want people to be at home sitting down doing nothing. They want newcomers to be like freeradical if possible. That is to have a job and be self sufficient within a month after arrival. Freeradical is now an official tax payer. That's what they want.

To make this possible the government has spent millions on tools to help integrate newcomers. These services are free. For example you have social workers that help you make resumes. Access to free computer, internet, printing, etc to print your resumes. They may also have knowledge of where and when a job fair will be taken place, and so forth. They usually have inside info a newcomer wouldn't. Whatever questions you have they'll help you. And if they can't help you, they'll direct you to the person,agency, or department which can. Freeradical said: "So, we decided to join a couple of newcomer services notably- WCI (welcome centre for Immigrants) and ERIEC." I would suggest Freeradical to post the information for these newcomer services. If someone is not landing in Edmonton, I'm sure if they call these services, and they can give them the number to whichever city they'll be landing in. Personally if I'm a new immigrant, after I land and get my essential documents like SIN number, health card, etc, I'm going straight to these centers. I would suggest if anyone knows of any other integration agencies to post them as well.




http://wciedmonton.ca/

http://eriec.ca/


For people landing in Ontario

http://costi.org/programs/program_details.php?stype_id=0&program_id=211

Thank you. I get the drift much more clearly now.

Santino1:
I think you should re-read that post again. He actually hailed freeradical for "NOT having a big head". Perhaps it has been modified but that's what I got the first time I read it and his latest post reiterates the same point.

Thank you my friend @Santino1, @maternal's message is clearer now by his updated recent post and I 've added something new to my kitty.

It will all end in praise IJN!

maternal:
The gov't of Canada spends millions of dollars each year to help bridge immigrants into the system so they can become successful. A good amount don't use it. A lot don't even take sound advice from knowledgeable people on the ground.

@Maternal

Bros, I still don't get...it sounded like you were praising @freeradical for having a "big head" for not "wasting" govt resources and yet getting his objective of settling down sorted out.

Hence, I'm confused with your response in the quoted post above.

Are you saying it is a proper thing to use govt arranged programs for immigrants or where possible, if one can pull it off, one should not waste govt resources?

I appreciate you for all the good works you are doing here.

It will all end in praise IJN!

Loffloff:
Congrats to all those who got the golden mail...please i am a bit confused about my NOC.. I wanted to choose NOC 1111 ( Accountant and Auditors) however i am not chartered ,i dont have any accounting designation, i am working as an accountant with my MBA...
On the other hand if i choose NOC 1311( Accounting technician and bookkeeper) Wont that be too unskilled? Since what is needed is only a college degree .. Please kindly advise
Thank you

1. What's your undergrad degree discipline?

2. You don't need an accounting qualification (eg, ICAN, ACCA etc) to nominate NOC 1111, all you need is the relevant accounting work experience and skill. Good thing you even have an MBA.

3. You are a graduate with an MBA, so I don't think its proper to nominate NOC 1311 as you may be sighted for NOC/experience mismatch.

Stay blessed.

It will all end in praise IJN!

maternal:
lol naija people and God. But congrats I'm happy to hear stories like this. Not to take anything away from you, because you literally planned your arrival perfectly and put the effort in, but it has more to do with where you decided to land more than anything. You've proven what I've been telling people all this time. Stay away from expensive/ over-saturated Toronto if you can. Come to Alberta. Far less competition, cheaper cost of living/housing, lower taxes, and a better economy. In over a month you have your own place (853 for 2 bedrooms with heat,internet, etc is dirt cheap in Canada), a job, etc. I love how you didn't have a big head and used the resources provided by the government for new arrivals. Such as resume building and so forth. Most importantly, you now have Canadian experience on your resume. More doors will surely be opening, it'll only get better. Your method should be used as a template for new arrivals. Again Congrats.

Bro @maternal,

Please what's the reason behind your statement at the bolded above? Just curious to learn.

Thanks.

freeradical:
Thanks madam vcole. I feel giving back to the thread I've gained so much from is only fair. How is our Canadian baby holding up?

Congrats @freeradical.

I wish even if just 10% of our landed compatriots can have this predisposition to giving back to the Canny threads whenever they arrive, it would have gone a long way in shaping people's decision but our naija folks sha..hmmmm

You have yet again reinforced my firm conviction of what is the normal thing to do- help those coming behind with practical info of what's on ground over there so that they can make more informed decisions and choices....just like great minds like Blackbuddy, Maternal, Vcole, et al.

