When you move to a different country, you could be facing a lot of challenges. Matilda experienced them all when she moved from Nigeria to Canada. She shared her story with Talk360 about her move to a different country, how the cold weather was one of the biggest challenges, and how Talk360 helped her to call Nigeria and feel close to home.
The start of an adventure
Matilda Jumbo is from Nigeria, and when she was only 23 years old, she moved to a different country. She received a scholarship and chose to do her four years degree program in Canada. She moved to Canada in 2011, and she flew via France and Calgary to Saskatoon. She arrived with a group of people from Nigeria, but everyone went their own way. Matilda explains: “It was all about trying to survive, trying to beat the temperature, the culture shock, and the different kind of food. This meant that everyone was just sorting themselves out, and nobody had time for another person’s problems. So, I also had to go my own way.”
“For me, it really makes a difference to be able to call my family in Nigeria. I call them two or three times a week with Talk360, and I feel so close to them.”
Close to home
When Matilda just arrived in Canada, she used different calling apps and calling cards to call home. Matilda says: “I would buy a card, I had to load it with money, and I also needed to add the phone number. It was a lot of work. Luckily, I soon found Talk360, and it was so much easier. Especially in the beginning, talking to my family really helped me to stay focused and to feel close to home.”
Freezing cold weather
Matilda arrived in Canada on July the third, and it was supposed to be summer. Matilda explains: “When I took my first steps outside, it was unbelievably cold. Everyone was wearing sun tops and shorts. I was wearing my winter jacket, I had my shirt tucked in, and I was even wearing gloves. For me, it was layer upon layer, upon layer. I called my mom with Talk360, crying, saying that it was so cold and that I really wanted to go home. She told me that I got the chance to study abroad and that I had already lived my life in Nigeria. I just had to suck it up and beat it. So, I did.”
Matilda was advised by the Canadians to always check the temperature and the weather forecast before going out, so she would be prepared for the cold. Matilda explains: “I am a Nigerian. In Nigeria, we don’t check the forecast, so I wasn’t used to that technology. And even if I knew how it worked, when the forecast says it is 16 degrees, I don’t know what that feels like. I only know what 35 degrees feels like because that is the temperature where I come from. In Nigeria, I just go outside to feel the temperature of that day.”
“In my first year here, it was really windy, and there was snow everywhere. When we arrived at school, a lady came down from the bus, she fell and slipped because of the icy road. She tried to get up but fell again. I was still on the bus, but it was my stop as well, so I had to get off the bus while I was busy laughing at that lady. When I finally got out, I set my first step, and I fell too. I laughed so hard that I did not even try to get up, and I just laid there. It keeps playing in my head when I see new people coming in because I know the struggle of the first winter, the first snow. It just reminds me of how my journey went when I came to Canada.”
Ten years later
Matilda already lives in Canada for ten years. She has a family and a husband who is from Nigeria too. In those ten years, she only went back two or three times. Matilda says: “For me, it really makes a difference to be able to call my family in Nigeria. I call them two or three times a week with Talk360, and I feel so close to them. My husband is also using the app, and a lot of our friends use the app too. I am always happy to share the app with people because I want them also to enjoy the low costs of calling Nigeria. Next to that, it helps them to stay in touch with their friends and family as well. In June, my mom will visit us, and it will be her first time visiting Canada, so I am really looking forward to that. We are not sure when it will be possible, due to Covid19, but until then, I will just keep calling home a couple of times a week with the Talk360 app.”
Do you also have a special, beautiful or funny story that you would like to share with us? Then contact us by sending an email to info@talk360.com.
