Adjusting to your new country.

AnnaC

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The excitement of getting the visa has finally arrived but now comes the real work for both the sponsor and the new Dominican Immigrant.

What comes next? More paperwork,where to go, what is needed, adjusting to a new country etc.

This is a good place to discuss all these issues so let's get it started to help others.

If there are subjects for a few different countries, don't worry I'll separate topics and countries as we go.

Also feel free to start a new thread.
 

margaret

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Johana

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My husband arrived in Canada on Sept 13th so I can let you know what we have done so far...

SIN #/card
Find the nearest Services Canada Centre (Welcome to Service Canada | Bienvenue ? Service Canada) and bring the landing paper and passport. They will issue the number (you can use it immediately) and the card will follow in the mail one to two weeks later.

Health Insurance
Check the information for your province...some have mandatory waiting periods before coverage begins. If this is the case you may want to look at buying private medical insurance to cover those first 3 months.
You will need to prove that you are residing in that particular province. A utility bill, bank statement, rent/mortgage papers showing the new resident's name and address.

Bank Account
just bring the landing paper, passport and sin # (you do not need the actual card - at least at TD Canadatrust).

Driver's License
You will need to have the D.L. translated into English. For Ontario it needs to be by an approved Ministry translator. For Ont it is ATIO. If you call them they will ask you what city you are in and then give you some names and phone numbers of translators. We scanned and emailed the D.L. and had a translation in 2 days.
Exchanging an Out-of-Country Licence
This will explain about the years of experience they will give you. Basically if you have more than 2 years experience to get credit in Ont you will need a letter as stated on their website.
You will have to write the G1 knowledge test - but if you have more than 1 year of experience you will not have a waiting period before writing the G2.
You can bring the letter back at a later date to get the additional credit.

LINC - Language Institute for Newcomers to Canada.
They provide free language assessment and free classes. My husband was tested and the rating was ridiculous. And the woman told him to go the next day to a class that was ending in two days. We then went to check out an ESL class - they agreed to put him in a higher level but it is still not accurate. My husband has studied English throughout highschool and some university and took private school as well. So he is quite bored with the class - but it does give him something to do every afternoon and he is meeting people from all over and it was $30.00 for 10 weeks.

Finding work - this is the big one. My husband has been quite anxious to start working and making his own money so that he can contribute.
We made up a resume and sent it off to some temp agencies for General Labour to start. One of the agencies did ask if he had any references and he has his letter of employment from his last employer and it is translated into English.

Finding some Dominican culture :) - We are lucky as we live in Mississauga. We have found a Cafe Santo Domingo on Weston Rd and the food was delicious. The owners were very friendly and we will definitely be back.
There is also a Dominican food booth at the Downsview Flea Market.
My husband has enjoyed being able to find some good Dominican food as I learn how to prepare things the way he is used to (poor boy is eating a lot of huevos y pan con queso lol).

If you are in the same situation as we are...I was never able to spend any extended time with him in D.R. so it is also an adjustment for me. I'm not used to having to worry about someone else or what to make for dinner (Lean Cuisines were just fine for me lol) or having to try to balance work with family life.
So much time and energy was spent on the Visa process that once he was here it seemed like a dream - it's only been 3 weeks so I still catch myself looking at him like he can't really be here (he thinks I'm crazy lol).

As we journey along I will update :)
 
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SJSantos

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I have so often wanted to start this, so thanks Anna

My husband has been here 16 months. Jose?s transition to Canada has been great with some bumps. He went through some lonely times and still does. He misses his family and friends. Jose has found the ?minute passes? (phone cards) and ?You tube? (DR shows and singers) help a lot in those lonely times.

Jose was able to find work immediately at the Casino. He has been working there over a year and loves it dearly. He has made wonderful friends and also has learned that some people because you don?t understand everything in English perceive him as dumb. Now that his English is fluent he has been able to address some of those people and educate them.

Jose has been enrolled in the LINC home study English program. He does his English studies on the computer and a teacher calls him once a week. I remember a time when he first got here I would be his translator and would speak up for him?I soon realized I was not helping him and I stopped. When I stopped I watched his English flourish. We stopped speaking Spanish in our house which forced him to learn English. I didn?t realize how much I said certain words until he started talking like me?LOLOL

Food at the beginning was a challenge, but now Jose eats cereal and sandwiches without complaining. I try to make a couple of DR meals a week and I have actually learned to enjoy cooking.

