“I was born in Bulgaria and spent 20 years in the country until I went to England for work. I practically learnt English language on the spot when I was there. It was a new world to me. I decided to leave Bulgaria and move to a different country. I soon followed a way to apply for immigration to Canada.

I was told I couldn’t do it. I was told by family and everyone back home that it would be hard, and things will not work for me. By this time, the ego was not to prove to others, but to prove it to myself.

Within 3 years, by the time I was 27 years old, I was a Canadian citizen. My decisions and journey made me very self reliant, from moving to a new country, finding a job, buying my own place, support myself in all ways, I never wished to rely on anyone. I went through the actual process of maintaining that self-confidence and self-respect.

I love Canada, this is home to me, and don’t regret a thing. Looking back, I wish I learned to depend on other people because the decisions I have made are guided to be self-independent and self-sufficient. It is hard to let other people enter my life.

You have to learn to balance the sense of sharing responsibilities, and not be too self-reliant, having tough fights with yourself. I think in this journey, I forgot to let mine go.”