It is surely ending in praise IJN!

cochtrane:
Even if you are a 100% sure you'll get PPR, you definitely should write after. There's no justification for writing before.
Simply send them a mail and inform them that you have traveled and will be unable to meet the 15- or 30-day deadline (whichever comes), attaching the evidence of travel. That should clear you. That's what I did and that's what I read off canadavisa.com was done by some other guys.

@cochtrane,

Wow...how did I miss this golden piece of information.

1. Like seriously? My good friend, are you saying in the event of receiving the PPR mail, I can mail the Visa Office and inform them that I cannot submit my passport within the time frame given due to so and so reason and it will be honoured without me loosing the intended CoPR that has been fought long & hard for?

2. How does this affect the general rule which says you must be on your way to canny before your medical report or passport expires,whichever comes first?

So let's say hypothetically you delayed getting stamped and issued a CoPR and your medical report (which suppose to last for a year) expired mid way, what can you do in that event or should you just plan the whole arrangements to fall within the currency of ones medical report? (What is to be done where ones medical report expires before exiting to Canny?)

Pls help me to shed light on this in detail as this info may afford one some more time to gather a lil more fund before exiting which will be very useful for a fresh immigrant family in Canny.

It will all end in praise IJN!

My good friend @cochtrane

How is "our" packing going? Hope your pre-arrival hustle is moving smoothly too?

God bless your plans, preparations and eventual landing.

It's surely ending in praise IJN!

Newmum0615:
As in ehn. I didn't even use any of that Cambridge 1-12 ish but I had an 8.5.
I think people put too much emphasis on the study materials and not so much on learning the tips and putting in efforts to really practice and identify their problems areas. If you like attend daily classes in BC, if you do not practice and understand the tips to identifying the answers, you might not make much progress. It's my own opinion sha.

You sha...

Frank and funny!

Come and transfer that your anointing and that of your hubby COMBINED to me o! (The original one gangan wey you and your hubby take scatter and demystify BC in one fell swoop, BTW, If people like you plenty for naija, BC will go relocate from 28, Thompson Rd oo, cos their plenty 68k inflow go reduce gan and they no go fit dey pay rent easily! )

I want to re-give IELTS by Jan as a plan B..in case Sask mess themselves up (By God's grace, I pray this to be my 2nd and last time and this time around na BC jugular I dey aim for!

I missed 8777 by 0.5 in listening in my 1st attempt...I am certain God will perfect it this time around.

It will surely end in praise IJN!

Blackbuddy:
salford1 is right, the bicycle as a primary use of transport in Canada is only possible in dreams And now that winter is here where even car driving takes skill, bicycles have all gone into storage and it's not an exaggeration. It's just not feasible so rathe,r budget up to $4,000.00 for a decent used car to get you around depending on your taste. But beware of cars that are dirt cheap to avoid buying a lemon, you want to own/use the car and not the other way around. After landing for me, it was buses, taxis and trains until my wife got her job then I opened my tight hands and got a car I just wanted to hold on to our POF until Canadian income was coming in to avoid using money for family living to maintain a car, pay insurance, etc. It helped that we landed in summer and that my kids loved the buses here since they had never used public transport/taxis back in Nigeria. I remember the first time I took them on keke Napep in my Gbagada neighborhood for the experience, it was like Disney World to them!
Anyway, once you're used to Google Maps as a means to plan your movements and get a travel card like Ontario's Presto, you will do okay. The key is to plan your trips out, note the route and the wether you will need buses/trains (I recommend using them just to help you learn to get around your city) and always set out early. If you have young kids, then taxis will do the trick for you for family outings.

I laugh so deeply at the bolded above...I can relate with the above...my wife had issues with her car some weeks ago and had to charter keke napep to go pick the kids at school, when I returned from work, she told me how excited they were and felt so on top of the world going on the keke for the 1st time ever! Next day when she eventually got her car back and went picking them in school, they asked her why couldn't they go on another ride on the keke napep?

BTW, you stayed in gbagada whilst in Nigeria...I'm sure that your former residence is a trekkable distance from mine.

