Before I came to Canada, I did not know about Chatham-Kent. I have now been here almost five years and I enjoy my life. Chatham is my second hometown.
I am Nora and am originally from Beijing, China. I got my bachelor and master's degree in China and worked in a bank. Things went well but I wanted to explore the world and experience different cultures. I decided to go an adventure and came to Canada.
My English was not strong, so I enrolled in a postgraduate co-op program at Lambton College. I thought it was a good way to help find a job. During the last semester of my study, I found a co-op opportunity at Lambton Kent District School Board in Chatham, and I moved here.
What has helped me to make CK home?
First, I enjoyed my co-op and job very much. I worked for International Education, supporting our international students from all over the world. As an international student myself, I liked to help them to get involved in the school and community.
Second, my supervisor and my colleagues at school board helped me a lot. They invited me to go to their places and we had lots of fun. We made pickles and salsa together in summer, we went to cut a real Christmas tree in winter, it was so Canadian and I love it! They made me feel at home.
Third, Chatham is a very welcoming community and people are very nice. I remembered once I went to superstore and a woman came to say hi to me. She asked me where I am from and shared her experience for hosting an Asian student.
The people here are so friendly and polite. They say hi and smile although they do not know each other. It is lovely. This does not happen in big cities like Beijing. In addition, people are always waiting with patience; you cannot hear the car horn. This is one of things that make me happy about living in CK is that there is no traffic
Our trails are so wonderful. I take a walk or go jogging almost every day. I would tell someone considering moving to CK, to "go for it". It might not be a big city, but you can find everything you need here. You will live in a warm community with many great neighbours!
