It was the beginning of February. We just arrived from the airport to our rental apartment. It was empty. It had no beds, no table, and no chairs. My son asked me, “Why don’t we have a TV?” and “where we are going to sleep?” A friend of ours brought us a couple of mattresses and a little food. We ate, and then we lay down and fell asleep.

The first month was full of action: lots of shopping, paperwork, and visiting different places, such as the bank and health clinic. We met lots of new people, and of course, we continued studying English all the time with English Online. At the end of the month, we already had a TV, beds, and a table. We had everything we needed in our apartment. Our son was going to school just like any “normal” Canadian kid.

The second month I started looking for a job. My profession is not in high demand in Winnipeg, but I tried very hard and used everything I learnt during my English Online classes. I sent my resume to all the companies that related to my job, even if they didn’t post any vacancies. I called related companies and asked them for an informational interview. After a few weeks I started working at my first job in Canada. A little while later, I decided that I didn’t want to pay for a lease anymore, so I started looking for a house for my family. We saw more than 20 houses before we found one that we really liked. We signed an offer and bought that house.

I want to thank English Online, all its teachers and volunteers for their incredible work. I would have never had this success without their help and support before and after my arrival in Canada. It’s not only English that they teach, it’s way more than that. It’s preparation for a new life!