It is surely ending in praise IJN!

Negotiate:
Dear Canada people of Nigeria, please oh, no vexxing.
See that Canada you guys are chilling... The only reason I may not enter there next year is just because I want to vote for Buhari in 2019 before I run out.
However, based on efforts, I will get my ITA in less than a month after application, and PPR immediately after... But I'm still making plans as per settlement and job.
Ignore my ignorance, but I know you can't do anyhow in Canada, if not, you go see anyhow.
Do I need a permit to own a bicycle?
Because right now, I'm already making plans to get a bicycle which I will use to tour round the whole province while job hunting, dropping resumes everywhere possible, thereby saving cost for transportation.
I know in places like France, RUSSIA, UK, bicycles abound.
My goal is to get at least a minimum wage job in month 1, while saving as best as possible.
I'm an app developer, currently earning about $500 monthly without doing anything, so I believe that can cover my rent, while I go and hustle for other bills.
Are there any laws regarding bicycles?

einsteino:
the bolded alone just make person wan konk you.. why not stay to experience the consequences of your action?

...you guys here are just plain hilarious!!

If I may ask...what will be the consequences of his action? The act of voting for Buhari before the jetting out?

It is well o!

May it all end in praise for all of us IJN!

{We recently got our PR cards in the mail. However, I applied under my maiden name as that is what is shown on my International Passport when I was applying under express entry. 

Nevertheless, the passport recently expired, and I got a new passport under my husband's last name. There is a need to also change the name on my P.R. card. Anyone been in similar situation? Anyone with quality info on how to go about this? Thanks in advance.}


I will potentially have to solve a similar issue too at the same stage of the process as regards wifey change of name stuff....kindly weigh in your opinions on how you feel this can be solved.

I intend to apply for a new international passport with the changed surname before submitting the CIC's PR application. What do you think?

It's surely ending in praise IJN!

einsteino:
You talk about good hospitals in Nigeria, i just laugh. How come our leaders rather jet off for check up? It also wouldnt matter how much you earn if you suffer a heart attack outside your Eldorado that doesnt reflect the true Nigeria and have to be rushed to the nearest hospital, you would learn the bitter truth what Nigeria is by gambling the only life you have; majority of deaths in even our private hospitals wouldnt have been fatal in the developed world.

A case in point: Sometime back we lost a brother on the EE thread, he had just got his PR. He made a reasonable income, one that many would envy and worked with a high profile firm in PH. just before he could make his landing in canada, the Nigerian system took him. He was shot by robbers, got rushed to a hospital that he had health cover with but they wouldnt attend to him perhaps waiting for a police report. he was conscious for several hours before his death, spent it being couriered from one hospital to the other until he gave up the ghost.

A PRAYER FOR MYSELF, MY FAMILY AND ALL WHO DESIRE SAME

For the remaining time that we will be in here (to collect our CoPRs), for our friends & families that we will leave behind, for the times we will come back for holidays and vacation, may this Nigerian system never consume us, our friends & families. IJN, AMEN!

It will surely end in praise IJN!

maygreaves:
Agree, with most of what you said apart from the bolded portion. This depends largely on your environment and people around you. In lekki and ikoyi, i know many people who walk or ride a bicycle to work and to be honest, i had never even thought about that till i read this statement.

Also, you will be shocked at the number of people who have american/british passports and work in Nigeria....it is the complete opposite...you could easily fall in the rat race over there than in Nigeria. This is one place where your life can literally change overnight.

Don't get me wrong...i get your point....but all this is largely subjective based on various individuals and their financial intelligence, basically understanding simple financial basics e.g a house is not an asset, unless its being rented out.

so lets just stop making general comments here, i know a manager in RBC canada, who was at the time a boss of a current E.D of a tier 1 Nigerian bank....but as long as he's happy about his decision (which he is)...thats what matters...nobody but God knows whatll have happened if he stayed, be be as awesome as an M.D, or as bad as pre-mature death. This is why when people here assume a marriage will dissolve because of distance because that is the Norm.....its exactly what it is, an assumption.....NOTHING DOES NOT HAVE TO GIVE

Tamm:
Some of your points emphasise the complete opposite of his thoughts. His advice attempts to dissuade Nigerians from continuously assessing achievements solely on material terms (your job designation, manager vs ED; financial acumen etc), which is the norm in Nigeria and is honestly tiring. The rat race in Nigeria is real and the sad thing is that the majority of people consider it normal.

