Posts Tagged ‘Depression’

Negativity is not an option at the moment

// April 16th, 2009 // No Comments » // Blogroll

With everything going on lately, it seems like everyone is struggling and having a bit of a rough time especially with the global economy falling down right before our very eyes.

I remember Mary Angelou’s poem “Still I rise.” It’sa good poem, full of sassy optimism. It’s tale is of a woman who has stared her demons in the face, and said “enough. I choose freedom.” It is dripping with life experience. It’s as if she is saying to her detractors, “I may be disappointing your low expectations, and your self limiting beliefs, but get over it. I’m here and I’m done with fear.”

Right now I’m sure everyone’s obstacle is staying in the “happy place.” I personally have come a long way but my biggest challenge at the moment is steering clear from people’s negativity. I have made a personal resolve that I intend to create my dream career where I feel inspired and fufilled. Alot of the petty things they are complaining about, I just can’t bring myself to care anymore. Ideally I’d like to bring them up to a higher energy level, instead of me being dragged down.

First of all, like all of us, I am still learning each and everyday. There’s so much about life I don’t know and I’m struggling daily to figure it all out. It’s an inspiring, soul-searching process, but it’s amazingly fulfilling. I received a great quote in which Lucy Maud Montgomery says, “It’s such an interesting world. It wouldn’t be half so interesting if we knew it all already, would it? There’d be no scope for imagination then…”

I found these links online and want to share them with you:

I made a choice to create my own future and it is still this day that I realize that there will be nights like these, that nothing goes right. Only you can make a personal transformation and truly rise from all the negativity. You have to take control and uplift your spirit, of course, with the help of my supportive friends and family, was I able to find a resolution amidst all the negativity. My new-found positive attitude is what I bring with me everywhere I go and I hope it is a part of me, that would influence people to want to be happy and positive in the present moment.

My personal narrative

// February 1st, 2008 // 1 Comment » // Comedy, Family, University, Work

My story begins with my mother’s decision in settling down here and completed the immigration form since 1998 and was approved by June 2005. I felt that if Canada needed professionals from various backgrounds, why did it take 7 years to make that decision? We had lived in Dubai my entire life. I had pretty much moved to Dubai since I was 3 years old. My mother was a surgeon working in one of the well-known hospitals and my dad still is a Public Relations Officer owning his own business as well as working for the government. My younger sisters were still in high school and had found it difficult to leave their friends they’ve known since pre-school behind. As for me, I was working in Standard Chartered Bank as an Assistant Team Leader in the Auto Loans Collections department. Within 10 days of being approved, we had packed up all our necessary belongings and booked our flights. Next thing I remember was saying goodbye to my friends and colleagues at the airport on June 12, 2005. We arrived and had stayed with my uncle and his family in Mississauga, Ontario. My mom fell in love with Mississauga because of how convenient everything was and how residential the city was. My uncle had toured us around so I had a chance to see Toronto, Niagara Falls, the Casinos, etc. But as soon as it came to finding jobs, my parents especially had found it was very difficult to get accepted to a similar professional position that they have back home. My mom was not even allowed to work in any departments of the hospital without having any prior Canadian experience. My dad had applied everywhere and was not even telephoned back for an interview. My dad and I left after 10 days of arriving as I was getting homesick and depressed. I went back to work in the same bank and dad went back to work the next day we arrived. My mom would fill me in with the details of having to move out from my uncle’s house and getting an apartment near to my sister’s high school in Port Credit. They had struggled so much trying to find how to survive on a daily basis as they were not familiar with the places to go buy stuff they had needed for the home, or had no car to get there. They learned how to use the subway; Mississauga Transit as well as the Go Train/Bus to go to downtown Toronto. I had flown alone on March to celebrate my mother’s 40th birthday and she had told me it was nothing she had expected. She felt really sad about leaving Dubai, a place where we both call ‘home’. She had to start her nursing Master’s Degree all over again because it had been more than 10 years since she had taken the test. She needed to go to York University and pursue further education to be employed as a RN. My sisters were slowly adjusting to the life in Canada. They met kids their own age and were getting to know places and people. I went back to Dubai by the end of March and decided to move finally with my mother who needed my help in August 14, 2006. Experiencing exactly what she had warned me about was very challenging. I had to apply for a job and study high school credits since my university credits were not recognized in any colleges or universities here. I had to take English 12 and Math 12 again as well as other pre-requisites required. It was very tough and at times, I felt I just needed to go back home. But after seeing my mom suffer, doing so would make me a selfish person.  I still have great difficult establishing what I want to be here in Canada because of its very limited career prospects. I felt that my skills were withering and my finances were definitely tumbling. It does not seem to offer a common culture, a common language, or even a common protection under the law. It took me a year and a half to recognize my situation when I found out that I had already developed depression. Today Canada still has more problems than before such as racial segregation, low salaries among minorities and overly educated blue collar workers. I feel there are no real opportunities for newcomers. It is built on false hopes and dreams. By October 2006, I was lucky to get accepted in a similar job position at the Royal Bank of Canada working for the Visa department in Toronto. And now, I was also lucky to be accepted in the Banking & Wealth Management program in Sheridan Trafalgar campus and have friends from different places, which makes life a bit more exciting.