Our biggest transition has been understanding money and bills. This has been the topic of many disagreements. I tried many times to explain that a certain amount had to be in the bank when the mortgage came due or the car payment and it was starting to take a toll. So, now he sits with me and does the bills and understands EVERYTHING! (as it should be) We used to have many disagreements over money being sent to his family. Now I don?t say anything because it just got ugly. We sat down and figured out an amount that worked for both of us and now we just fit it into the monthly bills.

I am glad we are through our transition stage. Marriage is hard work and double for us who decide to marry out of normal circumstances. It takes an extreme amount of patience and love to endure immigration, a new culture and a new marriage. One thing that was an incredible help to us was finding another DR/Canadian couple who were going through the same transitions and knowing that Jose and I were normal. We found that couple here on the DR1.

I wish all of you all the best with your new lives together. You have found a support network here in the DR1 reach out if you need them.
 
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Fiesta Mama

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Our biggest transition has been understanding money and bills. This has been the topic of many disagreements. I tried many times to explain that a certain amount had to be in the bank when the mortgage came due or the car payment and it was starting to take a toll. So, now he sits with me and does the bills and understands EVERYTHING! (as it should be) We used to have many disagreements over money being sent to his family. Now I don?t say anything because it just got ugly. We sat down and figured out an amount that worked for both of us and now we just fit it into the monthly bills.

I am glad we are through our transition stage. Marriage is hard work and double for us who decide to marry out of normal circumstances. It takes an extreme amount of patience and love to endure immigration, a new culture and a new marriage.

Sorry this is so long winded... I could go on for days about this topic but I think it will be helpful!

My husband has been here in Canada now coming up on 3 ? years. Things have mostly been great but there are some real cultural issues that both parties must recognize if they are going to be successful. Once you get over those issues (or you each learn to deal with them in a way that you can live with) life will be much easier for both parties.

As noted by SJSantos, I see money issues as the biggest adjustment for the Dominican/Canadian couples I know, including myself. First of all, for those of us married to a Domincan man? they are very proud and are used to being the breadwinners in their families and in charge of where the money goes. It goes against the way they were raised to see their wife earning more money than them (in some cases) and telling them where they should spend their money (or hinting at where they SHOULD spend their money). This was a huge issue at the beginning. My husband was not used to juggling so many payments for mortgage, utilities, car, spending money, food, etc. and not being able to spend money as he pleased with no thought to it eventually running out. At first I took charge of paying the bills as I have always done on my own but I soon realized that if I wanted our marriage to be a success I could not try to dominate him and tell him what to do in this regard. Also, he was calculating in his head what we both earn and was thinking there should have been a whole lot more disposable income than what I was telling him and it created a trust issue. So? after trial and error on this issue, I began insisting we sit down together to pay bills on the internet where he could see clearly what money was coming into and out of our account. Over time, he realized how expensive life here can be and he really gained a lot of trust when he saw how I had been managing our finances and still putting money aside for investments, etc. Also, instead of having one joint account (which is how we started out) we decided on a joint account for our bills and separate accounts for each of us for spending money. This way, I could see that he felt more in control of the decisions surrounding where he was spending his money. I must say that I don?t always agree where he spends his portion of spending money, but I keep my thoughts to myself because it?s his money to spend how he sees fit and I?m sure that over time, he will learn to not blow it all the first week of pay so that the second week he has nothing ;)

With the sending money home issue, it?s a hard call. I did not agree that we should be sending money to his family when they made out just fine before he was in Canada. This is not to say that I don?t have empathy for their shortage of funds at times, but we are always very generous when we visit and at times I am witness to them spending money on items that are clearly not needed nor within their limited financial means. However, my husband has many family members living around the world who regularly send money home to the DR so he felt shamed by everyone else when they were sending something and he was not. Therefore, I had to try and put myself in his shoes and think of a way that we could send money to please him but still not feel like it was taking away from things we wanted to do with our hard earned money here. We unfortunately had a tragic death in my husband?s family about a year and a half after he arrived in Canada and this really changed our views on sending money home. We realized that if we sent money on a regular basis, we could not assist the family when emergencies arose (or at least not without putting ourselves in a financial pinch). Therefore, we decided that we would send money not on a regular basis or in regular amounts but when we determined there was a need and we could do without. For example, this past spring, one of his brothers had an accident and required medical attention. We did not even learn of the accident until the family had gotten themselves into considerable debt trying to buy all the drugs, etc. that were necessary. We sent them money at that time because it was more important to us that they could get the proper treatment that was needed than it was for us to be able to go out for dinner every Friday that month so we gave up our dinners for a month and sent the money there. Now I must also say that we have not shared with his family our system of sending money for emergencies only or I?m sure emergencies would become a much more regular occurrence and my husband recognizes this as well (you get to know which family members you can believe in the case of an ?emergency? and who you have to take with a grain of salt or do some digging to find out if what they are telling you is true)!! So far, there has not been an abuse of our system of sending money and my husband gets to feel good about helping out when they are really in need rather than sending money at times that they don?t really need it and may likely waste it.