I agree with you on Nigeria being a place where your life can change overnight, however, you should also point out that such a change can be either good or bad due to a lack of tangible structures or stability. You could start a business today and govt policy literally runs you out of that business in a few months (and that's if you are lucky to have a certain level of staying power). If you are not keen on kissing up to everyone and anyone, and are ready to put in the hard work to get what you desire on merit (with networking in some cases), then Nigeria is not the place to be. Even the so-called powerful ones in the country get their fingers burned badly when they run out of favor with the govt of the day (à la Atiku with Intels). This is simply not the right path to collective growth in any country.

Also, some rented houses are not assets in the real sense of the term when you consider the cost-benefit analysis. In Nigeria, you often have to buy properties with one-off payments that is sourced personally. Usually, such huge amounts of money could serve a better purpose on other investments that will give quick returns (if one is more financially savvy), without the headache of the cost of property renovation, time wasted in search of tenants and tenants owing or playing games with their rents.

Finally, couples seldom divorce in Nigeria even when the misery involved in some marriages is unbearable. I guess it's because the system is such that the woman in the marriage leaves with nothing, and since most women are dependent on the men in Nigeria, they might as well stay for financial reasons. Lately however, I think more men are opting for a divorce 'when they are no longer interested' compared to our fathers. At least, I know men who sent their wives and children abroad or men who vehemently pursue a transfer out-of-state at work even within Nigeria to be apart from their wives.

Thank you @Tamm for straightening the point.

@maygreaves, kindly find @vcole's post below and read, if you cant come to a fuller understanding of the point that I was trying to make after reading her (@vcole) post, then I give up ....

In vcole's voice.."but these kind of issues don't bother everyone" (However, those little details of living bother some of us)



VCOLE'S GOLDEN OPINION
"Not true for everyone. My spouse and I were in the "doing well" group back home. Migrating to Canada was not triggered by a need for better financial prosperity but for other reasons. There is more to living in a country than the Jobs or funds you make. I have kids, growing up in this present day Nigeria for them is a risk in my opinion. Violence is allowed to thrive, the values being perpetrated right now back home are not exactly great. Then let's talk about the "over religiosity" and yet lack of love and kindness that is rampant back home. For us, it was mostly to be able to live in a place where our kids would grow up and not feel comfortable walking past someone who fell on the road and needs a helping hand to lift them up. Yes, they could have been taught that everywhere but it is harder to do that in present day Nigeria. Even our generation grew up in a better naija than this. Also, let's talk about education........Nigeria is still waaaaayyyyyy backwards as regards advancing educational opportunities that are relevant in the future. I have an interest in Academia and that would practically die if I remained back home. Let's talk about health care which happens to be my field. Yes, I could be in Nigeria and make a ton of money but my career would be pretty much dead in the water having more patients who die than those who live. No matter how hard I tried within 7yrs of practice back home I could never develop the selective amnesia needed to practice in Nigeria. Then let's talk about gender issues. I have a son and a daughter. I refuse to raise my son in a society that makes him regard women less than they should. Yes, he could be raised sane in Naija but it'll require more effort and I'll much rather put in that effort and let the society I live in help strengthen it. My daughter........Canada is currently the best country in the world to live as a woman and I'll much rather live here and have my daughter raised here than in Nigeria.
People migrate for so many other reasons and not always because they are not "doing well"
No matter how much doing well you are doing back home you'll still have and maintain a generator, provide your own water, drive on pothole ridden roads, provide your own security, keep yourself and family indoors during elections, run away to another country for medical care if you are diagnosed with cancer, pray that you are not involved in a ghastly accident on the expressway or even within the city because emergency care services may never get to you in time and no matter how much "doing well" you are doing your life expectancy will remain in the 50s and the list is endless and personally I don't believe in "praying for every damn thing" . But these kind of issues don't bother everyone."

