EXPOSURE: IS IT REALLY THE BEST WAY TO ADAPT TO A NEW ENVIRONMENT?

 Imagine yourself learning a new language. Chances are that if you are a Canadian student, you have had some form of experience being exposed to a foreign culture, such as through learning French. To excel at the skill of practicing this language, you may have been encouraged to expose yourself to a French-speaking environment: talk to people “en français” as teachers like to emphasize, listen to the “music” of that language, or even watch “un film”. That is precisely what non-English-speaking immigrant students experience when they immigrate to Canada. 

However, the difference is that this transition does not just affect their language skills but also has a considerable impact on their identity and social life. In fact, in some cases, the intention to get exposure to the environment is replaced with the desperation to fit in. 

As I stepped off the plane on the 15th of September, 2018 – I envisioned a perfect country, a chance to live a flawless life. While I am, to this day, grateful for the opportunities that Canada has provided me, I realize that I had underestimated the challenges that I would encounter. 

During my first few weeks in school, I was placed in ESL classes. This allowed me to learn in a smaller group and receive direct feedback from a teacher. However, after taking a short reading test, I was placed in regular classes. Those born in Canada may not understand the difficulties associated with this transition. There is a big jump in difficulty as you transition from ESL to regular classes, which can be isolating and make it difficult to join groups.

Moreover, with high expectations from parents, it was also anticipated that I would do well on the grade 6 EQAO exam. Where most students did little to no practice for the exam, I had to go through as many as possible to achieve the same results, especially for the English-related portions of the test. At the same time, my friends who saw no point in practicing for the exam had plans for fun activities on the days leading up to the EQAO. At this point, the exposure to the environment had lost purpose, as doing quite the opposite would have helped me achieve greater results. 

Hence, while stepping outside of your comfort zone as an immigrant student is crucial for adapting to the culture and environment, it is important to recall the purpose of doing so and to keep an eye out for its overlapping with the desperation to fit in. Remember to prioritize your goals and remind yourself which way you are headed in your life.