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In August 2004, Ayaz Ghani left his hometown, Dhaka, Bangladesh, to pursue his undergraduate studies at Memorial University of Newfoundland. His perception of a North American city was based on dense population, skyscraper skylines, and underground subways - none of which were present in St. Johns. Years later, he describes his first impression on the city that he eventually came to fall in love with When I first landed in St. Johns, I felt as free as a bird. Being away from home for the first time and independent, I felt that tingling sensation of excitement sparked through my body. After crossing the immigration and customs at St. Johns International Airport, I went straight to the information desk to find a brochure with all the compiled information on the city for a newcomer. However, there was none. A lady at the desk directed me towards a kiosk full of brochures, mostly about hotels and B&B. After half an hour, I had handful of pamphlets on where to stay, dine and tourism. These were certainly not adequate information for a newcomer who would like to reside and settle in St. Read more First Impressions on page 2
UPCOMING EVENTS 1
April 21: Multicultural Day, Kinsmen Community Centre, Town of Torbay, 11am-4pm May 13-19: Mount Pearl Youth Week. For more information, please call Garry Fraser, Youth Services Coordinator at 748-1010 or email gfraser@mountpearl.ca June 24: Paradise Triathlon. For more information, please see townofparadise.ca. July 3-10: International Choral Festival, Festival 500, Sharing the Voices, St. Johns, NL. For more information, please see www.festival500.com .
Job Experience
One of the most important criteria of settling in a place (other than your hometown) is the opportunity to start a career. The Northeast Avalon offers jobs in many different industries, including oil and gas, technology, mining, tourism, fishery, farming, manufacturing, service and culture. There are many places that can help you regarding job search, and it can be only a matter of time before you have a job that matches your qualification. To work, you will need a Social Insurance Number (SIN). This valuable document is a mandatory requirement to work in Canada and you have to apply in person. To get your SIN, you need to apply to Service Canada located at 223 Churchill Avenue, which is on Route 2 of Metrobus. If you are an international student, then Centre of Career Development of Memorial University of Newfoundland at UC-4002 will be happy to help you with on and off-campus jobs. Read more Job Experience on page 2
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First Impressions from page 1
Johns. Soon the excitement eroded and fear began to creep in. Luckily, I found a fellow countryman who came to pick up his in-laws from the airport. He provided me with enough contact details to go on for a day. Upon registering with Memorial University of Newfoundland the next day, I was provided with all the necessary details necessary for residing and settling in the province, and got to know that the situation could have been averted if I had registered for airport pick-up arranged by International Student Advising Office (ISA) at Memorial University. Seven years have passed since then, and there is still no such pamphlet that bears to the point information for newcomers to St. Johns or Northeast Avalon. The newsletter begins the process of providing relevant information to newcomers. Come From Away is the first of its kind where the newcomers, from another province of Canada or a country, will have the opportunity to promote their wants and interests so that being away from home doesnt feel like being away from home at all. I would personally like to thank the Northeast Avalon Regional Economic Development Board (NEAREDB) who were kind enough to publish this newsletter and therefore giving us a platform to address our concerns, needs and desires in making the transition to this beautiful province all the more smoother.
We should embrace our immigrant roots and recognize that newcomers to our land are not part of the problem, they are part of the solution ---Roger Mahony
Believe It or Not:
In 2006, international migration accounted for two-thirds of Canadian population growth. The remaining third was provided by natural increase, the growth that results from the difference between the number of births and the number of deaths.
What I would like to see is a compact document with all the contact details relevant to obtain a job.
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I want it Spicy!
Spices allow cooks to gain a lot of flavor without a lot of effort. Most ethnicities have a cooking culture based on varieties of spices. No kitchen is complete without the right assortment of spices. The use of spices and herbs are usually seen among the newcomers delicacies. Food culture has become an important link among societies which have normally been divided by their manners, languages and religions. The cultural integration is seen in restaurants offering foreign cuisine in their menus alongside the indigenous ones. For example, curry cauliflower can be seen in the dinner menu of Blue on Water (319 Water Street), and Teriyaki Udon Bowls is on the menu at Aqua Restaurant (310 Water Street). The diversity and cultural integration in this province has started with St. Johns being the focal point. Major grocery stores, like Sobeys and Dominion, have an aisle for traditional and international spices as well as organic foods. That aisle has been growing substantially since 2004 when I first started my excursion to the local groceries. But the stores still lack quantity and availability and due to the costliness of spices in these major grocery stores, they are often not the number one choice for locals and internationals to buy spices. If you are looking forward to make sushi, Kung pao chicken, or any sort of oriental cuisine, then Asian Variety Store (140 Water Street) and Oriental Snow Market at University Center of Memorial University are the best options in this city. They have frozen oriental vegetables, dried fish, readyRead more I want Spicy! on page 4
The cultural integration is seen in restaurants offering foreign cuisine in their menus alongside the indigenous ones.
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I want Spicy! from page 3
made sushi and dumplings, and so on, along with the ethnic Chinese, Japanese and Thai spices and herbs. Have you ever thought of making butter chicken or falafel? If so, then look no further as all the ingredients and spices are available at Taste East (62 A Allandale Road). Currently, they are the only grocery store in St. Johns to offer various middle-eastern and Indian spices. Home-made delicacies like samosa and baklava are also available at the store, but are limited in quantity. European and Mediterranean spices and herbs are available at Dominion and Sobeys, but I personally recommend visiting Bulk Barn. At Bulk Barn, they carry traditional everyday to exotic spices, like cardamom, coriander and Montreal steak and so on, and carry over 4,000 products. Thats all for now, but do share your recipes and they could get featured in the next issue. Bon apptit!
Top: International students playing soccer at Churchill Square soccer ground Bottom: Soccer game at King George V Stadium.
One of the key initiatives of NEAREDB is to build and foster Welcoming Communities for newcomers. NEAREDB is pleased to sponsor and promote the first of what is hoped to be a semi-annual newsletter written by newcomers for newcomers. If you have any suggestions for articles or would like to provide your thoughts and impression on living in this region, please feel free to contact us.
To learn more about NEA REDB visit: www.northeastavalonredb.ca or follow us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/NEAREDB