vcole:
Not true for everyone. My spouse and I were in the "doing well" group back home. Migrating to Canada was not triggered by a need for better financial prosperity but for other reasons. There is more to living in a country than the Jobs or funds you make. I have kids, growing up in this present day Nigeria for them is a risk in my opinion. Violence is allowed to thrive, the values being perpetrated right now back home are not exactly great. Then let's talk about the "over religiosity" and yet lack of love and kindness that is rampant back home. For us, it was mostly to be able to live in a place where our kids would grow up and not feel comfortable walking past someone who fell on the road and needs a helping hand to lift them up. Yes, they could have been taught that everywhere but it is harder to do that in present day Nigeria. Even our generation grew up in a better naija than this. Also, let's talk about education........Nigeria is still waaaaayyyyyy backwards as regards advancing educational opportunities that are relevant in the future. I have an interest in Academia and that would practically die if I remained back home. Let's talk about health care which happens to be my field. Yes, I could be in Nigeria and make a ton of money but my career would be pretty much dead in the water having more patients who die than those who live. No matter how hard I tried within 7yrs of practice back home I could never develop the selective amnesia needed to practice in Nigeria. Then let's talk about gender issues. I have a son and a daughter. I refuse to raise my son in a society that makes him regard women less than they should. Yes, he could be raised sane in Naija but it'll require more effort and I'll much rather put in that effort and let the society I live in help strengthen it. My daughter........Canada is currently the best country in the world to live as a woman and I'll much rather live here and have my daughter raised here than in Nigeria.
People migrate for so many other reasons and not always because they are not "doing well"
No matter how much doing well you are doing back home you'll still have and maintain a generator, provide your own water, drive on pothole ridden roads, provide your own security, keep yourself and family indoors during elections, run away to another country for medical care if you are diagnosed with cancer, pray that you are not involved in a ghastly accident on the expressway or even within the city because emergency care services may never get to you in time and no matter how much "doing well" you are doing your life expectancy will remain in the 50s and the list is endless and personally I don't believe in "praying for every damn thing" . But these kind of issues don't bother everyone.

For quite some time now, I have been fiddling with the idea of writing a memoir on my reasons for relocating from Nigeria...I call it "MY 1001 REASONS TO JUMP THIS NIGERIAN SHIP"...these few lines of yours could easily serve as a forward for that memoir...I have met alot of extremely smart and intelligent people on Nairaland since I joined early 2008, you are added to that list today. Why: for only few people can summarise the million and one thoughts driving ones firm convictions and decision into a concised summary.

God bless you vcole. ..not even one word to add to the above quoted!

It will definitely end in praise!

sleekchic:
Please what's the full meaning of IELTS

***runs to hide***

IELTS is the International English Language Testing System. It is the world's most popular English language test for higher education and global migration, with over 2 million IELTS tests taken in the last year. The British Council offers IELTS tests and preparation courses in their centres throughout the world.

It is well o!!

It will surely end in praise IJN!

Beube:
Right now am not doing bad at all in terms of finance and thats why i have money to make this journey. What am worried about is the future, if my job ends in naija today to get another may be tough, gratuity, pension ,exposure in my field, better pay package, skill sets, health, and the likes thats what drives me. But when i hear when u get down to canada u are not likely to get a job, then when you get a job i leart u are not likely to be able to save up to $600 then am like whats so rosy over there if u cant get more box. Then i hear 90% of ur income is spent on bills. Then am like what of the projects i intend to do. Its tough to leave a known world to an unknown world. I earn above 200k in naija o

maternal:
200k is about 700 Canadian dollars per month. Small boys here would laugh at that. As for the success you'd have here, I am not God. Are you afraid to compete ? Or do you expect to become Prime Minister the following day once you land ? Federal election is in 2 years. Come quick and campaign. Stop listening to people and do your own research as well. And if you're going to listen to people, listen to the success ones who are on the grind. Don't listen to bad belle people who couldn't make it. Lastly, if someone is spending 90% of their salary on bills, they're living above their means. But all these bills you keep on talking about. I guess gen, fuel, water, school fees, food, phone credit, etc is free abi ?

Maternal has said it all.

Bro, if it is 200k/mth that you are really earning in here in naija, please don't even bother, just pack your luggage and move immediately to Canny soon as you get your CoPR....I was waiting to read 1million naira/month from you ...and even at that, guys that I know that are within 1million/month salary region are not even thinking it twice. In Lagos, living within decent standards, 900k-1million/month is just barely covering the mammoth list of expenses and family responsibilities that you have to contend with, so much that these my guys with that type of inflows are still complaining like small boys like us.