My husband has also had to work on understanding Canadians. He has learned that your wife might not be too happy after arriving home from work at 6:00 p.m. to find out that he has invited over every Dominican within driving distance for dinner (guess who?s cooking)!

It?s been a real learning experience for us both. I almost think it?s harder for the Canadian counterpart to adjust to the cultural differences and expectations of a Dominican (marrying a Dominicana might be easier) than it is for the Dominican to adjust to Canadian life. I have no regrets and in fact feel that we are luckier than a lot of couples in Canada because we are not only living through a marriage but learning a new culture along the way which helps to keep things new and interesting.
 
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Ezequiel

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I'm just going to give my opinion on the "sending money for the the family" part. I live here in the USA and my whole family, let me make it clear MY WHOLE FAMILY is either a USA citizen or a Permanent Resident. My parents lives in the DR, my father has a business not big but pay the bills, but they still ask me for money because i'm here and they are there, especially my dear mother, because my father is stingy and doesn't give her money, eventhough they're both USA citizen,they can come and work here if they want, but they don't like it here in the USA, so they ASK me for money, and i don't know why but i can't say NO, sometimes i feel MAD but there is something in us Dominican that say send money to your family.

Good example, my father asked me if i can borrow him $3,000 i was about to explode and say NO NO NO but i couldn't, i feel they are going to bankrupt me, i don't know what to do, and i know your husband feel they same way, they are UNDER a lot of PRESSURE to send money to their family.

Keep in mind that my family are USA citizen (parents), image your spouses family that had never been out side the DR, they think that your husband are "livin la vida loca" and have more money that they can spend.

So thank God you are still married, i know some Dominican men that sent their whole check to the DR and live a worst live here in the STATES than they used to live back in the DR.
 
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Vintage

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wow i really like this thread keep it up i need to learn this stuff from people who have experienced it
 

SJSantos

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:cheeky:
I'm just going to give my opinion on the "sending money for the the family" part. I live here in the USA and my whole family, let me make it clear MY WHOLE FAMILY is either a USA citizen or a Permanent Resident. My parents lives in the DR, my father has a business not big but pay the bills, but they still ask me for money because i'm here and they are there, especially my dear mother, because my father is stingy and doesn't give her money, eventhough they're both USA citizen,they can come and work here if they want, but they don't like it here in the USA, so they ASK me for money, and i don't know why but i can't say NO, sometimes i feel MAD but there is something in us Dominican that say send money to your family.

Good example, my father asked me if i can borrow him $3,000 i was about to explode and say NO NO NO but i couldn't, i feel they are going to bankrupt me, i don't know what to do, and i know your husband feel they same way, they are UNDER a lot of PRESSURE to send money to their family.

Keep in mind that my family are USA citizen (parents), image your spouses family that had never been out side the DR, they think that your husband are "livin la vida loca" and have more money that they can spend.

So thank God you are still married, i know some Dominican men that sent their whole check to the DR and live a worst live here in the STATES than they used to live back in the DR.

Thanks for your words about not knowing what to do when it comes to sending money. It's very brave and honest and there have been days I was feeling the same. Now because I accepted it and came up with a compromise it works. We still get phone calls from one of the brothers and Jose has learned not to call him back..and I pretend I don't understand what he's saying..LOL
 

bob saunders

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When when one of my wife's cousins asks for money or complains my wife says yes life is hard here too, hope things get better for you. One of her cousins owns 2 houses in Santo Domingo and 2 in Jarabacoa- collecting rent on three. She always asks Yris for money, even though she paid cash for these houses, in one case 3,000,000 pesos. Language is the biggest issue because it is hard enough communicating when you are both fluent in the same language. For Yris the biggest adjustment was having to work for someone else when she was used to being the boss.
 

cdngirl08

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Sorry this is so long winded... I could go on for days about this topic but I think it will be helpful!

