Suki Zhu
O Canada! Smiths Falls resident becomes one of Canada’s newest citizens
Arriving in Canada in April 2003, Smiths Falls resident Xiao Yan (Suki) Zhu’s first impression of the country was that “the people here were very friendly.” And she continues to hold that view almost eight years later.
Suki remembers the kindness of new acquaintances who helped her in her first days. The new acquaintances helped her find a place to stay and people to help her communicate. She experienced firsthand what Canadian hospitality is all about.
The first seven years of Suki’s life here were spent in Toronto. Ontario’s capital city is the first stop for many immigrants who come to Canada and Suki was no different. She followed the lead of others from her home village in Fujian Province in China who came to Toronto to start a new life.
Upon her arrival, Suki initially stayed with a classmate from elementary school at his aunt’s home in downtown Toronto. Accustomed to warm weather in China in April, she admits it took some acclimatizing to the cool temperatures in Ontario at that time of year.
“April was still cold and windy but it’s very dry,” she recalled of the weather she encountered. “I remember, in the month, it still snowed a couple times.”
For three or four months Suki attended ESL (English as a Second Language) classes in Toronto. Like her, most of the students in the class were of Chinese origin. Likewise, most were only able to attend class in the morning as they had to head off to work in the afternoon.
In Suki’s case, she worked a 3 to 11:30 p.m. shift at a chicken processing plant. Depending on whether there was overtime or not, she wouldn’t get home until 1 or 2 a.m. “The next morning I would have to get up at 8 o’clock for school, which started at 9,” she related.
While it was long hours, it was all worth it. Suki met her future husband Yong Guang Zheng in Toronto and they were married in 2004. With the purchase of Wong’s Buffet in Smiths Falls by Yong Guang in the late summer of 2010, she moved here last September to join her husband, assisting him in the Chinese food buffet restaurant as a kitchen helper. Their five-year-old son Timothy attends kindergarten at one of the town’s elementary schools while his younger sibling, 15-month-old Stanley, is currently staying with his paternal grandparents in China. They look forward to connecting with Stanley on a regular basis via Skype.
Settling into Smiths Falls
As Suki settles into her new life in Smiths Falls, she has found the ESL classes being held on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday mornings from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the Smiths Falls Public Library, through a partnership between the Town of Smiths Falls and TR Leger School of Adult, Alternative & Continuing Education, of the Upper Canada District School Board, invaluable.
“It (ESL) is very important in my life,” she says, making special mention of the friendships she has made there and how the classes have helped her further improve her skills in speaking English.
A teacher back in China, she would love to be able to one day practise her profession here. A challenge, however, is getting her teaching qualifications recognized in Canada and improving her English speaking skills to the level needed.
“If you want to be a teacher here, your English must be perfect,” she comments. “You have to communicate with the students and the parents.”
In addition to the ESL classes, another thing Suki has found beneficial as a newcomer to Canada living in Smiths Falls is the mentorship provided by the Host Program of TR Leger Immigrant Services. The program brings together newcomers to Canada and established community residents for friendship, sharing, and learning. Suki, along with Joyce Chen and her brother Tony, have been matched with Betty Davis since November. The four meet on a regular basis to do everything from baking bread in Betty’s home to visiting the REAL Deal Reuse Store operated by the Rideau Environmental Action League (REAL) to just chatting at a local coffee shop.
“We talk to each other about Canada and China,” Suki notes. “It’s just a way to improve our English.”
The program has also been a great learning experience for her, in terms of learning about Canadian traditions and experiences.
Ask Suki why, of all the countries in the world, she chose to come to Canada as a Permanent Resident, she responds by citing the Canadian standard of living “that was at the top of the world.” Likewise, she makes mention of the country’s “nice environment” and low crime rate.
Canadian citizenship
In fact, Suki feels Canada is such a “good” country that she became one of its newest citizens on March 9, four years after her husband was given his citizenship.
Each year, approximately 170,000 people receive their Canadian citizenship. To be eligible to apply, adults are required to have lived in Canada for three of the past four years. They are also evaluated on their knowledge of the country and one of its official languages – English or French – through an interview and written test.
Suki took the test at the Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) office in Ottawa on Feb. 15. The 20 written questions she was quizzed on ranged from what a voter writes on a ballot at a polling station to the name of the province that produces oil and gas. Despite being allotted half an hour, she was able to complete the test in 10 minutes.
Less than 10 days later, Suki received a letter informing her she had passed the test and to appear March 9 at the CIC office to take the oath of citizenship. Understandably, she was elated at the news.
“I felt surprised and excited,” she said as she shared her desire to become a Canadian citizen in order that she can have “more rights and responsibilities as a Canadian.”
At the swearing in ceremony, Suki took the following oath of citizenship:
I swear (or affirm) that I will be faithful and bear true allegiance to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth the Second, Queen of Canada, Her Heirs and Successors, and that I will faithfully observe the laws of Canada and fulfil my duties as a Canadian citizen.
One of 80 to 90 people from more than 25 countries around the world to be sworn in that day, Suki left little doubt this was a special moment in her life. “That was wonderful,” she said when interviewed the following day.
Dennis Staples, the mayor of Smiths Falls, was thrilled to hear that one of the town’s newest residents has become a Canadian citizen.
“The Town of Smiths Falls is honoured and proud to have Suki Zhu and her family choosing Smiths Falls as their new home,” he said. “In addition, we extend our congratulations to Suki on receiving her Canadian citizenship.”
Friday, April 8, 2011
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