@Beube, how many kids do you have and what is your NOC and job experience area? Drop these info and I can say some things more...however, my bro, on expense for expense, quality of life for quality of life (including the kids' future), suffering for suffering...generally speaking, I guarantee you, you will be better of on the long run in Canada, If you can weather that 1st 10months to 1 year, then you are in! (None of my friends that have left returned out of not being able to survive, that says something. )

On the job issue, trust your God and your abilities...don't expect an immediate miracle (it may happen though), plan for 10-12 months of "no job" period in Canada...fill this time with a strategically lined up activities to engage yourself in, which should be directed at your getting a job before the expiration of that waiting period.

Go to Canada with savings ready for the first 10 months for rent, feeding and other basic utilities for your family.

Regarding the bolded above, I laugh.... . Nigerians and "projects" and this really got me thinking....Hmmmm

Let me ask you a question, what makes us do the things we do in this part of the world?- our type of society!

Most of us grew to know that the system does not have a social buffer/fall back for us...nothing! So when God finally answer our prayers and we get a job, we start the rat race....acquire, acquire, acquire...lands, start building, build more, buy more lands, never having a life of relaxation and enjoyment at any point in time, no specially planned family vacation, not really doing what we love to do at any point in time...some even console themselves that they are doing the several projects so that their children will not suffer...all these are understandable because of the peculiarities of our society...

Whenever I talk with friends on this Canny hustle, I always advice.. whenever you cross over to Canada, "Try to question your Nigerian Acquired Value systems...what makes you do what you have always known to be what to do? Is it right?, Is it fueled by fear of the unknown? or that wanton Blackman's egoistic gratifications? Why do we chase after so much material acquisitions and millions here? Will all these Nigerian Acquired Valuesystem be necessary where the system (Canny) is working and has your back in the event of a worse case scenario?

Take the opportunity of this relocation and a re-starting of life, to re-choose our life preferences, query what drives us--to amass the millions, wanting to oppress and show off or what? Rebuild your valuesystem in line with sane society best practices, volunteer your time in a cause you are passionate about, help people consciously (go out of your way to exhibit those fine behaviors and integrity known with most oyinbos, consciously do these to make them become part of you because from home, it is not naturally in our DNA to do these)...our kids will generally be on a good path civility-wise by virtue of that environment but we also have a duty to guide them properly with the good parts of our African traditional values (not everything from our society is bad, our culture is rich and imbibing it is beautiful! )

(WHEN you reevaluate your life drive and restructure it appropriately according to sanity of a developed society, one thing is certain, you will be calm, contented and fulfilled. Trust me, whenever you come visiting Nigeria in the next 5 years, you will look at colleagues that you left behind and be sad, not because you are richer than them (in fact they may even be monetarily richer than you), you will be sad because all you are seeing are old friends still chasing the "rat" in the same race, not having really realized the taste of contentment and a fulfilled life all the years you were away!

I even told some that if I decide to go to work on my bicycle in Naija, some that don't know me will say "Ehyah, poverty has really dealt this man a big blow, God will help him soon " Those that know me will say "He is so stingy to even himself, we know he can buy a jeep and look at him, he is using bicycle to the office"

But if I critically take look at my need in Canada and decide to go to my office some blocks away on my bicycle, I'm sure nobody will give a hoot, even if I am a manager there and the office tea girl is driving a Range Rover to the office everyday...that is valuesystem modifications!

God bless us all!

It will all end in praise IJN

Blackbuddy:
I've replied chief

Received with thanks. I appreciate you bro.

threadstone:
*walks in*

Errr Goo Moreen Ladies an Gentumen.

Finally Reporting to duty from the other side ..

Presently page 151, Strolling back to page 0, this should be an interesting read

I shall be back afterwards

Salut!

Congratulations once again on your recently earned PPR/COPR

It's definitely ending in praise!

Blackbuddy:
Hi, I just checked my email inbox but there's no current email from you. Perhaps it's in your outbox? Please reconfirm.

Hello, it actually went (saw it in "sent" folder)

However, I have copied the mail and resent it to you afresh, outside of the initial mail trail.

God bless.