My husband has been here in Canada now coming up on 3 ? years. Things have mostly been great but there are some real cultural issues that both parties must recognize if they are going to be successful. Once you get over those issues (or you each learn to deal with them in a way that you can live with) life will be much easier for both parties.

As noted by SJSantos, I see money issues as the biggest adjustment for the Dominican/Canadian couples I know, including myself. First of all, for those of us married to a Domincan man? they are very proud and are used to being the breadwinners in their families and in charge of where the money goes. It goes against the way they were raised to see their wife earning more money than them (in some cases) and telling them where they should spend their money (or hinting at where they SHOULD spend their money). This was a huge issue at the beginning. My husband was not used to juggling so many payments for mortgage, utilities, car, spending money, food, etc. and not being able to spend money as he pleased with no thought to it eventually running out. At first I took charge of paying the bills as I have always done on my own but I soon realized that if I wanted our marriage to be a success I could not try to dominate him and tell him what to do in this regard. Also, he was calculating in his head what we both earn and was thinking there should have been a whole lot more disposable income than what I was telling him and it created a trust issue. So? after trial and error on this issue, I began insisting we sit down together to pay bills on the internet where he could see clearly what money was coming into and out of our account. Over time, he realized how expensive life here can be and he really gained a lot of trust when he saw how I had been managing our finances and still putting money aside for investments, etc. Also, instead of having one joint account (which is how we started out) we decided on a joint account for our bills and separate accounts for each of us for spending money. This way, I could see that he felt more in control of the decisions surrounding where he was spending his money. I must say that I don?t always agree where he spends his portion of spending money, but I keep my thoughts to myself because it?s his money to spend how he sees fit and I?m sure that over time, he will learn to not blow it all the first week of pay so that the second week he has nothing ;)

With the sending money home issue, it?s a hard call. I did not agree that we should be sending money to his family when they made out just fine before he was in Canada. This is not to say that I don?t have empathy for their shortage of funds at times, but we are always very generous when we visit and at times I am witness to them spending money on items that are clearly not needed nor within their limited financial means. However, my husband has many family members living around the world who regularly send money home to the DR so he felt shamed by everyone else when they were sending something and he was not. Therefore, I had to try and put myself in his shoes and think of a way that we could send money to please him but still not feel like it was taking away from things we wanted to do with our hard earned money here. We unfortunately had a tragic death in my husband?s family about a year and a half after he arrived in Canada and this really changed our views on sending money home. We realized that if we sent money on a regular basis, we could not assist the family when emergencies arose (or at least not without putting ourselves in a financial pinch). Therefore, we decided that we would send money not on a regular basis or in regular amounts but when we determined there was a need and we could do without. For example, this past spring, one of his brothers had an accident and required medical attention. We did not even learn of the accident until the family had gotten themselves into considerable debt trying to buy all the drugs, etc. that were necessary. We sent them money at that time because it was more important to us that they could get the proper treatment that was needed than it was for us to be able to go out for dinner every Friday that month so we gave up our dinners for a month and sent the money there. Now I must also say that we have not shared with his family our system of sending money for emergencies only or I?m sure emergencies would become a much more regular occurrence and my husband recognizes this as well (you get to know which family members you can believe in the case of an ?emergency? and who you have to take with a grain of salt or do some digging to find out if what they are telling you is true)!! So far, there has not been an abuse of our system of sending money and my husband gets to feel good about helping out when they are really in need rather than sending money at times that they don?t really need it and may likely waste it.

My husband has also had to work on understanding Canadians. He has learned that your wife might not be too happy after arriving home from work at 6:00 p.m. to find out that he has invited over every Dominican within driving distance for dinner (guess who?s cooking)!

It?s been a real learning experience for us both. I almost think it?s harder for the Canadian counterpart to adjust to the cultural differences and expectations of a Dominican (marrying a Dominicana might be easier) than it is for the Dominican to adjust to Canadian life. I have no regrets and in fact feel that we are luckier than a lot of couples in Canada because we are not only living through a marriage but learning a new culture along the way which helps to keep things new and interesting.



