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Jessica, a guest on a podcast, shares her experience of moving from Albania to Canada. She discusses the challenges of leaving behind friends, family, and memories, as well as starting anew in a foreign country with a different language and culture. She explains that her family moved to Canada for better economic opportunities, as Albania was a poor country with limited job prospects. Despite the difficulties, Jessica emphasizes the importance of staying in touch with her relatives through social media and technology. She also highlights the cultural differences between Albania and Canada, such as traditional foods and the popularity of soccer in Albania. Jessica shares that she quickly learned English and made friends in school, thanks to her love for reading and writing. Overall, her story serves as an inspiration for others considering a move to a new country. Welcome to my podcast. As we all know, change should come with a lot of nerves, especially when it comes to changing where you live, who's around you, and leaving your own country. Change may come with the odd downfall, but it also opens up new opportunities for everyone to try new things, and it gives you chances to gain experiences and meet new people. My guest today is not only one of my closest friends from elementary school, but someone who's persevered to these changes and didn't let learning a new language stop her. Welcome, Jessica. Thank you so much for having me on your podcast. I'm looking forward to talking about my culture and my experiences, and especially moving from Albania to Canada. I will be talking with Jessica about her experience moving from Albania to Canada and why they chose Canada over staying in Albania to grow up and live their lives. ♪ La, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la ♪ La, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la Leaving Albania in general, it meant that I had to leave all of my neighborhood friends and school friends behind, in addition to all my relatives and cousins that still do live in Albania, and I think the most difficult part for me was leaving everything behind, including all the memories I've made growing up in Albania. I mean, my family and I, we had to start anew in a foreign country and in a foreign language and customs, therefore the most difficult part was just undergoing too much change all at once, and I think that was just overwhelming at one point, just leaving everything and everyone in Albania, yet at the same time restarting fresh in a different country with a different culture. I mean, we only took a few luggages that we had, pretty much all clothes, and everything else just had to stay behind, and I think that was really tough. Yeah, for sure, having to leave little to nothing to a different country where you don't speak the language. It's a great experience. Yeah, definitely, and I know that a lot of people that do move to different countries, they have a really hard time adapting as well. Now, I know families have a hard time moving as it is, but what made your family want to move to Canada before you were born? Well, my family moved to Canada due to economic reasons, and Albania is a poor country and especially more prominent in the 1990s, and generally there was barely any opportunities to work, especially even after you graduate university. It's known that it's very hard to find a job in Albania once you graduate, so generally I feel like moving was definitely the best option for us. Yeah, 100%. I think it's really important to have those opportunities, and it's important that you and your family come to Canada and come to a better place with a lot more opportunities for you guys. Yeah, staying in Albania was not a good option at the time, you know, schools were teacherless, parents kept kids from going to school for the fear of getting hurt, and people generally just had little money to eat, let alone buy food or anything else they wanted. And having three kids as your parents have, you and your two brothers, it's definitely important for them to know you guys are safe and to grow up having lots of different food options. Exactly. Now, I know that you try and visit every single summer, and ever since I've known you, you've been down there for about a month in August. During COVID, was it hard not being able to travel down there to see them? I think it was definitely hard, just because pre the pandemic occurred, we were planning on going to Albania during the summertime. Yeah, I remember that summer, right before COVID started, you planned on leaving at around July or end of August? Yeah, around August, like for the whole month of August. Yeah, and then all of a sudden, it was just, we were done school, and then you weren't able to leave, which was so unfortunate. Because I know you were definitely looking forward to going to see them, because it's been a while, obviously, going a year without seeing family members is really hard on a lot of people. Yeah, exactly. But I would say it was slightly easier just because of the use of social media and technology nowadays. And the fact that I do have all my relatives back home in Albania on all my social media platforms, and I get the chance to talk to them whenever I can through calling and texting. So I think staying in touch with them through the pandemic definitely made it a lot better. They made it a lot better, for sure. Like, even though