I have many ancestors from many different countries around the world but for my ancestry blog, I have chosen to research the country I am mostly connected to; Chile. Many of my family members are direct immigrants from this country but my main focus will be on my grandmother’s story. My grandmother lived in Santiago, Chile for 26 years before she and her family immigrated to Canada in 1974, leaving her country for a better life. Life back then in Chile has evolved extremely to this day and would not be much different from my life in Canada now.
According to my grandmother, she chose to immigrate in order to have a better life for herself and her family. “Canada is safer. More opportunities. It’s a better life for us.”, she explained, as the crime rate and natural disaster occurrences were significantly higher in Chile than Canada. Job opportunities were scarcer in Chile and careers for her children would be provided in the future living in Canada. The education was higher and more advanced in Canada, regardless of economic status; another playing factor behind deciding to immigrate. “The government was very strict. We had a curfew, boys and girls did not go to school together. We weren’t allowed any makeup, nail polish, hair pins, nothing. We had to wear our uniforms everyday, and if we didn’t, the teacher would hit us with a ruler or send us home.”(Araya) My grandmother never received a high school diploma because she’d dropped out of school so she could start working to help support her family. When she was not working, she would be waiting in line to receive rations. In addition to the rations, Santiago also had other stern changes made once the army took over. I asked my grandmother if she thought her life would be much different if she had not chosen to immigrate. She replied that she would not have stuck around to find out, clarifying that Australia was their second option of a country to immigrate to.
Prior to immigrating to Canada, my grandfather decided to get a first hand experience of the country by visiting his brother, who’d immigrated years earlier. He lived there for 6 months before returning home with his final decision. It took them two years before obtaining their passports and being able to leave the country. It was mandatory that she and my grandfather took an English course so they could start working. After a few years with steady jobs, they moved into a semi-detached house in Brampton, where they still currently live. My mother and my uncles enrolled in elementary and secondary school where they graduated with the high education they were promised.
I researched what my own life would be like if I’d lived in Chile in the 21st century. Firstly, I would not have even been born because my mother had met my father over 10 years after she had immigrated. Despite that fact, Chile and Canada are quite similar, but there are some small differences. The country now has the reputation of boasting the most advanced medical care in Latin America. Chile has historically been a country of emigration but has slowly become more inviting to immigrants since changing to a democracy and improving its economic stability (CIA). Although women still have to work in less favourable conditions than men, the majority of women do work in the same ways women do in Canada. I also found out that people cannot work until they are 18, nor can they get their driver’s license until that age but they do begin paying for health care. In Canada, there is no doubt that we have extremely snowy and cold winters but Chile experiences wet, cool winters that are very dark, with almost no sunlight.
The answers I have been given have made me conclude that my life would have many small differences if I lived in Chile but not drastic ones. I am grateful for my benefits, my gains and my opportunities I’ve obtained in Canada because my family has immigrated and I would not change a thing.
Works Cited
ASTA. "Chile Weather and Climate." Latin America Collection, 2012,
www.latinamericacollection.com/chile/about/chile_weather_and_climate.html.
Accessed 9 Jan. 2017.
Central Intelligence Agency. "South America: Chile." The World Factbook, 12 Dec. 2016, www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/ci.html.
Accessed 9 Jan. 2017.
InterNations. "Living in Chile." InterNations, 2016, www.internations.org/
chile-expats/guide/living-in-chile-15754. Accessed 9 Jan. 2017.
It is great to hear that your grandma immigrated to a safer place for your family to live. It is clear to see that you are very fortunate to have grown up here as opposed to in Chile. My grandma’s family also immigrated to Canada because they wanted a better quality of life. Also both of our grandparents have experienced the long transition of immigration which I can only imagine how stressful this must be on their families. Your family seems to have always been hard workers which is a great skill to have. I found it very interesting to read about how much Chile has improved as a country since your grandma was young. Thanks for sharing your story with us.
ReplyDeleteKristyn, I am amazed the difference in the set of rules put forth in Chile opposed to canada. I am really able to understand that you are very happy with the choice that you grandmother made to come to Canada. Although I am not able to relate first hand as my grandparents did not immigrate to Canada I am still able to realize that it must have been a long journey which would create a mass amount of stress, and I believe your grandparents are very strong for continuing the journey the whole way. I think your grandfather was very smart in getting some first hand experience by going to visit his brother, that was a very good idea, and most likely provided him with valuable information that would benefit his decision. It is clear to me that your family from the past to now are very intelligent. I was engaged to hear about the education as well as the governments policy about certain things, but I am also thrilled to hear of the improvement that was created since your grandparents immigrated.
ReplyDeleteThis was extremely educational for me, as I never knew the difference in social life and everyday activities in Chile and Canada was so significant. It is evident that your grandma wanted to live in a safe country that would offer many more opportunities for employment, which is very beneficial for your life now as well. The contrast between our stories that I noticed immediately was the length of the immigration process. You express that the time frame for your grandma was lengthy, whereas my ancestors immigration was very quick and rushed. It is very clear how much you value and appreciate the risks that your grandmother took for you. Thank you for sharing your ancestor's story, as it opened my eyes to some of the other ways immigration happens that hadn't happened in my case.
ReplyDeleteThe reasons for your grandmother to immigrate to Canada are very clear and well put, I had no idea that they used to be so strict in Chile. It sounds like your grandmother really wanted to get out of Chile considering she was thinking of multiple places to immigrate to. So, it is great that your grandparents have found a better life here in Canada with much more freedom and were able to provide their family with a much safer living situation with many more opportunities. Although I cannot personality relate my family with any of the stories you have shared, I can imagine the amount of work that went into immigrating to Canada, and it sounds like it was definitely worth it.
ReplyDelete