I have to admit I'm finding this thread interesting. The women in my family have a tradition of marrying men from foreign shores. And when you mentioned the part about your husband inviting people over for dinner and you finding out at the last minute, it reminded me of my parents. Even though my father and mother have been married 38 years ( Dad's been a Canadian citizen for 31 years), he never learns. He still invites people over and then drops the bomb on Mom. When the last guest leaves, she gives it to him..both barrels! lol Does this deter him from doing it again? Nope! LMAO

He also loves to spend money and even though he pays bills and looks after the finances along with Mom, sometimes he thinks they should have more disposable income as well. Then she has to sit him down again and say, this gets paid on this date...and this comes out of this account and so on. He loves buying gadgets...computers are the big thing. He even buys stuff and hides it from her. He has his own computer room and she always tells him that she is going to photograph it one day and if the photographs from week to week don't match, she's going smash up his room! LOL

From time to time, she'll call him on his cell phone when he's out on errands and ask him where he is. She'll say, " You better not be at that damn Future Shop again!" hehe So...anyway..Mom and I think all of this obsession with material stuff comes from going without early on in life and having to work very hard and still have very little. He's one of the success stories you could say. He came to Canada with $20 in his pocket and has done very well and had a successful career. That being said, my Mom is still trying to put the clamps on him and its funny to watch. He says she is always trying to dominate him, but that's not the case. She's only trying to save Dad from himself! lol

Foreign men are funny creatures that need space to make a niche for themselves in their new homelands, but never give them too much leeway because as you can see from my family's example...you can take the foreigner out of the mother country but you'll never take the mother country out of the foreigner. We wouldn't want Dad to be any other way...he is such a source of comic relief!
 
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todiscover

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Johanna thanks for the helpful information!
I too live in Mississauga and in the process of waiting form husband to arrive. We just started the process but am hoping he will be here by the summer.
 

Matilda

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I was in chat the other night and someone said I should write in this thread - not about the issues of bringing my husband to the Uk, but about the key issues I have had bringing myself here!! My husband is Dominican and I am English and we have been together around 7 years - married for 3 1/2. Funnily enough the issues are almost exactly the same!!!

1. Money. He now is not allowed access to any bank accounts or cards as he will just spend all the money! Has no concept of saving for the future, or even saving to pay the phone bill next week. So he earns the money, gives it to me, I give him an allowance and I pay the bills and keep the bank accounts.

2. Family. Not a big issue for us. His parents are dead but we only help out the brothers and sisters if they have big medical problems and that has only been once or twice. He stopped them visiting us as they would help themselves to too much and the sisters would not stop cleaning and reorganising the house!

3. Giving things away. This is an issue in that everything he is given he ends up giving away. He is the most generous person I know, but it is no point buying him anything for Christmas or birthday as he will use it for 5 mins and then will give it away to someone, and it is a tad galling to see a motoconcho wearing that new shirt you bought last week for your husband!!! In fact I cannot think of one thing he still has that I gave him! That includes a digital camera, clothes, jewellry......

4. As I think with all Dominicans her enjoys bringing home the money but has no problems with me working, nor has he problems with cleaning and cooking if I am tired. He cooks around twice a week and will do the shopping too if asked.

So all in all no major problems but is is hard for Europeans/North Americans to adjust to the way of life here.

The lax timekeeping - he says he will be one hour and then is five. You just have to permanently take a chill pill.

The insects - tarantulas, centipedes, mosquitos, cockroaches.

The heat in the summer.

The impossibility of having any electrical, plumbing, mechanical work done well first time.

Still over all it is still much more fun here than in would be in UK!!!

Matilda
 

suarezn

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Ezequiel: As a Dominican living in The US I can relate...a lot. I remember I used to take huge suitcases full of clothes and all kinds of stuff when we took our trips down there, because if you took something for one person in the family you'd have to take something for every person in the family.

I send a monthly allowance and every month it is something new from at least one of the nephews, uncle, etc...

Thanks god the airlines are not allowing you to bring all kinds of junk anymore, so that's my excuse and I know just give everyone money when I go down there...and of course give away pretty all my clothes, shoes, etc...Much easier though.

It does help that I'm not the only one from my family in The US anymore, so they get to spread their begging somewhat...

My American wife doesn't bother me much about me sending money as I'm the one making most of it. It is hard for foreigners to understand why we Dominicans do this, but suffice to say that we grow up with this ingrained mentality that everyone helps each other out and you're loyal to your family as they are to you. Trust me if it was the other way around and I was the one living down there they would be sending me stuff...and if I fall in hard times I can always trust in them to bail me out...
 

