Ushindi Nyangurane’s Story, Canada
“I want to finish school and get a good job in order to support my relatives in Africa, because I know that the life that they are living is not easy in the least. I know because I lived it.”
Changes in My Life: From Africa to Canada*
by Ushindi Nyangurane
My name is Ushindi. I want to share with you my life experiences in my home country, and how everything changed when I moved to Canada. Life was very difficult back home. My parents did not have jobs, so we did not go to school, because school cost money in Congo. We did not always have food. In my country, people were always fighting -fighting to the point of death. Life was not good in Congo, so we moved to Uganda where my father was able to get a job. He started working as a salesman, selling jewelry and accessories. In Uganda, I also met a great friend, whose name was Olive. I loved Olive very much, but her mother did not like me because I was from Congo. Thankfully, Olive and I stayed friends and did everything together. Olive taught me so much, including the language in Uganda -Luganda -and even how to pray and sing at church.
In fact, I started singing in the church choir, and I realized that I love to sing. It became my favorite thing to do in the world. Unfortunately, after three months, my father lost his job and we stopped going to school. Once again, it became difficult to get food to eat for me and my family. Thankfully, that was not the case for long.
Things changed when we moved to Canada as refugees. They changed for the better, that is. Ever since my family and I have been in Canada, we have never gone to sleep without food in our stomachs, and we attend school every day for free. I thank God for that every day. In Canada, I now have hope for a better future. I want to finish school and get a good job in order to support my relatives in Africa, because I know that the life that they are living is not easy in the least. I know because I lived it.
Credit:
These stories have been published in the book entitled “Our World: A Collection of Works by Windsor Essex Newcomer Youth”.
In January 2014 Library Settlement Partnerships (LSP) contacted various local newcomer youth service providers, in order to introduce newcomer youth to the world of self-publishing. Newcomer youth from diverse countries of origin welcomed the idea and soon came together to create their personal submissions in a publication that combined their unique life experiences and insights through short stories and visual arts.
(*page 13 of the book)
