Very often I hear people asking me when I complain i don’t have the miraculous magical and mystical “Canadian experience” they would ask me.”Have you considered volunteering”.
For me it is one of the most annoying question. When I am jobless, ofcourse i would have tried all the options. When I volunteer, it means I don’t get paid. That would be fine, but what will I do with my kids? Which Canadian would volunteer to care for them free while I volunteer and get the “Canadian”experience”?
Even if i get a day care allowance, itsn’t enough for sending 3 kids to daycare. Unregistered one costs about $25/child/day. And I am blessed with three kids.

Then there are immigrant service society that advertise everyday in the papers about helping immigrants with finding a job. I registered with ISS. They don’t accept online application. They wanted to see me personally.. Which involved me and the three kids taking 2 buses to down town Vancouver, just to hand in an application.
The next day I was so happy to see a job opportunity email from the ISS. My heart was beating with trepidation and I opened my email.
‘Dear Dr, we have found a job for you in granville island, they need someone who speak malay to be a telephone operator from 2 till 8. Your pay will be $10/hour. You can start work tomorrow.”
Wow i earn $60/day( much less after the tax)!!!! and then spend $8 on all day bus pass and $75 on child care costs.(child care will be more, cause after 6 it is extra, oh I forgot the child care center near my home closes excatly at 5.30pm and after that it is $10/child/each15 mints).
When I told my “mentor” I won’t be able to take up the job, because of the above reason. She was cheesed off. that was the last i ever heard from ISS.

Sometimes it is frustrating when people think that i don’t try hard enough. Yes no one actually pointed a gun at my head to have kids. That was my personal choice. But I shouldn’t be penalized because I have kids.
My kids safety is the most important thing in my life. I don’t have any family member in any part of Canada. I am not willing to send my kids to a stranger’s house while I go and find a job. I want to be able to send them to a place that is registered and that costs a lot of money.
I am sure I can ask my neighbour for help. I once saw my neighbour slapping her 5 year old son.. How will I send my kids to someone who slaps her own kids?
I might be stubborn with my ideaologies.. But they are my kids and if I don’t think of their safety who will? If anything happens to them, isn’t it me who is going to live in regret for the rest of my life?