Johana

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We went on Friday to apply for OHIP.
We had two pieces of proof of Ontario residency so it was a very simple process (bank statement and new G1 driver's license :)).
There is a form to fill out which they have at the office.
We arrived around 9:30am on Friday and the Mississauga was not that busy and we did not have to wait to long.

The OHIP coverage will begin 3 months from the day that my husband landed here in Canada - it is not 3 months from the day that you apply at the office so do not stress if it takes you a month before you have a document that proves your spouse's address.

There is a requirement that you stay in the country - it states 6 months online and 5 months in the brochure at the office - from the time you land. I asked what happens if he had to go home for an emergency and they said to keep all of your information; boarding passes etc. I'm sure that you would also have to prove the emergency that you left for.
 

Ezequiel

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Suarezn

It is hard for foreigners to understand why we Dominicans do this, but suffice to say that we grow up with this ingrained mentality that everyone helps each other out and you're loyal to your family as they are to you. Trust me if it was the other way around and I was the one living down there they would be sending me stuff...and if I fall in hard times I can always trust in them to bail me out...

Good point, i know my family will do the same if i was in their shoe :bored:.

Does that mean i need to keep sending money????????????:surprised:paranoid::ermm::cheeky::tired:
 

AnnaC

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Jan 2, 2002
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We've got the sending money home subject covered so let's stay on the topic of providing helpful info to new Dominican immigrants.

Thanks
 
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Fiesta Mama

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Here's a "To Do" list for Canada

One thing I really found helped my husband adjust was being able to buy and make his type of food. It might be harder if you don’t live near an urban area to get everything but for those near a city… it’s a common complaint I hear from Dominicans in Canada is that they miss their food. If you don’t have a copy of Aunt Clara’s Dominican Cookbook – get one fast! It’s my bible.

Getting your spouse a credit rating is really important. We did not realize how important until we went to buy a house and my husband had no established credit in Canada so we had to put the house in my name (we were able to transfer it into both once the purchase was done by writing to the mortgage company and telling them we wanted to add my husband for estate planning purposes). The best way to get a credit rating is by getting them a credit card and getting some of the utilities in their name. I know this might seem scary to some who are worried that their husband/wife will go crazy with spending, but try to explain the risks of not paying off the balance each month and buying what you can afford, etc. and you just have to trust that they will have good judgment. Pay the bills together at the end of the month in a way that does not seem like you are mothering them so you can see if things are getting out of hand. It doesn’t help their credit rating if you just give them a card from your own account. They may have to put a deposit for the first year like $500 or something until the bank sees they will pay their account. Also, you don’t want to have to be in charge of everything because eventually both of you will resent the fact that you are in charge of the money/credit cards, etc.

I think getting a driver’s licence is also essential. First of all, if they have one from the DR, make sure they go and do what is necessary to get it validated in Canada because if they wait too long, they will have to start from scratch with the G1 graduated licensing and believe me, it’s a pain in the butt. Second of all, once they have their licence in Canada, they will have more jobs available to them and also YOU will have more freedom. Before my husband had his licence, he took the bus a lot but there were times when I had to drive him everywhere and I hated it and so did he. We both gained our independence once he had his G1. Also, the sooner you get them to do that the better because it’s a long process.

Getting them to take a driver’s ed course is really good too because if any of you have driven in the DR, they could all benefit from learning some rules of the road and what they can and cannot do here in Canada! For those who have a spouse who feels more comfortable doing the written test in Spanish or if they can’t read English that well to study the guide to write the test, the following website has the guide and sample questions in Spanish so that they can study laguia.ca. Also, they can write the test in Spanish if they ask at the drive test centre.

Show them around and teach them the direction. I know this sounds pretty basic but I’m talking about living in a big city like Toronto. It’s pretty hard to tell someone how to get somewhere if they don’t know east from west or north from south. We bought my husband a GPS and it’s a lifesaver!!! He just types in the address where he wants to go and it takes him right there. Before that, he would get lost all the time but now he knows the city better than me. It’s important if they want to go see friends and you are not going or if they have an appointment or for work, etc.
Teach them how to use the computer. Although there are lots of internet caf?s, etc. in the DR, most families do not have a computer and they don’t teach them in school so they may not know how to use the internet, etc. They can also stay in touch with the Dominican Republic by reading the news and staying in touch with their friends and family via e-mail or on-line chatting, which will also cut down on the long distance phone bills. The more knowledge you can give them to allow them to feel independent and to give them the skills to be just as educated and knowledgeable as someone born in the country they are living in, the better it is for both of you. Also, they will feel like they fit in more.

