After thirty years in Canada, I retired from a teaching position. I finally had time to organize my desk and look through some old, forgotten notes and journals, written during a difficult time when I was adjusting to Canada.

I was a journalist in Poland. Writing about cultural events, modern theatre, and art was my passion. However, I needed to be realistic about my career choices in Canada. The first step was to learn English. The second was to choose a career. In the meantime, finding a job was my priority. I felt the pressure while I was creating an achievable set of goals for myself.

During that time, in my first year in Canada, I wrote a comforting letter to myself that included things to take under consideration while making life changing decisions in my new environment. This advice that I gave myself helped me to continue to write and publish in Polish, and three years later in English as well. The final decision about becoming a teacher came after a careful assessment of my best opportunities to have a steady and satisfying career.

Surprisingly, those self-help guidelines still seem very appropriate and worth sharing with new immigrants. Here are some of them:
Read more