I couldn't be there with them physically, to see them. Like, emotionally, I think, in a way, you're able to keep in touch, talk about different experiences you've had, different countries. And see the tourism spots back home in Albania, but I do think keeping in touch definitely made it a little bit more helpful. Like, I can still experience it, obviously, through a screen, but it's not the same as seeing it all in person. Of course, 100%. So I know Albania is more of like a nightlife place, as opposed to living here in Burlington, where everything happens more during the day. But would you say living in Albania is more of like an interactive place? Or would you say living here is easier to interact with different people? Well, I feel like since also Albania is located in Europe, I feel like it also has that custom that the nightlife there is definitely bigger than it is here in Canada and North America. Like, I feel like Europe and North America also have that different set of customs. I feel like in Europe, especially in Albania, it's easier for strangers to interact with you, because I feel like everyone is generally similar, and you can kind of connect on that level. Whereas I feel like in Canada, I feel like it's such a diverse place. Yeah, it's not like that. Yeah, it's a little bit harder to find, you know, kind of... You can't just go up to people and be like, oh, hey, and expect to become friends with them. Exactly. And I feel like North America, specifically Canada, is more career-based and focused more on that kind of aspect, where I feel like in Albania, it's kind of more you're free to kind of do whatever. You're always out. Yeah, you're always out, you know. Meeting new people, trying new things. Meeting new people, the nightlife, for sure. Yeah. So I think that definitely plays an important part. Being able to bond with different people and having those connections on a different level is definitely important. For an example, different cultures, different religions. Now, I know that Albania can be a pretty religious place. What's the biggest cultural differences between here and Albania, and what are some traditions that you might still follow? Some cultural differences? Well, food is definitely the main part of the cultural difference between Canada and Albania. You see definitely more traditional dishes. We have dishes like burek, which is like a spinach pie, which obviously Canadians would probably be confused as to that aspect of the type of food to eat here. We have a dessert called trilece, which is like a dessert with milk. And I would say recreation would also have a cultural difference. In Albania, soccer is seen as the symbol for the national sport of the country. But in Albania, they don't call soccer, soccer. They call it football. Football. And so yeah, it's kind of cool just to see these little cultural differences, especially moving from Albania to Canada, and how similar yet so different the two countries are. I mean, like similarities. I mean, Albanians still wear westernized clothing. They still dress exactly the same as people here in North America do. They're also very polite as well. Yeah, it's pretty similar. Although I think the main differences are things like the foods you guys eat and sometimes how you guys say things or call things, for example, football, soccer, even though it is the same sport. Another thing that is definitely very different is the language that you guys speak. Now, I know you were really young when you first moved here in like kindergarten or grade one, and language was definitely a hard barrier. What was it like trying to learn English, but being in grade one or kindergarten making new friends? I mean, growing up, ever since I was born, my parents would just initially talk to me in Albanian, and I would pick up on the words fairly quickly. And that's how my parents would communicate to me. They would speak to me in Albanian. But once I actually started attending kindergarten, that's when I would start learning English. And my teachers would communicate to me in English. And looking back now, I feel like I picked up fairly quickly on learning English, and I didn't think I found it hard at all. Which probably definitely made it easier to make friends and everything. Yeah, exactly. No, I made many friends. I made many friends. It was easy to talk to people. I didn't have as much of a difficulty speaking it. I mean, I always loved reading and writing as a kid, so I would always be reading, I would always be writing stories, and I would never have trouble, especially with my grammar. Yeah, and reading and writing, I think, definitely helps that. Exactly. I think it still does for anyone reading and writing, anyone learning a new language, it can definitely be a huge help. And also because I would always practice, I would always be sitting down on my table just writing and reading English words and storybooks. So I think that definitely helped me to fully understand English and be able to communicate with everyone and just be fluent in the language. Yeah. Now I want to thank you so much for joining me on this podcast and telling me about all your different journeys and adventures and struggles you've had to go through. And I really, really hope other people get inspired by this and not want to stress about traveling and moving to a new country. And I want to thank you all for listening to my podcast, and I hope you have a great day. Thank you.