If they live in Canada, get them a U.S. visitor’s visa. We found out the hard way how important this is when my husband could not get a flight out of Toronto to a relative’s funeral and he could have flown through the U.S. if he had had his U.S. visa at that time. Also, he has family in New York City and we have now been to visit them several times. Until they get Canadian citizenship, they will not be able to enter the U.S. without a visitor’s visa despite the fact that they are a permanent resident of Canada. Having said all this, make sure you wait long enough to apply so that it doesn’t look like they came to Canada as a stepping stone to get into the U.S. because a friend of ours applied about three months after he arrived and he was denied. I went with my husband to his interview and he was granted a 10 year visa.

Show them your country. Go camping. Drive out of the city and show them the countryside, lakes, mountains, etc. There are lots of places to vacation in our own country rather than always going back to the DR.

Get satellite TV. We don’t have this yet but have recently learned that there are several satellites that you can get in Canada that allow you to view stations from the Dominican Republic.

And finally, I have to agree with Matilda on the issue of gifts. I too have been angered when I see something I gave to my husband as a gift being worn by one of his relatives the day after we arrive for vacation. He always says “oh it was too small” or I don’t use that any more, etc. but I decided that rather than get frustrated, I just don’t give him stuff that will likely get given away. For Christmas, we tend to buy a joint gift for “us” that we can use in our house, etc. It’s hard to get mad because they are very generous and just want their friends and family to feel as happy as they are.

Okay… that’s all for now. I’ll let someone else get a word in. Hope that helps everyone who has already brought or is in the process of bringing a spouse to your country.
 

Johana

New member
May 24, 2006
342
14
0
Fiesta Mama,

Are there any stores in particular that you would recommend for "Dominican food shopping" in the GTA?
 

Fiesta Mama

Bronze
Jan 28, 2004
772
60
0
Fiesta Mama,

Are there any stores in particular that you would recommend for "Dominican food shopping" in the GTA?
No Frills and any Chinese supermarket have pretty much everything, save and except for brand specific items and this sazon liquid that I can?t think of the name of right now. It?s in a clear bottle with a yellow/orange/red label and has a plastic red cap. At No Frills or Chinese supermarkets you can find yucca/casava, plantain, green non-gassed bananas for boiling, batata, conch (called lambi in the DR) ? usually only in the Chinese markets for this item, cilantro, thyme, chicken or beef boullion cubes (they are the same thing as the ?Maggie? brand but with a different name), dried salt cod, vinegar, avocados, Tayota (called Christophenes sp? here), eggplant, eggs, cabbage, peppers, okra, coffee, sugar, rice (long grain white is what they use the DR), red kidney beans for stewed beans, pigeon peas (guandules), beef, chicken, etc. Also, most Latin stores (there are a number in the Jane/Wilson area and along St. Clair, sell the cheese that you can fry (coating it in corn starch helps it cook better without melting). We live in an area where there is a large Asian population so that could be why our No Frills carries all these items, but if yours does not, go to a Chinese supermarket (they are also really cheap).
 

margaret

Bronze
Aug 9, 2006
1,222
99
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Toronto - Language Learning Materials
Join the Metro Toronto Library. http://www.torontopubliclibrary.ca/
This will give anyone new to the country free access to books, magazines, literacy/ESL materials, audio books, music, CDs, DVDs, etc.

You need photo identification and proof of an address to get a card.

Once you have a card you can access and download materials from the online collection as well (audio books, language courses, videos, music).

Toronto Public Library > Download Books, Music and Video

Many of the local branches have literacy/numeracy programs with volunteer tutors. As well, they have employment resources.

Money Management
I personally find the free services of my bank’s financial planner useful. It’s always good to get the budgeting, savings and investment advice of a third party professional. Bring in all your records and they’ll help you set up your plans for realizing your dreams (emergency fund, getting out of debt, saving for a vacation, retirement, home ownership, helping the family etc.). All the major banks have branches where you can get that advice in Spanish as well. This way you can include your spouse in the planning and help them get acquainted with money management.

Second-hand Clothing
Consignment shops (where you can buy and sell nearly new items)
Consignment Shops in Toronto Ontario - Gold Book

Second hand Clothing Stores
Value Village - Welcome
Welcome to Goodwill