Newcomers to Canada are often lonely as they start anew.
That is something that Uzma Mansuri from India is learning first-hand. Mansuri is a first-year psychology student at the University of Regina. She has been in Regina for one month. She keeps herself busy but finds that loneliness creeps in now and then.
“I feel sometimes really homesick because it is very different here,” said Mansuri. “(My mother) worries about the weather, you know, that, how I’m going to survive in this cold weather.
Ruth Ashiru has been living in Canada for six months and is also a student at the U of R. At first, Ashiru was scared when she arrived, but she started making friends who helped to ease the loneliness.
“Presently, I stay with a group of friends … my semester is kind of very busy. I attend classes four times a week,” she said.
Mental health therapist Jane Chukwujekwu said it’s common for immigrants to experience loneliness when leaving their families behind.
“It’s going to take a whole lot of readjusting. Firstly, getting used to your new way of life. You have to dig deep inside to find resilience within you to readapt to life without your parents,” she said.
“Learn more about your new home. Take proactive steps to make friends to become part of the society. There’s lots of programs out there within the community to help new newcomers settle into the system.”